by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
The Freedom Caucus is a group of forty-five extreme right-wing radical members of Congress who have banded together to give each other moral support as well as to increase their effectiveness in Congress by trying to agree on things and vote as a block. The members are, of course, all Republicans.
The Freedom Caucus, primarily the dregs of the old House Tea Party movement, officially formed in 2015, and one of its first achievements was to block Kevin's McCarthy's planned ascension to the House Speakership that year, and Paul Ryan instead became Speaker of the House. This year McCarthy was ultimately able to achieve that goal, but it came at a severe cost. McCarthy had to make many side deals with members of the Freedom Caucus in order to win their support, and each side deal served to decrease the ultimate power of the Speaker.
A recent fissure between Speaker McCarthy and the Freedom Caucus broke open when McCarthy helped to pass a debt ceiling bill that the Freedom Caucus generally opposed.
One member of the Freedom Caucus, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of rural Georgia, broke with that right wing group early and supported McCarthy's bid for the speakership. Greene, who obviously wanted more influence for herself in the current session, made a big production of moving her support to McCarthy before the rest of the Freedom Caucus was ready to act. Some felt that Greene's support of McCarthy for Speaker was at Donald Trump's behest, and that her real agenda was to lick Trump's boots to the point where he would feel compelled to choose her as his running mate.
(Now, however, McCarthy is balking at endorsing Trump for President, and the rumors about Greene being the veep have cooled.)
Nevertheless, Marjorie Taylor Greene's perceived attachment to Speaker McCarthy seems to have given her come credibility issues within the Freedom Caucus. Then, a few weeks ago Greene became incensed when Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert, the Communications Chair (Secretary) of the Freedom Caucus, tried to force through a measure to impeach President Biden that Greene felt was a usurpation of work she had already done on the matter - and Republican leadership did not want to fight an impeachment battle at that time. Greene apparently called Boebert a "bitch" within range of a microphone on the House floor, a break with decorum that did not help the Georgia congresswoman with her already unraveling ties to the Freedom Caucus.
Word reached the press in late June that the Freedom Caucus was considering expelling Marjorie Taylor Greene from its ranks - and yesterday it was confirmed that the caucus had held a secret vote and given Marge the heave-ho.
Marge Greene is no longer welcome to meet and bitch with the malcontents. She has gone over to the establishment!
(There is no word on whether she had to surrender her hooded sheet, abridged Bible, or parking permit for the Fox News garage.)
(Missouri, did you know that only one member of our current congressional delegation is a member of the Freedom Caucus? That dishonor belongs to Eric Burlison of the 7th district.)
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