What does a post-McCarthy House mean for the Republican Party?
Every week on our podcast "Matter of Opinion," we look for the big questions behind the news of the moment that could use some deeper examination. Our hosts root out what has more nuance than meets the eye and give it the kind of sharp and surprising analysis that can happen only in conversation among four smart (and, coincidentally, hilarious) friends. |
Michelle Cottle, Ross Douthat, Carlos Lozada and Lydia Polgreen love to delve into the subjects that you might think you've already made your mind up about, like modern masculinity and elite education, and then challenge assumptions, add context and get to the heart of big questions of modern life. As I listen to them push one another and change one another's minds in our recordings, I always find that my own thinking gets a re-examination. I leave every episode with a tweak — or a total reframing — of my thinking about the way the world works. |
This week our team was transfixed by the ousting of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. We knew we needed to dive deeper into the question hanging over Washington this week. As Lydia puts it in our episode: How does this help anyone get anything done? |
Michelle, Ross and Lydia (as Carlos convalesced from a cold) got to the bottom of exactly that. What motivated Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida and his cohort to drop this "chaos bomb in the middle of the House"? What do the ongoing ideological and procedural schisms in the Republican Party tell us about its modern identity? Which representatives are leading this narrow majority now, and what is it that they want? Is this iteration of the G.O.P. just flat-out ungovernable? |
And as they always do on "Matter of Opinion," they ask: Why? And perhaps more pressing: What happens next for the politicians in power and the voters who put them there? |
During the episode, our hosts passionately grapple with what it means to be a Republican voter today. They debate whether Republican voters' views of big government and spending have changed dramatically and find themselves in a spicy disagreement over what ultimately motivates today's Republican voters. |
As I listened, I realized the hosts were airing out the very identity crisis at the heart of the Republican Party, which this week's leadership dramatics brought to the fore. I started to change my mind about how I'll view the party's primary season and what I'm going to watch out for. |
As we rush headlong into the next shutdown showdown, even more G.O.P. debates and the start of the 2024 primaries, I'll be turning to the "Matter of Opinion" hosts to show me what nuances are worth noticing. |
Here's what we're focusing on today: |
| FROM THE ARCHIVE Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian activist, was named as the recipient of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. Read her essay for Opinion. | | |
Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com. |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment