Two numbers define the last year in politics. The first is 15, for the 15 votes it took in January to confirm a Republican Speaker of the House. The second is three, for when the House shut down in October for three weeks, thanks to the ouster of that same Speaker, Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
The driving force behind each of these events is my “Politician of the Year” for 2023: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.).
Gaetz deserves a place in history. He is a living monument to an era of elected Republican officials with no interest in governing.
Gaetz stood out in a year when politics often was locked into whatever is trending on social media. Two right-wing internet sensations — Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) — gave him a run for the title with their crass, public name-calling match on the floor of the House.
The bold lying by Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) also defined the year in the House. And McCarthy himself reached for the title of shameful political actor when he allegedly elbowed Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.).
But Gaetz takes the prize, for successfully paralyzing the House for the entire…
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