The Republican Party isn’t exactly ending 2024 on a positive note. Donald Trump is leading a shambolic presidential transition process, as many GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill ignore his directives. House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing a revolt from some of his own members. Republican officials are divided over tactics and strategy. Much of the party is rallying behind a conspiratorial billionaire who appears to know very little about how government works.
In case this weren’t quite enough, the party might soon be on the hook for shutting down the government after abandoning a bipartisan agreement Republican leaders endorsed and helped write.
With all of this in mind, it stands to reason that many in the GOP are looking forward to starting fresh in the new year and leaving this unfortunate drama behind. If so, these same Republicans probably ought to start lowering their expectations.
“Oh, this is the way it’s going to be next year,” Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the party’s outgoing Senate leader, quipped this week — the day before the GOP-led House failed to advance their own partisan spending bill intended to prevent a shutdown.
The comment coincided with a related report in The Washington Post:
The past 24 hours have been a glimpse of what’s to come in the House next year, when Republicans will try to govern with one of the narrowest majorities in history and the speaker’s job will constantly be in jeopardy. Oh, and they’ll have to deal with an impulsive president who can throw a wrench in any best-laid plans and a powerful and influential shadow president (Elon Musk) pressuring lawmakers from his social media platform.
This, too, was published the day before House GOP leaders suffered their second debacle in as many days. To be sure, Republicans aren’t in a position to whine too much: It was just last month when the party had a good election cycle, and in the new year, the GOP will enjoy its control over the White House, Senate, and House for the first time since 2018. But the party is also dealing with deep-rooted institutional problems that will continue to plague Republican politics well into Trump’s second term. The GOP lacks a coherent vision for the future; many of its ideas are deeply unpopular; it remains a post-policy party that’s indifferent to the substance of governing; its erratic leader routinely changes his mind about his beliefs and priorities; and it will have a vanishingly small majority in the House that will make even routine tasks profoundly difficult. Yes, 2024 is ending on a chaotic note, but those awaiting calmer conditions and brighter skies in 2025 are kidding themselves.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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