Last we checked in, disgraced loser president Donald Trump had been pitched on a crazy idea: Why not become speaker of the House if Republicans take that chamber in next year’s midterm election?
You see, the speaker doesn’t actually have to be an elected member of Congress, even though that’s how it’s always worked out. The Constitution pretty much gives the chamber all say in who they pick, with zero requirements. A right-wing radio host floated the idea to Trump, and he responded with a “very interesting.”
Now we know that Trump has found it more than just “interesting.” He likes the idea so much, he already told Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy that he wants his job.
This hasn’t even been a one-time event! By McCarthy’s admission, Trump has mentioned this “many times.” He uses “tells” in the present tense, to indicate an ongoing discussion, as opposed to the past-tense “told,” which would suggest that the matter was closed and settled.
And even more importantly, this exchange happened on Fox News, which means the conservative media is on the case, and will continue to make it a thing for the foreseeable future.
As mentioned in my last piece, the conservative fantasy is that Trump takes the job for 100 days, impeaches Joe Biden just because, and then quits to run for president. Does it make sense? No. Would Trump ever actually do any work? No. Would he get his shit together in 100 days to actually accomplish anything? No. Would anything even remotely looking like “policy” happen in that time? No.
All this points to the conservative inability to quit Trump. They won’t get him back in August, no matter how much QAnon thinks they will. And they don’t want to wait until 2024. The desperation to stick with someone who has been essentially ousted from all major mainstream outlets is beyond weird, all the way to outright pathetic. Trump is a loser who cost their party dearly, and they still can’t quit him!
But there’s another factor at play: We know that Trump can’t get his people to vote in elections when he’s not on the ballot. It’s the Republican Party’s most vexing problem. If Trump is on the ballot, a whole mass of people show up who are otherwise electorally invisible. They certainly didn’t turn out in the 2017, 2018, 2019, or Georgia Senate runoff elections. While Republicans represent a dying demographic—older, rural, white men—Trump on the ballot gives them a fighting chance. Without him on the ballot, even Trump’s begging and pleading won’t turn out his people. That’s why we have Democratic governors in blood-red Kentucky and Louisiana.
So there’s little chance of Trump being literally on the ballot. (No one sees him running for a House seat.) But what if he’s essentially on the ballot? What if the conservative message is, “We get Trump back, AS SPEAKER, if you vote!” Would that turn out his hidden deplorables? And would any such boost in conservative turnout overcome an expected liberal boost in response to that horrific possibility?
All interesting questions for sure. For now, Trump hasn’t floated this scheme publicly. Things will get far more interesting over the coming year if Trump starts talking about being speaker at his public rallies.
Meanwhile, could McCarthy look any more pathetic? He could’ve ditched the Trump albatross after the Jan. 6 insurrection. Now he’s sitting there looking like a chump as Trump tells him—repeatedly—that he wants his job.
You see, the speaker doesn’t actually have to be an elected member of Congress, even though that’s how it’s always worked out. The Constitution pretty much gives the chamber all say in who they pick, with zero requirements. A right-wing radio host floated the idea to Trump, and he responded with a “very interesting.”
Now we know that Trump has found it more than just “interesting.” He likes the idea so much, he already told Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy that he wants his job.
This hasn’t even been a one-time event! By McCarthy’s admission, Trump has mentioned this “many times.” He uses “tells” in the present tense, to indicate an ongoing discussion, as opposed to the past-tense “told,” which would suggest that the matter was closed and settled.
And even more importantly, this exchange happened on Fox News, which means the conservative media is on the case, and will continue to make it a thing for the foreseeable future.
As mentioned in my last piece, the conservative fantasy is that Trump takes the job for 100 days, impeaches Joe Biden just because, and then quits to run for president. Does it make sense? No. Would Trump ever actually do any work? No. Would he get his shit together in 100 days to actually accomplish anything? No. Would anything even remotely looking like “policy” happen in that time? No.
All this points to the conservative inability to quit Trump. They won’t get him back in August, no matter how much QAnon thinks they will. And they don’t want to wait until 2024. The desperation to stick with someone who has been essentially ousted from all major mainstream outlets is beyond weird, all the way to outright pathetic. Trump is a loser who cost their party dearly, and they still can’t quit him!
But there’s another factor at play: We know that Trump can’t get his people to vote in elections when he’s not on the ballot. It’s the Republican Party’s most vexing problem. If Trump is on the ballot, a whole mass of people show up who are otherwise electorally invisible. They certainly didn’t turn out in the 2017, 2018, 2019, or Georgia Senate runoff elections. While Republicans represent a dying demographic—older, rural, white men—Trump on the ballot gives them a fighting chance. Without him on the ballot, even Trump’s begging and pleading won’t turn out his people. That’s why we have Democratic governors in blood-red Kentucky and Louisiana.
So there’s little chance of Trump being literally on the ballot. (No one sees him running for a House seat.) But what if he’s essentially on the ballot? What if the conservative message is, “We get Trump back, AS SPEAKER, if you vote!” Would that turn out his hidden deplorables? And would any such boost in conservative turnout overcome an expected liberal boost in response to that horrific possibility?
All interesting questions for sure. For now, Trump hasn’t floated this scheme publicly. Things will get far more interesting over the coming year if Trump starts talking about being speaker at his public rallies.
Meanwhile, could McCarthy look any more pathetic? He could’ve ditched the Trump albatross after the Jan. 6 insurrection. Now he’s sitting there looking like a chump as Trump tells him—repeatedly—that he wants his job.