If you want to know why Republicans can’t maintain Congressional control for extended periods, look no further than Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna. The once-rising star in the Conservative wing decided that what is important to her has priority over the bigger picture of what is best for the Republican Congress. Instead of working with her own caucus, Luna sought and obtained Democrat majority support for her pet project. Luna had a baby last year and was joined by new mom Colorado Rep. Brittany Pettersen, who told the media, “Don’t f— with moms.”
(On another note—will everyone on both sides of the aisle stop with the “F” bombs! You all sound like idiots.)
Luna wants the House to vote on a proxy exception for lawmakers or their spouses who have given birth in the last 12 weeks, pregnant lawmakers who are unable to travel safely or have a serious medical condition, and those lawmakers whose spouses are pregnant or giving birth. Proxy voting would allow the representative who can’t be in Congress to designate another member to vote on their behalf.
Image: YouTube screen grab.
Sounds good, right? After all, who could be against those reasons for allowing a lawmaker to have someone vote for them? However, just like so many Republicans who think they are more “president” than their actual elected position, Luna arrogantly ignored valid Republican concerns. Many rightly believe that if the proxy vote exemption passes, it would set a dangerous precedent, with other exceptions being offered until there was proxy voting for everything.
Just some slippery slope examples that, based on Luna’s logic, should allow proxy voting:
Shouldn’t those representatives be able to stay home and allow a proxy to vote in their place?
The list is infinite, but Rep. Luna only focused on her exception while abandoning her own party to seek Democrat support. Moreover, that’s not how Congress functions. Speaker Johnson and many others believe that there is a constitutional requirement for in-person voting on congressional proceedings. Since our country was founded, congressmen have traveled hundreds of miles by horse or buggy to vote in person. Surely, a plane, train, or automobile is easier than a saddle or buggy over dirt roads.
Being a Republican, Rep. Luna took her marbles and left—as in quitting the House Freedom Caucus.
This is not the first time a Republican sought Democrat majority support to go against his or her own party. In October 2023, former Rep. Matt Gaetz aligned with Democrats to oust then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Without Democrat majority support, McCarthy would probably still be Speaker of the House. This revolt worked out so well for Gaetz that he is now a news host on the obscure One America News Network.
Ask yourself if any Democrat would seek unanimous or near-unanimous Republican support to have legislation passed.
This does not happen on the Democrat side. There are many Democrats who make a spectacle of their ignorance, such as Reps. Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Jasmine Crockett of Texas, as well as New Jersey Senator Cory “Spartacus” Booker. However, they unite on the same team. Republicans, on the other hand, seem to believe they are the president of their district or their state and act accordingly, as Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna did over this matter.
Luna’s goal is to push the vote through with a discharge petition. This is a parliamentary tool that forces a vote on the floor (bypassing committee and leadership opposition) if there are enough members supporting the petition. Having gathered 218 signatures (almost all from Democrats and 11 Republicans), Luna was going to force the vote until House Speaker Mike Johnson closed the session and canceled all votes for the remainder of the week.
After all these years, America First Patriots should be used to being disappointed by Congressional Republican members, who repeatedly fail to work together on the same Republican team.
Robin M. Itzler is a regular contributor to American Thinker. She is the founder and editor of Patriot Neighbors, a free weekly national newsletter. Robin can be reached at PatriotNeighbors@yahoo.com.