If you want to know just how divided the Republican Party is right now, you need look no further than the drama surrounding Kevin McCarthy.
On Tuesday, Florida’s Rep. Matt Gaetz, a hardline conservative who has constantly clashed with McCarthy, put the speaker on notice, saying that they would oust him if he did not keep the promises he made when they elected him in January.
McCarthy is not having any of it, however, and, according to The Hill, dropped the f-bomb in a recent tirade about the looming threat of a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair.
“If you want to file a motion to vacate, then file the f***ing motion,” McCarthy reportedly said during a closed-door meeting conference meeting with other Republicans on Thursday.
The Hill attributed that explosive quote to Rep. Brian Mast, a Florida Republican.
Speaking to reporters later on, McCarthy explained why he lashed out in such an emotional way.
“I showed frustration in here because I am frustrated,” McCarthy said. “Frustrated with some people in the conference.”
Perhaps one of the main reasons behind McCarthy’s frustration is the fact that there is the threat of a government shutdown looming if Congress does not pass a spending bill by the end of the month, and the hardline conservatives in the GOP are unwilling to vote for any spending bill unless McCarthy meets certain demands.
Gaetz responded immediately to McCarthy’s emotional outburst, saying, “Instead of emotionally cursing, maybe the Speaker should just keep his word from January on balanced budgets, term limits, and single-subject spending bills.”
The whole situation is an absolute embarrassment for the GOP, and frankly, both sides of this impending civil war are to blame for what has happened here.
On the one hand, Gaetz and others are right to point out that McCarthy has not delivered on many of the things that he promised back in January in order to become speaker of the House.
Most notably, the speaker has dragged his feet on an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, only announcing it after Republicans demanded it as a condition of supporting the spending bill.
So yes, McCarthy shares some of the blame, but Gaetz and the hardline conservative faction are not totally blameless either.
Gaetz and his faction of the Republican Party have taken an unflinching stance on several issues, being completely unwilling to deviate from their stance in any circumstances.
Such inflexibility is causing division in the party, and their unwillingness to work with the speaker is preventing the GOP, despite having a majority in the House, from getting much done.
But beyond all that, it cannot possibly be overstated just how embarrassing this whole circus is for the Republican Party, especially heading into a crucial election year.
The ongoing fighting between the speaker and the rebellious congressmen threatens to completely stall the conservative agenda in the House, making the party a laughing stock in the eyes of the nation.
Both sides need to get their act together and figure this out, or else the Democrats will take advantage of it in 2024 and beyond.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.