Jay Weber Show transcript 3/25/24 Segment 1
The damage that Matt Gaetz and his little gang of dimwitted grandstanders has done to the republican party-and the Republicans in Congress cannot be overstated.
Some listeners emailed me over the weekend to bash congressman Mike Gallagher for leaving early-and not even finishing out his term. I found that turn of events surprising, too, but it’s overwrought handwringing to place a bunch of blame on him for the fact that speaker Johnson will only be left with a ‘one vote’ majority in the house.
The truth is: Johnson hasn’t had functioning majority for some time, so at this point, it really doesn’t matter if he’s got a ‘one vote’ majority or a ‘five vote’ majority: not when, regardless of what he does, he’s going to have a small gaggle of about 8 to 15 misfits who are simply going to oppose whatever he does-
And whatever the rest of the republicans want.
It’s interesting that all of the attention goes to the grandstanders after the sorts of votes that were taken on Friday-passing the latest spending package-
Marjorie Taylor Green, Chip Roy, and the grandstanders always get the attention, as if they are the voice of the ‘real’ republican party.... when they are the ones who are out of step with most of their fellow house members on the hill.
And i understand that the-only-and perpetual-point that they want to make is that ‘Washington is broken’ and we must stop the madness....
But they’re part of a much larger caucus of about 215 other republicans-most of whom- want a functioning government and understand that compromises need to be made on things like spending bills that will keep the govt running.
Folks, whether you like it or not, speaker Johnson still has the ‘vast majority’ of republicans on the hill ‘with him’ and supporting him. The crazy caucus is quick to vilify Mike Johnson, but if this is a republic-
And if majority rule wins out-
Well then, MTG and these grandstanders aren’t winning because they aren’t a part of most US lawmakers who were sent to Washington to represent their constituents.
If most republicans are with Johnson and are in favor of being ‘smart’ about negotiating these bills and understanding that they have no power in dc right now-aside from the slim majority that they have-
Well then- the complainers caucus can whine all they’d like-but they aren’t in the majority. So, all they have the power to do is screw things up. Ensure republicans remain on the losing end of all these spending deals- and keep us from winning elections in fall.
That’s the net result of the Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Green style temper tantrums that we get out of them. The truth is that a selfish group of small, strategic thinkers has brought Washington DC to a halt-
But not in any good or positive way. They aren’t reforming it and they aren’t convincing the American people of the ‘rightness’ of their positions. They’re just creating so much dysfunction that it has led to speaker Johnson actually needing to capitulate too more-
Cave in on more- democrat victories-because he’s forced to cut deals to get democrat votes- votes that the bitter idiots won’t give him-
And so-this spending bill and the others actually end up with-more- lefty nonsense in them because this handful of knobs won’t cooperate.
And it has resulted in more serious-minded people who went there to govern, not engage in twitter wars, to leave office or leave early.
Yes. This is all a byproduct of this small group of dissenters who- at every. Bleeping turn- refuse to work with their own party and think they are being mavericky.
Yes.
It makes republicans look ridiculous and impotent-and it allows the MSM to ignore more ‘consequential’ stories out of congress.
For example- this weekend, alone, as the senate finished a floor session- every single democrat in the u-s senate-including Tammy Baldwin- was made to vote on several GOP items.
Every single Senate democrat voted-against-deporting illegal aliens who assault police officers. Voted-against-the Laken Riley act that said-we should at least be deporting illegal alien criminals. Nope. The dems want them here in the country.
Every senate democrat-including Tammy Baldwin-voted in favor of continuing president Biden’s illegal abuse of the parole program that has allowed him to fly over 320-thousand illegals directly into the US.
And every single democrat senator voted to send billions more to Iran-by refusing to block Biden’s latest release of billions of dollars to a global enemy.
That is an impressive collection of ‘anti-American’ votes. That is Tammy Baldwin and her colleagues voting -against- an impressive number of logical, reasonable ‘pro-America’ votes. And is it getting any attention today?
Did it this weekend?
No.
Because all the MSM wants to talk about is the dysfunctional republican house-and how several of its own members are too dumb to realize that -they -are the problem and -they-are the reason that speaker Johnson is being forced to cut deals with democrats to keep government functioning. Our soldiers being paid.... etc.
If you want to complain about some of the insane left-wing wins in this latest 1.2-billion-dollar spending bill-with federal taxpayer money going to support abortions and transgender issues-
Well- blame MTG, Chip Roy, Matt Gaetz, etc. who get out of bed every morning wondering ‘how am i going to look tough and mavericky and say ‘no’ to the GOP today?
How am i going to boost my own fame by dumping on speaker Johnson and my own party?’
They aren’t heroes. They aren’t mavericky. They aren’t Maga. They’re dimwits who are doing the bidding of the house democrats far better than the dems are doing for themselves.
And they have been since gates shoved a far more competent-far more capable-Kevin McCarthy out of the speaker’s chair.
This last spending bill passed the house with more democrat votes than GOP votes. More republican house members voted against it-than for it- including nearly every one of Wisconsin’s GOP congressmen.
I believe that only Derrick Van Orden voted in favor of it-probably because he’s up re-election in fall in a 50/50 district and has an interest in a functioning government rather than a govt shutdown that would have been heavily blamed on republicans.
But- why did speaker Johnson need to cave as much as he did to the democrats?
Because the house freedom caucus was being so impossible and illogical. Hate me for saying it, if you want, but I’m explaining what’s going on, here.
The republican party has a core of people who are insisting they are ‘the most conservative’ or the most ‘pro-America’ group of people in congress-but their intransigence keeps resulting in- more liberal-less conservative spending bills being passed.
I don’t know how this is ‘winning’ for matt gates or Marjorie Taylor Green-or even Chip Roy-who’s normally at least-logical.
After this spending bill passed on-mostly-democrat votes, Marjorie Taylor Green immediately threatened to shove Mike Johnson out of the speakership.
Okay. Then what? We bring in a third stringer -in an election year- and who’s even more awful?
I detailed for you-immediately- the day they shoved Kevin McCarthy out- what a terrible mistake they were making.
Have I been wrong?
Has mike Johnson been worse?
Yes. Far worse.
Has Mike Johnson had to compromise with democrats in a split government- just like every single leader. Would have?
Yes.
Have the myopic morons like gates ruined the party’s chances of success?
Yes. Time and again.
Segment 2
As expected, -I’m getting some blow back for my earlier segment detailing how and why speaker Mike Johnson is being forced to cooperate with democrats in the house.
It’s because a small chunk of his own GOP members simply refuses to show any reason or logic-and instead-just want to block him at every turn.
Well, okay. Then Johnson needs to turn to the democrats for votes-and give them some wins- to keep govt running.
Is that what this wingnut caucus wants?
No. They claim not. But it’s what their actions. Their actions. Result in.
And it all goes back to removing speaker Kevin McCarthy: what Matt Goetz’ move has done-is it has forced speaker Mike Johnson and his team to run a coalition government that-needs to-work with the democrats to pass -must pass-legislation...and that means America’s conservatives and republicans are racking up -fewer- wins for our side and giving away more -wins-to democrats.
That’s been the net result of shoving Kevin McCarthy out as speaker- installing Mike Johnson-and empowering this small gaggle of 8 to 15 wingnuts who want to think they are ‘MAGA’ and ‘mavericky’ ...but are instead....helping the democrats and doing greater damage.
You can be angry at me, as the messenger, if you want, but I’m simply explaining the reality here.
Heck- some listeners seem angry with me because i was ‘right again’.
When this small group of matt gates morons was shoving McCarthy out-i detailed for you- what a terrible mistake they were making- and why.
McCarthy was the most conservative house speaker we’d seen in decades. He was a great recruiter and a great fundraiser and was a master at managing this narrow-majority caucus.
Matt gates was jealous of his success and didn’t like the fact that McCarthy launched an ethics investigation into some very – credible-accusations against gates involving sex with a minor-
And so, the grudge was formed. Forcing McCarthy out had nothing to do with what was best for the GOP, or conservatives, or even the Maga crowd.
It was a personal vendetta-plain and simple. A small group of grandstanders and dimwits went along with it- and look where we are...as a party and as a conservative movement.
Newt Gingrich was on Laura Ingraham’s show on Friday talking about Mike Gallagher deciding to leave congress early-and not even finish out his term-
And Newt-correctly- put the blame on gates and this small group of grandstanders who ‘think’ they’re winning something, but are instead, are frustrating their fellow republicans into leaving- and empowering the democrats in the house, at the same time.
Newt Gingrich Blames Matt Gaetz After MTG’s Motion To Vacate Johnson: He ‘Unleashed The Demons’
These intransigent republicans have made Hakeem Jefferies the most powerful house minority leader in generations- because- in most situations now, Mike Johnson has no choice but to turn to the democrats.
If you’re angry that funding for abortions and transgender nonsense are in this latest spending bill-well- blame the GOP wingnut caucus- not mike Johnson.
He was left with no choice. And don’t say ‘we should shut down government’ because that’s a move that always, always backfires on republicans and this is an election year. That’s a dumb idea, too.
We can only move the conservative or the ‘pro-America’ agenda when we have the majorities to do it- and doing things that cause us to lose elections- like shutting down the government or appearing to be extremists on the issues- loses elections.
Speaker mike Johnson has no functioning majority anymore and hasn’t since he took the speakership last October. It’s why it doesn’t really matter if Mike Gallagher and a few other republican congressmen head for the exits early.
If Johnson can’t move any legislation with a five-vote majority- what does it matter if that majority is down to only one?
That’s the basic ‘logic’ of these early retirements and early defections.
The -reality-of a one-vote majority for the republicans between now and January means that if any republican congressman gets sick or dies...the republicans will be forced to relinquish control of the committees and floor votes to the democrats.
A tied house means ‘shared control’. Two republicans leaving or dying leads to democrat control of the house, too, before January’s change-over-
And imagine the damage the dems could do with full control of dc again-even in just a short window.
This is one reason that Mike Gallagher should have done the decent thing and at least played this out until November. At least leave with a smaller window if you are leaving means a one-vote majority.
Gallagher-should-be rapped for this. Insisting on leaving in April is a selfish move -and it leaves his constituents up on the northeast quadrant of the state without representation in dc for nearly a year.
It was a surprisingly selfish move from Gallagher.
But-in terms of it making Mike Johnson’s job harder?
It doesn’t...because this hasn’t been a functioning majority since October.Johnson can’t pass bills with his members, alone, because a handful of his members insist on being jags.
Gingrich-in that interview with Ingraham- said he had a large majority and that meant that the small number of wingnuts in his era couldn’t bring everything to a halt. They can now.
And I don’t know if they think they are ‘winning’, or what-but they’re handing the democrats all sorts of unearned wins that they shouldn’t be getting.
Oh- Mike Johnson will-have to-call her bluff. Because doing otherwise isn’t reasonable or logical. Yeah: Johnson and the ‘reasonable’ republicans in that caucus will have to ignore green and the grandstanders and pass a foreign war funding bill with the help of several democrat votes-
Because not doing so is abandoning important global allies and is idiotic. So, yes, of course another ‘hair on fire’ tantrum is coming from this gaggle of grandstanders in a few weeks.
Absolutely.
Because they aren’t serious people. They’re just currently able to gum up the works-for-the serious people who want to do the jobs they were elected to do in Washington DC.
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