Of these, "35-40" have been dubbed 'hard-liners' of the Freedom Caucus. That makes them about 16% of the Republican members and about 9% of the Congress as a whole.
Sixteen percent of Republicans and only 9% of the whole House think the other 84% of Republicans, the other 91% of the House, should drop what they believe and cater to this small minority's demands.
In some ways it's reassuring that a small percent of a group can get people's attention if they feel really strongly about something and if they are willing to simply refuse to cooperate. It's why dictatorships can be overthrown despite their power. But that assumes the dictator is not as ruthlessly stubborn as the rebels are recalcitrant. And that the rebels have something better to offer.
Since I'm currently visiting my granddaughter, I can't help thinking about how familiar this behavior seems. Here's a description of 2-3 year old social skills from Child Development Information:
Talks, uses “I” “me” “you.” Copies parents’ actions. Dependent, clinging, possessive about toys, enjoys playing alongside another child. Negativism (2 ½ yrs). Resists parental demands. Gives orders. Rigid insistence on sameness of routine. Inability to make decisions.Their sense of entitlement (a phrase they like to throw around) is staggering. As the world changes, they are clinging and possessive about their toys. And they're resisting parental (Speaker of the House?) demands they share a bit. Instead they are giving orders. And they rigidly insist on no taxes, cutting the budget, and getting rid of immigrants.
Which toys do they miss the most? From Bloomberg News:
“'We have emasculated ourselves because we have pretty much conceded that we don’t have the power of the purse,' said Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, a founding member of the Freedom Caucus, which continues to support Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla., for speaker." (emphasis added)They no longer have the power they used to have. As laws change to take down the barriers that blocked women and other ethnicities from power, white males are having to compete with less advantage than they used to have. As women gain access to better jobs and control over when they give birth, they are less dependent on men. Men are losing the power to control their wives. Is it surprising that this group makes abortion a key issue?
OK, after making that generalization I realized I'd better check who is in this Freedom Caucus. Wikipedia lists 36 members. All but one are white males. (Mo and Jody look like men to me.) The one female is Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming. I wonder if she feels emasculated. Here's the list from Wikipedia:
Known members
- Jim Jordan of Ohio, Chair[14]
- Justin Amash of Michigan[14]
- Brian Babin of Texas[15]
- Rod Blum of Iowa[15]
- Dave Brat of Virginia[16]
- Jim Bridenstine of Oklahoma[17]
- Mo Brooks of Alabama[18][19]
- Ken Buck of Colorado[20]
- Curt Clawson of Florida[21]
- Ron DeSantis of Florida[14]
- Scott Desjarlais of Tennessee[22]
- Jeff Duncan of South Carolina[23]
- John Fleming of Louisiana[14]
- Trent Franks of Arizona[20]
- Scott Garrett of New Jersey[14]
- Paul Gosar of Arizona[24]
- Morgan Griffith of Virginia[2]
- Andy Harris of Maryland[15]
- Jody Hice of Georgia[25]
- Tim Huelskamp of Kansas[26]
- Raúl Labrador of Idaho[14]
- Barry Loudermilk of Georgia[25]
- Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming[20]
- Mark Meadows of North Carolina[14]
- Alex Mooney of West Virginia[15]
- Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina[14]
- Gary Palmer of Alabama[17]
- Steve Pearce of New Mexico[20]
- Scott Perry of Pennsylvania[15]
- Ted Poe of Texas[15]
- Bill Posey of Florida[15]
- Keith Rothfus of Pennsylvania[15]
- Matt Salmon of Arizona[14]
- Mark Sanford of South Carolina[15]
- David Schweikert of Arizona[20]
- Marlin Stutzman of Indiana[15]
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