I find it strange and a bit discomfiting to refer to Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the U.S. House, but sure enough, he’s got the title and the gavel.
Now comes the test to see if he has the skill to manage a sharply divided legislative chamber that required 15 floor votes to decide on whether McCarthy should succeed one of the greater speakers in U.S. history, Nancy Pelosi.
The only thing these two individuals have in common is that they represent California in the House. Pelosi serves the people of San Francisco, while McCarthy hails from Bakersfield.
Furthermore, I am trying to imagine — and I can’t get close to realizing it — Pelosi getting herself trapped in the embarrassing spectacle that unfolded as McCarthy battled the MAGA wing of his party in trying to secure enough votes to become speaker.
I would not have occurred during Pelosi’s two runs as speaker.
Yet here we are. Speaker McCarthy has suffered heavy injury to his reputation by giving away damn near the whole power structure to the MAGA cult cabal in the House. Hey, didn’t Pelosi once scold the Democrats’ progressive caucus by ordering its members to back off and let her run the House? Yep. She did!
McCarthy squeaked — or perhaps slithered — his way into the speaker’s chair by the narrowest margin possible. He is de-fanged, de-clawed and de-balled as he seeks to get the House apparatus lined up.
The MAGA clowns will take seats on key committees. Good luck with that … Mr. Speaker.
It’s a new day in Congress. May the forces of good government eclipse the morons who wrangled all those concessions from the gutless coward who now serves as speaker of the House.