Republicans in the House are creating history this year, in unexpected ways. They have made some shocking moves, such as ousting their own speaker, Kevin McCarthy, and voting to expel indicted GOP Rep. George Santos of New York.
The House majority has never before voted to evict its speaker and had not voted to expel a member charged but not yet convicted of a crime since the Civil War. This has resulted in a tumultuous 11 months filled with infighting, undermining the powers of Congress, and hindering the actual business of governing.
As the year comes to a close, the power dynamics of House Republicans are at a turning point, as a new era of performance politics and chaotic governing emerges. Mad-as-hell activist, George Santos, who was expelled from the House, is emblematic of a new way of governing that rewards prominent individuals with charismatic yet often extreme public personas, rather than rewarding quiet but effective governance.
Santos, who is accused of fabricating much of his life story, did not shy away from the spotlight and embraced his moment in history with a lively press conference at the Capitol steps. In a postmodern political era, the power of a single lawmaker to become famous for being famous is evident. The scathing House Ethics report found Santos guilty of lawbreaking, leading to his swift downfall.
The Republican split over ousting Santos, similar to the division over McCarthy’s removal as speaker earlier in October, reflects the party’s willingness to turn on its own for political expediency. Despite the risk of losing another dependable vote from their slim majority, more than two-thirds of the House voted to expel Santos.
The expulsions have sapped congressional energy and attention and have affected the passage of annual spending bills to prevent government shutdowns. With the risk of shutdowns looming, the House’s next priority will be historic impeachment proceedings against President Joe Biden over the business dealings of his son, Hunter, but it’s uncertain if they will have enough votes for it now that a Republican member is down.
