Kevin McCarthy Losses Speakership for the Sin of Reaching Across the Aisle.

“The office of Speaker of the House of the United States House of Representatives is hereby declared vacant”, said presiding officer Representative Steve Womack, after the historic vote on October 3, 2023. Kevin McCarthy’s speakership ended after just nine months following the 216-210 vote, making him the first speaker in history to lose his job by being voted out by his own party. 
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Immediately after the gavel came down on McCarthy’s speakership, the House Clerk announced that Representative Patrick McHenry would act as the temporary speaker (speaker pro tempore) until a new speaker was selected. In his first act, McHenry put the House of Representatives into recess, throwing it into confusion and chaos, effectively closing down one third of the Federal Government. So how did we get to this sorry state of affairs, and what are the implications for the Republican Party and for the United States?

What Led to McCarthy’s Downfall? Kevin McCarthy’s speakership was doomed from the start. It took fifteen rounds of voting over four days to secure enough votes to be elected last January. Most of the twenty or so Republicans who opposed McCarthy were members of the House Freedom Caucus, a group opposed to compromise, particularly with Democrats. McCarthy’s chief nemesis, Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, supports the views of the House Freedom Caucus and generally votes with them.

McCarthy made several concessions to secure enough votes to become speaker. But the concession that sealed his fate involved rule changes to the “motion to vacate the chair”, a procedure House members can use to remove the speaker. Previously a majority of House Republicans were needed to call for such a motion.

Under the new rules, any single member of the House could now call for a motion to vacate the chair and force a vote. Only a simple majority of the votes cast would be needed to remove the speaker. Matt Gaetz called for a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair on October 2nd. The following day the House voted to remove McCarthy. The House Democrats unanimously voted against McCarthy, as did eight Republican hardliners, most of whom originally opposed McCarthy’s speakership.  

Why Did House Republicans Fire McCarthy? The vast majority of House Republicans (210) voted to keep McCarthy as their speaker. What did McCarthy do that was so egregious that eight members of his own party would vote to remove him from leadership and throw the House into chaos? He worked with Democrats to reach compromises in order to maintain a functioning government.

There were two things in particular that Matt Gaetz and some members of the House Freedom Caucus couldn’t stomach. The first was the deal that McCarthy negotiated with President Biden in June to lift the debt ceiling, resulting in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. But the straw that broke the camel’s back was McCarthy’s recent deal struck with House Democrats to pass a short term spending bill to avert a government shutdown. The spending bill lacked the deep spending cuts and new border policies demanded by the conservatives in the House. A small number of House Republicans were ready to shut down the government in order to get their way. McCarthy did the right thing by standing up to them.  

Here is what Kevin McCarthy said in his own defense: “I don’t regret standing up for choosing government over grievance. It is my responsibility. It is my job. I do not regret negotiating. Our government is designed to find compromise. I don’t regret my efforts to build coalitions and find solutions.”

Why Did Democrats Choose Not to Support McCarthy? If just three House Democrats voted in support of Kevin McCarthy, he would still be Speaker of the House. So why didn’t they? According to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, it was not the Democrats’ job to rescue McCarthy, who they viewed as untrustworthy. Here are some of the other reasons given by Jeffries:
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• Republicans’ unwillingness to break from MAGA extremism.
• McCarthy’s decision to renege on the debt ceiling deal struck with President Biden in June.
• McCarthy’s decision to open the impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

The House Democrats couldn’t miss the opportunity to capitalize on the political vulnerability that the House Republicans had created for themselves. Democrat Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal put it this way: “Let them wallow in their pigsty of incompetence.”

​Damage to the Republican Brand: The majority of House Republicans who supported Speaker McCarthy are not happy with what they view as a self-inflicted wound. Matt Gaetz who led the charge on ousting McCarthy, had no plan on what was to come next. With no clear path forward, the House Republicans look incompetent, dysfunctional, and lacking in the unity and ability to govern. This dysfunction does more than just damage the Republican brand, it further erodes confidence in our government at home and abroad.

What’s Next? Until a new speaker is elected, no House business can be conducted. The start of a new war in Israel and the temporary spending bill that expires on November 17th demand immediate attention by our House of Representatives. Let’s hope that the House elects a speaker soon, before any more damage can be done to one of our great institutions, and to the credibility of our government.

In order to restore credibility, the House Republicans must come together and act like a unified party. The adults in their caucus must understand that compromise and reaching across the aisle are essential to governing in a democracy. Even if they could ram partisan legislation through the House, how do they expect to get it passed in the Democrat led Senate, and signed by a Democratic president? At the very least, House Republicans must change the rules on the “motion to vacate”, and require a majority of members, not just one, to initiate the process. No speaker should ever again be held hostage by a few malcontents in their caucus.
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Kevin McCarthy’s ambition to become Speaker of the House knew no bounds. He risked his reputation and the prestige of the U.S. House of Representatives to fulfill that ambition. He made a deal with the devil to reach the leadership position, and should not have been surprised that he got burned in the end.

Mr. Gaetz, now that you have ousted the speaker, what are your plans? To stay in the headlines and on cable T.V. of course. 

Post Scrip: On late Friday afternoon (10-13-2023) House Republicans selected Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio as their nominee for speaker. At this time Jordan does not have the support of enough House Republicans to secure the speakership. House members have left Washington D.C. for the weekend, so the drama will drag out well into next week. 
 
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Armchair American