Kevin McCarthy is House Speaker because it’s what Donald Trump wanted
Despite the charade we witnessed last week by 20-or-so faux conservatives, Kevin McCarthy’s ascension to the position of Speaker of the House was never in doubt because Donald Trump wanted him to get the job all along. And as we all know, whatever Trump wants, Trumpist Republicans will make sure he gets.
One of the concerns held by conservatives about Kevin McCarthy becoming Speaker of the House was his track record of John Boehner-styled sellouts to the far-left along with his Mitch McConnell-styled blame game against conservatives whenever they displeased the Republican Party bosses.
Boehner was a master at selling out conservatives and our values, and he routinely punished them and others within the Republican Party if they dared to put principles ahead of politics. When he resigned as Speaker in 2015, Republicans selected Paul Ryan — the man who reminded America of the song “Won’t Get Fooled Again” by The Who because the new boss was the same as the old boss — over Kevin McCarthy who was the Republican Party majority “leader” in the House at the time.
Kevin McCarthy was rejected in 2015 even though he was Boehner’s right-hand man in the McConnell/Boehner war against members of the TEA Party and other conservative Republicans. After Democrats slaughtered Republicans in the 2018 midterm, McCarthy blamed conservatives for the party’s losses and, in one of his first actions after getting reelected as party leader, he doled out some political payback against Freedom Caucus members and others who voted against him.
As a Republican leader in the mold of John Boehner, Kevin McCarthy has always been bad news for conservatives, but his Trumpism made him even worse when it came to the conservative cause.
In the aftermath of the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, McCarthy spoke on the House floor and blamed Dear Leader for the events of that day:
“The president bears responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on Congress by mob rioters. He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding. These facts require immediate action by President Trump, (to) accept his share of responsibility, quell the brewing unrest and ensure President-elect Biden is able to successfully begin his term.”
As you might expect, Lord Trump was displeased with McCarthy’s speech, and that led to a face-to-face groveling session at Mar-a-Lago between the California congressman and his master. In the end, McCarthy adopted Trump’s talking points about a “stolen” election, and he shifted blame for the insurrection from Trump to Nancy Pelosi.
Following this meeting, McCarthy began attacking Republicans who refused to worship at the altar of Trumpism, and one of his primary targets became Liz Cheney for her vote to impeach Donald Trump after the insurrection, and for her refusal to promote his “Big Lie” conspiracy theories about how the 2020 election was stolen. This eventually led to the ouster of Liz Cheney as the #3 Republican in the House.
Which brings us to the events of this past week and the faux conservative’s faux objection to making Kevin McCarthy House Speaker, and Donald Trump’s “behind the scenes” orchestration of the affair from the very beginning (via Breitbart):
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who will chair the Judiciary Committee in the 118th Congress and was a crucial player in these negotiations, lauded Trump for his work helping to bring about a deal.
“This doesn’t get done without the support and leadership of President Trump,” he told Breitbart News.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) also acknowledged the 45th president’s role in the negotiations while speaking with reporters Friday, noting he “has played a good part in this.”
Another source familiar with the matter indicated that Trump had been engaged in the process since early December, making phone calls throughout the month to whip votes and consolidate support behind McCarthy. These calls were not mere one-offs but included ongoing correspondences with many different lawmakers.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) told Breitbart News on Friday that Trump’s “role was huge” in the negotiations. Specifically, she pointed to his statements in support of McCarthy this week and the phone calls he was making behind the scenes. (Emphasis mine)
After the election was over, McCarthy also credited Trump for the victory in an official statement:
McCarthy: “I do want to especially thank Pres Trump. I don’t think anyone should doubt his influence. He was with me from the beginning. He was all in. What he’s really saying for the party and the country is we have to come together.” pic.twitter.com/KWEFQQAHkn
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) January 7, 2023
“I do want to especially thank Pres Trump. I don’t think anyone should doubt his influence. He was with me from the beginning. He was all in.”
Any questions about Trump’s involvement were answered on Truth Social by the man himself when he praised the “fake news” media for being “very gracious” in reporting his help before taking a bow for “[doing] our Country a big favor!”
The debates and multiple votes for House Speaker were nothing more than a made-for-TV performance by a handful of faux conservatives trying to convince us that they are putting the needs of the country over partisan politics. In reality, they used the occasion as an opportunity to keep Donald Trump and his nationalist agenda front and center.
Despite Kevin McCarthy’s track record as a John Boehner-styled Republican Party leader, he’s now Speaker of the House for the 118th Congress, and in the end, that’s exactly what Donald Trump wanted.
David Leach is the owner of the Strident Conservative. He holds people of every political stripe accountable for their failure to uphold conservative values, and he promotes those values instead of political parties.
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