we love 'first steps'

but endstates matter

I am trying to look away, as I do when passing a child holding a world-class temper tantrum, from California Representative Kevin McCarthy’s humiliation. He manifests political weakness by continuing to hold votes—13 at this point—in what I believe is futile hope of heading the House of Representatives on the south side of Capitol Hill; a hard core 20 or so colleagues are causing the tantrum with steely refusal to support his quest.

McCarthy also seems to misunderstand the objective in electing a Speaker. The person in that job is the most powerful individual from the party holding the majority of elected seats in the House, someone to advance successfully a governing agenda for one of the two houses in the national legislature. The person in that position is also third in line of succession should the president leave office, meaning it requires a gravitas and ability to put country over personal goals. The speakership of the Hosue of Representatives is a position with multiple responsibilities. Leadership, skill, trust, and respect (a word of truly disappearing meaning these days in McCarthy’s world) are by-products rather than ends in the job.

They are also most definitely not self-ascribing attributes but descriptions earned from colleagues, foes, and the public writ large when a legislative session or career close. Failure, vanity, weakness, and mistrust fit the same category.

Kevin McCarthy appears to believe, based on his behaviour, he has two jobs, one of which is successfully completed. First, getting the Republican majority, thin as it may be, into power was an objective for McCarthy. He had a role in assuring the 222 Republicans elected as a majority of the 435 seat body. It wasn’t nearly the margin McCarthy wanted but it is the majority, with four seats to spare. He raised funds, supported candidates, and certainly helped meet this goal.

His second aspiration is to assume the position as Speaker of the House, one publicly-coveted for almost a decade. This is proving significantly harder than he expected, even though critics within his own Republican caucus messaged their opposition to the Californian ages ago. The twenty Republican members stridently oppose him, team ‘ABK’ (anyone-in-the-party but Kevin), seek a breathtaking redistribution of power within the caucus. It is surprising McCarthy would have even entertained, much less acqueisced to them over the past weeks. The demands include positions on key House committees and subcommittees, rules revisions bound to render the ultimate Speaker and other leadership rickety every single day the body meets.

More importantly, two years ago today the ABKs overwhelmingly sought to short circuit one of the most sacred things the Congress can do, certifying any election. They rejected Joe Biden’s victory conferred by the voters. At best this was ignoring the voters’ will or at worst seeking to destroy the fabric of our society. These were major dissenters in the process rather than on policy.

McCarthy’s constant appeasement, a word Republicans in particular used to comdemn in no uncertain terms, of people who will make life hell for the next Speaker is like watching that tantrum I mentioned: you really wish you were anywhere but near it because it is so incredibly unseemly, uncomfortable, and unsustaintable. McCarthy just plain wants the job, no matter how neutered he will make himself in this quest. Yet, McCarthy continues on the same path. And it is a dangerous one for all of us.

The reality is that the two things McCarthy appears to see as his endstates are mere preconditions to carrying out the people’s business and is this governing, within that exquisitely complex U.S. system, that is what matters. Truth is that the House’s work, in conjunction with the Senate, in all of its aspects—oversight, appropriation, authorisation, confirmation of nominees in the Senate, and etc.—are the blocks of governing. McCarthy getting Republicans elected, then winning the Speakership are preconditions to doing any and all of this yet he is treating them as the endstates.

McCarthy’s confused focus is not exceptional within the United States. We have a tendency to assume that the initial step in any effort equates to meeting the overall outcome we seek. We did it in Iraq in 2003: we ousted Saddam Hussein as if that answered the call to govern the country. We do it with democratisation efforts: holding elections means democracy, right? Uh, no. Democratisation requires step-by-step efforts such as creating institutions, identifying candidates, working to establish election protocols, working through multiple complicated steps, and sustaining of this is still just the beginning. We like the Cliff notes version but that rarely is sufficient to get the end we actually desire.

Democracy is a long, long, long, long messy game as we forgot with Venezuela where they still went through the motions between 1958 and roughly 1998 (and actually still do) to be government for and by the people but we see many of the fundamentals missing. The cases of making this mistake are unending as is our optimism and, sadly, subsequent impatience with achieving outcomes.

McCarthy has tenacity, I will say, but only on the preconditions as he has given away so much to those who have illustrated their contempt for the governing outcome; I cannot imagine they seek to govern as much as wreak havoc because they believe that is what will help them as individuals. Their voters may agree with that but governing is at a level above individuals.

Kevin McCarthy’s quest to lead the nation is doomed, even if he wins the Speakership on vote 18. He has confused his personal achievement of the Speakership with the hard work the nation expects and the world demands of us. Doesn’t make it any less painful to watch.

I close with more spectacular clouds in the Chesapeake this afternoon. I hope they are not storm clouds but manifestations of winter ahead. I wish you a satisfying and safe initial weekend of 2023. FIN