Florida in the House! Our lawmakers front and center in the anti-McCarthy revolt | Opinion

Two years ago on this date, there was chaos at the Capitol. And on this anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on Congress, there is still chaos, but not violent.

This time, it’s over the unprecedented selection — or, after 13 votes by Friday afternoon, the continuing non-selection — of a Republican House Speaker, a role U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy is determined to capture.

And, as expected, Floridians are at the center of the vortex. Interestingly, the era of Donald Trump’s clout appears to have waned, almost on the very day on which he, two years ago, stoked the deadly mob attack on the U.S. Capitol, trying to thwart Congress’ certification of the presidential election that he lost. Karma.

Thursday, when Florida resident Trump’s name was thrown into the mix of candidates for House speaker — the Constitution is not clear on whether someone has to be in Congress to fill the position — by another Floridian, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, what followed undoubtedly was a symbolic dagger through Trump’s political ambition and influence within the party.

He got one vote.

Gaetz had laid it on thick, praising Trump in a show of theatrics and and flattery, saying that he was “the first president in my lifetime that didn’t start any new wars.” Of course, he was also the first president determined to overthrow the U.S. government. But no matter.

The lack of seriousness aside, the lack of votes for Trump was a public declaration of independence by other Republicans.

The former president already tried to flex his muscle, tweeting earlier this week that the anti-McCarthy renegades should get behind the California lawmaker. Lauren Boebert, of Colorado, flexed her muscle, too, stunning colleagues in the middle of heaping praise on Rep. Byron Donalds, another Floridian, before putting his name into contention for speaker. Like Gaetz, she buttered Trump up. Unlike Gaetz, she made clear Trump got it wrong: “Even having my favorite president call us and tell us we need to knock this off, I think it actually needs to be reversed,” she said. “The president needs to tell Kevin McCarthy that, ‘Sir, you do not have the votes, and it’s time to withdraw.’ “

We can’t help but think that the long, low “Ooooooohhhhhhh,” that lawmakers, even Republicans, emitted in unison was more in admiration of her defiance than in derision.

Of course, there’s one more Floridian in the mix here, biding his time in Tallahassee as his one-time high-flying mentor’s engine starts to sputter.

This story was originally published January 6, 2023 at 3:21 PM.