“When the Colosseum falls, Rome should fall.”
The autumn of the Roman Empire, besides that it clearly already occupies the minds of each trendy American male, is a cautionary story for any superior society, together with ours.
It could sound alarming, however consider me – our Coliseum is already crumbling.
One want solely take a look at our as soon as noble and dignified authorities – Congress – to see the cracks within the bricks, thanks in no small half to at least one Donald J. Trump’s usurpation of the Republican Celebration.
Lest you thought his impeachment in 2020 marked the tip of dysfunction and chaos in Washington, the murky depths to which the Republican Celebration can sink have solely gotten steeper, consider it or not.
And Grand Outdated Celebration does not look so nice nowadays because it each comically and tragically flips from one incompetent and embarrassing episode to the subsequent. Ding, ding…ding, ding, ding.
Placing apart the ugly pall the social gathering has thrown out of its embattled presidential front-runner—he faces 91 legal expenses in 4 separate indictments involving all the pieces from fraud to sedition—it is simply as unhealthy for the Republican social gathering he constructed and original in his likeness.
The dysfunction and self-destruction is nothing in need of unbelievable. And simply contemplating the most recent humiliations — actually from this one week — the Republican Celebration seems to be on the breaking point.
There was the failed effort to question Homeland Safety Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, a completely political train presumably supposed to punish and embarrass the Biden administration. Nevertheless, it had the other impact because the Home Democrats outmaneuvered the Republicans who did not provide you with the votes.
GOP Home members have been fast to complain about their freehold.
“I used to be embarrassed for our convention, for our social gathering, as a result of we will do higher than we did final night time,” stated Rep. Lance Gooden to CNN’s Manu Raju.
“He did not rely votes,” stated Rep. Ralph Norman from Speaker Mike Johnson. “I feel he’ll subsequent time.”
“While you’re handed the keys to the dominion … so when you will have the bulk, there’s an expectation that you are going to have the ability to govern. And we have simply struggled with that over and over,” stated Rep. Steve Womack .
The stunt was such a vote-count failure that Rep. Matt Gaetz, who had boastfully orchestrated the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy final yr with no plan for his substitute, felt a bit wistful. “[W]Would not it have been good to nonetheless have Kevin McCarthy within the Home of Representatives? By no means thought you’d hear me say that.”
The debacle led others to query the knowledge of the tedious effort to defend McCarthy. “Eliminating Speaker McCarthy has formally develop into an unmitigated catastrophe,” lamented Consultant Thomas Massie. “Identify one factor that is improved beneath the brand new speaker.”
Over on the social gathering’s governing physique, the Republican Nationwide Committee, issues are simply as dysfunctional. There, chairwoman Ronna McDaniel introduced she is stepping down — in the midst of an election yr, no much less — on account of strain from Trump. (It is a girl who dropped her maiden identify — Romney — as a result of Trump did not prefer it, and but he sees her as insufficiently loyal to him.)
Gaetz, who, recall, ousted McCarthy over private grievances, posted his ringing endorsement of the previous speaker for McDaniel’s substitute, tweeting: “Kevin is properly organized and a really excessive fundraiser. He can even be properly favored by the RNC committee.”
Then there may be the border invoice catastrophe.
Home Republicans superior a bipartisan border invoice, replete with provisions that they had lengthy requested as a result of Trump — an unelected and four-time impeached personal citizen — prefers to make use of the issue to get elected moderately than clear up it.
However the Pyrrhic victory backfired. As Republicans reached the top of utter uselessness, they took a problem they gained on — Biden’s damaged border — and gave Democrats a really helpful speaking level.
Afterwards, Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell lamented that his social gathering “cannot get a consequence.” And for supporting a border invoice, McConnell was blasted by Sen. Ted Cruz, who referred to as for his substitute. “I feel a Republican chief ought to really lead this convention and may advance Republican priorities.” (The Border Act would have delivered on quite a few Republican priorities.)
American politics has moved out of the dignity of the Roman Discussion board and into the vulgarity of the Colosseum, thanks largely to Trump and his GOP.
And moderately than governing or legislating, the Republican Celebration appears to want the theatricality of the Coliseum – bloody battles between gladiators and wild animals, interspersed with magic exhibits, acrobats and executions.
Can the GOP survive its personal self-destruction? Does it need it?
For America’s sake, let’s hope so.
As a result of the final a part of the quote is “And when Rome falls – the world.”
SE Cupp hosts “SE Cupp Unfiltered” on CNN.