When Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that he’d step down as the chamber’s top Republican at the end of the current Congress, some of far-right voices in his party celebrated the news. As The Hill noted, one notorious House Republican did so in a way that connected some notable dots.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) celebrated the news that Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) is stepping down from his leadership post, recounting the recent shake-ups permeating across the Republican Party. The Florida Republican said that McConnell, the current Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Ronna McDaniel and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) all got “86’d.”
Taking stock of the trio, the Florida congressman, who helped lead the effort to oust McCarthy, concluded, “Better days are ahead for the Republican Party.”
Of course, “better” is a matter of perspective.
That said, Gaetz isn’t wrong to connect these dots. A year ago at this time, it was widely assumed that McCarthy would serve as House speaker until at least early 2025; McDaniel would be the RNC chair through the 2024 elections; and McConnell would likely lead the Senate Republican conference through 2026.
A year later, McCarthy isn’t even a member of Congress anymore; McDaniel is resigning following a series of failures; and McConnell, already struggling with diminished power and influence, has decided not to even try to seek re-election to his leadership post.
For that matter, it’s probably fair to say that even House Speaker Mike Johnson’s future is uncertain.
From a Democratic perspective, it might be tempting to celebrate the GOP’s leadership shake-ups. After all, they reflect an increasingly shambolic Republican Party that should struggle to earn voters’ trust. But there’s also a larger context to remember. The Washington Post noted overnight, “The longest-serving Senate leader still carries the dimming torch of Reagan Republicanism, advocating for American intervention in foreign affairs and a mighty defense. On domestic policy, he has also resisted at times the increasingly populist tendencies of the Trump faction.” McConnell’s departure clears the way, not only for more intraparty chaos, but also for someone worse. The same is true in the House — by most measures, Johnson has more radical views than McCarthy — and at the RNC, where McDaniel’s likely successor is best known for being “a stop the steal guy.” The party’s multiple shake-ups are dramatic, but just as importantly, they invite a new round of chaos for an increasingly radicalized Trumpified party.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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