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Let’s do some math.
If I told you a group did something, and that group was made up of 3.7 percent G-men and 96.3 percent D-people, how would you identify the entire group? Probably with the “D” moniker, right?
What if I said 3.6 percent of the G-men voted “yes” while the remaining 96.4 percent said “no?” Would you ascribe the “yes” action to the G-men?
Probably not.
Does it matter if “G” stands for “GOP,” while “D” is short for Democrats? It shouldn’t, should it?
That’s the math from the historic removal of Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the U.S. House. The House has 433 elected members, 221 Republicans and 212 Democrats. McCarthy was ejected on a vote of 216-210.
The blame game on this debacle has begun in earnest. Yet the situation — as is often the case — is a bit more complex than “Republicans did it!”
The eight Republican representatives, led by U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who initiated the “motion to vacate,” bear responsibility for their actions. They lit the match.
For all his self-aggrandizement, Gaetz doesn’t concern himself with consistency, only popularity. He is now known as an ally to Donald Trump. But, back when Jeb Bush was leading 2016 GOP primary polls, Gaetz was sending flattering emails back and forth with the Florida governor.
Yet eight Republicans is a far cry from all Republicans.
The next group who shoulder some responsibility are the 12 Republican representatives who worked with the Gaetz eight to extract demands from McCarthy in exchange for their votes to elect him speaker. Their votes in favor of keeping McCarthy in this most recent debacle are too little, too late.
The eight would never have been able to light the kindling under the chaos if they hadn’t made it possible for a single representative to move for a speaker’s ouster.
Yet 20 Republicans — eight plus 12 — is a far cry from all Republicans.
A hundred percent of the Democrats voted to boot McCarthy as well. That was the log on the fire that created the conflagration.
From a political standpoint, the Democrats’ move makes complete sense. Letting the light shine on the Gaetz eight highlights fissures in the GOP. If Republicans are eating their own, then the likelihood they will mount a strong campaign to maintain or expand their majority decreases.
However, perpetual campaigning is an infection that leads to our diseased governance. Without a speaker, the House cannot undertake its work. And the clock is ticking toward the next government shutdown. If we get there, the Democrats own some of it.
Instead, Democrats — the minority party — should have taken a page from the Maine Republican Party.
Back in 2014, Democrats controlled a majority of the seats in the Maine Legislature by a relatively thin majority. Under our system, that meant they could elect the constitutional officers: treasurer, secretary of state and attorney general.
Republicans had some problems with the incumbent Democratic treasurer. But they wanted to govern effectively, so they nominated a former Democratic Assistant House Leader, Terry Hayes. With Republican support and some Democrats, Hayes became the state treasurer.
If Republicans had their pick of anyone, Hayes probably would not have been the choice. But they were in the minority, so they had to find a way forward to work with a majority to govern responsibly. Simply voting “no” wasn’t going to get anyone anywhere.
Washington Democrats had the opportunity to step across the aisle and join with more than 200 Republicans to say that McCarthy should not be jettisoned as speaker for the crime of funding the government.
Instead, they joined the Gaetz eight to burn it down.
If the chaos is not contained, America will pay the price. Some Democrats are adept at pulling literal fire alarms. As the House looks to select its next speaker, let’s hope others are willing to reconsider and figuratively do the same.
The time is right for some group of people — regardless of party — to take the responsibility of governing seriously. The math says we need 217 to get there. Can we?