Is This the Party Republicans Want?

By Chris Revelle | Politics | October 3, 2023 |

By Chris Revelle | Politics | October 3, 2023 |

The Republican party is having a hell of a time lately. Matt Gaetz led a rebel wing to reject funding measures and brought the country within a hair of a shutdown that would’ve had disastrous results for everyone. In the 59th minute of the 11th hour, Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached across the aisle to Democrats and pushed a stop-gap funding measure through that averts a shutdown for now and kicks the can down the road to November. This move seems likely to imperil, if not outright doom, McCarthy’s Speakership, as Gaetz has moved to oust McCarthy for the high crime of cooperating with Democrats. A motion to expel Gaetz has appeared, representing a new front of Republican party in-fighting that could tighten the party’s already narrow hold on the House of Representatives. And then there’s the farce that was the impeachment hearing in which McCarthy’s desperate placation of the MAGA wing reached its apotheosis: at a hearing kicking off the impeachment process (without a vote) all witnesses called freely admitted that there was no actionable evidence that President Joe Biden committed an impeachable offense. Democrats essentially got to play tee-ball responding to all these very public stumbles. Given the conga-line of humiliation that the party’s elected representatives have gone through, it seems like a good time to wonder: is this what Republicans want?

I’m not referring to the elected legislators but to their constituents when I ask this. Beyond wanting to drink progressive tears or fight “woke-ism” (two reactionary desires responding to abstract straw-man enemies), what are the goals of Republican voters? Knowing, as we all do, that no party is a monolith and each individual party member will have their own individual priorities, that’s probably a difficult question to answer fully. Putting aside all the disagreement I may have with their politics, I have to imagine this past week was not part of their vision. I doubt many people cast their votes for their favorite Republican legislator with the express intention of watching them argue ad nauseam with their colleagues and put on half-baked impeachment hearings that make the party look incoherent. Certainly, if the goal was to “get back” at Democrats for impeaching Trump, Republican voters would’ve preferred the accusations against Biden to have compelling proof at hand, no? Similarly, whatever goals were had in voting for the Laura Boeberts, the MTGs, the Matt Gaetzes, and so on, those goals most likely didn’t include driving America to the brink of shutdown and default, an event that would almost certainly tank our economy. I am not privy to what those goals would be, so I ask, is all this mess anything close to what Republican voters wanted for themselves?

I’m genuinely asking, as much as that might not mean too much coming from a motormouth lefty queer like myself: What are the Republican goals in mind here? Is it simply to usher Trump back into the White House? Putting aside whatever value he offers, putting aside whatever a voter feels they can stomach of his behavior, do Republican voters want their party to act solely by the whims or decree of one person? Sure, Trump riles up progressives, and having someone be rude to your ideological opponents is fun, I get that. But what does that mean for Republican voters beyond short-term catharsis? What benefit does that communicate to Republican voters that represents a meaningful and positive change to their lives? What happens when the singular figure at the head of the party is gone? Does the party serve the concerns of the constituents or the concerns of one single person?

I won’t pretend that the Democrats are some bastion of perfect conduct nor will I pretend I don’t have my own frustrations and complaints with them. I recognize that the constrictive two-party system we operate in means that no one gets the candidate or party they want, so everyone negotiates who, within a tight field of options, is closest to reflecting their values. It’s important to remember that whatever our differences are (as myriad and important as they may be), we are all yoked by the same inequitable system. I’m sure my opinions on what we can do to improve our country differ wildly from my conservative counterparts. Considering all of this, is this the Republican party Republicans want? Do Republicans want their legislators following the whims of Trump over all else? Do Republicans want very public organizational failures like beginning impeachment proceedings without actionable proof? Do Republicans prefer their representatives to become more known for scandals (like fraud, money-laundering, theft of public funds or public indecency or petty public spats) than for introducing legislation? Is the party Republicans want the one that spends time grinding axes for a former president instead of working to better the lives of those who voted for them? Do none of the religious or evangelical Republicans feel the urge to chase the money changers out of their temple?

I’m sure the answers to these questions are as different as they are many. I’m sure there is not one unified answer that could be given. But I am also sure this can’t be what Republican voters envisioned for themselves. Even if our ideas of what America should be are different, this neverending game played by unserious grifters can’t be what Republican voters had in mind for their future.