In the end, the only man who could unify House Republicans behind him was a relatively little-known and mild-mannered evangelical Christian from Louisiana.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAs the speaker saga wore on, it provoked questions among some House Republicans: How could it be that they had failed to elect a speaker for so long?
While Gaetz maintains otherwise, his angry GOP colleagues have plenty of evidence to make their case that it was an attention ploy.
Rep. Matt Gaetz surrounded by reporters and cameras after the House voted to oust Kevin McCarthy from the speakership.
The attention economy doesn't preclude an ability to govern — an effective politician might seek to harness their celebrity towards worthy ends.
Persons:
Mike Johnson's, Matt Gaetz, Kevin McCarthy, Garrett Graves, Sen, Thom Tillis, Madison Cawthorn, Tillis, Drew Angerer, Greg Murphy of, Nancy Mace, McCarthy, Mace, I'm, Win McNamee, Josh Hawley, Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump's, Nicole Wallace, Obama, JD Vance, Ohio, Vance, Ted Cruz, Jose Luis Magana, denialism, Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Brett Kavanaugh, Jen Psaki, Symone Sanders, it's, Rep, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Kelly Armstrong, Adam Schiff, Chip Somodevilla, Bob Good, Virginia, Gaetz, —, Ken Buck, Colorado, Hawley deadpanned, Mike Lawler, I've, Cruz, Buck, Joe Biden, Liz Cheney
Organizations:
Republicans, GOP, North Carolina Republican, Getty, Twitter, South Carolina, Republican, Rep, Fox News, Republican Party, Conservative Political, Conference, AP, Cannon, South, Democratic, Supreme, Biden, MSNBC, Democrats, Capitol, New York Post, Colorado
Locations:
Louisiana, Florida, Greg Murphy of North Carolina, Missouri, Hollywood, California, South Carolina, Alexandria, Cortez of New York, Ukraine, New York, Ted Cruz of Texas