During an appearance on a local radio station in Phoenix, AZ this morning, a caller asked Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) when Republican leaders were going to emerge in Congress to “wake the American people up” to the “cap-and-tax” bill. “Why can’t we get the House members and the Senate members to just walk out on what the Democrats are doing?” the caller asked. In response, McCain said that the GOP lawmakers — particularly his House colleagues — have to stay and fight, even though they are working under Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) authoritarian rule:
McCAIN: We’re fighting every single day. You don’t want to leave the arena; you want to stay in it and fight. And I guarantee you we are using every parliamentary possibility we have and I have great sympathy for my friends in the House because it’s almost under an autocracy now with Speaker Pelosi.
Watch it:
For the House to be an autocracy, Pelosi would have appointed herself ruler and would possess unlimited power. Even if she expressed any desire for this outcome (something she hasn’t done), then American democracy, the electoral process, and the Constitution’s system of checks and balances would prevent that from happening.
Transcript:
CALLER: Hi Senator McCain. I’m a Republican Party precinct committeeman and what I want to know is when is the Republican leadership in the House and the Senate going to do something dramatic and lead and help the American people see what’s happening. For example, why can’t we get the House members and the Senate members to just walk out on what the Democrats are doing? They can do whatever they want. They’re going to cram this down our throats with cap-and-trade, cap-and-tax bill. We need to wake the American people up don’t you think? And where’s the leaders going to emerge in the Republican Party and help this happen?
HOST: Alright I don’t want to cut you short but time is short here. Senator.
McCAIN: I’ll be brief Dan. We’re fighting every single day. You don’t want to leave the arena; you want to stay in it and fight. And I guarantee you we are using every parliamentary possibility we have and I have great sympathy for my friends in the House because it’s almost under an autocracy now with Speaker Pelosi.