If you think that stories about the nightmare on Capitol Hill are all you have seen from me this month, you’re absolutely right.
In the 18 days since the ousting of Kevin McCarthy, I have been trying to provide updates every day on the seemingly impossible effort to replace him.
This weekend, we are doing things a bit differently.
As I was flipping through the television on Friday, I couldn’t help but notice the split screen currently on display in both political parties at a time of growing crises here at home and around the world. And it really is amazing that what we are about to discuss all happened on the exact same day.
With Israel now escalating attacks in Gaza, all eyes have turned to their closest ally: The United States. But as Congress remains without a Speaker — unable to provide relief to our Israeli allies — President Joe Biden has been the face of America’s response to the crisis.
This week, Biden became the first American President to visit Israel at a time of war. He consoled our Israeli allies, gave joint remarks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and even sat in on a meeting with the country’s military cabinet.
Upon returning home, he delivered a rare Oval Office address where he asked Congress for a sweeping aid package for both Israel and Ukraine.
President Biden’s handling of the conflict in Israel is one of the few issues where he earns net positive marks from voters. He has been praised across the cable news spectrum this week, with one Fox News analyst calling it “one of the best, if not the best” speeches that the President has ever given.
The White House got more welcoming news Friday after the State Department confirmed that two American hostages have been freed by the terrorist group Hamas and are now in the care of Israeli forces. But Secretary of State Antony Blinken is cautioning that more Americans are still unaccounted for in the region.
Then there’s the other side.
Republicans in Congress just finished their third week without a Speaker. There was another bombshell development on Friday, when they voted to remove Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan as their Speaker nominee after the conservative firebrand failed to win the gavel on three ballots despite a massive pressure campaign. Many of Jordan’s detractors, including Georgia’s Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-The Rock) say that they have been targeted with death threats.
Just to refresh everyone’s memory, House Republicans have had three nominees for Speaker so far this year. Here is how they have each fared:
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted after just 239 days from the job he won on his fifteenth try
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) withdrew from the race the day after being nominated
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) was removed as the nominee after losing three ballots
Republicans are now back to square one in their search for a new Speaker, with at least half a dozen GOP lawmakers now angling for the top job on Capitol Hill. But the lack of leadership in Congress is putting President Biden in a unique position. On one hand, he is unable to immediately provide aid to Israel because we have no functioning Congress to approve it. But on the other hand, he is showing voters — and the world, that the United States will always stand with our Israeli allies no matter what.
Friday was also a pretty bad day for the Republican frontrunner for President. Donald Trump is facing new trouble in Fulton County’s election interference case, with two more of his co-defendants now becoming cooperating witnesses.
Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro, who respectively served on the former President’s legal team and helped organize the fake elector scheme, have both pleaded guilty in a big victory for District Attorney Fani Willis, who now has three guilty pleas in the case. The pair, along with Trump and 16 other individuals, had been charged with orchestrating a criminal conspiracy to try and overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.
Now Powell and Cheseboro, who were both scheduled to go on trial this month, have agreed to testify as witnesses in any future trials — including Trump’s. Experts are warning that each guilty plea puts Donald Trump at risk. “There’s no way this is good for Donald Trump,” said ABC News legal analyst Dan Abrams. “The only question is gonna be: how bad is it?”
Georgia is of course one of four jurisdictions where Trump is facing felony charges.
The split screen on Friday truly was remarkable to watch. Americans have been horrified by the disturbing images out of Gaza, but I believe this week proved that there are still signs of hope. President Biden is showing the world that America will always support our closest ally. Two American hostages have been freed. Others remain missing, but it is believed that they are still alive.
Meanwhile, on the other side, House Republicans are still unable to figure out who is in charge of Congress. Another government shutdown deadline is approaching, and our allies are in dire need of aid to support their war efforts. But a leaderless and paralyzed Congress is unable to tackle these issues — or any legislation, for that matter.
And with at least three of his Georgia co-defendants now taking guilty pleas, the Republican presidential frontrunner is now facing more legal exposure as he mounts his third run for the White House. It is highly likely that he will be splitting his time between campaign rallies and the courtroom as the 2024 election kicks into high gear.
Erick Allen, who chairs the Cobb County Democratic Committee, said that Friday was a display of leadership versus chaos. “On the left you have governing, and on the right you have chaos,” Allen said. “On the left, you have a leader. On the right, they can’t even pick a leader.” He went on to say that what we are seeing from his Republican counterparts is the culmination of an extremist movement that traces back to the days of the Tea Party.
The 2024 election is over a year away, so it is too early to tell whether any of this will have any impact. The issues of November 2024 could be a lot different than the issues of October 2023.
But no matter your politics, the fact that 2024 is expected to be another close election really speaks to how polarized and stubborn voters have become. One side has proven unable to keep the government functioning, and their likely presidential nominee is facing multiple criminal trials. On the other side, President Biden is trying his best to show the world what leadership looks like during a crisis.
If all of this were unfolding 10 or 20 years ago, there is not a question in my mind that President Biden would be headed for a landslide re-election. But voters on both sides have backed themselves into extremely hostile corners and show no signs of budging.
Put another way, 2024 will be close because it is going to come down to which side is the most energized. If you are still on the fence between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, chances are you probably aren’t going to vote. Both men have been in the public eye long enough for every American voter to have an opinion of them by now.
But Republicans, who have been without a Speaker for three weeks and are on the verge of nominating a criminal defendant for President, are starting from behind on this front. Trump might be the frontrunner, but poll after poll suggests that Republican voters would be open to nominating someone else. Will all of those voters get behind him in the general election if he’s the nominee?
That’s not to say that Democrats are without problems. The biggest obstacle facing Biden is his age. He will be 82 years old on Inauguration Day 2025 and there are voters who are concerned about his fitness for the job. And like Republican voters, you have Democrats who wouldn’t mind having a new standard-bearer to lead them through the 2024 election. His staunch support for Israel could also be problematic for folks in the party’s more progressive wing, who tend to be younger and more sympathetic toward Palestine. Not to mention, his handling of the economy continues to be a drag on his approval rating.
It’s widely believed that President Biden had a pretty decent week. But will it be enough to overcome the challenges he faces on other fronts?