The hoi polloi of the Republican party must be wondering just what the hell is going on with their "leaders" (i.e.: representatives) in DC. They would appear to be unraveling at the seams with a circular firing squad blasting away at will. Despite controlling the White House and both houses of Congress, they haven't been able to get anything done. After marching in lockstep to block the Democrats' efforts for several years, they've found that when it comes to passing what they want (and it's not just a symbolic vote), suddenly (and fortunately for the country), they realize there is a spectrum of philosophies in their congressional members who have to face the reality of what will happen when they actually pass what they proclaim.

With a razor thin margin in the Senate, they have the unenviable task of crafting legislation that appeals to all of their members along that spectrum. The two attempts at a health care bill both failed spectacularly, as a few moderates said the bill would hurt their constituents, and a few psychos thought it didn't hurt them enough. The occupant in the White House was no help at all, and just declared he'd let the ACA fail on its own, and let the Democrats fix it. I'm sure that went over well with the folks in the Senate. EDIT - Now tRump is back to demanding they pass something, and threatening to campaign against the holdouts. Yeah, THAT should be effective for him...

They're running into the exact same problem with the current spending bill. Once again, (red) states which have taken the Medicare expansion realize that cutting Medicaid means either telling their constituents that their health care is being taken away, or shouldering a sudden financial burden at the state level. They may be Republican party members, but ultimately they have to answer to the voters in their respective states. So - the big spending cuts that they profess to support on a philosophical level suddenly don't seem so shiny when the reality of their effects are spelled out.

This has gotten some tempers flaring. Paul Ryan is throwing his own party members in the Senate under the bus. Steve Bannon has called Paul Ryan a limp dick motherfucker. Pass the popcorn - this is getting good...

Even Republican propaganda unit FOX "News" is having its problems. Shep Smith - the lone bright spot over there - has been appalled at the incompetence and treason of the tRump pResidency, and has made that clear (even Chris Wallace reluctantly agreed with him). That does not sit well with tRump cheerleader Sean Hannity, who has made his displeasure known:

I had to stifle a laugh that anything on FOX "News" could be considered "hard news", but Smith is the closest thing they have.

We are 6 months into this leadership void being mangled by the Republicans, and have another 1.5 years to go before that can change. Hopefully, they continue to be ineffective at getting their agenda codified into law, passing only the bare minimum requirements to keep the government and country afloat, until we have a chance to take back the reins in 2018.