J.P. Marín-Arrese | Kevin McCarthy’s failed attempts to snatch election as Congress Speaker not only signals a severe divide within the Republican party. It may also hamper the ability to run the country. Rebels aim to block the White House agenda, even launch an impeachment against Biden, and seem ready to put the US Government in default by refusing to increase the debt ceiling next October. They will likely question support for Ukraine while fuelling a trade war against China. This worrying scenario could send fresh shockwaves to the global economy just as it struggles to avoid recession.
Those refusing to endorse McCarthy while pledging unwavering allegiance to Donald Trump blatantly fail to pay him due obedience, disregarding his call to support the official candidate. They behave like hooligans eager to break the rules and attack Federal power. By alternative means, they pursue similar goals to those prompting the mob to assault Congress not so long ago. They want to impose their law and will on most voters and people, acting as zealots of totalitarian fanatism.
Republicans should resist the temptation to cave in to their demands. If they fall into that trap, they will drift away from democratic values and principles. By no means does this gridlock in Congress amount to a farcical episode. It shows the US is nurturing a perilous drive to right-wing extremism. The puritan credo these extremists want to impose, coupled with their disregard for solidarity and their sheer ignorance of basic economic principles, might lead to unmitigated disaster. We thought Donald Trump was the only problem. Now we witness how extended and severe is the potential danger to democracy. Quelling that threat requires a firm standing at all levels by everyone supporting freedom. Otherwise, we might fall, yet again, into a dark era.
