Today, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have a preliminary vote to determine their candidate for Speaker. They will choose Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — as well they should. His ability to make connections in the House makes him the best candidate.
Today’s vote is a preliminary conference vote to determine the candidate Republicans will field in the crucial floor vote for Speaker on Oct. 29.
“That resignation of the Speaker is a stark indication of the disarray of the House Republicans,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a press conference last Friday morning.
Failures to trust and compromise on policy have created clashing factions of a majority party that now refuse to work together. McCarthy’s ability to unite a thoroughly divided Republican party will determine his success as Speaker.
Since January, Republicans have held majorities in both houses of Congress. Approval of the Keystone XL pipeline is almost the only key legislation to pass both houses in 2015. McCarthy’s ability to listen and unite is badly needed in the Speaker’s chair.
“The roots of Boehner’s downfall were in the lack of trust that developed between him and a number of members of his own conference,” Igor Birman, chief-of-staff for Rep. Tom McClintock, told the Collegian while he was on campus last week.
The duty of the Speaker is not just to represent his own party — especially not only one sector of his party — but to act on behalf of the entire chamber. It’s a position that should bring caucuses together.
“We have to sell a vision and win an argument before squabbling about particular policies,” Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) tweeted on Sunday evening, in a stream of comments about the role of the Speaker and party unity in Congress.
McCarthy faces two challengers: Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) for the Speaker’s gavel, but neither pose a serious threat: Webster garnered only 12 votes when he ran against Boehner last spring; Chaffetz, a long-shot candidate who announced his run just four days before the conference vote, is the far-right’s lame attempt to shut down perceived lukewarm conservatism without offering a better alternative.
Boehner’s resignation was necessary because he failed to listen to members of his party — many of whom now back Chaffetz. But listening is McCarthy’s greatest strength.
“He called me once just to say hi and I didn’t call him back because I thought he was too busy to take the call,” Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) told the New York Times last week. “He saw me later in the hallway and asked why I didn’t call him back. He’s just great at building coalitions.”
Many conservative Republicans wanted Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) run for the Speaker’s seat, but Ryan declined to run, instead endorsing McCarthy instead.
“Kevin is exceptionally good at bringing people together,” Ryan wrote in a recent endorsement of McCarthy. “He doesn’t shy away from the important fights, and he knows how to win — with respect and civility that is often lacking in today’s politics… He’s also the best listener I know.”
Politics is the art of compromise. If House Republicans hope to stay in office, they’re going to have to start making some.
McCarthy’s been facilitating compromises in the House since 2011, when he became Majority Whip. He spent the weekend after Boehner’s resignation calling all 247 Republicans in the caucus to ask about their concerns, goals, and what they need going forward.
Members of the House exist to represent their constituents, not shut down the government when they don’t get their way. It’s time for the die-hards in Congress to get a grip. McCarthy’s their man.
