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Is Kevin McCarthy a sinking political Titanic?

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Is Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) the equivilent of a sinking political Titanic?

The third time wasn’t the charm for McCarthy, who shocked many when he went to Mar-A-Largo after January 6 to get a photo of himself with a smiling Donald Trump. Many pundits contend that if McCarthy had stuck witih his original strong criticism of Trump’s role in the January 6 coup attempt the course of politics could have been far different that it has been since: McCarthy helped resurrect the disgraced President.

And so on January 3 McCarthy failed not once, not twice but three times to be elected Speaker of the House. The last time a vote for Speaker failed on the first ballot was in 1923. On the third vote, McCarthy even lost one more vote. Meanwhile, McCarthy, who sold his soul to Trump, got some bad news: Trump wouldn’t say whether he’d still support McCarthy after news that he failed on the three ballots. ““We’ll see what happens. We’ll see how it all works out,” the twice-impeached former President told NBC News’Garrett Haake. As he said that, Trump seemingly held up his finger to check the political winds.

McCarthy vows to hang in there and get the Speakership no matter how many votes are needed, but some analysts doubt the bulk of Republicans will want to wait that long. Will a new candidate emerge? And how much will a new candidate have to sell his/her soul to the hard-right?

According to Ronald Brownstein, the right has already won the speakership.

No matter how they resolve Tuesday’s vote choosing the next speaker of the House, Republicans appear poised to double down on the hard-edged politics that most swing state voters rejected in last November’s midterm election.

Stubborn conservative resistance to House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy has put the party at risk of precipitating the first speakership election that extends to more than a single ballot since 1923 – and only the second since the Civil War. But even if McCarthy ultimately prevails, the show of strength from the GOP’s conservative vanguard has ensured it enormous leverage in shaping the party’s legislative and investigative agenda. And that could reinforce the image of extremism that hurt Republicans in the midterm election, especially in the key swing states likely to decide the next presidential contest – Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia and Arizona.

Whoever Republicans ultimately select as speaker “will be subject to the whims and the never-ending leveraging of a small group of members who want to wield power,” said former GOP Rep. Charlie Dent, a CNN political commentator. “You’re going to have this group on the far right that is going to continue to push the leadership to go further right on issues.”

Tuesday’s vote may create a kind of drama that was common in the House during the 19th century but has virtually disappeared since.

So it may be back to the 19th century future if Republicans start heading for political lifeboats to find an alternative to McCarthy, yet another politician who groveled at the feet of Donald Trump and wound up destroying his own brand.

To be sure, it’s still too soon for a political obituary, but commentary isn’t trending in McCarthy’s direction.


—Mediaite: Kevin McCarthy, Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz All Exemplify Why Republicans Lose.
—Huffington Post: McCarthy Fails On 3 Straight Votes
The California Republican failed in three votes to secure a majority, opening the door to more challengers.
—Politico: 3 strikes for McCarthy — but he’s not out yet

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