Noisy disruptors are tearing the Republican Party apart

Those abroad watching the party cannibalise itself at a time when it should be triumphantly taking control of the third-most powerful office in Washington may be confused, writes Borzou Daragahi

Kevin McCarthy failed to muster up enough votes from his own caucus to lead the chamber (AP)

You know the Republican Party is in deep trouble when its rivals literally bring bales of popcorn to enjoy as they watch the internecine squabble between its factions. “We are breaking the popcorn out in the Dem Caucus till the Republicans get their act together,” Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat, wrote in a Tweet.

The Republican Party members held three rounds of unsuccessful voting over the next speaker of the House of Representatives. Ultimately, Kevin McCarthy failed to muster up enough votes from his own caucus to lead the chamber, and it remains unclear whether he will ever manage to do so. Republicans seized a majority of House seats during November’s midterm elections, but remain so internally divided that they have struggled to agree on a leader.

Those abroad watching the Republican Party cannibalise itself at a time when it should be triumphantly taking control of the third-most powerful office in Washington may be confused. At its heart, the split within the GOP pits ordinary right-wingers who make up the bulk of the party against ultra-extremists.