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AG (Attention Getter)

Some consider this person to be one of the founders of our country, the first man on the moon, and the one who invented the telephone. And while you might think I mean George Washington, Neil Armstrong, and Alexander Graham Bell, but if you have been keeping up with internet memes, you know that we really mean George Santos.

BG (Background)

George Santos is the current U.S. congressional representative for New York's third district after being elected last November in the 2022 Midterms. Since his election, he has faced numerous accusation of fraud as well as several scandals, and he currently faces a House Ethics Committee investigation. All of this combined with the fact that Republicans hold such a slim majority makes the situation very complicated.

Q (Question)

How should the Republican Party respond to George Santos' scandals?

Answer (Summary Of Speech)

The answer here simply depends on the party's goals. First, we'll look at what they should do in the interest of democray. Next, we'll see what they should do when putting their party first, and finally we will see how this can be stopped in the future.

R1 (First Reason)

So what should the party do to protect the integrity of democracy? The reality is, George Santos was elected on a mostly fake resume. As TIME 1/6/23 explains, Santos claimed to attend Baruch College & NYU, but neither institution had any records of his enrollment. He also said that he had high-level jobs at Citigroup & Goldman Sachs, two major financial institutions, but again, neither company had any proof of this. He lied about his family and his background, saying he was Jewish, and that his mother was in the World Trade Center on 9/11, two claims that he later admitted were false. These fallacies are unprecedented for a Congressional representative, and Congress needs integrity. So the simple thing Republicans should do is remove Santos from office. Business Insider 1/12/23 says that the party really only has a few options; push Santos to resign, pick a re-election alternative, and assist with Department of Justice investigations in any way possible. Republicans can also further what they have already done to some extent by keeping Santos off committees.

R2 (Second Reason)

But of course, the party should take a different approach when it comes to their own political interests. Given they hold a slim, 222 seat majority in the House of Representaties, there would be the risk of a Democrat flipping New York's third seat if Santos was removed or not re-elected. CNBC 1/11/23 explains that despite facing heavy criticism from his own party, key leaders like Speaker Kevin McCarthy won't urge Santos to resign. Why? Because the party, like many political organizations, values power over integrity. And Santos continues to say that he will not step down, ignoring increasing calls for him to do so. And frankly, even though Nassau County voters are extremely unhappy with the revelations, depite partisan politics. they don't have a say in the matter anymore, being unable to make their voice heard and thus having no impact.

R3 (Third Reason)

So what should the Republican party, and the U.S. as a whole do differently in the future? Well the first thing would be simply not placing as much trust in any political candidates like we did with Santos. Plus, if simple research on Santos was able to uncover these lies, why could we not have done said research before the election? Nassau County and other organizations also hold responsiblity for not looking further into Santos, so hopefully they and others learn from this example. Politico 3/7/23 explains that Republicans have essentially declared "all-out war" against Santos, but they refuse to use a single weapon. They allowed this to happen in the first place, and they won't fix it. But if we have background checks for most normal jobs, we shouldn't we for political office? Regardless of party, credibility is something that can be checked, and most voters value it and the truth regarding candidates.

C (Conclusion)

So whether Republicans take action in the interest of democracy, political power, or just in the future, the reality is that even though Santos might not have landed on the moon, he did get elected to Congress on a fradulent resume.