• Home
  • Blog
  • Contact
The Screaming Moderate

Call me naive...again

10/9/2015

5 Comments

 
Yesterday, before Kevin McCarthy pulled the plug on his candidacy to be Speaker of the House, I wrote that it would be a game-change if Republicans and Democrats joined together to elect a speaker, thinking that would be McCarthy. I had folks tell me I was naïve and a dreamer to think that. I knew that then,  and I know it now.

But today, I think it’s even more important that this happen. Even if Paul Ryan who everyone (including me) thinks is the ONLY one who could step forward and win the speaker job with possible unanimous support on the GOP side, there is a moment here. It is a moment to seize back our government from a small band of insurgents who seem to want nothing but destruction as their goal. If those 30 or so Tea Party Republicans in the House can dictate who the Speaker will be they will establish themselves as the power brokers in the House. A minority of a minority running the government. They’ve shown signs they are doing it now, but controlling who is Speaker will further cement their dominance. Government shutdowns will be the norm. Holding up a budget over one item will be regular order.

It’s happened before in other countries and the result hasn’t been pretty, as another friend of mine pointed out yesterday. Instead of each side reacting with a partisan statement saying the other side is in disarray (as happened yesterday from spokesmen all the way from Senate Minority Leader Reid to the White House spokesman), can’t someone really put country ahead of party and reach out to the other side with a reasonable settlement to this? If that doesn’t happen, the Freedom Caucus will rule the roost.

They want a revolution? Let’s revolt against them. And the “us” is everyone, driven not by party but driven by country.
Bring on the calls of naivety.   

5 Comments
Roberta Ricciardi
10/9/2015 07:34:37 am

Reinstate "none of the above" as a voting option on the state level, nationwide. Many people refuse to vote, because they don't want to settle for "the least offensive candidate." They want the best, and they're not seeing it. But the government doesn't count "none of the above" as a statement, because it isn't an option to state, point-blank, that "I don't like any of them. Give us a new set."

Are they afraid that "none of the above" might win and they'd have to toss out all the candidates and give us new options?

Reply
b. jay
10/9/2015 08:00:25 am

Cuz,
I'm afraid if they put "none of the above" on the ballot, it would be less a protest vote and more a wasted vote because it just means one of the two (if there are only two) candidates will win anyway. A real vote is the way to send a message, getting involved in the parties, etc. we who don't, leave it to others.

Reply
Pat Lanza
10/9/2015 12:49:21 pm

I am shocked at the attitudes of my pers who are tickled pink this is going on. They have become so radicleized by the tea party they are loving this. Anything that will sully the black President is all they want

Reply
Jan Cehn link
10/10/2015 12:16:36 am

B.Jay, my thoughts exactly and beautifully said. I think that these are very scary times.

Reply
B.Jay
10/10/2015 06:15:52 am

thanks, jan. hope all is well out there.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

     
    Follow @bjaycooper

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013

    B. Jay Cooper

    B. Jay is a former deputy White House press secretary to Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He also headed the communications offices at the Republican National Committee, U.S. Department of Commerce, and Yale University. He is a former reporter and is the retired deputy managing director of APCO Worldwide's Washington, D.C., office.
    He is the father of three daughters and grandfather of five boys and one girl. He lives in Marion, Mass.

powered by bjaycooper.com