While Congress may paint itself as a sanctum of camaraderie and tradition, the change of the seasons has seen it abandon the former and radically alter the latter. In the process, it has revealed a festering underbelly of interparty rage.
A gaggle of House Republicans recently lashed out at its leader, unceremoniously dumping him in real time before a national cable audience. But that, if you can believe it, was the ‘kinder, gentler’ part. Choosing a successor to recently deposed Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy holds the potential to become downright ugly.
For the first time in history, a speaker was ousted when eight House colleagues, led by always camera-ready Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, ignited the process. The group could not abide an earlier vote to avoid a government shutdown, a shutdown averted with the help of Democrats.
Wall Street columnist and former presidential speech writer Peggy Noonan compared the move to oust McCarthy to a poorly acted Hollywood comedy. “It’s as if Julius Caesar was stabbed to death at the Forum by the Marx Brothers.”
McCarthy’s firing seemed almost preordained. He was, after all, operating on the thinnest of margins. He was elected Speaker last January only after making a lot of promises to his caucus—one, a poison pill. After a record fifteen votes by his caucus, he was seated.
McCarthy’s poison pill promise was an agreement to pare the number of caucus members needed to begin the process of removing the Speaker—a motion to vacate—to a single vote. Previously five had been required.
“It’s the Republicans eating their own,” said former Colorado Democratic Congressman Ed Perlmutter. The five-term Democratic Congressman said the Republican chaos has not surprised him. Two previous Republican Speakers, Perlmutter said, could never do enough to appease the far right of the party. “If you don’t adhere to their super rightwing principles, you’re gonna have a tough time.”
The September 30th vote on a 45-day continuing resolution to keep the government open passed the House 335-91. The Senate signed off on it a few hours later. But Congress will again be wrestling with the same situation when the continuing resolution expires November 17th.
In order to keep government operating, Democrats had to swallow especially hard on the Republican omission to the CR that would have provided continuing aid to Ukraine. “While we support this measure to end this immediate crisis, we continue our call for additional funding to support Ukraine,” said New Hampshire Congresswoman Annie Kuster. Democrats say they’ll look for other ways to keep U.S. assistance to Ukraine.
Two names have surfaced to replace McCarthy in the Speaker’s chair, Ohio’s Jim Jordan and Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise. Both come with baggage that may stand in their way of winning the top spot.
Jordan, perhaps the House’s most ardent Trump acolyte—he communicated frequently with Trump on January 6th—ignited the current impeachment inquiry into President Biden. Democrats have rained criticism on the hearings calling them nothing more than a ‘no evidence’ show. Jordan has also been linked to an Ohio State University sexual abuse scandal in which a number of former wrestlers say Jordan, a former coach, knew about it yet did nothing.
Scalise has his own issues. He once bragged that he was “David Duke without the baggage.” Duke once held the rank of Grand Dragon in the KKK. Scalise, who now walks with cane as a result of being shot while preparing to play in a congressional softball game, was also recently diagnosed with a form of blood cancer. He says the disease was caught early and expects a full recovery.
“I was friendly with Jordan and the same with Scalise,” said Perlmutter. “We’ve always been cordial.” But, he said, both may have trouble getting the votes for confirmation. “It’s going to be a 3,4,5 vote difference,” he predicted. In the end, neither may land the job and a dark horse may end up in the Speaker’s chair.
A temporary speaker, North Carolina’s Patrick Henry, will hold the spot until McCarthy’s replacement is named. Interestingly, one of McHenry’s first acts as Speaker Pro-Temp was to evict Nancy Pelosi from her office. McCarthy is thought to have instigated the move and is expected to take residency in the soon-to-be vacant space.
As the congressional soap opera continues, Gaetz, who railed against McCarthy, yet used his camera time to fundraise, may once again play a crucial role. The Florida congressman says he could support either man but, as is the case in these matters, support also means pocketing a few promises. Or pay a price similar to the one McCarthy recently paid.
“Matt is—how do you describe him—a very smart guy… loves to say extreme and outrageous things,” Perlmutter admits. A “direct character who likes to say inflammatory things,” is another descriptive Perlmutter uses to describe his former colleague.
Both Jordan and Scalise need to be prepared for one of Gaetz or the House extreme right members’ attacks if they don’t get what they want from either man. For proof, Perlmutter. said, just ask one of McCarthy’s predecessors, John Boehner. “Boehner quit because he couldn’t take it.”
The historic dumping of the Speaker does not reflect well in polling. One recent poll gauging Congress’ approval with the public showed single-digit approval. Continued internecine squabbling could inch it even closer to the bottom.
This trend may continue with one candidate for the top House job, Scalise, once very publicly comparing himself to a former Klan leader, the other, Jordan, a vital cog in the January 6th insurrection. A vote for the Speaker’s job is scheduled for Wednesday, October 11th.
