Conservatives Und Fascists Are In A Fight To The Death
Yesterday, Omaha Congressman Don Bacon (R) was on Meet The Press. Aside from giving him an unfair advantage over his Democratic opponent, Tony Vargas, he told Kristen Welker that he has “a commitment” from MAGA Mike to put a military aid package for Ukraine up for a vote. “Well, that's significant,” said Welker. “You have a commitment from him. You heard it here. Let me ask you about the Speaker of the House because you know that some Republicans oppose him putting a Ukraine aid bill on the floor. Do you think he could lose his speakership over this, congressman?” Bacon said “It’s possible, I'm not going to deny it. We have one or two people that are not team players. They'd rather enjoy the limelight, the social media. And the fact is with the one-seat majority— and we'll end up with a three- or four-seat majority after some special elections— out of 435 people, it's a very narrow majority. And one or two people can make this a minority. And yet, I'm of the view you work with the team. I don't have to get 100%. Eighty percent is the Ronald Reagan rule. But we have some people that if they don't get 100%, want to bring the House down and it makes us dysfunctional. And so it's a possibility. I do think there will be Democrats, though, who do not want to see this dysfunction. And I think they'll probably vote present or, maybe, not be there for a vote. But it is very likely that after this Ukraine bill, we may have a standoff with the speaker. I hope the speaker prevails. He's doing the right thing. It's in our national security interest that Ukraine remain independent.”
One or two who aren’t team players? Was Bacon drunk? He no doubt had Marjorie Traitor Greene and Matt Gaetz top of mind. But what about some of the extreme right backbenchers who are always looking to stir up trouble— Chip Roy (TX), Eli Crane (AZ), Scott Perry (PA), Andy Biggs (AZ), Tim Burchett (TN), Byron Donalds (FL), Paul Gosar (AZ), Matt Rosendale (MT), Clay Higgins (LA), Barry Moore (AL), Josh Brecheen (OK), Lauren Boebert (CO), Andy Ogles (TN), Eric Burlison (MO), Nancy Mace (SC), Troy Nehls (TX), Ralph Norman (SC), Anna Paulina Luna (FL), Bob Good (VA)…
That’s a lot more than one or two. Or three or four. And it’s what makes Congress dysfunctional, much to the delight of Trump, who thrives on chaos, anomie and dysfunction. But speaking of Bob Good, yesterday CNN painted a picture that looks pretty bad. Manu Raju and Haley Talbot reported that “Good, the leader of the House Freedom Caucus and one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy from the speakership, has been at the center of internal GOP infighting that has left their party’s agenda in tatters and their conference embroiled in a bitter civil war. Now [Wisconsin Republican Derrick] Van Orden has joined hands with a band of House Republicans angling to knock Good off in his June primary by propping up his primary opponent, John McGuire— a tactic long viewed as a serious breach of protocol but one that underscores the bad blood within the House GOP.”
Van Orden, a freshman and a loud-mouthed drunk with a hair-triggered temper, told CNN that “Bob Good didn’t come here to govern. He came here to be famous. Bob Good’s wearing our jersey, and he’s not on the team. If you look at what we have not been able to accomplish in this Congress, it’s predominantly because of Bob Good and his ilk.”
Raju and Talbot wrote that “But Good is undeterred. As he barnstormed through his district last week with fellow House GOP hardliners, such as Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Chip Roy of Texas, Good said voters in his district don’t care what his colleague from Wisconsin thinks. And he pointedly accused many of his Republican colleagues in Washington of casting votes that hurt the country and undermine the conservative cause. ‘They’ve never heard of Derrick Van Orden. They could care less what Derrick Van Orden thinks,’ he said of his constituents, later telling CNN that questions about his Republican colleagues turning against him are ‘stupid. You come to these things, and you ask questions that nobody here cares about. You bring up Derrick Van Orden, which is a joke,’ he said. ‘RINOs, establishment moderates do nothing to influence Republican primary elections,’ Good added. ‘Conservative, courageous warriors like those endorsing me today and being here with me today are the ones who my constituents care about.’”
The toxic infighting that has dominated the House GOP majority— and has now landed squarely in Good’s conservative district in rural Virginia— is part of a larger battle over the direction of the GOP. As many Republicans in Washington say that compromise and consensus with Democrats is the way to govern in divided government, Good and his bloc of members excoriate such deal-cutting as they push their no-compromise approach.
“This is the most important primary in the country,” said Gaetz, who led the charge to oust McCarthy and has targeted two other sitting Republicans in their primaries so far this cycle. “Bob is our masthead. Bob Good is our leader among House conservatives to get us on the same page to ensure that it is the people’s interests that rise above the special interests. They know that they hate us. But you know what, there are more of us.”
In an interview on Friday, McGuire— a former Navy SEAL— said Good’s conduct is “embarrassing” and that the congressman’s “name-calling” of fellow Republicans is “so childish.”
“I believe that my opponent wants to burn it all down, no solutions kind of guy,” McGuire said. “I think that we need leaders that want to grow the party and unite our country.”
McGuire added: “If you are helping the Democrat team take out the Republican team, who is the RINO?”
Good, 58, who won his first race in 2020 by knocking off a moderate GOP incumbent, Denver Riggleman, is one of four Republicans who are being targeted by members from within their own conference. In the other cases, it’s far-right Republicans maneuvering to take out colleagues they view as insufficiently conservative.
Now, it’s the center-right striking back— including allies of McCarthy and a new GOP outside group beginning to attack Good as well.
Asked if Good’s vote to oust McCarthy prompted the House GOP effort to defeat him, Georgia Rep. Austin Scott said: “It has something to do with that. But more important than that, I think, we’ve got a guy who would be a good member of our team,” referring to McGuire.
McGuire said he had not been recruited by McCarthy but told CNN that he has spoken recently with the former speaker and called him a “nice guy,” noting that McCarthy filled him in on “what goes on in Congress.”
In the interview, he made clear he would have voted to keep McCarthy as speaker.
“I would have never in a million years, partnered with the other party to take out our leader,” McGuire said. “I mean, I’d imagine if you were Nancy Pelosi, she probably said ‘Let me get this straight. You want to partner with us to take out your best leader who has the most leverage and the most institutional knowledge with no plan?’”
Earlier this month, a group of mostly defense-minded House Republicans— some of whom have sparred with Good over Pentagon spending— raised big bucks for McGuire at a private fundraiser. At the event, House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers of Alabama called Good a “danger to our country,” according to McGuire.
…But perhaps the biggest challenge facing Good: Donald Trump. During the GOP presidential primary, Good backed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, explaining he preferred a candidate who could serve for eight years in office, rather than just four more years like Trump.
Good’s support for DeSantis in the primary is now the subject of an attack ad by a new outside group, Virginians for Conservative Leadership PAC, which says: “Bob Good has no faith in Trump.”
…Good’s foes won’t let him forget where he stood given that he backed DeSantis until he dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses.
“I think we all hate politicians that say one thing in public and a different thing in private, and you can’t trust them,” said McGuire, who met privately with Trump at Mar-a-Lago recently. “And he is proven that he can be trusted, and Trump can’t trust him.”
McGuire boasted about his efforts to help Trump ahead of the Iowa caucuses.
“I made like 10 hours’ worth of phone calls for him there, and I put a bunch of yard signs,” McGuire said. “I’m a team player.”
Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana, a former Trump Cabinet member who is backing McGuire, added: “We can do a lot better than Good,” he said. “We can do great.”
And Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene— who was booted from the Freedom Caucus last year after sparring with her GOP colleagues— has endorsed McGuire, saying Good “cannot be trusted and will work against Trump.”
“John McGuire endorsed and supported President Trump while you stabbed him in the back,” she posted on Twitter.
Good angrily dismissed her.
“Nobody cares what Marjorie Taylor Greene says or thinks. And she’s a one-man show, she’s grandstanding and she wants attention,” Good said.
Trump has yet to endorse anyone in the race, but one of his top advisers, Chris LaCivita, told a local Virginia news outlet in January: “Bob Good won’t be electable when we get done with him.”
