OPINION:
About 20 Republican congressional representatives are playing an extremely dangerous game by casting protest votes against Rep. Kevin McCarthy in his bid for House speaker. While these representatives may be using their votes to express their discontent with House rules and procedures, they are undermining the Republican Party, risking its reputation and creating chaos for the American people.
While pundits speculated on other alternatives such as elected representatives such as Reps. Steve Scalise and Andy Biggs — and those unelected such as former Rep. Lee Zeldin and former President Donald Trump — Mr. McCarthy achieved more than 200 of the 218 votes needed, with no one else coming close. This makes any other option unrealistic and an exercise in futility that will only undermine the Republican Party and the power it achieved by winning the House.
On Tuesday, Rep. Pete Aguilar evidenced this fact when he arose shortly after an endorsement of Mr. McCarthy by Rep. Jim Jordan and declared that Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries received the most votes (212) in the chamber despite the Republican majority.
To further the confusion and embarrassment for the GOP, Rep. Matt Gaetz endorsed Mr. Jordan for speaker on Tuesday shortly after Mr. Jordan’s endorsement of Mr. McCarthy.
While Mr. Gaetz and his Freedom Caucus allies may view complaints against Mr. McCarthy as furthering their agenda, they are exploiting the speaker vote process and weakening the GOP as a whole. Mr. McCarthy has shown a willingness to work with the Freedom Caucus, giving into many of their demands, including changing the rules on the motion to “vacate the chair,” which allows five members to force a vote of no confidence to replace the speaker.
Moreover, Mr. McCarthy has put in the work to earn the speakership — and he wants it. In 2020, his conference defied expectations, flipping 15 seats. Although the results of the 2022 midterms were disappointing, the GOP stole the majority from the Democrats and the gavel from Nancy Pelosi. Mr. McCarthy raised a stunning $500 million in the cycle — helping many members secure reelection and win first-term seats (we’re looking at you, Anna Paulina Luna and Eli Crane).
Many complain that Mr. McCarthy isn’t ideological enough and therefore doesn’t deserve the gavel. His record, however, shows otherwise.
In 2010, Mr. McCarthy became House majority whip and, in 2014, served as House majority leader. In 2017, Mr. McCarthy led the charge to repeal President Barack Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which he successfully helped lead to passage in the House. In 2019, as minority leader, he remained loyal to Mr. Trump and worked hard to keep Republicans unified during the impeachment hearings. That same year, when Democrats called a floor vote to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Mr. McCarthy led the charge in the agency’s defense to defeat the measure.
A more moderate, consensus speaker, as is being discussed, would dilute the party’s ability to hold the Biden administration accountable and pursue the more contentious investigations needed (such as that of Hunter Biden’s laptop).
The Freedom Caucus has every right to voice its concerns and complaints about House procedures and Republican policies, but it should not do so at the expense of the party or the people. A protest vote is meant to raise awareness, and the 20 or so members of Congress who are voting against Mr. McCarthy have achieved that.
But enough is enough, and any furtherance of their vote will prove Republicans are incapable of governance. The American people largely don’t care who is named “prom king” to lead the GOP. They just want Republicans to get working on the issues they campaigned on: securing the southern border, reducing crime, lowering inflation, and holding the federal government accountable through oversight and investigations.
It’s time for the Republican Party to start governing — and that will be achieved only when a speaker of the House is named.
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