Is Matt Gaetz on the Way Out or a Rising Star?

There is a lot of speculation going on about the future of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).

After the ouster of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker, the establishment has put a target on Gaetz's head, and the media has been after him forever.

With MAGA now turning on him, at least in part, Gaetz’s time in office could be numbered.

Where Does Gaetz Stand?

Gaetz is a bit of an enigma in the MAGA world because he was behind the ouster of McCarthy, whom Trump supported, but is also a clear ally of Donald Trump’s.

He is MAGA, yet some members of MAGA, such as Reps. Boebert (R-CO) and Greene (R-GA), appear to despise him.

He is a man on an island, so to speak, getting hit from all angles, yet somehow able to stay alive, at least for now.

I could not help but notice the comments made by McCarthy as he was leaving office, more or less hinting that an ethics probe could give the GOP reason enough to expel Gaetz from Congress.

McCarthy is out for blood, and he still has a lot of allies in the House, so it would not be a surprise to see Gaetz facing an expulsion vote or the party backing another candidate against him in the primary race.

Then we have a recent article by Tim Miller in The Bulwark, who discussed the feelings of conservatives at the most recent Turning Point USA event, where he says a “rising generation of right-wing activists” were most excited about Gaetz.

In talking to attendees, Miller got the impression that Gaetz may follow Governor Ron DeSantis into the governor’s mansion as well as being a future GOP presidential candidate.

Miller continued that while there is a clear resistance against Gaetz among the talking heads of the party, “Even so, I find it noteworthy that in this venue, among the people who will have the greatest influence over the future direction of the party (emphasis intended!), the idea of Gaetz as successor didn’t seem at all preposterous.”

I am not really a fan of Gaetz because I think he worries more about getting clicks, likes, and shares, as well as making media appearances than he is in legislation, but honestly, that is what seems to sell younger voters today.

Vivek Ramaswamy is proof of that, with older voters thinking he is a snake oil salesman and younger voters loving his confrontational interactions with other GOP members that blow up on social media.

This brings a whole new meaning to political theater.