Kevin’s Best Friend

Having Matt Gaetz as a foil isn’t the worst thing.

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Rep. Matt Gaetz speaks to the media after speaking on the House floor about a possible effort to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, outside the Capitol in Washington, D.C, October 2, 2023. (Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

Would you rather have Speaker Kevin McCarthy or Speaker Matt Gaetz?

McCarthy is slippery, mealy-mouthed, and a servile lackey to Donald Trump in most things. He’s no one’s idea of a serious legislator, and he pales as a strategist by comparison to Mitch McConnell and Nancy Pelosi.

But between the two options I’ve offered, it’s no contest, is it?

The last two weeks of shutdown theater in the House have functioned as a sort of slow-motion referendum on the question. Republicans and Democrats in the House might even soon cast a vote that’ll pit McCarthy against Gaetz directly. In the end, I suspect, it won’t be close.

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  1. Avatar photo
    Anne W (Raw5254)

    Now that Gaetz seems to have won (for now), I’m looking forward to your response to that.

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  2. Chucky Bob

    Well this aged like fine milk…

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    Crystal L. Coon

    Wow, this piece was a swing and a miss.

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    1. Avatar photo
      Dave Casper

      Optimism is always a mistake.

      Deep in his heart, Nick knows this.

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  4. Ken Motamed

    " ... stridently rejectionist, brashly obnoxious, media-hungry, and remorselessly hypocritical about allying with Democrats ... " I don't think anyone could have described the Joker Caucus any better.

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  5. Trichwages

    Nice analysis.

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  6. Avatar photo
    Paul

    Nick is oblivious to what is going behind the scenes. Master strategist and 8-dimensional chess champion DJT is directing the actions of Kevin McCarthy and Gaetz to keep the deep state funded long enough for him to expose how the 2020 election was stolen.

    The operation is being run out of a pizzeria in our nation’s capital.

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    1. Ufodaddy

      I'm heading there with my Glock to check out the basement right now...

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  7. Dougrhon

    I look forward to Boiling Frog's everyday but honestly I couldn't read this. I am just so sick of reading about jackasses like Matt Goetz and the dysfunctional mess that is the House of Representatives and everything else about public life. Not Nick's fault. It's what he's paid to write about. But I think I am just going to stick to sports and travel for the foreseeable future.

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    1. Ken Motamed

      Frogs not Frog's.

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      1. Dougrhon

        Thanks LOL.

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    John W.

    "Why so serious?!"

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  9. Wes.Bridges

    Good lord. Things are ever so much worse than they first appear. If the people of Florida send an unspeakable to the Governor’s office, they deserve what they get. I am reminded of what one David Crockett once penned in a famous letter to his constituents: “You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas.”

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    1. Ken Motamed

      DeSantis was a perfectly fine governor until he made the mistake of running for president. Then he had to pander to one of the worst electorate blocks this country has ever had.

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      1. Wes.Bridges

        I was referring to Gaetz’s well know aspirations for the Governor’s mansion. DeSantis had a letter-.perfect first term. The second hss been one unforced error after another, all down to precisely the situation you describe.

        Cheers.

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      George.Skinner

      “Florida Man elected governor.”

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  10. Stevenreedcurtis

    I'll kick myself for saying it, but I think the Democrats are marginally more fiscally responsible. That's two up for Democrats. Can they pull their heads out for social issues, and whom did Newsome just nominate??

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    1. Ken Motamed

      Start kicking, Steve. The CARE and "Inflation Reduction" acts are about as fiscally irresponsible as they come.

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      1. Stevenreedcurtis

        My real irritation is that the Republicans did not even open a dialogue about fiscal responsibility last time they had power. Yes, the Democrats ' spending is completely irresponsible. At least they pretend they can pay for it by taxing the rich more.

        Seems like the biggest problem is a crisis of expectation, not limited to Democrats or Republicans. Expectation is one thing, simple multiplication and division is another.

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