We Need to Talk About Kevin

The rage of a dispensable leader.

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Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy speaks to reporters in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill on October 24, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

There were three separate altercations between members of Congress on Tuesday. Somehow Matt Gaetz wasn’t involved in any of them.

If you’d asked me beforehand to guess which Republicans would be assaulted, almost assaulted, or publicly belittled by their colleagues, I would have guessed, “Matt Gaetz, Matt Gaetz, and Matt Gaetz.”

It would have been a safe bet in light of recent history. But I would have lost.

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Comments (108)
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  1. Tinacrevello1

    MMA comes to Congress.
    Sadly. This was a fun way to catch up on all the dysfunction I missed. Thank you Nick.

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    2sequoia

    The Republican Party continues its breakdown while Democrats stand back to watch in wonderment.

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    1. Russell J

      Democrats could be using this as part of a campaign to reduce the chances of crazy House and Presidential candidates but they are sitting back and hoping that the crazy people get nominated and that they will self-destruct. That is what I have heard as my state probably wouldn’t get ads in any case.

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  3. Rockefeller Republican

    Just watched a report on NBC Nightly News that the Chinese government is building a gigantic superport on the coast of Peru plus taking over Lima's electrical grid. But you do you MAGA House Republicans. Nothing concerning here.

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    Azlefty

    Yeah, I feel like the amount disgust I would harbor if I heard that McCarthy elbowed Gaetz is smaller than maybe it should be. Probably even less so if it was a knee instead.

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    Citizen60

    McCarthy has always been California’s version of “a good ol’ boy” and always a BMOC (including the State Legislature).

    Poor Kevin’s never been ignominiously kicked out of anything, much less the biggest prize and after only 9 months

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  6. Pundette

    Way back when, I understand that government officials used to shoot at one another on the New Jersey palisades. So this sounds like very tame, juvenile stuff.

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  7. GoldenRuleLover

    The House GOP is an embarrassment. I wish that both MAGA and the DSA would start their own political party and leave the centrists both left & right to unite to form a governing centrist coalition that wants to achieve results and move the country forward. I’m so tired of purity tests, identity politics, & stalemates over tiny ideological factions. #BeBetterAmerica

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    1. Jackrabbit McQuivers

      I'm in

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  8. NashDawg

    This is the bitter fruit of the Orange Jesus worship. When you genuflect for a man-child, you eventually become one .

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  9. Paul in NC

    For those with empathy and compassion, we can just refer to them collectively as "non-MAGA", it is tempting to feel kinda bad for Kevin. Then you remember just how craven and obsequious to the GOP cult leader he has behaved since January 6th and all of that compassion for the former Speaker just washes away. Kevin McCarthy should serve as an example of what loyalty to a malignant narcissist and his fascist cronies will get you.

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    Will Bates

    Gosh Nick. You almost had me feeling bad for the guy.





    Almost.

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    1. Brook

      Yep, almost …. for about ten seconds.

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