Have the past two years of productive governance, mostly responsible leadership, and nonviolent elections left you bored to tears? You’re in luck: The circus is back in town.
The performers may have tried to burn the stadium to the ground to keep the show going last time around. But after facing zero consequences, they’re back. Witness human contortionist Kevin McCarthy, a man able to bend into any shape — almost as though he has no spine at all. Stand amazed as magician George Santos pulls rabbits out of … well … his hat, we hope. And be thrilled by Marjorie Taylor Greene on the flying trapeze — why, she’s the very definition of flighty and ungrounded. You’ll be astounded by Boebert the Clown and the House Freedom Caucus clown car, as well as the dramatic descent of Human Cannonball Donald Trump — minus the cannon but with all the dead weight he’s famous for.
Sadly, Walker the Wolf Man couldn’t make it, but we still have truth juggler Matt, special guest Kanye the One Man Freak Show, and delusionist Ryan Zinke who shall reveal the secrets of “the Deep State” and their plot to cancel the American cowboy (which makes perfect sense as long as you absolutely refuse to think about it). And don’t miss the Fox News hypnotism exhibit, the Proud Boys Wheel of Death, or the world’s largest mime troupe: “The Moderate Republicans.”
In addition … hey, wait. Where are you going? Ah, well … I guess it’s just never as exciting the second time around. If only the antics of this circus didn’t have real-world consequences.
Republican voters deserve better. I’ve rarely agreed with the GOP on much, but I miss when they at least stood for something. This party has turned its back on character, decency, competence, truth, honesty, national loyalty and every other thing it once believed in the pursuit of raw power. I concur with The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols, who recently wrote: “I find myself ruefully nostalgic for a world that was dominated by serious adults who believed in serious things.”
Not that the Republican-controlled House doesn’t have an agenda. After spending a week embarrassing themselves on the national stage, they got right down to the important business of battling inflation, addressing the opioid crisis, and protecting the border … just kidding. Predictably, they’ve been working to protect wealthy tax cheats (campaign donors) from the IRS, reasserting their dominion over women’s bodies, launching groundless revenge investigations, and gutting their own ethics committee — for obvious reasons.
The man who pushed the crazy train into high gear may be on the wane since it’s clear that a majority of Americans despise him even more than $5 gasoline. However, he’s only going away in the way that a dandelion ball disappears when you blow on it, only to ruin your lawn in the coming weeks.
I don’t blame rank-and-file Republicans and everyday voters. I suspect many of them, too, are embarrassed at the state of their once-dignified party and only stay the course out of resigned habit and the irrational fear of Democrats drilled into their heads by right-wing media. That sane conservatives are finally getting fed up was demonstrated in the recent midterms, where Republicans had a far better turnout and yet lost nonetheless. Wait, don’t put on your conspiracy cap just yet! The truth is, a lot of Republicans voted for Democrats in the last election because their own candidates were just that terrible.
No, the problem is multifaceted. Part of it is gerrymandering and a primary system that rewards extremism over competence and levelheadedness. Part of it is the embrace of shallow populism, which serves well to channel legitimate anger at the established order but is unable to provide leadership or practical solutions when in power. The biggest cause, however, is that we’ve thoroughly equated politics and entertainment that the most ignorant charlatan can ride to power on nothing more than hate-filled rhetoric and shameless vulgarity. Until we all learn to value mundane truth and quiet decency more than scintillating boorishness, our public discourse will only get uglier and crazier.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, if you’re tired of clowns, stop going to the circus.
Urie is a lifelong Idahoan and graduate of the University of Idaho. He lives in Moscow with his wife and two children.
