(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . House MAGAlomaniacs' Demand of Huge Social Program Cuts Could Open the Door to Robert Reich's Gambit [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-09-30 [share your voice in poll at end, and consider the call to action just before it] With the House sending a bipartisan bill to the Senate to avoid a government shutdown on the final day of funding, Speaker Kevin McCarthy may soon face a vote on his ouster because the MAGA House members demanded that there be no negotiations with Democrats. The #MAGAlomaniacs saw this line in the sand as their leverage to push through massive cuts to social programs such as an 80% cut to home heating assistance as we head towards winter. But for once, McCarthy defied them. He expected that this would signal the end of his speakership, and braced for the removal vote that was part of the price for his claiming the job only after 15 rounds of voting. However there is no GOP consensus on his replacement, and therefore they can’t vote to remove McCarthy. Yet anyone can call for that removal vote — and the election of a new Speaker to follow. Former Clinton administration Labor Secretary Robert Reich proposed a strategy back in January that could take full advantage of this dynamic. And right now there’s a window open to make it happen. Imagine being able to clip off the wings of MAGA extremists and completely end their power in the House, perhaps forever. No more of their forcing the Republican Party further out on the limb of mindless extremism. All it would take would be a few members of the #SecretSaneGOPCaucus who don’t mix well with the #TrumplodyteCaucus to bring this gambit to fruition and mute Marjorie Taylor-Greene, Lauren Boebert, Jim Jordan, Matt Gaetz, and the rest. Have Dems nominate a reasonable Republican for the speakership then put the full House Democratic Caucus behind the new man — after negotiating terms for that unanimous support. Reich has found someone that he would like to see ascend to the House Speaker role with the help of all House Dems. He said on his Substack feed: There’s an alternative, and I urge House Democrats and the few remaining “moderate” Republicans to take it: Make Ohio’s Republican Rep. David Joyce the Speaker of the House. House Dems and moderate Republicans could come up with the 218 votes to put Joyce over the top. Why Joyce? He’s the new chairman of the Republican Conference Group, a group you probably never heard of (years ago it was called the “Tuesday Group”) because it flies under the radar. It’s a collection of the remaining 40 or so Republican moderates. I say “moderate” only in comparison to the rest of the Republican House. The Conference Group at least wants the government to function. Here is the link to Reich’s Substack post: robertreich.substack.com/... While I don’t know much about Joyce’s politics, he must grasp the long game for what this proposal could yield: Severing all levers of the Trump agenda and the MAGA faithfuls that fight for it. This could purge #TheBigLie forever from the party platform at the national level. forever from the party platform at the national level. Immediately providing power and voice to honorable members of the Republican Party who have the courage to force out the lying zealots who’ve sent their GOP into a nose-dive. A purging of the #CORPservative agenda of current GOP power brokers which promotes only racism, division, hatred, and false piety — all to appease corporate and billionaire donors. agenda of current GOP power brokers which promotes only racism, division, hatred, and false piety — all to appease corporate and billionaire donors. A means to turn away from Trump for good. With no Freedom Caucus power in the House to dictate the agenda, actual bipartisan governance with tangible positive effects will shrink Trump’s voice as his trials begin to play out. But this is not a simple defensive power grab for Democrats. It’s also about Joyce and his fellow moderates finally being free to actually help people without fear of being primaried. A Speaker Joyce could wield enough clout within his party to prevent the purse strings being opened against him and his like-minded incumbents. Ultimately, Joyce and these few dozen moderates could do their party a favor if they rose together, perhaps as the #GOP2020TruthCaucus, and make this connection to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries more than a fleeting moment of convenience for both sides. By actually choosing to continue this bipartisanship, Joyce and his friends could deliver what decades of Republicans before never would allow: having evidence of tangible accomplishments to run on. The outgoing GOP didn’t want Democrats to have any successes. Funny how they’ve never seen that they could bank on them themselves. With those bipartisan improvements echoing throughout our nation over time, the moderates could join Liz Cheney and Adam Kinsinger as some of the first potential leaders of the next iteration of the Republican Party after the Trump scourge is purged. TFG’s days of skirting litigious disaster are just about over, and we may see Trump talk his way into perjury this week... What should Jeffries ask for in return for his caucus’s help? He could ask to end this futile attempt at trying to impeach Biden for nothing. Secondly, Jeffries could ask that Democrats chair a few of the House committees. And thirdly, Jeffries could ask that Joyce and his caucus would support versions of the election reform bills noted below. The deal would be the beginning of all manner of negotiations. Each would probably have to be watered down a bit so that this new brand of honorable Republicans could say that got something on their side. But this budding caucus could grow as more Republicans see the writing on the wall. Soon it will be readily apparent just how slippery it is standing on Trump’s coattails. And combined with Democrats on the other side of the aisle, another beautiful thing could happen. The babbling voices of #SeditionCaucus members Taylor-Green, Boebert, Jordan, and even by-then-former Speaker McCarthy could be expelled with a two-thirds vote. All swore an oath to defend the Constitution, and violated that by promoting and aiding an insurrection. Speaker Joyce, of course, wouldn’t let these temporary depletions swing House control. Expulsions would come at a pace where replacement Republicans might be seated after winning special elections before the next head rolls. And if this new wave of Republicans wants to snip the tentacles that have kept almost all of their party’s representatives beholden to billionaires for decades, they could end private funding of campaigns altogether by joining Democrats in passing versions of the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. By turning all campaigns into publicly funded affairs, there would no longer be the GOP necessity for catering to big business and billionaires. Moderate voices could finally survive the primaries. That support for election reform though, would likely come at a price as most deals do. Expect the partisan gerrymandering restrictions written out of what the House version takes to the floor. After all, a reshaped GOP will want to leave themselves a chance at retaining power once the cranky wankers like Boebert are sent packing. Of course, Democrats have been lulled into bad deals by Republicans before. All one has to do is look to Mitch McConnell for countless examples of that. But Reich feels that this time it would be different: But Joyce is not a MAGA Republican. He refused to sign the Texas amicus brief that tried to overturn the results of the presidential election. He was also one of the few Republican House members who did not object to the counting of electoral college votes on January 6, 2021. Since Biden became president, Joyce has voted in line with Biden’s positions over 30 percent of the time. He was one of 35 Republicans who joined all Democrats in approving legislation to establish the January 6 commission to investigate the storming of the US Capitol. He and 46 other Republicans voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, codifying the right to same-sex marriage in federal law Yes, I know it would be strange to hand the opposition party a fabulous way to drastically improve their brand. Ultimately, that’s OK for Democrats. Risking an erosion of their power is worth saving the planet and civilization for future generations. Bipartisanship is likely to get more aggressive on climate crisis mitigation. Without Big Oil’s direct dark money for primary challengers, GOP legislators can think about their grandchildren for once and support the end of subsidies and tougher pollution restrictions. Let’s hope that a new, more honorable incarnation of the Republican Party will prioritize integrity rather than deceit and division. They will have to clean house — in both capitalized and non-capitalized senses of the word. When the expulsions start, Dems will know that Lucy won’t be pulling back this football. And finally, most of America, and the world as a whole, will finally be able to exhale in relief that Trumpism, and the #RepubloFascism spawned well before it, will never threaten American democracy again. Do you like this idea floated by Robert Reich? Want to call Rep. Joyce’s office to encourage his people to consider these options? His number in DC is number is (202) 225-5731. For his office in Mentor, call (404) 352-3939. Please be kind and enthusiastic. And if you want to keep things electronic, feel free to attach links to this article and of course Sec. Reich’s Substack post with your FB, X, and other social media responses to their posts. 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