Letters to the Editor: Kevin McCarthy sold the House to the far right. The next two years will be chaos
To the editor: The spectacle of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) begging his right-wing faction to let him be king for a day was pathetic.
Republicans have had two years to figure out who their leader was to be if they took the House. McCarthy’s claim that he is going to show us how to govern is laughable; his party cannot even govern itself.
The next two years will be a spectacle of ineffectiveness, chaos and lunacy until these extreme fanatics are kicked out.
Phil Kirk, Encinitas
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To the editor: The fact that 20 members of the Republican House conference held the majority of the caucus hostage may be annoying in the extreme, but it was clearly not undemocratic or dangerous.
Crocodile tears from Democrats that valuable time was wasted and the people’s business was unduly delayed are farcical, as any casual observer of our House of Representatives knows.
We are not a pure democracy; we are a constitutional republic wherein minority rights are protected and preserved. The rules changes that the obstinate minority within the House GOP forced may well inform our governance for years to come.
Paul Bloustein, Cincinnati
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To the editor: The attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was a sickening display of arrogance and greed on the part of then-President Trump. The election of McCarthy as speaker, turning our nation over to a handful of ultra-right-wing GOP members, shows the same thirst for power at any cost.
Our democracy is in deep danger. The election in 2024 is our only hope of saving the United States.
Eileen McDargh Elvins, Dana Point
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To the editor: McCarthy is getting undue grief for his leadership abilities after needing 15 ballots to win the speakership. In reality, he was the only Republican who could have gotten 200-plus votes from the start, and he cobbled together the remainder.
Only the lunatic fringe that might not have voted for anyone but themselves kept the process going so long.
Robert Goldstone, Corona del Mar
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To the editor: McCarthy “triumphs”? How about this: “McCarthy gets the gavel crawling on all four, licking far right’s feet,” or “House taken hostage by far right with McCarthy as puppet.”
Louise Ghandhi, Los Angeles
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To the editor: One sentence summed up the problem with Republicans during the recent chaos. In the New York Post, columnist Michael Godwin wrote a piece with the headline, “House GOP must stop this madness over speaker and go after Biden.”
Not work to solve our country’s issues; just engage in revenge politics.
This is why people are leaving the Republican Party. We can’t expect much more than hearings and grandstanding, while nothing gets done.
Dana Bingham, Apple Valley
