Author: Jackie Leavitt

by Ryan Christie

At the conclusion of World War II, The United States emerged as the preeminent world superpower, and for the most part, it has been a global force for good ever since. However, under the weak and incompetent leadership of Joe Biden’s administration, the world is unraveling at an alarming rate. First came the humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan, which resulted in the country, along with a trove of taxpayer-funded American military equipment and intelligence falling to the Taliban. Emboldened by this unprecedented American foreign policy failure, Russia subsequently invaded Ukraine, which has caused a seemingly endless war that has rattled the world economy and is presently sucking billions of dollars from a United States plagued by recession and teetering on the verge of recession.

It is now October 2023, and once again the stage is set for another horrible conflict. On October 7^th, Hamas, the terrorist regime currently controlling the Palestinian government, along with other allied terrorist groups, invaded and infiltrated Israel. What unfolded was some of the most horrifying violence against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Hamas released videos of themselves indiscriminately murdering, torturing and kidnapping Israeli citizens, including children and the elderly.

What does this have to do with the United States directly? After all, the Middle East has been plagued by violence for centuries, and the Arab-Israeli conflict in particular has been going back and forth since the day Israel was formed in 1948. The truth is that Hamas, along with its Lebanese counterpoint Hezbollah, are directly funded by Iran, with the objective of waging war on Israel.

On March 12^th, 2023, a prisoner swap of the two countries resulted in the thaw of $7 billion in frozen Iranian oil money, which, given the sophistication of the Hamas infiltration, was likely the source of its funding. In the end, when the United States is weak, and is unwilling/unable to project a strong foreign policy, hostile foreign entities, be they Russia, China, Iran or various Islamic terrorist organizations, will try to fill that gap. When that happens, carnage ensues.

by Ryan Christie

The role of the Speaker of the House is becoming an increasingly thankless and difficult job, especially for a Republican. This is clear with the October 3rd removal of Kevin McCarthy, in a completely needless and unconstructive act led by Matt Gaetz, the Republican congressman from Florida’s 1^st Congressional district.

The reality of the situation is that currently the Democratic Party holds the Presidency and a Senate Majority (albeit narrowly), and the Republicans hold a very slim House majority. This means that current dealings with the opposition will not always be the most favorable to conservatives. Kevin McCarthy’s record as Speaker is not perfect by any means, but it is commendable given the above limitations. There is a serious discipline problem inside the Republican Party, one that constantly replacing the Speaker is not going to fix.

A group of eight Republicans inadvertently aiding the Democratic Party and the Biden Administration by undermining the Republican agenda cannot continue. The fact of the matter is that Joe Biden’s presidency has been a complete disaster for the United States. Inflated prices of food and fuel foreshadow a recession. America’s stature on the world’s stage has been diminished, and domestically, crime and a decaying social fabric threaten the long-term stability of our country.

Any spotlight on the Republican’s inner squabbles takes away from that fact, and as the 2024 election approaches it is imperative that the Republicans unite against this continued state of decline. Hence, whoever is the next Speaker must reinstate some form of discipline.