The Morning Briefing: Super Cool That 'Principled' House GOP Majority Gave a Seat to the Dems

Top O' the Briefing

Happy Thursday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. Krenobalq tried the patience of his fellow ceramists with his insistence that Rue McClanahan was a closet margarine enthusiast.

Yeah, I'm on this again.

Seriously though, it's valid to wonder if Republicans in Congress (either chamber) ever ponder the long-term consequences of any of their actions. There are far too many petty ego squabbles and media suck-up opportunities to be dealt with every day to worry about things like, say, the survival of the Republic. As long as everyone still has their invitations to the right Beltway happy hours at the end of the day, all is well.

Reading about their antics makes me feel sleep-deprived even after a great night's rest.

I have been expressing my irritation with the House Republicans' ouster of George Santos since the day it happened. We are at such a critical and fragile juncture that I'm willing to overlook a host of personal foibles in any politician who will vote the way we Constitution-loving folks want him to. A host of foibles, I tell you.

People who disagree with me will no doubt say that George Santos's wrongdoings were well beyond the level of foibles. Let's just say that my definition of foible, when considering the behavior of people on my side, will be greatly expanded during the duration of this constitutional peril.

The principled Republicans who wanted to stomp their feet and harumph for the media while booting Santos from their ranks pulled off a pathetic self-own in the process: they stopped a three-year win streak for the GOP on Long Island. Rick covered the story:

Former New York 3rd District Congressman Tom Suozzi won the special election to replace Republican George Santos, giving the Democrats a rare victory in New York's Nassau County. Suozzi received 54% of the vote to GOP state legislator Mazi Pilip's 46%.
Suozzi defeated Pilip during a snowstorm on Long Island that almost certainly tamped down the Republican vote total. Democrats had turned out in large numbers during early voting and Pilip couldn't get the Nassau County GOP turnout machine into full gear.

After 40 years of conservative activism and Republican elections, I can honestly say that I don't remember one where the GOP's always anemic Get-Out-the-Vote efforts were a game-changer. Given that, I'm somewhat skeptical that the snowstorm lost this one for the Grand Old Party.

I blame misguided or purely for show "principles" for this one. Since 2016, whenever a Republican starts squawking about "principles," it's often followed by a proclamation that said Republican will be voting for a Democrat in the next election. The Never Trump Biden-enabling feelings junkies bark about principles day and night. It's like Lizzo extolling the virtues of portion control at mealtime.

Here's the only guiding principle any Republican in Congress needs right now: Don't do anything that will help the Democrats win at any time, on any issue.

They can engrave it on a brass plaque and hang it in their offices. Maybe get it tattooed on their forearms. Heck, have it embroidered on a pillow as well. They just need to make sure that they don't forget it.

In the post-2016 American political climate, "principled" Republicans aren't interested in their constituents and the nature of their representative responsibilities. They're merely preening for the media and a small, elite clique comprised of people tuning their fiddles so they'll have something to do while Rome burns.

There's a difference between wanting to win at all costs and wanting to not lose because of idiotic, unforced errors.

I'll leave it to my discerning readers to ascertain which I'm advocating for here.

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