The dismissal of the third man in the US succession threatens stability in Washington

This week a small, far-right portion of the Republican majority joined a strong Democratic majority, 216, in the House of Representatives and was ousted. Kevin McCarthyHe is the head of the organization and the third man in line to succeed President Joe Biden and the President of the Senate. An unprecedented maneuver that could become a blowback for the White House and the entire political systemcomplicating the coming months for the government and even leading to Donald Trump To take over the dismissed position.

It was essentially a betrayal of the calling “Freedom Rally” The most extreme right wing of the Republican Party, which was led by Representative Matt Gaetz, from Florida. They were already sympathetic to McCarthy because they considered him “very moderate” and expressed doubts about some of Trump’s behavior, even though he always voted and presented himself as a hawk within the party. And they didn’t want him when he ran to replace Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi. They then forced him to submit to 15 votes before giving him their support. The “liberals” – who in Washington parlance are called “those of the dysfunctional bloc” – erupted last Saturday when McCarthy agreed with the Democrats and agreed. Avoid partial government shutdown until November 17.

Gates, 41, who identifies himself as “Born to fight” He repeats the Trump slogan of “Drain the swamp” Draining the swamp that is supposed to constitute Washington’s political power carries several accusations An affair with a minor at the Capitol and mismanagement of funds. He knows he won’t be able to replace the man who pushed him over the edge, but he’s putting himself in good stead if Trump returns to the White House. Neither he nor his eight colleagues, who supported him in removing the first Speaker of the House of Representatives to lose the confidence of Congress in 234 years of American democracy, have a concrete plan. when Jake Tapperthe follower CNNthe actor asked on Thursday Tim Burchett From Tennessee, one of the eight, how the process proceeded, his reaction was surprising: “I have no idea, brother.” Tapper himself said it when the program closed: “It seems like they just want to cause chaos.”

Radicals in the Republican Party – a much larger bloc than the small faction that voted to oust McCarthy – are demanding a sweeping purge of public spending. They were prepared to destroy the economy or suspend payment of soldiers’ salaries. above all, They want to end military aid to Ukraine when discussing Biden’s latest proposed $6 billion package. This whole process will be unleashed again in mid-November when the McCarthy-enabled truce expires and the specter of a government shutdown returns.

It will be necessary to know whether the room has a leader by then. Troy Niles Republican representative from Texas, They rushed to nominate Donald Trump for this position. Nothing prevents the former president from holding that position if he is elected by a three-quarters majority of representatives. ““President Trump, the best president of my lifetime, has a proven track record of putting America first and will make the House great again.”Nils told the astonished reporters. Trump confirmed that “several people” contacted him to offer him the job. It has never happened before and is unlikely to happen now, but the hype scores points for Trump and congressional hawks. Currently, Trump has withdrawn from the possibility of attending next Tuesday the session in which the first vote will be held to elect his successor.

“We must change the toxic atmosphere in Washington.” was Biden’s response. “I know we have strong differences, but we have to stop seeing each other as enemies. We have to talk and listen to each other and work together. And we can do it.” Words that few listen to. The country is more divided than everEspecially in light of the four major trials that Donald Trump faces, with 91 charges against him, ranging from sedition to election fraud. The former president uses every court appearance to hold major election events. On Wednesday, just hours after the House Speaker was impeached, Trump — who was not required to be present at the trial — stood before the judge’s desk to discredit him for preventing him from speaking to the press about the process. “Run by Democrats” claimed. “Our entire system is corrupt. This is corrupt. Atlanta is corrupt. And what comes out of Washington is corrupt.”.

On the road, in recent days, Trump threatens to investigate NBC News for ‘treason’ If he returns to his position… Mocking Nancy Pelosi’s husbandWho was seriously attacked in his home He asked to be shot without further consideration To those who loot stores, he suggested to General Mark A. Milley, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, He was scheduled to be executed as a traitor.

“For many domestic and foreign observers, It seems that the American method no longer provides an example of effective representative democracy. “On the contrary, it has become an example of chaos and discord, which rewards extremism, challenges norms, and threatens to further divide a polarized country,” he wrote. Peter BakerWhite House correspondent for The New York Times. And Daniel ZiblattMr Harvard Who recently published “The Tyranny of the Minority” with his colleague Stephen LevitskyIt is a sequel to his seminal book, How Democracies Die, which believes so “This is a democracy on the verge of spiraling out of control.” He added: “It is the result of one of the main political parties in the democratic process not accepting the basic rules of the game.” also He linked everything to similar operations such as Jair Bolsonaro’s operation in Brazil, and Javier Miley’s operation in Argentina.

And everywhere it is the same, dissatisfaction with the social and economic situation. Last time a majority of Americans said they were satisfied “with the way things are in America” ​​in Gallup polls That was January 2004, nearly two decades ago.. The same historical Gallup indicates that less than half of Americans express confidence in the police, the medical system, organized religion, the Supreme Court, banks, public schools, the presidency, big tech companies, unions, the media, the criminal justice system, big business or Congress. . Significant declines were recorded in 11 out of 16 institutions analysed. Only small businesses and the military received more than 50% support.

Another survey was conducted in June before The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research He revealed that 49% of Americans believe that democracy is not working well in the United Statescompared to 40% who say it works only somewhat well and only 10% who think it works very well or very well.

Robert GatesWho was Secretary of Defense for both Republicans George W. Bush As from the democrat Barack ObamaHe warned last week in an article published in the magazine Foreign affairs Titled “The Dysfunctional Superpower” Both Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping ‘interpret US problems in a dangerous way’. Both leaders, he wrote, are convinced that democracies like the United States “have passed their prime and entered an irreversible decline,” evidenced by their increasing isolation, political polarization, and internal conflict. “Dysfunction has made American power volatile and untrustworthy, inviting risk-prone autocrats to make risky bets, with potentially disastrous effects,” Gates wrote.

Immediately after news of McCarthy’s firing broke, Gates wrote on X, his former Twitter handle: “The events of the past two days have only underscored how real the dysfunction is.”

The real danger facing the political system in Washington is that the unprecedented situation leaves it open like an exposed wound. The possibility that McCarthy’s replacement will be a more extreme Republican And he wants to do “Trump a favor” by causing chaos with a government shutdown while Congress begins its Christmas recess. They have already tried this other times and now there are rumors in the halls of the Capitol that this may be the move Trump favors. The former president, who leads internal Republican Party polls, 40 points ahead of his next rival and is not participating in the primary debates, will continue his election campaign from the courts. The more chaos, the better for your strategy. He’ll have no problem being the Grinch who steals Christmas next.