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Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, and Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the Senate floor in Jefferson City. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

JEFFERSON CITY Missourians hoping to place bets on sporting events will have to wait at least another year after Republican infighting in the Missouri Senate left a handful of high-profile issues unresolved as the Legislature adjourned for the year Friday.

Along with a furious, last-minute failed push to tax and regulate wagering on sports, a chaotic final day in the upper chamber meant the demise of a bid to reduce the states personal property tax on vehicles. The Senate also failed to sign off on a proposal to make it harder to alter the state constitution before the final gavel sounded.

The House had a higher success rate as it chugged toward adjournment. Among a flurry of bills that moved to Gov. Mike Parsons desk is a proposal designed to provide more access to banks for companies involved in the marijuana business.

Pot businesses have had trouble finding banking options because many financial institutions dont want to handle accounts for companies selling a product federal officials consider illegal.

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While the GOP-majority House moved smoothly to wrap up its work Friday, the Senate was the scene of parliamentary sparring between Senate Majority Leader Cindy OLaughlin, R-Shelbina, and Sen. Bill Eigel, a Weldon Spring Republican who is considering a run for governor in 2024.

OLaughlin attempted to run a tight ship in her first year as floor leader, sticking to a schedule that had most senators out of the building at dinner time rather than enduring lengthy overnight debates.

Hoping to end an impasse that had tied up the Senate on Thursday, OLaughlin used a series of procedural motions to push a sports betting bill to the forefront of the days action.

But, the sponsor of the measure, Sen. Denny Hoskins, an ally of Eigel, set the bill aside without debate, ending an effort to bring Missouri in line with nearly all of its surrounding states when it comes to gambling on sports.

Sports gambling has passed easily out of the House for the past two years. But Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, has blocked its advance, saying the expansion of gambling must also address illegal slot machines that have flooded the state.

Eigel attempted to position his personal property tax reduction legislation on the floor, but was defeated on a 26-8 procedural vote, leading him to resume a filibuster he had started Thursday by reading a book about former President Ronald Reagan.

Political theater

OLaughlin, in her first year as the floor leader in the chamber, soon adjourned the chamber, decrying what she called political theater that resembles mud wrestling.

She accused Eigel of tying the Senate in knots when he doesnt get his way.

People bring legislation to the floor that they cannot get passed and then, in retaliation for that, they hang up the business of the Senate for hour after hour after hour, OLaughlin said. Were not all running for governor. We just want to do the work of the Senate. We need cooperation from everyone to get that done.

Eigel scoffed at his colleagues, saying they chose to debate sports betting, which would financially benefit Missouri sports teams, rather than his plan to reduce personal property taxes, which would help everyone who owns a vehicle.

The theater of Jefferson City will go on long after we gavel out today, Eigel said. Nobody got into politics because they were intent on being nice.

After taking a nearly four-hour break to let tempers cool, the Senate returned to more gridlock from Sen. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, who has burned up hours of time this session filibustering various bills in order to push his initiatives.

In this case, he bemoaned the Senates failure to approve legislation restricting the foreign ownership of farmland. Sen. Rick Brattin, R-Harrisonville, joined Moon in stalling action in the Senate.

Freshman Sen. Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit, said he questioned running for the Senate last year after serving in the House for eight years.

I didnt want to be here for this very reason, Fitzwater said, adding that his colleagues who gummed up the session were selfish.

The people of Missouri deserve better, Fitzwater said.

Republican egos

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, decried the grievance politics in the Senate, saying Republican egos are standing in the way of progress on issues that affect Missourians.

House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, said the Senates failure on reforming the initiative petition process could lead to the restoration of abortion rights via the ballot.

If the Senate fails to take action on IP reform, I think the Senate should be held accountable for allowing abortion to return to Missouri, Plocher said.

Senate President Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, said he is embarrassed Missouri doesnt have sports betting when nearly all surrounding states allow it and are generating tax revenue when people place bets.

Rowden suggested that Eigel and Hoskins had a problem with OLaughlin deciding which bills get to be debated.

Maybe they dont like a woman being in charge, he told the Post-Dispatch.

Eigels tax legislation, which is likely to be a centerpiece of his gubernatorial run, would exempt vehicles at least 10 years old from the personal property tax.

The bill also cuts the personal property tax assessment rate from 33.3% to 31%. Currently, personal property is assessed at a third of its real value, which local governments then tax.

It faced an uphill climb to win support from Democrats and Republicans, including OLaughlin, who said local governments would lose big chunks of revenue that helps pay for road maintenance, nursing homes and public safety.

Republicans in the House sought to keep both the tax and betting issues alive. After 2:30 p.m. Friday, with less than four hours before their adjournment deadline, the House sent a measure to the Senate that would slash personal property taxes and legalize sports betting.

I think were showing once again to the people of our state that the House continues to work and continues to really go above and beyond in trying to negotiate with the other side of the building, said Rep. Ben Baker, R-Neosho.

The Missouri House of Representatives concludes its business on Friday, May 12, 2023. Lawmakers, as is tradition, throw papers in the air to mark the end of the session.

The measure did not surface on the Senate floor before the day ended.

As for the next step in the sports betting saga, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals have said they may begin collecting signatures to place a question on the 2024 statewide ballot asking if wagering on athletic events should be legalized.

Im sorry the session ended the way it did, OLaughlin said. We need to look forward to next year and we need to work hard on our relationships. I hope we come back with a renewed sense of collegiality.

Members of the Missouri House of Representatives throw papers into the air as part of the traditional paper toss marking the final moments on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the House floor in Jefferson City.

Members of the Missouri House of Representatives throw papers into the air as part of the traditional paper toss marking the final moments on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the House floor in Jefferson City.

Rep. Travis Wilson, R-St. Charles, gathers paper to throw into their air as part of the traditional paper toss marking the final moments on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the House floor in Jefferson City. Photo by Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

J.J. Hurlbert, 4, the son of Rep. Josh Hurlbert, R-Smithville, helps members of the House pick up papers flung into the air as part of the traditional paper toss marking the final moments on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the House floor in Jefferson City. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Colleagues gather around Rep. Ashley Aune, D-Kansas City, center, on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the House floor in Jefferson City. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Rep. Josh Hurlbert, R-Smithville, plays with his daughter 17-month-old Rebekah, as his daughter Rose, 7, and J.J. visit him at this desk on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the House floor in Jefferson City. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Stella, 14, and Owen, 15, join their father House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres on the dais on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the House floor in Jefferson City. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Rep. Brian Seitz, R-Branson, dons his Superman tie on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the House floor in Jefferson City. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Rep. Lisa Thomas, R-Lake Ozark, right, joins her colleagues as they throw papers into their air as part of the traditional paper toss marking the final moments on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the House floor in Jefferson City. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Rep. Ashley Aune, D-Kansas City, cools off on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the House floor in Jefferson City. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Rep. Brad Christ, R-St. Louis County, laughs during the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the House floor in Jefferson City.

Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, speaks on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the Senate floor in Jefferson City.

Sen. Nick Schroer, R-Defiance, on the day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the Senate floor in Jefferson City. Photo by Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Rep. Travis Wilson, R-St. Charles, bows to his colleagues after being called out on his "offensive" plaid jacket on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the House floor in Jefferson City.

Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the Senate floor in Jefferson City. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Sen. Lauren Arthur, D-Kansas City, dons Princess Leia braids on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the Senate floor in Jefferson City. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Senate Majority Leader Cindy OLaughlin, R-Shelbina, and Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, confer on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the Senate floor in Jefferson City.

Sen. Lauren Arthur, D-Kansas City, dons Princess Leia braids on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the Senate floor in Jefferson City. Photo by Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, and Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the Senate floor in Jefferson City. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, introduces a guest on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the House floor in Jefferson City. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, talks on the phone on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the House floor in Jefferson City. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Rep. Jon Patterson, R-Lee's Summit, on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the House floor in Jefferson City. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Rep. LaKeySha Bosley, D-St. Louis, speaks in support of an emergency clause on legislation that would support maternal health for low-income mothers on the last day of the legislative session on Friday, May 12, 2023, on the House floor in Jefferson City. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Our political newsletter featuring local and national updates and analysis.

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On final day, Missouri Republicans fail in bid to approve sports betting - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

FIRST ON FOX: Texas GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson led a letter of 61 Republicans demanding President Biden take a cognitive test or pull out of the 2024 presidential race.

Jackson, a former White House doctor, and the Republicans wrote that, in light of Bidens 2024 presidential re-election campaign announcement, they were concerned with his "current cognitive state and ability to serve another term as President."

"We believe that, regardless of gender, age, or political party, all Presidents should document and demonstrate sound mental abilities," the Republicans wrote.

EX-WHITE HOUSE DOCTOR REP RONNY JACKSON DEMANDS BIDEN TAKE COGNITIVE TEST OR DROP OUT OF 2024 RACE

Texas GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson led a letter of 61 Republicans demanding President Biden take a cognitive test or pull out of the 2024 presidential race. (Sunday Morning Futures/Screengrab)

"While you have undergone two physical exams during your presidency, one on November 19, 2021, and another on February 16, 2023, there is no indication you have had any cognitive assessment, or if you have, such results were concealed from the public," they continued.

The Republicans wrote that, following Bidens February physical, the White House physician Kevin OConnor "claimed you were a healthy, vigourous, 80-year-old male, who is fit successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State, and Commander in Chief."

"However, this is a statement based on a physical exam that excluded the evaluation of your cognitive and mental abilities, which is where our concerns, and the concerns of the American public, lie," they wrote.

Jackson and his 61 Republican colleagues noted the three separate "letters on this issue" since Biden took office and that the president has "failed to respond to any of these letters and have actively ignored the requests of over 50 Members of Congress for you to submit to a cognitive exam."

"While you and your staff dismiss these inquiries, the American people continue to question your mental and cognitive abilities and lose faith in your ability to lead this country," they wrote, pointing to a Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll that found 57% of voters "do not believe you are mentally fit to serve as President or have doubts about your mental fitness."

"When you first announced your bid to run in the 2020 presidential election, questions and concerns were raised surrounding your cognitive abilities. Those concerns have only increased because your mental decline and forgetfulness have become more apparent since you were elected. Over the past two years, public appearances where you shuffle your feet, trip when you walk, slur your words, forget names, lose your train of thought, and appear momentarily confused have become more of a common occurrence."

"These incidents are so common and noticeable that if you search Biden gaffes online, over 14,000,000 results appear," the lawmakers wrote. "These incidents and the rate at which they occur are highly concerning and cast doubt upon your ability to execute the duties required of the President of the United States."

The Republicans wrote that U.S. citizens "should have absolute confidence in their President and know that he or she can perform their duties as Head of State and Commander in Chief."

Additionally, the lawmakers said the "American people deserve complete transparency" on the presidents "mental capabilities" and that the countrys national security "relies on a cognitively sound Commander in Chief," blasting Biden as not fitting "that bill."

"Therefore, we call on you to either renounce your bid for reelection or submit to a clinically validated cognitive screening assessment and make those results available to the public," the Republicans wrote. "Successful completion of this type of exam will ease the minds of the concerned American public and prove that you are capable of performing the duties required by the President of the United States."

Lawmakers said the "American people deserve complete transparency" on the presidents "mental capabilities" and that the countrys national security "relies on a cognitively sound Commander in Chief," blasting President Biden as not fitting "that bill." (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

"More importantly, failure of such a test will allow you to come to terms with the many failures of your administration over the past two years and allow a mentally fit leader to emerge," they continued.

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates pointed Fox News Digital to his previous comments on Jacksons calls for Biden to take a cognitive test.

"I honestly dont care about Ronny Jacksons look at me routine," Bates said. "But if yall get any mail from Nick Riviera, please dont be a stranger."

Bates was referring to "The Simpsons" character Dr. Nick Riviera better known as Dr. Nick who is a quack medical doctor with shady credentials.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Jackson has been vocal in his calls for Biden to take a cognitive test since the president took office in 2021.

The Texas Republicans letter has been circulating since last month and garnered dozens of GOP signatures, including prominent lawmakers House Republican Conference chairwoman Elise Stefanik of New York, House chief deputy whip Guy Reschanthaler of Pennsylvania, and Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw.

Fox News Digital's Tyler Olson contributed reporting.

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Dozens of House Republicans demand Biden take cognitive test or drop out of 2024 race - Fox News

JD Vance and former President Donald Trump shake hands in 2022.Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Trump said at a CNN Town Hall this week that the GOP should "do a default" if they don't get spending cuts to raise the debt ceiling.

Sen. JD Vance defended Trump's comments to Axios, saying he was just giving "political advice."

Still, other Republican senators said defaulting is not an option.

Former President Donald Trump weighed in on the debt ceiling crisis this week and he thinks Republicans' best bet is to hurdle into economic catastrophe.Ohio's freshman GOP senator is listening.

During a CNN Town Hall on Wednesday night, the network's anchor Kaitlan Collins asked Trump how he views the current debt situation in the country. Since January, both sides of the aisle have been sparring over the best approach to raise the debt ceiling and ensure the US can keep paying its bills, but the country is inching dangerously close to running out of money Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the US could default on its debt as early as June 1.

Trump thinks that Republicans should not budge on their bill that trades a debt ceiling increase for major spending cuts, even as President Joe Biden has maintained he won't accept anything other than a clean raise, without any cuts attached.

"I say to the Republicans out there, congressmen and senators, if they don't give you massive cuts you are going to have to do a default," Trump said. "And I don't believe they're going to do a default because I think the Democrats will absolutely cave because you don't want to have that happen. But it's better than what we're doing right now because we're spending money like drunken sailors."

"You might as well do it now because you'll do it later," he added. "Because we have to save this country. Our country is dying. Our country is being destroyed by stupid people, by very stupid people."

Sen. JD Vance argued that Trump was just trying to help his party. Vance told Axios that "what the president is doing is really giving political advice ... not financial advice."

Story continues

"He's basically saying that if the Democrats are going to play a game of chicken, Republicans have to be willing to play that game too," Vance said, adding that "I think what President Trump is doing is fundamentally the right thing, which is Republicans can't preemptively break ranks here or we're going to have a terrible negotiating position in the talks with Biden."

Still, most lawmakers in both parties agree that a default would be bad and Congress should do its job to make sure that doesn't happen.

GOP Sen. Josh Hawley, for example, told Axios that he disagreed with Trump's comments and that "there is no world in which [a default] happens." His fellow Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis echoed that sentiment, saying a "default should be avoided, period."

"I think we should do our job," Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy previously told Insider. "I think we should not default on our debt. Congress should do the job that we've, without exception up until this point, done."

Biden was supposed to meet with top congressional lawmakers on Friday for the second time this week to discuss the debt ceiling, but multiple reports said the meeting has been postponed so staffers can continue making progress with the negotiations on their end. Politico reported that potential areas of compromise could include energy permitting reforms and rescinding unspent pandemic funds, but people familiar to the administration told Politico Biden will not budge on student-loan forgiveness, and Medicaid and food assistance.

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JD Vance defends Trump's comments that Republicans should let the US default, saying the former president was giving 'political advice' and doing...

Republicans arent done targeting Disney in their political, disinformation-riddled war on free enterprise.

Late last week, several House Republicans introduced a bill that would rescind special no-fly zones federally authorized above two Disney properties: Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and Disneyland in Anaheim, California.

Its the latest example of the GOP, which is known for favoring corporate interests, seemingly targeting a corporation because of its political independence. Disney, of course, has been under attack by conservatives especially Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ever since company leadership spoke out against bigoted legislation, signed by DeSantis, that restricts in-school discussions about LGBTQ people.

For this reason, Republican lawmakers have falsely accused Disney of grooming children.And with DeSantis blessing, Florida lawmakers moved to strip Disney of its special tax status last year.

Now, it seems, Republicans are taking things even further.

Rep. Troy Nehls, a Texas Republican, first introduced the Airlines Independent of Restrictions Act targeting Disneys no-fly zones last June. He reintroduced it Friday, with co-sponsors including right-wing extremists Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Lauren Boebert of Colorado.

Theme parks like Disney should not receive special treatment just because they are well-connected, Nehls said in a news release upon the bills reintroduction. Our national security should not be compromised to fit the needs of one corporation.

The lawmakers have picked a convenient time to revive a long-standing debate.

In 2003, ahead of the Iraq War, lawmakers helped put extremely rare no-fly zones in place over Disneyland and Disney World, supposedly for national security purposes. This has upset people in the aviation community, especially aerial advertising companies that would like to fly banners over the Disney properties.

So are there legitimate reasons to question the no-fly zones? Sure. And Im certainly no advocate for corporate privileges when it comes at the expense of workers or Americans broadly.

But Im not a fan of illiberal weaponization of the federal government either. And that certainly appears to be the case here.

Just look at this quote from Boebert, included in Nehls news release:Woke corporations shouldnt get any favors from the government. The FAA has no business granting a no-fly-zone over Disney parks. Universal Studios, Hershey Park, Six Flags, and other theme parks dont have no-fly-zones over them, and its time for Disney to get the same treatment. No corporation should get preferential treatment from the government especially when it is grooming children. Go woke, go broke.

Leave it to Lauren Boebert the congressional dunce to spill the beans on Republicans apparent motivation here. Overtly political statements like that, made by DeSantis, are actually why some observers think Disney could win its lawsuit against the Florida governor.

With the aviation legislation several steps away from passing, it might be premature to ponder whether Disney would take similar legal action to maintain its no-fly zones. Still, its noteworthy that Republicans political crusade against a business that ran afoul of their wishes is metastasizing at the federal level.

Ja'han Jones is The ReidOut Blog writer.

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Republicans are now attacking Disney at the federal level - MSNBC

The recent move by Tennessee Republicans to expel two young, Black Democratic state legislators for engaging in a peaceful protest for gun control following a horrible mass shooting at a Nashville Christian school has been described in many different ways.

Some called the expulsions anti-democratic while others went further to characterise them as fascistic. The removal of these two young Black men, coupled with the failure to punish their older white female colleague for the same action, has also been labelled racist and an echo of the states sordid past.

Moreover, many recognised the political stunt as a blunder and an own goal. After all, both expelled legislators were promptly reappointed to their seats by their districts and have now become rising national figures, speaking with President Joe Biden and meeting Vice President KamalaHarris, who made a surprise and impassioned appearance in Nashville.

Meanwhile, the Tennessee GOP has been widely condemned by Democrats, and some prominent Republicans, including the states congressional delegation. Tennessees Republican Governor Bill Lee, however, opted to remain silent on the move.

It is hard not to question the wisdom of the Tennessee legislators enacting such an extreme, divisive and ultimately futile punishment. But viewed nationally, the drama in Tennessee is nothing but another step in the same direction for the GOP. Recently, the party has not only shed whatever commitment it may have once held for democracy but appears intent on promoting a distinctly anti-democratic, if not qualitatively fascist, political agenda. In this context, what the Tennessee Republicans did was not a blunder or an overreach it was a test case.

In this state and elsewhere around the country, Republicans have been pressure-testing the strength and limits of democracy, seeing where they can violate and erode the rules and norms of democracy in order to gain and hold office and push through conservative laws and policies.

The ACLU says since 2021, 10 states have enacted anti-critical race theory laws that attack our First Amendment rights to read, learn, and discuss vital topics in schools, with over two dozen additional anti-CRT laws proposed in 2022 alone.

TheInternational Center for Not-for-Profit Law which tracks legislation that restricts the right to peaceful assembly reports that seven states have enacted anti-protest laws since 2017. These laws, among other provisions, enact harsh penalties for blocking traffic and some states laws provide immunities for drivers who hit pedestrian protesters. These laws have also been employed to crack down against journalists covering protests.

In addition to suppressing vital civil rights, Republican governors and state legislators are also actively engaged in efforts to undermine the power of voters, efforts that Brennan Center fellowZachary Roth calls legislative anti-democracy. These moves have included heightened efforts at gerrymandering; reconfiguring the way Electoral College votes are allocated to favour Republican candidates; making direct democracy, such as ballot initiatives, more difficult to achieve; and using state laws to negate or undermine more liberal local municipalities.

The Republican-appointed majority of the Supreme Court, in tossing aside the principle of stare decisis to overturn Roe vs Wade despite it being settled law, has now emboldened conservative judges to engage in the type of judicial activism that liberals have often been accused of conducting.

Recently, a federal judge in Texas attempted to implement anationwide ban on the abortion drug Mifepristone on the basis that the FDA had improperly approved it in 2000. The dubious and flimsy argument behind the ruling made clear that it was a political, rather than legal or scientific, decision.

Given the Supreme Courts conservative and highly politicised supermajority, such challenges from conservative judges hoping to create cases for the conservative justices to enact more aspects of their agenda are likely to become more frequent in the immediate future.

It is not just that conservative Republican officials are pursuing their agenda through various branches and levels of government. It is that they are doing so in ways that disregard or even actively violate fundamental principles upon which American democracy was founded they appear willing if not eager to damage that democratic bedrock in order to enact their agenda.

And they are actively learning from one another.

In 2016, Christian nationalist activists launched Project Blitz later rebranded as Freedom for All to offer effective blueprints to Republicans looking to pass local and state-level laws to achieve their political goals, such as carving out religious exceptions in anti-LGBTQ discrimination laws or scaling back abortion services. Later, a number of states copied one another in enacting legislation banning examinations of racial injustice such as the 1619 Project and the so-called Critical Race Theory (CRT). Meanwhile, a few Republican-dominated states, like Florida under Ron DeSantis and Texas under Greg Abbott, have become productive laboratories for repressive conservative legislation.

Sometimes, a few conservative extremists devise a strategy that others emulate. Texas, alongside Oklahoma and Tennessee, for example, passed the first anti-CRT divisive concepts laws in May 2021 which later spread to Red states across the country. Similarly, Floridas so-called Dont Say Gay lawquickly found imitators in states like Alabama and Texas.

At other times, strategies fail to gain traction, and the party switches course. Donald Trumps refusal to admit defeat in 2020 spawned copycat election deniers from Arizona to Michigan. Such claims did not stick, however, and most deniers eventually failed to win state-level elected office. However, several leading supporters of Trumps stolen election narrative managed to gain power within their state GOP machinery anyway, with several becoming GOP party chairs and continuing to pull the party further to the right with new strategies and tactics.

AlthoughRepublican supermajorities in other states could abuse their power the way that the Tennessee legislators did, the specific tactic of expelling political opponents from office on exaggerated charges may end up being another failed experiment given the enormous backlash. But it will almost certainly be followed by more moves by Republican politicians and operatives to test the boundaries of what they can get away with, either in that state or somewhere else where the GOP currently holds power.

And although this portion of the story is not widely noticed, the Tennessee debacle has given a useful peek into the mindset of Republicans who seek to consolidate power by any means necessary.

In the leaked audio from Tennessee Republicans discussing the fallout of the expulsion vote, state Rep Scott Cepicky spoke of the move not as a political stunt but as a salvo in an existential war for the country.

If you dont believe were at war for our Republic with all love and respect for you, you need a different job, he said. The left want Tennessee so bad. Because, if they get us, the Southeast falls and its game over for the Republic Ive gotten phone calls from other reps, going We sure hope you guys stand up. Because maybe it will give us the courage to stand up and push back against whats going to destroy our republic.

With this apocalyptic thinking, Republicans have convinced themselves that their grabs for power are necessary tactics furthering a righteous cause. Framing themselves as the last defenders of the country, the GOP has justified any and all tactics to achieve victory, even a Pyrrhic victory that destroys the democracy it claims to defend. Under this mindset, we can expect a lot more political manoeuvres as outrageous and diabolically creative as that from Tennessee.

Fortunately, this war footing appears to be the perspective of only a minority of Americans, although it seems to be growing within the GOP. Having seen the dangers of this thinking play out more dramatically through illegal acts like the January 6 insurrection, it is important for any true defenders of American democracy to recognise that it is equally pernicious when the Republican save our country at any cost mindset operates within the current boundaries of American democracy in order to tear those boundaries down.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.

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Republicans are pushing American democracy to its breaking point - Al Jazeera English