Commentary | Kevin McCarthy won’t let Republicans “move on” from January 6 – By Amanda Marcotte (Salon) / Mar 10, 2023
Some Republicans want to forget January 6 — but many House Republicans can’t stop celebrating the Capitol riot
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., seems committed to a philosophy of governance by trolling.
On Wednesday, McCarthy granted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., the chance to be speaker pro tempore, despite — or likely because — the congresswoman rose to fame by harassing survivors of school shootings and hyping the QAnon conspiracy theory. Handing Greene the gavel likely got the desired response of widespread liberal outrage, with folks deeming the move “vile” and “shameful.”
Provocations like this help with Republican fundraising, no doubt. Nothing opens MAGA wallets faster than success at “triggering the liberals.” Still, the move is a puzzling one, from a political standpoint. However much money it makes is overshadowed by the incredibly bad optics of McCarthy pandering to the most radical elements in his party. Republicans performed well under expectations in the 2022 midterms, precisely because the voters turned against people like Greene, who has been calling for a “national divorce” and celebrating the January 6 insurrectionists as if they were unjustly detained activists. One former aide of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., griped that it was a “[f]ree campaign commercial for Democrats.”
Free campaign commercial for Democrats. https://t.co/InBsajhqi4
— Amanda Carpenter (@amandacarpenter) March 8, 2023
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