Dissent has been rapidly growing amid the Republican party, especially in the last year or so. It began boiling up after the 2021 Capitol Riots, but really started hitting new levels when the House voted to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position. From there, Republicans have failed to get on the same page about virtually anything.
As Republicans keep getting into sword fights over every single little issue that comes to the chambers, it is creating a more concerning issue. Once again this week, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor-Greene began a push to now oust current Speaker Mike Johnson. The House on Wednesday voted to table her resolution to remove him. All of this bickering over who should lead, and what to do with various issues, has opened up a window for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
The New York Congressman has been waiting in the wings for a shot at the speakership. The constant dissent has also managed to give him more power than ever. Conservative editor Gary Polland says the days of Nancy Pelosi keeping a tight leash on the Democrats has given him a groundwork for power.
"When she was speaker...she had the Democrats in lockstep. They would not go against her...in essence, with the dissidence of the party too...Republicans do not have the discipline which strengthens Jeffries hand...because to get anything done, they have to work with the Democrats," he says.
Perfect example of his keeping the Democrats in line was Wednesday afternoons speakership vote. They said from the jump they would kill the effort, and not a single one of them jumped off the line. Meanwhile, 10 Republicans voted to oust Johnson, creating even more internal issues.
The GOP currently holds a very razor thin majority in the House, with still some time to push through things like border security before the end of the year and prove they can come together before election time. Instead, you have Greene pushing for yet another Speakership battle.
"This creates the opening for the Democrats...they are better off with Republicans in charge by one vote...they will be able to basically get what they want," he says. "It hamstrings the Conservatives from pushing their own agenda."
Make no mistake, a Jeffries Speakership could spell total disaster. He would have the wholehearted backing of the loony Left behind him on any issue, once again in lockstep.
Even with that looming possibility just six months down the road, the Republicans continue to fight worthless battles with one another. Maybe in the next six months, they can get it together, but it will take some big changes.
"We need discipline...lets have an agenda, and get people behidn it...the dissidents who just want to fight are basically just useless fools," he says. "They do nothing for the party."
This move by Greene too could lead to even bigger problems.
"The idea of getting rid of the Speaker so that we can have another Speaker battle...that pretty much will guarantee the Republicans lose the House in November...it will show they cannot govern," says Pollard.
He adds that Republicans need to get away from the political posturing, and back to governing, before the Hakeem Jeffries takeover becomes a reality.
Photo: Getty Images North America
