'Divorced-from-reality political stunts': Kevin McCarthy mocked for caving to Republicans who opposed him

19 January 2023

Stepping into his new leadership position, a new analysis is explaining how House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is attempting to improve the areas of contention with far-right Republican lawmakers.

The road to speakership was not an easy one for McCarthy due to opposition he faced from nearly two dozen House Republican lawmakers who voted against his bid for House speaker. Now, things are a bit different.

In a piece published by The New Republic, Tori Otten breaks down the series of events currently unfolding in the House of Representatives.

Otten began with a brief overview of McCarthy's battle with the 21 opposing Republicans. "McCarthy made no secret of his ambition to be speaker, apparently no matter the cost, and the California Republican made us all sit through 15 agonizing votes before finally making enough deals to win," Otter wrote. "But it seems that the many changes to the rules package were not the only concessions he made."

But despite his struggles, she noted what he is currently doing to appease his political adversaries.

She added, "Representative Lauren Boebert kept her seat on the Committee on Natural Resources and received a new post on the powerful House Oversight Committee. She is joined there by Scott Perry, Anna Paulina Luna, and Paul Gosar. Gosar was previously stripped of all committee assignments after he shared an animated video showing him killing Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and attacking President Joe Biden with swords."

"McCarthy also rewarded his allies: Jim Jordan, who consistently voted for McCarthy even when the holdouts nominated Jordan for speaker, is the new chair of the House Judiciary Committee," Otten continued.

In wake of McCarthy's incoming decisions, he's facing criticism as Republican strategists express concern about the level of power being given to MAGA-aligned Republicans.

She noted: "The White House slammed the assignments, with spokesman Ian Sams telling Axios, 'It appears that House Republicans may be setting the stage for divorced-from-reality political stunts, instead of engaging in bipartisan work on behalf of the American people.'

He added, “Republicans are handing the keys of oversight to the most extreme MAGA members of the Republican caucus who promote violent rhetoric and dangerous conspiracy theories."

From Your Site Articles