Turd in the Punch Bowl
If we could spare a moment for Kevin McCarthy. In many respects, he is like the manager at the fast food place on the night shift. The teenagers have gotten out of school and have taken over the shift. He’s not incredibly talented, have any real natural authority, but he’s the adult in the room.
Some men are born great. Others have greatness thrust upon them. Still others ride the magic coattails of mediocrity and are the last ones left standing. McCarthy was never distinguishable at any point in his Congressional tenure. Yet, when Paul Ryan decided that he had had enough and the kooks decided Liz Cheney was unworthy, he was the only one left. Congratulations.
Madison Cawthorn is not a remarkable character in this tale. He’s young. The fact that he sits in a wheelchair is the only thing that distinguishes him from a frat boy looking for his former glory. Cawthorn was on a video/podcast telling a captive host that the GOP is full of orgies and cocaine parties.
We’ve all had leaders like McCarthy before. Their leadership style can best be described as hands off and hoping for the best. I suppose that works when you are surrounded by other adults. That isn’t McCarthy. He finds himself surrounded by idiots making idiotic comments and embarrassing the caucus left and right. Of course, when you do nothing to inspire discipline you aren’t going to get it.
The rest of us get to imagine who Cawthorn may be talking about. Some in the GOP want him to name names. As satisfying as that might be, I think most of us could be spared the mental images involved. Consenting adults can do what they want in their own time. Most of us don’t want to know anything about it.
Yet, McCarthy is playing the politics of reaction. He talks to Cawthorn and tells him if he does something like this again then he will be compelled to warn him again. He’s done the same with Greene and Boebert. Maybe he could round all of them up along with Matt Gaetz (honestly, we know he’s the one Cawthorn is talking about) and put them in time out. On second thought, maybe that’s how this all got started in the first place.
The photo of Cawthorn leaving McCarthy’s office looks like he’d been crying (either that or he was having a severe allergic reaction to something); he then said he’d made the whole thing up.
What actually happened is that, despite endorsement by his Orangeness & Cawthorn’s ability to raise money, all Party support in the primary has been thrown behind one of Cawthorn’s opponents. He’s about to lose his seat at the adults’ table and I don’t believe he has any other job prospects.
1Oh dawg. Wait. Nick, maybe Madison was talking about partying with Boofy Kavanaugh, Clarrie, Amy and the court clerks. My parents used to worry about the kids hearing about cigar smoking in the Oval Office. WTH and how are Jane and I supposed explain to our boys about the Dee Cee ‘adults’ these days?
2It’s the unwatchable low budget knockoff, Animal House of Representatives. With the threat of TRIPLE Secret Probation hanging over members of Q Fraternity.
3However, later McCarthy said that he still supported Cawthorn for re-election this year. So that should really straighten young Cawthorn out.
4Jane & PKM:
5well, there was some pretty hot “seegar smokin'” at times in the oval office during Clinton’s spell.
If Cawthon doesn’t do cocaine, how did he know the phrase “key bump”?
6Oldymoldy @6, I was very young at the time hypocrite and perv Ken porn boi Starr wasted $millions writing his novel about a cigar. My sisters were slightly older. Although our parents nevuh censored our reading, they had concerns as to whether we were ready to sort out that much fiction, lies and process why it was evuh an investigation. Most likely they were concerned we’d become to cynical too soon.
7McCarthy is scared of ALL the GQPs .
8I wonder when Cawthorne and Gaetz will make it though puberty.
9Linda Phipps @10, In a just world, somebody with Joni Ernst’s supposed skills would ‘take care of things’ [but with a dull knife].
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