The Freedom Caucus has been partying at our expense for the last several years. Armed with enough members to tip the balance of power, the Hastert Rule, and (for the last two years) a back channel to the White House, they have been making life miserable for the House leadership and doing their best to make the country ungovernable. The shutdown is almost as attributable to their nihilism as to Trump’s capriciousness.
Well, guess what, guys–the party’s over! The Pelosi Rules will be in effect from next week, and, as far as they’re concerned, she’s the honey badger. They will be as impotent as a pack of reactionaries could possibly be.
Aw, darn! The question for the next Congress is whether they will work in good faith (in a partisan way, of course) as a check on the executive, or whether they will try to obstruct investigations and show Trump unconditional love on TV regardless of the facts, the effect on the country, and the ultimate implications for the GOP.
Based on their behavior over the last two years, there shouldn’t be any doubt about the correct answer. The lemmings will go over the cliff if it comes to that, and it probably will.