Gaetz’s Primary Endorsement: Bob Good for a Resolute Republican Party

TFD – Delve into Rep. Matt Gaetz’s recent primary endorsement of Bob Good, signaling a resolute stance within the Republican Party. This endorsement highlights the ongoing internal battles and the strategies employed by key figures in the GOP.

Rep. Bob Good has had enough from Rep. Derrick Van Orden.

Good has been at the forefront of internal GOP infighting that has left their party’s plan in ruins and their conference engulfed in a savage civil war. Good is the head of the House Freedom Caucus and one of eight Republicans who voted to remove Kevin McCarthy from the speakership.

Van Orden has now teamed up with a group of House Republicans who want to unseat Good in his primary in June by supporting John McGuire, his opponent. This move, which has long been seen as a major violation of etiquette, highlights the animosity within the House GOP.

Bob Good did not come to this place to rule. Republican from Wisconsin Van Orden told CNN, “He came here to be famous.” “Bob Good isn’t on the team, but he’s wearing our jersey.”

“Looking at what we have not been able to accomplish in this Congress, it’s primarily because of Bob Good and his ilk,” Van Orden continued.

Good, though, is unfazed.

Good claimed that voters in his area don’t give a damn what his colleague from Wisconsin thinks when he and other House GOP hardliners, like Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Andy Biggs of Arizona, and Chip Roy of Texas, barnstormed his district last week. Additionally, he made a sharp accusation against a large number of his fellow Republicans in Washington for voting in ways that were detrimental to the nation and the conservative cause.

“They’re not familiar with Derrick Van Orden. Regarding his constituents, he remarked, “They could care less what Derrick Van Orden thinks.” He later told CNN that inquiries about him being betrayed by his Republican colleagues were baseless.

You show up at these events and ask irrelevant questions to the people in attendance. It’s a joke that you bring up Derrick Van Orden,” he added.

Good went on, “RINOs and establishment moderates have no impact on Republican primary elections.” “My constituents care about courageous, conservative warriors like those who are here with me today and who are endorsing me.”

Part of a bigger struggle over the GOP’s direction is the nasty infighting that has plagued the House GOP majority and is now squarely located in Good’s conservative rural Virginia district. While many Republicans in Washington claim that reaching a consensus and making compromises with Democrats is the best way to manage in a split government, Good and his group of supporters criticize such concessions and advocate for a no-compromise stance.

“This is the most significant primary nationwide,” declared Gaetz, who spearheaded the effort to remove McCarthy and has already attacked two other incumbent Republicans in their primaries this cycle. Our masthead is Bob. Among House conservatives, Bob Good is our leader in bringing us all together to make sure that the interests of the people come before those of special interests. They are aware of their hate for us. However, the truth is that there are more of us.

The former Navy SEAL McGuire described Good’s behavior as “embarrassing” and called the congressman’s “name-calling” of fellow Republicans “so childish” in an interview conducted on Friday.

McGuire declared, “I think my opponent wants to burn it all down, no solutions kind of guy.” “I believe that in order to grow the party and bring our nation together, we need leaders.”

“Who is the RINO if you are assisting the Democratic team in eliminating the Republican team?” McGuire continued.

Four Republicans, including Good, 58, who defeated moderate GOP incumbent Denver Riggleman in his first contest in 2020, are being pursued by members of their own party. In the other instances, far-right Republicans are using devious tactics to remove colleagues they believe to be too moderate.

Now, the center-right is retaliating, with McCarthy’s supporters and a fresh outside GOP organization starting to target Good as well.

When asked if the House GOP’s attempt to unseat McCarthy was sparked by Good’s vote to remove him, Georgia Representative Austin Scott responded, “It has something to do with that.” But more significantly, McGuire said, “I think we have a guy who would be a good member of our team.”

Despite denying being recruited by McCarthy, McGuire told CNN that he had just met with the outgoing speaker and described him as a “nice guy,” adding that McCarthy had given him insider knowledge of “what goes on in Congress.”

He stated unequivocally in the interview that he would have voted to retain McCarthy as speaker.

McGuire declared, “I never in a million years would have partnered with the other party to take out our leader.” “I mean, if you were Nancy Pelosi, you probably would have said, ‘Let me clarify this. Would you like to work with us to remove your finest leader—who possesses the greatest institutional knowledge and the greatest leverage—without having a plan?

Large sums of money were gathered for McGuire at a private fundraiser earlier this month by a group of House Republicans who are mostly defense-minded and some of whom have had disagreements with Good about Pentagon expenditures. McGuire reports that Alabama’s House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers referred to Good as a “danger to our country” during the event.

When CNN asked Rogers in the Capitol regarding his attempt to remove Good, he said, “I don’t have any comment.” A request for comment regarding his remarks at the fundraiser was not answered by his office.

The Trump element

But Donald Trump presents Good with what may be his greatest obstacle. Good supported Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the GOP presidential primaries, stating that he would rather have an eight-year term in government than Trump’s four-year term.

“Bob Good has no faith in Trump,” reads an attack ad released by Virginians for Conservative Leadership PAC, a new outside organization, in reference to Good’s primary endorsement of Ron DeSantis.

Good, however, showed little mercy for Trump last week as he campaigned, holding placards that said, “Trump, Bob Good: Keeping America Great” and standing by Mark Meadows, the former president’s chief of staff, who made comparisons between the two.

Meadows addressed the crowd, saying, “Not only am I proud that Bob has been willing to stand up, he’s taken arrows.” “I had the honor of working with a president who also takes arrows.” Furthermore, what do you know? while you duck while the arrows are coming, they hit someone else instead of you.

During the conversation, Good brushed off inquiries regarding his support for DeSantis.

When CNN asked Good if he regretted endorsing DeSantis, he responded, “Why don’t you get with the present? Now is the moment to support President Trump. My opponent wants to keep dividing people on the basis of historical events. All of us support President Trump. He has to prevail. Joe Biden cannot serve our nation for another four years.

Given that Good supported DeSantis up until his withdrawal from the campaign during the Iowa caucuses, his opponents will, nevertheless, keep reminding him of his position.

McGuire, who just had a private meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, said, “I think we all hate politicians that say one thing in public and a different thing in private, and you can’t trust them.” “And he has demonstrated his reliability, so Trump is unable to trust him.”

Prior to the Iowa Caucuses, McGuire boasted about his work on Trump’s behalf.

McGuire remarked, “I made like ten hours’ worth of phone calls for him there and I put a bunch of yard signs.” “I work well in a team.”

McGuire’s supporter and former Trump Cabinet member Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana continued, saying, “We can do a lot better than Good.” “We can succeed greatly.”

Additionally, McGuire has the support of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was expelled from the Freedom Caucus last year due to her disagreements with fellow Republicans. Greene claims that Good “cannot be trusted and will work against Trump.”

She wrote on X, “John McGuire supported and endorsed President Trump while you stabbed him in the back.”

Good brushed her aside violently.

What Marjorie Taylor Greene says or believes is irrelevant. Furthermore, Good claimed, “She’s a one-man show, grandstanding, and attention-seeking.

Although one of Trump’s closest advisors, Chris LaCivita, stated to a local Virginia news station in January that “Bob Good won’t be electable when we get done with him,” Trump has not yet endorsed a candidate in the contest.

When asked last week if he still felt that way, LaCivita said he was focusing on other things.

When questioned about Good, LaCivita told CNN, “My focus is on electing Donald Trump the 47th president of the United States.”

Good is backed by some Trump friends who want to ensure that the former president doesn’t harm their colleague’s candidacy.

Gaetz stated, “I’ve done everything in my power to convince President Trump that having Bob Good in Congress will ensure that his agenda is carried out as effectively as possible.” There will be a resolute Republican Party supporting President Trump. Bob Good is the fighters’ leader.