Graeme Sloan/AP
Work sucks and everyone knows it.
But for House Republicans, it isn’t the lack of labor protections or benefits that fuels discontent. These privileged men and women who enjoy a lifetime of perks, including weak insider trading rules, appear aggrieved over how much they simply can’t stand each other.
In fact, CNN reports that animosity within the GOP conference has ballooned to convince nearly half of the party to skip next week’s annual retreat. The reasons vary. Some are still salty over the humiliating speakership battle. Others are disappointed in Mike Johnson’s choice of venue, a “family-friendly” resort in West Virginia, which is decidedly not Florida where past retreats have taken place. Even the retreat’s keynote speaker, Larry Kudlow, has abruptly ditched the event.
The lack of RSVPs seems to reflect wider GOP discord. Over at the Republican National Committee, longtime staffers were recently purged in what has been described as an “absolute bloodbath.” Infighting and dysfunction are at peak levels. And Republicans come dressed to the State of the Union like this and that.
Work retreats, or really any after-hours work event where attendance is expected, can be soul-crushing. But it’s hard to have sympathy for anyone who helps elect colleagues they don’t want to spend time with.
