There is a big difference between what we want and what we need.
This is fundamental to the human condition.
But especially politics.
Lawmakers and politicians often make different demands of the president, Congressional leaders, the public, and even the press corps.
Republicans block their bill from the floor
However, in politics, as in life, there are big differences depending on what kind of person the politician is. want and what do they do need.
Take, for example, the recent process to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Honestly, House conservatives. necessary Impeach Mayorkas for political purposes. This may be especially important now for Republicans, whose efforts to impeach President Biden have long been sideways. The arrest of FBI informant Alexander Smirnov further undermines the Republican investigation into President Hunter Biden and his family.
House Republicans have promised to give their base a political scalp in the 2022 midterm elections. Even last summer, Republicans debated who they wanted to impeach, including the president, Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and the Department of Health and Human Services. We couldn’t agree. Secretary Xavier Becerra.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the Pentagon on Monday, January 29, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
When I asked last summer who House Republicans were seeking to impeach, Rep. Ralph Norman (R.C.) replied, “Everyone.”
The overarching group was some Republicans I wanted impeach. However, politically, the Republican Party necessary Impeaching someone based on a campaign promise.
Mayorkas has therefore emerged as the “winner” in the Republican impeachment sweepstakes. Mayorkas is a surrogate that Republicans are targeting for what they see as the administration’s myriad ills, including the border crisis. Mayorkas’ Senate trial begins next week.
And we return to wants and needs.
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Most Senate Republicans want A solid test. The long, high-stakes trial presents Republican allies with a platform to highlight what they believe to be wrongdoing at the White House and in border control. Some conservatives have warned Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York about short-circuiting the impeachment trial. They sent a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) demanding that the Senate “fully commit to its constitutional obligation to conduct a trial.” They also want U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts to preside over the impeachment court. However, the Senate’s impeachment rules do not require the chief justice to participate, other than the president and vice president. Notably, former Senate President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) presided over former President Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021.
Republicans do it. need A full-fledged Senate trial? Probably not. Did they need to make demands on Schumer and McConnell? yes.But what Senate conservatives need most is that their base of support look at them Gave Schumer and McConnell the job of not holding a lengthy Senate trial. In fact, right-wing politics could even lead conservative senators to express outrage or disdain for a shortened trial. This negative attitude on the left feeds into the conservative narrative that Democrats are not serious about the courts and the border.
Conservatives will also play this out, arguing that this is another example of McConnell losing touch with the right.
As the Senate prepares to take a procedural vote on an emergency spending package that would provide military aid to Ukraine and Israel, replenish U.S. weapons systems, and provide food, water and other humanitarian aid, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell ( (Republican, Kentucky, Center) has arrived. Assistance to civilians in Gaza at the Capitol in Washington, Sunday, February 11, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Therefore, conservatives may achieve what they want need – Even if you haven’t reached your goal want.
As the government heads toward a series of government shutdowns in early March, another set of wants and needs is emerging.
Some conservatives seriously want to shut down the government. You can imagine why. Many people want to use it as a wedge. They claim there will be “no government funding until our borders are secure.” No one can completely agree on what a “secure” border is, let alone support legislative plans to close it. This is why conservatives blasted the proposed bipartisan border package weeks ago. To be sure, many Republicans really want a secure border. But in conservative circles, politics dictates otherwise. they won’t admit it. But what conservatives strangely need is anxious Borders for political purposes. That’s how they can point fingers at the Biden administration and paint this as a national security issue. So here, needs outweigh wants.
But back to government funding.
The Conservatives were serious about securing discretionary spending cuts in other spending bills. Maybe that’s what they want. But in some political circles, it’s more successful to complain to Republican leaders that the cuts aren’t deep enough. It’s a political necessity. And frankly, this may be a “need” for Republicans, since they have yet to force a government shutdown since they took over the House majority last year.
The Senate has voted in favor of a $95 billion international spending bill, but another bill could be introduced soon.
The wants and needs are not just on the Republican side.
Democrats may not want a government shutdown. Shutdowns are clearly not a “need” for Democrats. But some on the left say privately that a government shutdown could benefit them. So this may be a mild political “desire” in some nefarious quarters.
It is true that the impeachment of Mr. Mayorkas is neither a “desire” nor a “necessity” of the Democratic Party. But Democrats laughed out loud when Republicans failed to impeach Mayorkas on their first attempt. Voting the impeachment resolution was never necessary for the Democratic Party. But Democrats indulged in Schadenfreude, creating a narrative that Republicans could not run the House. The failed impeachment vote was something Democrats were looking forward to.
And Democrats undoubtedly believe that Republicans went too far with impeachment. Despite recent developments, this trend is reinforced by continued impeachment talk against President Biden. Again, not what you want or need. But news like Smirnov’s arrest is welcome in small doses to Democrats.
But Democrats have other wants and needs.
Some liberals want and need to take a stand against funding Israel because of concerns about human rights in Gaza. Back to the world of politics. Because of political pressure from liberals, progressives need to show they are standing up for the Palestinians. That’s a big need for some on the left. But when it comes to the complex politics of progressives, the real “need” part gets a little more vague for some Democrats. This will certainly help some left-wing politicians challenge President Biden on the Middle East issue. That is also necessary.
WASHINGTON DC – FEBRUARY 13: US President Joe Biden speaks about the Senate’s passage of the National Security Supplemental Act, which provides for military assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, in the White House official dining room on February 13, 2024. talk. In Washington DC. In his remarks, Biden urged House Republicans and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) to pass the bill in the House. (Anna Moneymaker)
So do we want or need pizza?
Do you want a Coach bag or do you need a Coach bag?
air? water? A place to sleep? 3 squares a day?
We all have wants and needs. But the things that get the most attention on Capitol Hill often fall into the necessary category rather than the wanted category.
So, this is the end of this essay.
To those reading this, I don’t want you to end up with a “necessary” kind of intelligent answer.
I could go on forever. I want to. But there’s no need for that.
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After all, it’s time for dinner.
I want to eat pizza.
