Republican extremist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia outside the US Capitol, September 30, 2023
I joined China State outlet CGTN Europe on Saturday to discuss the threat of hard-right Republicans and Trumpists to the US political and economic system.
Our discussion was hours before moderate Republicans and Democrats finally overcame the extremists to pass a compromise funding measure 335-91, keeping the US Government open until November 17.
See also Political WorldView Podcast: Trump’s Threat to US Democracy
However, as I note, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s reliance on Democrats to ensure the funding will only fuel the hard-right/Trumpist campaign to oust him — and anyone else who stands in their way.
That entails cutting US support to Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, and trying to paralyze the Federal Government.
This isn’t a flaw in the system of checks and balances that has served the US pretty well for almost 250 years.
It is a recogniition that there are some who will exploit the system. And you have to figure out how to keep them from getting away with it.
This is an unprecedented phenomenon in US politics: a group of people who do not want to work within the system but want to bring it down.
They’re staging their own Congressional coup attempt.
[Editor’s Note: “Underestimated the power of the Russian military” says all you need to know about the alternative reality of the commenter.]
“That entails cutting US support to Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, and trying to paralyze the Federal Government.”
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They underestimated the power of the Russian military. They now realise that provoking Russia by forcing Putin to pre-empt and invade Ukraine was a mistake. It’s just like you said in a podcast covering the Russia-Georgia war in 2008: (paraphrasing) Russia is pursuing its regional strategy of pushing back against US global strategy.