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Elizabeth Frantz

House Republicans — in a spasm of dysfunction, nihilism and self-destruction — have revealed the consequences of letting the MAGA Republicans have power. Blowing up their own leadership brings their anti-government hysteria to a new level. Their conservative apologists (who insist Republicans can govern) are again left with egg on their faces as former speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) proves his caucus is unmanageable.

But make no mistake: It’s not the MAGA Republicans who are responsible for the House’s descent into chaos, nor is it the responsibility of the minority party that has been lied to by McCarthy and his ilk.

The culprit is the famed “moderate” Republicans we keep hearing about. They are supposedly distinct from and temperamentally saner than the MAGA clique that blew up the House. Doesn’t Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) get that label affixed to her name whenever she appears on TV to bemoan the MAGA faction (before voting in lockstep with them)? Doesn’t Rep. Michael Lawler (R-N.Y.) run around condemning dysfunction in his caucus?

Fine, now is their time. If they and a supposed majority of House Republicans want to prove they are more responsible and more serious than their MAGA counterparts, they can either advance a sober contender for speaker or, better yet, place conditions on their support for any speaker (just as the far-right did with McCarthy).

This time, instead of leaving the status of the speaker to the whim of a single member, they could set the motion to vacate at a higher level, ensuring hard-liners are not constantly threatening the new speaker. That in and of itself would allow a group of moderates to act on discharge petitions in concert with Democrats to prevent another shutdown and move important bills, such as securing aid to Ukraine. That’s the sort of responsible governance we keep hearing that they favor, right?

This would entail an actual commitment from moderates to hold firm on their support for a new speaker and then later to behave responsibly. Though this sounds almost inconceivable, this should be the bare minimum required of any member. And for those <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/22/politics/house-republicans-biden-districts/index.html" target=_blank>18 Republicans sitting in districts President Biden won</a>, it might be the only way to save their seats in 2024.

But won’t MAGA forces hoot and holler, threatening to primary them? Alas, this is the problem: Rather than thinking of the best interests of the country or rationally assessing their chances for political defeat if the MAGA dysfunction continues, they cower and cringe. They go along with the absurd MAGA crowd. Complaining later does not conceal their passivity.

Now is the time they can reassess this losing strategy and thereby give themselves a chance to escape the political death spiral that will befall them if they go into 2024 as part of an undifferentiated mass of nihilists. If the less crazy contingent of Republicans exerts influence, we might witness actual legislative functionality. Really! Sober but ideologically conservative Republicans could advance items that might repair their reputations while adhering to conservative goals.

Government reform might be at the top of the list. Rock-ribbed conservative Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.) co-sponsored with Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) the Stock Act, which would prohibit members and their spouses from owning individual stocks. Such a measure could easily secure a majority. With a functioning speaker and threat of a discharge petition, such a bill could get a vote.

In addition, <a href="https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/documents/policy-recommendations" target=_blank>the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party</a> put out robust policy recommendations this year to defend Taiwan and punish China for its human rights atrocities perpetrated against Uyghurs. (Committee Chairman Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin recently called for Pope Francis to “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/10/05/pope-china-communism-human-rights/" target=_blank>confront Beijing</a>.”) Republicans keep complaining the administration isn’t tough enough on China, so here would be the chance to look tough against a regime both sides rightly condemn. Again, with a speaker in place and a rational legislative process, they could notch a legislative win.

Now, this might sound far-fetched, but that’s because the “moderate Republican” has become an oxymoron. These characters can go on TV to complain about their more unhinged peers all they like, but if they cannot demonstrate that they stand apart from the worst of the worst MAGA chaos-creators by setting up a duly empowered speaker and then advancing sensible legislation, then we should retire the myth that “moderates” exist anywhere in the Republican Party.

University of California at Berkeley, BA in history

University of California at Berkeley, JD

Jennifer Rubin writes reported opinion for The Washington Post. She is the author of “Resistance: How Women Saved Democracy from Donald Trump” and is host of the podcast Jen Rubin's "Green Room."

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