United States The banana Republic !!!

 Increasing chaos in the US makes Putin the winner

Wolfgang Hansson

This is a commenting text. Analysis and positions are the writer's.

Published 2023-10-04 14:46

Congressman Matt Gaetz.

Photo: Mark Schiefelbein/AP

The word banana republic and the United States are becoming increasingly synonymous.

When a single member of Congress paralyzes the entire political system based on personal vendetta motives, the democratic rot has gone very far.

But there is a winner in the political chaos in the United States; Russia's Vladimir Putin.

Rarely has there been a more blatant example of how a political party, in this case the Republicans, is shooting itself in the foot.

The problem is that this bullet also emits a number of dangerous ricochets.

Matt Gaetz, Republican congressman from Florida has long been in a personal feud with Kevin McCarthy.

He saw to it that 15 votes were required last winter before McCarthy was approved as Speaker of Congress. He also made sure to introduce a new rule that says that it is enough for a single member to demand it, and a new vote of confidence must be held on the speaker's job.

When McCarthy did what a Speaker is expected to do, cooperate across party lines to keep the American government funded, Gaetz triggered his penalty clause.

The Speaker is not just any post. He is number three in the United States' order of succession after the president and vice president.

Without the Speaker, the political work in Congress is paralyzed. No political proposals or new laws can be presented. This is probably why it has never happened before that a sitting Speaker has been fired.

When you take such a drastic measure, you reasonably have a plan for the future.

But no. Neither Gaetz nor the Republican Party has.

Kevin McCarthy has been fired as Speaker.

Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Confusion

So great was the confusion over what to do next after last night's decision that Congress is adjourning until next week before deciding how to proceed.

In practice, it was Gaetz and seven other Republicans far out on the right wing of the party who carried out the revolt against the will of the great Republican majority. They could do that because the Democrats also voted to impeach McCarthy. Such a chance to damage the Republican Party could not be passed up.

The consequences of this political farce could be extremely serious.

*The budget settlement that was hammered out at the last moment over the weekend means that the state has money to function as usual until November 17. Then there will be a deadlock unless a new settlement is adopted. Since the majority in Congress is split between the two major parties, they must work together to make a new budget a reality.

But all such talks have now stopped pending the election of a new speaker. It can happen next week at the earliest, but it can also take significantly longer if the Republican majority cannot agree on a name.

*McCarthy made a deal with President Biden on continued support for Ukraine. The money, SEK 60 billion, was taken out of the temporary budget that was clubbed last weekend, but McCarthy's promise meant that Biden could still feel quite sure that the money would be clubbed at a later stage.

Putin is the one profiting from the chaos, writes Wolfgang Hansson.

Photo: Pavel Bednyakov / TT News Agency

Worthless promise

Now McCarthy's promise is worthless. The negotiations on continued aid to Ukraine may begin again. What happens then, no one knows.

Something that makes Vladimir Putin rub his hands with delight and strengthens his belief that time speaks in Russia's favor in the war. It is the USA that is responsible for the majority of the military support to Ukraine. If the US cuts back on aid, it could have direct repercussions on the battlefield in Ukraine further down the line. It can also contribute to those in Europe who oppose more support for Ukraine getting more air under their wings.

*Americans' trust in Congress is already low, but will now reach a new low. Instead of running the country effectively and putting the interests of the American people first, Gaetz and his cronies have shown that they would rather use their positions of power to position themselves for the next election.

There seems to be some kind of belief among the extreme, Trump-loyal congressmen that the more chaos the United States finds itself in, the greater the chance that their darling Donald Trump will be able to move back into the White House and that more extreme Republicans will gain the trust of the voters.

The chaos spreads

For us in Sweden and the rest of the world, it is extremely worrying when chaos spreads in the superpower that we all depend on. Especially in such an unstable geopolitical situation as now.

In addition to the war in Ukraine, we have the increased tension between the US and China over Taiwan and the need to cooperate on climate change.

In the United States, we have a superior candidate in the Republican field who has four impeachments pending against him. Donald Trump is also currently involved in a trial in New York where he is suspected of fraudulent behavior and risks a fine of over two billion kroner.

The Democrats' hope is Joe Biden, who turns 82 next year and where age is very clearly visible both physically and in his verbal capacity. He also has a threat of impeachment hanging over him.

The immediate future prospects for the superpower in the West do not look bright.

The world needs a United States that can act as a leader. Not a mecca for chaos.