Turning outrage into power: How far right is changing GOP

By BRIAN SLODYSKO
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy appears to have settled on a strategy as a handful of Republican lawmakers stir outrage with violent, racist and sometimes Islamophobic comments: If you can’t police them, promote them. Success in Congress was once measured by bills passed and constituents reached. But after Donald Trump’s presidency the ability to enrage has become a potent metric for Republicans looking to reclaim a House majority next year by firing up Trump supporters. That’s helped elevate a group of far-right lawmakers — including Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona. In the past, their inflammatory comments likely would’ve made them pariahs.