The barometer of politics in the United States marks a very high level of toxicity.
The impact of Donald Trump’s fascist postulates and the threatening behavior that exists among his followers makes the atmosphere unbreathable for many congressmen, not to mention the discouragement that is spreading in the democratic group, especially in the left wing
Only in this context is it understood that a record number of legislators from both parties have already announced that they will not seek re-election in November 2024. It is the highest number in decades. Analysts believe that it is the result of rancor and recriminations flooding the two chambers, especially the House of Representatives, which reached its peak a few weeks ago when eight members of the extreme right managed to oust the president or speaker , Republican Kevin McCarthy.
At least 38 (seven senators and 31 legislators) have announced that they are leaving or want to change their minds.
Thirteen have been added in the last days of November alone, in a time of impressive dysfunctionality in the Capitol. There has been an increase in censures and recriminations, in an exchange of accusations between legislators of rival parties or within the same.
In fact, on Wednesday, the expulsion of the conservative George Santos, the fabricator, accused by criminal means and harshly criticized by the ethics committee of the Lower House, led by conservatives, due to the construction of a curriculum entirely false and of committing financial irregularities with campaign money, such as paying for botox treatments or throwing lavish parties. The Speaker of the House, the ultra-conservative Mike Johnson, expressed “many reservations” about the expulsion, but opened the vote “to everyone’s conscience”.
This case perfectly sums up the era of Trumpism, in which, with the invaluable help of social networks, anyone can get high even if they are a fraud.
The chaos among the Republicans, with a clear division between the hooligans of Trump, who deny the coup d’état of January 6, 2021, when the then president tried to perpetuate himself in power, and those who consider that the party of Lincoln and Reagan is on the way to extinction or extinguished, causes a rift that extends beyond and affects the country.
The seed of evil, planted by a former president who believes that the worse the better for him, has taken root in a collective of ultra legislators, who have prevented the approval of any long-range budget legislation and have opened a war against the col· leagues who voted with the Democrats to prevent the administrative shutdown of the Government.
There are not a few Republicans muttering to reporters in the corridors that they are sick of receiving threats, even against their lives and families, for criticizing Trump.
But there is dancing in both parties, although the Democrats are dominated by an attempt to move away from the House of Representatives, the main political swamp, where the loudest are those who support conspiracy theories crazy to justify their failures and their incompetence.
Thus, nine progressive lawmakers will fight for a seat in the Senate, while a tenth, Dean Phillips, is running for President of the United States. Phillips was a man in the orbit of President Biden, but the mantra that has been installed about his age has transformed him and turned him into a Democratic enemy.
Experts say that the Lower House, above all, has become a kind of school yard. Their routine internal struggles – with situations that almost reached their hands and accusations of elbowing each other in the kidney area – and childish behavior, in an area where the insults of “ladybug” or “ nan”, causes dismay among not a few legislators.
“We’ve lost our way,” explained Republican Ken Buck when he announced that he would not repeat. “We have an identity crisis. If we cannot address the issue of electoral denialism, we will not have credibility before the citizens to solve problems”, he said. Democrat Earl Blumenauer, another quitter, said he likes the job, “but politics makes it no longer worth it.”
