'The 'radical tactic' that has GOP clamoring to replace its ranks

No one will mistake Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colorado), a member of the House Freedom Caucus and the Tea Party, for a liberal or a progressive. But even though he is hard-right ideologically, Buck has drawn the wrath of MAGA Republicans by opposing Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-California) push for an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden and arguing that Republicans simply don't have enough evidence.

In an opinion column published on September 14, MSNBC's Steve Benen emphasizes that Buck's clash with other House Republicans speaks to a broader problem within the GOP.

Like Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), Benen observes, Buck has infuriated the far right by doing something "reasonable" — and has fallen prey to the same "radical tactic."

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Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia), Benen notes, wants Buck kicked out of the House Judiciary Committee. And similarly, far-right Republicans hope to "oust" Gonzales via a GOP congressional primary in 2024 because he has "broken ranks on a handful of key issues."

"It's a radical tactic, though there is a degree of logic to it: Gonzales, who represents one of Texas' more competitive congressional districts, is not one of the House Republican conference's more right-wing members," Benen argues. "It stands to reason that (Gonzales') extremist colleagues would grow exasperated by his occasional reasonableness. On the party's ideological spectrum, however, Rep. Ken Buck is nowhere near Gonzales."

Benen continues, "On the contrary, the Colorado Republican, nearly a decade into his congressional career, has earned a reputation as one of Congress' most far-right members. But it appears that the congressman's record as an unyielding conservative isn't quite good enough for some of his colleagues."

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Read Steve Benen's full MSNBC column at this link.