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MSM: Republicans do not have a majority in the House of Representatives. Stop acting like it. [1]

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Date: 2023-01-05  

An image that misrepresents the current state of US politics.

Let me get straight to the point. There are 3, not 2 parties in the US house of representatives. In order of significance, there is the Democratic Party with ~212 members, the Establishment Republican Party, with ~200 members, and the Freedom Caucus Party, with ~20 members.

It is pretty well known that the ERP is really a coalition of a theocratic Christian Nationalist Party and an anti-labor Corporatist and Billionaires Party, but that is a discussion for another diary.

The key point is that the establishment republican only has real support from 200 members. Regardless of which group, ERP or PC you want to hand the successor to the GOP to, it doesn’t matter, the fact remains that they’re not the same party. Their inability to form a governing coalition and elect a speaker is proof positive of that. They’re not all republicans, they’re fighting for who really gets to keep the ‘R’ next to their names. If you want more proof look at the internecine battles within the republican primaries, with clear distinctions between MAGAs and what remains of the establishment.

The only reason McCarthy can continue his embarrassing farce is because the media is enabling the stunt. McCarthy is riding the media narrative that he is the republican leader and the presumptive nominee because both right-wing parties claim the ‘R’ next to their name. The media horse race narrative is asking the question ‘how long will the Freedom Caucus Party hold out until they cave to the Establishment?’ The entire frame buys into McCarthy’s inevitability. It is deluded to give the inevitability flag to they guy in second place.

As usual the MSM is focusing on the wrong question. Time to start aiming the question at swing state Establishment members. How much power is too much to give to these Freedom Caucus clowns? Is McCarthy selling out his loyal yes votes and supporters to hostage takers? What does that say for the ambition of ‘loyal’ Establishment members?

Recognize that the very cohesion of what the media is calling the republican party is enabled by the media narrative acknowledging that cohesion. Break the illusion in the narrative and the party itself might not hold together. Break the narrative and it becomes clear that the Democratic party should be the front runners in this story.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/1/5/2145570/-MSM-Republicans-do-not-have-a-majority-in-the-House-of-Representatives-Stop-acting-like-it

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