“I have a history of being the only vote that was a ‘no,’” bragged Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) in a 2024 Reason Magazine article entitled, “Thomas Massie is Railing Against the ‘Virtue Signal Vote’.”
It’s a reputation that’s well-earned: Thomas Massie is a natural-born naysayer with an undeniable flair for theatrics. Notice how his face lit up like the Cheshire Cat when he showed off his handy-dandy debt clock pin:
(Good news, guys: You can buy your own version of Massie’s pin for the low-low price of just $99!)
To Massie, being the lone dissenter in the House of Representatives was a badge of honor — proof-positive that he alone had the courage to vote his conservative convictions. He was the only “no” in the 420-1 resolution that (very loosely) condemned antisemitism. Even The Squad voted unanimously for it!
But not Massie.
MSNBC producer Steve Benen dubbed Massie’s actions “performative contrarianism.”
Massie was also the only one in Congress to vote against the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, and he was the only one who opposed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. This week, he was one of only two Republicans to vote against Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which barely squeaked by, 215-214.
It was just a few months after Massie was the lone “no” vote on the House GOP budget. Fortunately, the budget passed by a whisker, 217-215.
Nobody should doubt the sincerity of Massie’s beliefs: he’s a spending hawk who’s gravely concerned over our ever-expanding national debt. It’s not a put-on or an opportunistic, Machiavellian, self-serving political ploy. And besides, in an ideal world, shouldn’t there be room in the House of Representative for at least one libertarian-leaning conservative?
But this world is far from ideal. And the House of Representatives is the wrong place for a man such as Massie.
He hails from a district that went 67%-31% for Trump. Right now, the balance of power between Republicans and Democrats in the House is eight people. When things are this close, every vote counts.
Rep. Massie isn’t interested in being a reliable vote for House Republicans.
That’s a problem, because the House of Representatives is a collaborative body. You’re not the chief executive; you’re one of 435 voting members. On your own, you can’t do anything substantive.
Constantly being the lone “no” vote doesn’t make you powerful! It demonstrates your lack of power — that you were first elected to office way back in 2012, and 13+ years later, you still haven’t been able to convince your colleagues to join you! (And 13+ years is a long time to be in Congress, Mr. Massie. Say, weren’t term limits a conservative position, too?)
If congressional power is derived by winning the hearts and minds of your colleagues, then Massie is the least powerful man in all of congress. The dude is anti-Viagra; he’s utterly impotent.
All he offers is his “performative contrarianism” cosplay schtick, wearing his debt clock pin on TV, and pretending he’s making a difference. But he’s not: He’s just another speed bump that the GOP has to work around.
The sad thing is, he could’ve been an asset instead of a liability. Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” had to be tempered by the political realities of a closely divided House of Representatives, and the potential fallout for Republicans in swing districts. Failing to heed this political reality would lead to Democrats retaking control of the House in 2026 — and instead of someone such as Massie getting 70% or 90% of what he wanted, he’d be left with zero.
But Massie won’t negotiate. He won’t compromise. He’d rather his constituents starve than accept half a loaf of bread.
Meanwhile, President Trump must live, lead, and legislate in the real world. He doesn’t have the luxury of “virtue signaling” theatrics, or “performative contrarianism.” When you’re the president, substance matters more than symbolism. And when you’re fighting tooth-and-nail to pass vital legislation, victory is a helluva lot harder when your own side keeps voting with the enemy.
Thomas Massie should run for governor of Kentucky in 2027. Or even run for president in 2028. Either position would be a much better fit for a man of his disposition.
But he needs to get the hell out of Congress.
It’s a poor fit for his talents (such as they are). In irony of ironies, Rep. Massie’s critique of Trump’s budget is now Trump’s critique of Rep. Massie: the Kentuckian loner is a luxury the GOP can no longer afford.
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