Friday, October 6, 2023

Kevin McCarthy, Meet Fredo Corleone, Part II –

Issues & Insights   "Back on Jan. 6 (of all dates), in explaining why the then-embattled Kevin McCarthy should be passed over as speaker of the House, your correspondent made a now-vindicated comparison between the Californian and the pathetic literary and film character Fredo (Freddy) Corleone:

(L)ike Fredo, (McCarthy) is not the Wartime Don Republicans need to counter the radical Squad’s scorched-earth transformation of America, abetted by the Uniparty’s Old Bulls.

McCarthy’s very flailing, fumbling attempts to lock down the Speakership belie the cool courage in the line of fire required to lead a raucous caucus with the narrowest of majorities.

"Now, yet another comparison between the two pitiful figures presents itself. Bitter at being shunted aside in favor of younger Michael as Don, dim-witted Fredo entered into a near-deadly conspiracy with family “frenemy” Hyman Roth.

"In the same fashion, Speaker McCarthy betrayed the conservative wing that allowed him to take power by depending on squish Republicans and a unanimous vote of his opposition to pass a 45-day clean continuing resolution keeping federal funding at its outrageously bloated fiscal 2023 levels.

"Moreover, there is virtually no prospect of matters being different 40 days hence. As Freedom Caucus conservatives warned in signaling their opposition to yet another “CR,” the threat of a government shutdown will for the 27th year in a row put budget-cutters’ backs to the wall and raise, to the boiling point, pressures for another 12 months of unaccountable spending.

"McCarthy could have avoided this impasse if he had heeded the advice of this commentator:" . . .

No comments: