Kevin McCarthy Is No Longer Speaker Of The U.S. House Of Representatives. Who Will Be Next?
By James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D.
Embattled Speaker of The House, Kevin McCarthy is out. The sand in his hourglass signaled that it was time for him to go.
If you followed Republican Party politics recently, you could see he simply could not find favor with his GOP colleagues. Confusing reports have come out as to whether he will leave the office before his term expires. In an interview last week, he stated that he had no plans to leave. We’ll see what happens.
He sounds positive yet you know he must be hurt by what happened to him. This is a case of being at the top and going directly to the bottom.
However former Speaker McCarthy did with the help of the Democrats prevent the government from shutting down yet that was not enough to save his job. He was caught in a political mudslide. His work across the aisle was a big part of his undoing.
It is my opinion that he made too many concessions in order to get the position. He sold his political soul and was told that his speakership was on hold. Representative McCarthy is the 1st Speaker in our history to be voted out of the office.
He said, “I may have lost this vote today but as I walk out of this chamber, I feel fortunate to have served. Still, I wouldn’t have changed a thing.” It was a diplomatic thing to say, however he made history in an unflattering way. He will be in the history books as his rise and fall will be talked about for years to come.
The final vote for his removal was 216-210. Representative Patrick McHenry from South Carolina is the Speaker Pro Tempore. One of the first acts carried out by Mr. McHenry was to dismiss the House because of budding tension.
If you are a Republican member of the House, what is your message to your constituents? At some point, you must admit that the GOP is currently dysfunctional and disorganized. Sometimes, the truth hurts yet it must be told.
Republican House members find themselves in a cesspool of chaos and crisis. Democratic Leader, Hakeem Jeffries from New York said, “It is now the responsibility of the GOP members to end the House Republican war,” Senate Republican Leader, Mitch McConnell issued a statement thanking McCarthy for what is often a thankless job.
Without a Speaker, the House cannot begin any work to avoid a government shutdown. That is a problem.
Representative Jim Jordan from North Carolina and Representative Steve Scalise from Louisiana have announced their interests in being the new Speaker.
Mr. Jordan has been endorsed by former president Trump. Jordan is a Trump ally and believes that he won the last election. He opposes giving aid to Ukraine.
Mr. Scalise touts himself as an excellent fundraiser who can bring the GOP together. He too believes that Mr. Trump won the last election. However, he supports aid to Ukraine.
The question is who can convince moderate Republicans to join them? The military aid to Ukraine will be a big topic of conversation in the coming days and weeks.
I believe Mr. Scalise will become the next Republican leader. Why? He is not a radical and is a bit more reasonable than is Mr. Jordan. If Mr. Jordan becomes Speaker, he will be Trump 2.0.
I think that Kevin McCarthy will support Steve Scalise because Mr. Trump didn’t try to save his job as Speaker. Revenge is best served cold.
The political faction headed by Republican Representative Matt Gaetz from Florida must not be the new normal in our politics. Whomever is chosen as the Speaker must be a leader.
So, we will watch and wait to see who becomes the next Speaker of The House because right now, we are at a standstill.
