R&I – FS
Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN
Updated 6:52 AM ET, Wed November 17, 2021
(CNN)If House Republicans win in the midterm elections, it’s already clear their new majority will be a constant churn of self-radicalization and an extremist political weapon for Donald Trump.
The Republican conference is purging heretics who reject the ex-President’s personality cult and fueling his continuing assaults on democracy designed to restore him to power amid ever-growing signs that the narrow Democratic House majority is in trouble.
So far this week, the House GOP has shown it’s ready to turn a blind eye to Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar’s tweet of a photoshopped anime video depicting him appearing to kill Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and swinging swords at President Joe Biden. The bulk of the House GOP is expected to stand by Gosar on Wednesday as he faces a rare censure vote by the full chamber and is stripped of two committee assignments. Explaining her decision to hold the vote, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: “We cannot have members joking about murdering each other.”
But if they are not bothered enough by Gosar’s glorification of violence to punish him, some of his Republican colleagues do want to strip committee posts from 13 GOP members who backed a bipartisan infrastructure bill that will repair roads and bridges and widen access to broadband. Their sin lies in handing a victory to Biden, in a recently signed law that even some Republicans — including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — argue is a win for the American people.
Continued
Carl Sagan
Article URL : https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/17/politics/republican-party-paul-gosar-donald-trump-democrats-midterms/index.html