The barometer of politics in the United States shows a very high level of toxicity.
The impact of Donald Trump's fascist postulates and the threatening behavior among his troops makes the atmosphere unbreathable for many congressmen, without forgetting the discouragement that spreads among the Democratic collective, especially on the left wing.
Only in this context is it understood that a record number of legislators from both parties have already announced that they will not seek re-election in November 2024. This is the highest number in decades. Analysts consider that it is the result of the resentment and recriminations that flood both chambers, especially the House of Representatives, where the peak was reached when a few weeks ago eight members of the extreme right managed to oust the president or speaker, Republican Kevin McCarthy. .
At least there are now 38 (seven senators and 31 legislators) who have announced that they are leaving or want a change of scenery.
Only in the last days of November thirteen have joined, in a time of impressive dysfunction in the Capitol. There has been an increase in censure and recriminations, in an exchange of accusations between legislators from rival parties or within the same.
In fact, this Wednesday the expulsion of conservative George Santos, the fabulist, was pending criminal charges and harshly criticized by the ethics committee of the Lower House, led by conservatives, due to the construction of a completely false resume and of committing financial irregularities with campaign money, such as paying for botox treatments or throwing lavish parties. The president of the House, the ultraconservative Mike Johnson, expressed “many reservations” about the expulsion, but opened the vote “to each person's conscience.”
That case perfectly summarizes the era of Trumpism, where, with the invaluable collaboration of social networks, anyone can rise to the top even if they are a scammer.
The chaos among the Republicans, with a clear division between Trump hooligans, who deny the coup d'état of January 6, 2021, when the then president tried to perpetuate himself in power, and those who consider that the party of Lincoln and Reagan is on the verge of extinction or extinct, causing a fracture that extends beyond and affects the country.
The seed of evil, planted by a former president who believes that the worse the better for him, has permeated a group of ultra legislators, which has prevented the approval of any long-term budget legislation and has opened war against colleagues who voted alongside the Democrats to prevent the administrative shutdown of the Government.
There are many Republicans who murmur in the hallways to journalists that they are tired of receiving threats, even against their lives and family, for criticizing Trump.
But there is a dance in both parties, although the Democrats predominate in an attempt to move away from the House of Representatives, the main swamp of politics, where those who shout the loudest are those who support crazy conspiracy theories to justify their failures and their incompetence.
Thus, nine progressive legislators will fight for a seat in the Senate, while a tenth, Dean Phillips, is running for president of the United States. Phillips was a man in President Biden's orbit, but the mantra that has been installed about his age has transformed him and turned him into a Democratic enemy.
Experts maintain that the Lower House, above all, has become a kind of schoolyard. Their routine internal fights – with situations of almost coming to blows and accusations of elbowing each other in the kidney area – and childish behavior, in a room where the insults of “faggot” or “dwarf” have been heard, cause discomfort. among quite a few legislators.
“We have lost our way,” explained Republican Ken Buck when announcing that he will not repeat. “We have an identity crisis. If we cannot address the issue of electoral denialism we will not have credibility with citizens to solve problems,” he said. Democrat Earl Blumenauer, another one who is leaving, said he likes the job, “but politics makes it no longer worth it.”
