THE DOWNFALL OF KEVIN McCARTHY

    In the ongoing drama that has become the US political system, Kevin McCarthy became the first sitting House Speaker to be recalled since 1910. This follows on the heels of our last national drama: the semi-annual 'Threatened Shutdown' which itself has been a recurring show since 1995. The Budget Battle---like pro wrestling---always has a predictable outcome. The GOP makes a grand show, caves in to the Democrats at the last minute and passes a stopgap-spending package, then caves in again when that has expired. 

   The ouster of McCarthy---a WEF member, shill for special interests, and general all-around jerk---is not any great loss to our country or our cause. The other side of the coin is, nobody's certain about how it's supposed to help. In general, I'm not especially comfortable with this tactic of weaponizing parliamentary procedures in this way. Secondly, there doesn't seem to be any plan or program to change much of anything now that McCarthy's gone. It seems to be another example of the short-sighted actions characterizing the Postmodern Right (and America in general) of acting first and thinking later. "If we just get rid of Biden, McConnell, McCarthy..." then everything suddenly is supposed to right itself. McCarthy got his job in the first place because Congress was magically supposed to change just by removing Pelosi: at least, though, that was done through an actual election. 

   For example, one of the stories buried behind the Political Theater was a joint report from the United Nations Organization of Economic Developed Countries (OECD) and the US Center for Disease Control. After a two-decade long slide, the United States finally has reached bottom of Developed Countries in Average Life Expectancy. We're also in last place in literacy rates, addictions, obesity, infertility, violent crime, incarceration rates, and suicides; and circling the drain in infant mortality, poverty, and reproduction rates. One would think that our collapsing civilization and crumbling civil infrastructure would be a little higher priority than who serves as figurehead of the Rump Congress. The fact that 8 Republicans and 208 Democrats voted for McCarthy's ouster ought to tell us something too. 

  Frankly, though, I have very little interest in these partisan games. Our Federal Government isn't much more than a Holding Company for confederated supranational commercial enterprises at this point; and the McCarthy ouster amounts to little more than a shake-up at the middle-management level. We currently live in a Managed Democracy, and nothing ultimately will change unless the people gather some character and courage and start demanding it. 

  Congressman Patrick McHenry of North Carolina is currently serving as Interim Speaker. McHenry is utterly servile to High Finance. Regardless of whom the GOP selects to become Speaker, McHenry probably will be in charge of revising the upcoming budget; and given his previous legislative record and the lobbyists who supported him, the Big Banks certainly will have their way. Thanks too to the precedent the McCarthy ouster set, it will be relatively easy to eject any future speaker who doesn't toe the Uniparty Line. Soon, replacing Congressional leaders by Floor Vote will become just as routine as Impeachments (which were rare until just a few years ago). 

   Some on the Right are even floating the idea of nominating President-in-Exile Trump to the Speakership. This would, under the Constitution, put him third in line for presidential succession. If anyone imagines that the Deep State will permit this to happen, they really are living in Cloud-Cuckooland. 

   The United States has become what Plato referred to as a Theatrocracy. This described a period during the Athenian Republic when the masses eschewed Statesmanship and Merit in favor of celebrity-demagogues in the public theater. Athens went into a period of deep decline---as we are doing today. Stand-up comics, online trolls, seedy talk-show hosts, and paid pundits feed our salacious lust for drama and scandal, while ignoring issues of any importance. Madison Avenue and Hollywood, of course, are pulling the wires on these, their mouthpieces, to keep up fomenting division and distraction. Actual issues go on being marginalized, while the Oligarchs keep laughing all the way to the bank.