The midterm elections were surprising, as they went against both the polls and historic precedence. That doesn’t change how they were disappointing, though, embarrassing even, for the Republican Party. Someone, or multiple people, ought to be held accountable. Lessons must be learned. Otherwise, the Republican Party can and may very well be doomed in future elections. The fact that they squandered what could have been not just a red wave but a red tsunami is warning enough.
That there appears to be a lack of accountability from Republican leaders is bad. Worse is how they pat themselves on the back. This is especially in the House, not just with Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), but with Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN), who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).
While it’s natural for leaders to want to exude strength, it was nevertheless mind-blowing that McCarthy declared victory on Wednesday morning, despite how control of the House had not yet been called. Decision Desk HQ on Tuesday night called control of the House for Republicans, a week later. Many others didn’t call it until the following night.
Emmer held a post-midterm press call last Wednesday where he also declared victory. What reports there were do not paint the picture of someone taking responsibility.
“NRCC Chair Tom Emmer brushes off ‘naysayers’: ‘We delivered’,” read a headline from The Hill. Emmer is quoted as saying “for any of the naysayers, we’re happy to point out this is now the second straight cycle that House Republicans have picked up seats.”
“No one ever said this thing was going to be easy. I always said that all I could guarantee was that we’re going to win the majority,” he also claimed. “How wide and how deep the majority was going to be was totally up to the voters.”
Oh, so it’s the voters fault, then?
“At the end of the day, the bottom line is we flipped the House and we’re now going to be a check on Joe Biden, the Democrats’ one-party rule,” Emmer also offered. This was long before anyone had projected the House to be in Republican hands.
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A POLITICO report also mentioned Emmer’s call, emphasizing he claimed Republicans “delivered.”
“This is not like any midterm you’ve ever seen because the numbers are not the same. We are playing in blue country,” he’s quoted as saying. “We flipped the House for just the third time since 1954 — I’m extremely proud of that accomplishment.”
Emmer was rewarded by being selected as House Majority Whip on Tuesday. It was an incredibly close, second round vote of 115-106 against Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), who serves as chairman of the Republican Study Committee (RSC).
Emmer’s office released a brief statement after his win. “It is an honor to be entrusted by my colleagues with the role of Majority Whip. Now the hard work begins. It’s time to unite our conference and deliver on our promises to the American people.” One could ask where that mentality was for the midterms.
Not only was Banks’ loss memorable because it was so close, or because Emmer was rewarded for bad behavior, but because at least one Republican member messed up the vote.
Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-GA) was knocked out in the first round, with 71 votes. Emmer received 72, and Banks received 82. That member, according to another POLITICO report, had meant to put down Ferguson, but put down Emmer instead. Had that member voted as intended, it would have been Ferguson with 72 votes to Emmer’s 71 votes.
This shocking detail, reported on Wednesday, was mostly buried in that reported, which focused on McCarthy. It was also downplayed.
“That one vote, had it been cast as intended, could have led to a different outcome in the whip battle,” the report mentioned at one point, with added emphasis. “Now Republicans hope to move beyond the drama,” the very next paragraph began.
The whole race, the whole Republican leadership team “could have” been different. We may never know, and are seemingly just expected to move on.
A report from The Washington Post from last Thursday on how “The Republican finger-pointing has begun,” referenced Emmer, among others.
“Some Republican strategists who spoke The Washington Post on Wednesday were quick to throw Emmer under the bus, criticizing him for spending too much time on readying his campaign for House whip and not enough on the overall Republican election,” one quote read.
Hopefully it was worth it for Emmer.
If it was merely Emmer’s remarks following a disappointing midterm, that would be one thing. I’d like to be hopeful that time heals wounds, especially when we now know that Republicans are in the majority.
Emmer’s own record on social issues is one that will alienate a whole swath of voters. The American Principles Project (APP) has long made their opposition to Emmer known.
At best, Emmer doesn’t want to address such issues. Worse, his own votes and associations show a liberal perspective. He recently voted in favor of legislation that will codify same-sex marriage, though the House version he voted for is concerning from a religious liberty perspective. In 2019, he was one of just nine House Republicans to vote against the then Trump administration’s ban on transgender soldiers in the military.
A Breitbart report had more troubling details. Emmer also has advanced Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives and received funding from BlackRock. In 2021, he voted for the LGBTQ Business Equal Credit Enforcement and Investment Act. And, Emmer voted in support of Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney’s (D-NY) amendment that would have stripped contracts from those contractors who do not give biological access to facilities for women.
Lest one thinks Emmer will change his mind anytime soon when it comes to prioritizing these issues, think again.
On Monday he told a reporter that “divisive social issues shouldn’t be brought to the House floor.”
Social conservatives ought to be shuttering to think about the time and effort, or lack thereof, Emmer will put into bills to do with the abortion issue, or protecting children from so-called transgender ‘affirming care,’ or ensuring biological men and boys don’t compete in women or girls’ sports. These were all issues, by the way, that Rep. Banks gave a healthy dose of attention to when chairing the RSC.
Of course, one should always believe in a change of heart, especially for those who should know better with Republicans in leadership positions like Emmer.
There are those who say that the size of the gavel does not depend on how big or small the party’s majority is. While this may be true, that’s not the end of the story. Far from it. McCarthy, if he does ultimately get the required 218 votes to become Speaker of the House, will not have an easy time. Any issues he has could extend on down as well.
With such a lack of accountability, when, in fact, the bad behavior of failed expectations is rewarded, then the Republican Party could very well be doomed to repeat itself. The next elections are two years away. Let’s hope the party gets its act together by then.
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