Why Are House Republicans Leaving Congress?

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

The New Yorker

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4.3 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 9 December 2023

⏱️ 40 minutes

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Summary

The Washington Roundtable: Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced his resignation from Congress this week, not long after a coup by several of his Republican colleagues cost him the leadership. The lawmaker who had temporarily filled the Speaker position—Representative Patrick McHenry of North Carolina—also announced his departure from the lower chamber. But it’s not just former House Speakers who are leaving their positions. Dozens of members of the 118th Congress are not running for reëlection. Some are leaving to run for higher office, others are retiring, yet others have simply had enough—and one, Representative George Santos, was expelled. Former Representative Jim Cooper, Democrat of Tennessee, joins the New Yorker staff writers Susan B. Glasser, Jane Mayer, and Evan Osnos on this week’s episode to analyze this phenomenon. “It’s really become a clown show, and elections are like clown swapping,” he tells them. “I don’t think there is a Republican Party anymore, and, if there is one, it’s ungovernable because they eat their own.” Cooper and the hosts discuss what it is like to be in Congress, the state of the Republican Party, and the forces driving the recent exodus of members.

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0:47.4	I actually really want to know. Evan, I hear they had ice skating this year for families over at the White House to celebrate Christmas or holiday season. It is true. This is the first time in 40 years. I would say this is a boutique issue. Not every American is clamoring. Well, not yet. We're going to go later today, actually. Oh, wow. Yeah, we'm going to take Ollie down there. And, you know, he's, he was like, yeah, fine, White House. That's all sounds fine. But like, how's the ice? How's the skate? You know, it's funny. I have to say that White House as public house thing, it does send the messaging, right? You know, the Bidens are clearly much more interested in the kind of public function of the House.
1:32.0	And we were back there this week for the first time since Donald Trump had one and one only Christmas party, holiday party for the press.
1:41.8	That was his first year in office, never did it again.
1:46.2	And that was the year of the famous, remember the Melania, like, blood red trees, you know, the allay of trees.
1:52.2	The contrast could not have been starker. Well, let's just cut to the chase. How is the eggnog?
1:58.3	Jane, you're the eggnog aficionado of this group, so I wouldn't.
2:02.3	I mean, when I did see online that they called it a liquid heart attack, I had some
2:07.1	second thoughts.
2:12.5	Welcome to the political scene from The New Yorker, a weekly discussion about the big
2:16.7	questions in American politics.
2:18.9	I'm Susan Glasser, and I'm joined by my colleagues Evan Osnos and Jane Mayer.
2:23.9	Hey, Evan.
2:24.8	Hey, there, Susan.
	...

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