The fall of Kevin McCarthy remains a hot topic of discussion. It is on the minds and in the mouths of members of the chattering class speculating on how it might affect the Republican Party going forward.
Numerous op-eds have already been written looking at who might replace the beleaguered former House Speaker and predicting what it could mean for the makeup of Congress. Talking heads are opining on who they believe the next gavel holder should be.
But what about Democrats?
There hasn’t been much speculation on how McCarthy’s departure might affect Democrats, who were responsible for kicking him out of the speaker’s chair. But conservative columnist Ian Haworth penned an op-ed on the matter, suggesting that the brouhaha over the little wooden hammer might be a gift to the left.
Now, you don’t have to be a fan of McCarthy (or even believe he’s the best choice as House speaker) to understand what the entire Democratic Party knows: Politics is a team sport.
While it’s perfectly reasonable to have internal debates, arguments, and fractures over the direction of our movement, these become irrelevant when we are unable to pull together and take control of the levers of government in order to turn theory into reality. Instead, today’s Republican Party is pulling itself in a thousand different directions, essentially flushing the one lever of power we still hold down the toilet.
In recent years, we’ve lost governor's mansions, state legislatures, the Senate, and the White House. Nationally, all we have left is the House of Representatives, and we’re clinging on to that by the skin of our teeth.
Rather than taking what they can get and making the best of a terrible situation — after all, 8% cuts are better than no cuts at all — the priority of a handful of Republicans is to undermine the conservative movement.
Haworth also pointed out, just as I have on several occasions, that “McCarthy wasn’t thrown out into the street by a majority of his own party” but “he was disposed of by a handful of Republicans working hand-in-hand with their supposed ideological enemies.”
It’s true. Democrats were far more instrumental in removing the former speaker than Republicans, only eight of whom voted for Rep. Matt Gaetz’s motion to vacate. Haworth described this as “a dream scenario for Democrats,” and pointed to the reality that this brouhaha is distracting from Democrats’ incompetence and President Joe Biden’s “countless failures.”
Make no mistake: This is a dream scenario for Democrats, who crave this level of chaos to distract from their collective ineptitude in office. Rather than facing a cohesive and determined Republican Party in opposition to Biden’s countless failures, they’re sitting back and enjoying the GOP’s voluntary collapse.
There is merit to Haworth’s arguments. Indeed, the McCarthy debacle underscores serious division in the Republican Party and reflects the civil war that has been going on over the past decade between the pragmatic moderate faction and the more conservative, populist wing of the GOP. The infighting has culminated in this outcome, which is taking center stage at the moment.
While Democrats are also in the midst of a civil war of sorts, it is not being plastered all over the airwaves and interwebs for all to see. Much of their bickering and infighting is taking place under the radar. At this point, it is the Republicans' dirty laundry that is being exposed.
But, this does not necessarily mean that Democrats will come out of this unscathed. Indeed, it is also possible that this might hurt them more than it will Republicans. Next week, Republicans will vote for the new Speaker of the House, who will take up the gavel on Wednesday. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) is one of several who are looking to occupy McCarthy’s former seat.
What happens if Jordan, or another hardline Trumpian conservative, gets the nod? This could pose even more trouble for Democrats. McCarthy was far more willing to compromise and give in to the left in order to get legislation passed. This was viewed as a sign of weakness by many members of the base. Indeed, it was one of several reasons why he is no longer the Republican leader in the House. If Jordan or someone else like him wins, then Democrats will get even less of what they want than they would have under the last guy.
Of course, this does not necessarily mean that any positive change for Republicans will be in the offing. The establishment still reigns supreme, meaning that the conservative agenda will still fall by the wayside. But if Democrats are unable to get anything concrete done for the American people because of the new speaker, then voters could easily hold it against them in the upcoming elections.
