Congressional Republicans are clearly struggling with the most basic tasks of governing right now. The result is an increasingly likely government shutdown, chatter about GOP members fighting it out in an intra-party “civil war,” and an uncertain future for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
But the current conditions are also leading some Republican lawmakers to take stock of what’s become of their conference. After one of yesterday’s failed votes, House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers told Politico the failure was “illustrative that we’ve got five clowns that don’t know what they want except attention.”
Rep. Mike Lawler of New York — one of 18 House Republicans who represent a district President Joe Biden won in 2020 — spoke to Capitol Hill reporters late yesterday and went a little further:
“I wouldn’t even call them my right flank. This is not conservative Republicanism. This is stupidity. The idea we are going to shut the government down when we don’t control the Senate, we don’t control the White House. … These people can’t define a win. They don’t know how to take yes for an answer. It is a clown show.”
As part of the same informal Q&A on the Capitol steps, Lawler added, “If you want to have a stronger hand, run better candidates, and win more elections. If you keep running lunatics, you will be in this position.”
On the surface, the congressman’s frustrations are understandable. Lawler is no doubt concerned about his future political prospects, and the challenges of running for re-election in a competitive district while being associated with a far-right political party that struggles to do the basics. He very likely wants to avoid a shutdown next week, and it’s tough to blame him for feeling exasperated.
But I was struck by how the New York Republican characterized his concerns: Lawler didn’t just blame his radical GOP colleagues for their intransigence; he also suggested that the party and its voters ultimately share the blame.
Indeed, Lawler’s assessment rings true: If the Republican Party runs “better candidates,” there will be better outcomes. When the GOP runs what the New Yorker described as “lunatics,” we’re left with the chaos and crises that are gripping Congress right now.
In other words, it’s easy to blame the so-called “clowns,” and there’s no doubt that they’ve earned the criticisms they’re now facing. But Lawler referenced a party-wide problem that needs to be acknowledged and addressed.
