Pelosi's savvy Jan. 6 outreach


Yes, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and his GOP underlings have decided to take their ball and go home after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) rightly rejected two of his picks to join the select committee that will examine the Jan. 6 insurrection. But all is not lost: Pelosi is reportedly considering adding another Republican or two of her choosing — perhaps including Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) — to join the Democrat-led panel.
That would be a good move. It would give the investigation itself an added bipartisan veneer to buff up its credibility with the non-Twitter-obsessed public that doesn't follow such things closely. More broadly — and maybe more importantly — it might also act as a signal from Pelosi to Republicans who find themselves alienated from their party during the Donald Trump era: Hey. We're here. Come be part of our coalition.
While much of the GOP has given itself over to Trump-worship, there were a number of Republican elected officials who tried to get through the four years of his presidency by keeping their heads down, hoping that everything would go back to normal after he left office. Six months after Joe Biden's inauguration, it's evident that Trumpism — and a devotion to the "Big Lie" that Trump won the 2020 election — will be the party's "normal" for the foreseeable future. That leaves non-Trumpists like Kinzinger, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio), somewhat adrift, without a clear home in their own party — especially because Trump himself is doing his level best to purge them.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
That's not to say they'd make a good fit with Democrats. Cheney is too much of a foreign policy hawk, for example, and Kinzinger too conservative on abortion to ever be comfortable joining up with Pelosi on a permanent basis.
But their estrangement from the GOP frees up the party's remaining non-Trumpists to form occasional alliances with Democrats. That, in turn, sends a message to Republican voters that it's okay to cross party lines for the greater good.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
'The arts are not just expressions of creativity'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
June 26 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Thursday's cartoons include a White House misspelling, a heatwave in the northern hemisphere, and a ticking clock for climate change
-
The mystery of France's 'needle attacks' on women
In the Spotlight Nearly 150 women reported being spiked with needles at France's open-air music festival
-
Is Trump sidelining Congress' war powers?
Today's Big Question The Iran attack renews a long-running debate
-
How Zohran Mamdani's NYC mayoral run will change the Democratic Party
Talking Points The candidate poses a challenge to the party's 'dinosaur wing'
-
Why are lobbyists trying to kill Trump's 'revenge tax'?
Today's Big Question Analysts say it would deter foreign investment
-
Is Trump's military parade 'just a parade'?
Talking Point Critics see an 'echo of authoritarianism'
-
Is Trump's LA troop deployment about order or authoritarianism?
Talking Points President: 'We're going to have troops everywhere.'
-
Trump's budget bill will increase the deficit. Does it matter?
Today's Big Question Analysts worry a 'tipping point' is coming
-
National debt: Why Congress no longer cares
Feature Rising interest rates, tariffs and Trump's 'big, beautiful' bill could sent the national debt soaring
-
Is Trump trying to take over Congress?
Talking Points Separation of powers at stake in Library of Congress fight