Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., talks with Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., during opening day of the 118th Congress at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, Jan 3, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Andrew Harnik/AP

The reckless alliance that deposed McCarthy

Washington Examiner October 05, 05:01 AM October 05, 12:02 AM Video Embed

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is a bombastic attention seeker who has put his name into national headlines by leading a rebellion that toppled Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) speakership. It was he who filed the motion to vacate the chair, and regrettably, a few Republicans and every Democrat followed his lead. That seven other Republicans allied with him to throw the House into chaos at a time when it should be, and was, passing appropriations bills was reckless.

It is a vote those Republicans will forever carry with them.

THE RACE IS ON: WHO COULD REPLACE MCCARTHY AS SPEAKER?

For Democrats, wishing ill on the leader of an opposing party is not unusual or objectionable in a democracy. But House Democrats took a big gamble when they chose to collaborate with the Gaetz Gang on Tuesday, and they may soon regret trading McCarthy for whomever Republicans pick to replace him.

McCarthy’s exit from House leadership harms our democracy. Alone among recent leaders in both chambers and both parties, McCarthy ran the House by regular order, meaning rank-and-file members were able to file and vote on amendments.

As Washington became more partisan and polarized, then-Speakers Nancy Pelosi, John Boehner, and Paul Ryan all centralized power in leadership, wrote legislation behind closed doors, and then presented it for up or down votes without amendments. The same is true for current and former Senate Majority Leaders Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Members of Congress were treated as lobby fodder until McCarthy took over.

His decision to allow more than 500 amendment votes this Congress was not made out of the kindness of his heart. It was one of his promises to Republicans when seeking their support for his leadership. They took him at his word, and he kept it.

The damage to Democrats from their partnership with Gaetz might come sooner than they think, for a path to a supplemental funding bill for Ukraine, which they claim to want, was much clearer with McCarthy as speaker than it is likely to be in the immediate future.

Now the House can’t pass anything for at least a week as Republicans choose a new speaker, and whoever emerges from that contest will probably not be in a position to bring Ukraine funding to the floor for a vote.

If Democrats thought that by siding with Gaetz and creating chaos — this is the first time in history that a speaker has been ousted — they might end up with a Speaker Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), they must have been smoking something. The House minority leader is a far-left ideologue who supports abortion till birth, open borders, and defunding the police. No Republican will ever vote for him for speaker, even though Democrats made such an appeal to them.

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), who represents a district won by President Joe Biden, responded to a Jeffries tweet that asked “traditional Republicans” to “walk away from MAGA extremism and join us in partnership” by writing, “Get real. You aligned yourself with Matt Gaetz to upend the institution and seek political gain in the process. You could have put the country first by refusing to partake in this fraud.” So that alliance isn’t happening.

If a McCarthy ally such as House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) emerges from the Republican conference, the Democrats will have gained nothing except a delay or possible loss of Ukraine funding. If Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who is also running, takes the gavel, there will probably be less bipartisan action even than there is now.

Ultimately, Tuesday’s fiasco is the fault of Republican primary voters who chose to be represented by the likes of Gaetz and the other political bomb throwers. The seven Republicans who voted with every Democrat haven’t figured out that politics is a team sport and that only by working with others in your own party can you get the best deal in the end with the other party.

It is a lesson more Republican primary voters should learn before the next presidential primary.

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