Politics of Destruction

 Politics of Destruction and Power

 

The GOP politics of destruction continues apace here and in the nation’s capital. 

 

Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) continues to try and find a path to overturn the last Supreme Court election by threatening to impeach the winner, Justice Janet Protasiewicz, for perfectly proper comments she made on the campaign trail.

 

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, under heavy pressure from the Freedom Caucus, launched an impeachment inquiry looking for something that might be grounds to impeach President Biden. 

 

These shenanigans have nothing to do with actual governance in Wisconsin or the country and everything to do with dismantling our democracy in the pursuit of political power.

 

Wisconsin has some of the most gerrymandered legislative districts of any state in the nation. By every legitimate measure, Republicans have drawn districts to prevent any meaningful challenges to incumbent legislators and maintain their grip on legislative power even when a majority of Wisconsin voters elect Democrats in statewide contests. Justice Protasiewicz told it like it is during her campaign, stating her belief that Wisconsin’s legislative district maps are “rigged.” 

 

Wisconsin non-partisan election rules allow candidates to tell voters about their values and beliefs. They do not allow candidates for judicial office to tell voters how they will rule on a particular case or issue. Justice Protasiewicz never crossed that line during her campaign. 

 

Even if she did cross that line, it would not be grounds for impeachment under Wisconsin’s Constitution. Before a Wisconsin public official can be impeached, they must have done something corrupt or committed a crime or misdemeanor. Campaign statements don’t meet either standard. 

 

Recognizing he was on very thin ice with impeachment threats, Speaker Vos pivoted to suggest legislation allowing the non-partisan Legislative Reference Bureau to draw new legislative maps that would then be subject to an up or down vote by the sitting legislature. If voted down, the maps would then be drawn again by GOP legislators like those who drew the gerrymandered maps in the first place. Governor Evers rightly condemned the plan as “bogus” and indicated he would veto any bill with those provisions if it hit his desk. 

 

If Vos wanted an impartial group to draw new legislative district maps, there are many ways to get that done, but that would threaten GOP legislative dominance and is a non-starter with his members in their very safe seats. 

 

Meanwhile in the nation’s capital, the GOP controlled House of Representatives is faced with another showdown over keeping the government open and functioning. 

 

Under the deal struck during the last showdown, the government was given funds to keep the lights on which will run out again at the end of this month. The hard right Freedom Caucus believes that McCarthy sold them down the river last time and won’t have it again. They have threatened to withhold approval of any new spending agreement unless McCarthy holds firm to their various demands that would cripple the government anyway. McCarthy holds his position as Speaker subject to any single member being able to call for his replacement. Freedom Caucus member Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) has indicated that unless McCarthy agrees to their demands he will make that call and force a vote on McCarthy’s ouster as Speaker every day.

 

To try and placate the Freedom Caucus, McCarthy reversed course and announced the opening of an impeachment inquiry into President Biden without calling for a vote by the House.  GOP efforts to turn up impeachable evidence of Biden’s alleged corruption over the past nine months have unearthed absolutely nothing to connect the President to his son’s questionable business dealings or anything else of note. 

 

The impeachment smokescreen won’t last long or satisfy the Freedom Caucus whose sole legislative agenda appears to be the destruction of the institutions of government. The spending bills, necessary to keep the government operating, still face an uncertain future as does McCarthy as House Speaker. 

 

Republicans have not begun to grasp that a majority of Americans are fed up with their power grabs and obstructionism when there are real problems and issues which impact our everyday lives that need national and statewide attention. None of the current crop of GOP presidential hopefuls seems able to extricate themselves from the former occupant of the White House and his authoritarian populism.

 

As GOP Utah Senator Mitt Romney noted in announcing he won’t be running for re-election in 2025, it is time for a new younger generation of conservatives to step up and offer constructive solutions to the issues of our time. I expect some will but not until the current GOP finishes digging its own grave in the relentless pursuit of power.