What the Kevin McCarthy saga means for America’s Congress

With the anguish of someone who has spent a decade pursuing a prize, only to see it slipping away from his grasp, Kevin McCarthy told his colleagues in the House Republican caucus, “I’ve earned this job.” And, in a way, he had. The Republican from Bakersfield has kissed an army of frogs, including lobbyists, donors and cranks like congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, to shore up his position, only for 20 House Republicans to turn around and accuse him of infidelity. This tale has its comic side: at one point Matt Gaetz, one of the “Never Kevin” Republican members, wrote to the Architect of the Capitol complaining that some guy called Kevin had moved his desk into the Speaker’s office and that it should be removed forthwith. But the McCarthy saga—the kind of power struggle and public humiliation that Washington loves—also augurs ill for the progress of important legislation in the 118th Congress.

Choosing the Speaker of America’s House of Representatives, an important office whose holder is second-in-line for the presidency, ordinarily requires only one round of voting. The last exception to this was a century ago, when progressive Republicans held up their party’s candidate. With no Speaker, no legislation can progress and no new members can be sworn in. This leaves the people temporarily without representation. The move is therefore a drastic one for the Never Kevins to make. So why did they do it?