Most of the GOP leadership is, and has been, convinced that the Republican Party cannot win elections without the support of the extreme right. Nobody exemplifies that more than Kevin McCarthy, who made it clear that he would let the extremists, not the moderates, drive the train during the first two years of Biden’s term in order to maintain party unity. Today, he’s getting his reward. The extremists know he’s a pander bear, not a true believer, so some of them won’t vote for him no matter what he promises them.
Extremists cost the GOP both the 2020 and 2022 elections. Today, they are making the party look like the clown car that is truly is. At what point will the mainstream figure out that a divorce is necessary? Will it be today?
I’m guessing not. The immediate issue will be finessed somehow, and the problem will linger through the 2024 election.