Settling for Speaker McCarthy
There was a very interesting monologue by Sean Hannity on his Fox News show Friday night, January 6, 2023.
You can watch it here:
In it, Hannity celebrates hearing from his sources that “Kevin McCarthy is on the verge of becoming the next Speaker of the House.” Given how fiercely Hannity has been campaigning for McCarthy, it is a wonder that balloons and confetti did not fall from the ceiling.
Hannity then adds “Am I angry at the group of Republican lawmakers from the Freedom Caucus, that I’ve always supported, that fought for assurances that we would not get another John Boehner, another weak leader as Speaker? I'm glad we’re not going to have that as well. Kevin McCarthy is not John Boehner.”
Hannity is right. Kevin McCarthy is not John Boehner. McCarthy doesn't smoke, doesn't cry in public at the drop of a hat, and is to the left of John Boehner.
In fact, according to the American Conservative Union (ACU), which rates lawmakers’ conservatism based on how he or she votes, McCarthy is the most liberal Republican Speaker since the ACU’s founding in 1964.
Here is each Republican Speaker and their lifetime ACU rating:
John Boehner - 93.96
Dennis Hastert - 92.34
Newt Gingrich - 90.20
Paul Ryan - 88.49
Kevin McCarthy - 84.19
For further comparison, here are the lifetime ACU ratings of some who were mentioned as alternatives to McCarthy:
Byron Donalds - 100
Jim Jordan - 100
Andy Biggs - 96.92
Chip Roy - 96.43
Steve Scalise - 92.19
An ACU lifetime rating of 84.19 is not disqualifying — I could name politicians with a comparable rating that I support enthusiastically -- but it is disturbing that this number is trending downward. McCarthy’s annual ACU rating in each of his first three years in Congress (2007-2009) was 100. In his last three recorded years in Congress (2019-2021), his annual ACU ratings were 82.14, 73.08, and 74.36, respectively.
Despite Hannity’s description of him as not being weak, McCarthy folded after the January 6th riot with embarrassing ease, and threw President Trump under the bus:
“But let me be very clear to you and I have been very clear to the President. He bears responsibility for his words and actions. No if, ands, or buts,” McCarthy told House Republicans on January 11, 2021, according to the audio obtained by CNN.
...
On a separate call the day before, McCarthy said, “I had it with this guy. What he did is unacceptable. Nobody can defend that, and nobody should defend it.”
What Trump did, as McCarthy knew at the time he spoke those words, was to say to his supporters “I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.” Hopefully, as Speaker, McCarthy will help direct a full investigation into J6, so that his comments on that day will be better informed and more thoughtful.
Hannity and other McCarthy allies point to his “Commitment to America” as evidence of McCarthy’s conservatism. But there is nothing in this beyond the usual political platitudes we hear from politicians from both parties. Would even Biden or AOC argue for “wasteful spending” or against “defending our national security?”
If this document proves McCarthy is conservative, then why does it not show a commitment to protect the lives of the unborn?
Politicians have been known to become dramatically more conservative or liberal in a short period of time, so perhaps McCarthy can return to his conservative roots as Speaker. But I'm not optimistic.
A philosophical change may not be necessary, however. Although it is disappointing that none of McCarthy’s conservative detractors challenged him directly for the Speaker position, they were able to extract a list of promises from McCarthy.
McCarthy’s team presented them with a “framework” of House rules changes and other promises that would appease the group — and that ultimately prompted six House members to vote “present,” a crucial move that lowered the threshold for a majority and paved the way for him to succeed.
…
The Republican rules package released Friday includes those concessions. It will allow any one member to force a “motion to vacate” the speaker’s chair and overthrow McCarthy. It makes it harder for the House to raise spending, taxes, and the debt limit. And Perry said the agreement includes “conservative representation” across the House, including by adding members of the right flank to key committees.
Perry and Roy declined to divulge details, but two sources with knowledge of the situation told NBC News that the Freedom Caucus was demanding three seats on the powerful Rules Committee, which controls the bills that make it to the House floor.
McCarthy is not a great conservative, but he is supported by many great conservatives; including Trump, Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and, of course, Sean Hannity. And, with the concessions he made, McCarthy’s tenure as Speaker should be fruitful for the conservative movement.
But, man, it would have been so great to see Byron Donalds pick up the Speaker’s gavel.
—DK