Former House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), 57, went down by some 18 votes to another failed round to voting for House Speaker. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), 82, slammed Republicans as disgracing the institution but, more importantly, showing they can’t govern, only bicker about ideological differences. McCarthy has served since 2018 as House Minority when former President Donald Trump lost the 2018 Midterm election, leaving Democrats fully in charge until an expected Republican wave saw the GOP take back the House in one of the most improbable elections in recent memory. Given the trends from 2018, it looked like Democrats were poised to hold the house for generations, when suddenly, Republicans pulled off a 10-vvote vuctory. Former President Donald Trump, 76, was blamed by Republicans for losing the U.S. Senate.
Why those same voices didn’t praise Trump for reclaiming the House for the GOP shows the kind of hypocrisy that abounds in Washington. Losing the Senate by two votes, Trump was slammed by the press for leading the GOP down a garden path, eventually tanking GOP fortunes. But once the GOP took over the House, the same voices condemning Trump for the Senate didn’t thank him for the House. Now Republicans struggle with a handful of ideologues seeking fiscal restraint in an atmosphere of big government spending. Since taking office, when you count up all the pandemic stimulus and infrastructure bill, Biden added over $5 trillion to the $31.5 trillion national debt. Whether or not the debt or, fraction of it to U.S. Gross Domestic Product [GDP], matters to Democrats it still matters to what’s left of Tea Party Republicans or today’s Freedom Caucus.
McCarthy has been lumped in with big spending Democrats, having supported many continuing budget resolutions to keep the government funded and, more recently, Biden’s profligate spending programs leading to the worst inflation in 40 years. President Joe Biden, 80, won’t admit that the billions spent on Ukraine, paying government salaries and the war, has fueled inflation in the U.S. and around the globe. Biden shows zero incterest to stop his proxy war against the Russian Federatio, sending U.S.-Russian relations in the worst place since WW II. Even during the dreaded 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, the U.S. was not in a hot war with the Kremlin. Funding Kiev’s bankrupt government and war against the Russian Federation, Biden has destroyed U.S.-Russian relations for generations. Now the media focuses on trivial GOP infighting to divert attention away from the Ukraine War.
Conservative Fox News host Sean Hannity, 61, criticized 20 conservative Republicans for holding 200 hostage on approving McCarthy as House Speaker.
The bottom line is you still only have only 20 votes,” Hannity said. Hannity went after Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Co.), who barely won reelection, telling her
20 people don’t want Kevin McCarthy at this time,” urging the 20 conservatives to stop holding the rest of the caucus hostage over McCarthy.. “The fun never stops,” said 53-year-old Fox News host Tucker Carlson who thinks McCarthy should withdraw. “They cannot continue. It is poison, and Kevn McCarthy is uniquely situated right now to stop it,” Carlson said. “So, by striking a deal with his 20 colleagues, McCarthy could restore out system to health and at the same time get the job he has always wanted. It’s not that complicated,” urging McCarthy to compromise.
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, 70, who was recently convicted of Contempt of Congress, said the issue with McCarthy goes all the way back to the 2010 Tea Party movement. “This fight has been brewing for 10 years since the Tea Party revolt in 2010,” Bannon said. Bannon urged Republicans to pick 76-year-old President Donald Trump as the next speaker, showing, if nothing else, Bannon has some screws loose. Rep. Matt Gaetz, (R-Fl.) 40, facing sex trafficking charges, also proved he’s gone mad endorsing Trump as House Speaker. Bannon and Gaetz show why they’re not taken seriously by mainstream Republicans. If nothing else, Tea Party Republicans stood for fiscal conservatism, not printing fiat currency to finance extravagant social land infrastructure programs. Tea Party Republicans want reassurance from McCarthy that he’ll oppose more of Biden’s profligate spending.
When it comes to McCarthy, he has the seniority and experience necessary for House Speaker. GOP’s conservative majority said they could get behind 44-year-old neophyte Rep. Byron Donalds (R-F.). Conservatives know Donalds is completely unprepared for the job based on his experience and time in Congress. Yet like recommending Trump for House Speaker, there’s no limit to the GOP absurdity. If conservatives want McCarthy to respect fiscal conservatism, they need to talk with him and make a pledge to each other. “They have put themselves about everything else and are costing conservatives across the country dearly,” said Rep.-elect Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.). “They need to get serious and wake up and realize that we are not rolling over. There are over 200 of us who support Kevin McCarthy, and we will support him on every single vote,” Lawler said.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
