According to the editors of the Wall Street Journal editorial page, the surprise announcement by Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) to not run for re-election is another bad sign for the Republican Party that is increasingly seeing "smart conservatives" driven away by their far-right colleagues.
McHenry, who has served in Congress since 2004, recently served as interim Speaker after the also-departing former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted by a rebel group of extremist conservatives, during a period the WSJ called "a silly interlude."
With McHenry giving little reason for his departure other than stating there’s “a season for everything,” the Journal's editors lauded his understanding of economics and budgeting that will be sorely missed — particularly in light of who is remaining.
"Republican intellectual capital on economics is in need of renewal on Capitol Hill, and Mr. McHenry is only the latest departure. The three Ways and Means chairmen—Dave Camp, Paul Ryan and Kevin Brady—who laid the groundwork for the 2017 tax reform are gone," the editors wrote before suggesting the new generation of extremist House members are to blame.
"It’s hard not to wonder whether in an alternative universe, one with a less-dysfunctional House GOP conference, Mr. McHenry might stay to work on the next generation of conservative policy," they wrote before asking, "But is Congress no longer a place for serious people and instead mainly a venue for loudmouths who want to burnish their media brand?"
"Readers can wish the best to Mr. McHenry and his family, while continuing to worry about the trend of smart conservatives who decide their options are better elsewhere," they lamented.
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