WASHINGTON: In a series of humiliating votes viewed as a rebuke to the party establishment, renegade right-wing Republicans prevented popular Kevin McCarthy from becoming speaker of the House of Representatives, throwing the new US Congress into chaos on Tuesday.
The California representative required a basic larger part to be chosen as Washington’s top official, who manages House business and is second in line to the administration.
However, despite widespread coverage across US television networks, Republicans failed to elect a speaker for the first time in a century during the tense first three rounds of voting.
The party is facing a prolonged battle to elect a speaker that could further exacerbate internal divisions and put McCarthy’s political career in jeopardy rather than celebrating their new control of the House.
After last year’s midterm elections, the 57-year-old needed 218 votes in the lower chamber, which flipped to a Republican majority of 222-212.
However, he was shocked to receive 19 “no” votes from his own side in each of the first two rounds, rising to 20 in the third, and he was unable to bring the party rebels, which included several prominent allies of the former president Donald Trump, into line.
Although there is little doubt that a Republican will ultimately claim the speaker’s gavel, his performance was so poor that he lost to Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries in each of the first three votes.
After withdrawing from the race in 2015 due to a number of errors and a right-wing revolt, McCarthy has long desired the role.
‘The next steps’
Despite bowing to their requests to pursue aggressive investigations of Democrats, including President Joe Biden, after taking control of the House, he was once more entangled by far-right rebels this time.
With Republicans steadily gaining momentum, lawmakers agreed to adjourn until Wednesday to regroup, heal, and devise a plan to transform a catastrophic defeat into an unlikely victory.
Florida’s Byron Donalds issued a statement prior to the adjournment that stated, “The reality is Rep. Kevin McCarthy doesn’t have the votes.” He urged fellow members of the party conference to “recess and huddle” in search of a breakthrough.
A century ago, in 1923, the selection of a speaker for a new Congress required more than one round of voting. One speaker determination process in 1855 required 133 rounds of casting a ballot more than two months.
McCarthy – – who had been attempting to stay away from little coteries straying from the floor to hold their own dealings – – at first wanted to keep individuals in the room and casting a ballot until he had figured out how to club his opponents into accommodation.
According to reports from US media, lawmakers and staff members who were in favor of McCarthy had begun the day by stating that he should withdraw if he was unable to secure the gavel in the second round.
It is not out of the question that a new candidate who has not been a part of the process could come to the forefront; the House is expected to hold additional ballots beginning at noon (1700 GMT) on Wednesday until someone emerges with a majority.
Trump loyalty
The perception that some on the extreme right of his party think that McCarthy is not sufficiently loyal to Trump, who is running for the presidency once more after losing to Biden in 2020, was one obstacle in the way of McCarthy’s elevation.
By the time the meeting was adjourned, no serious Republican challenger to McCarthy had emerged, though Steve Scalise, the new House majority leader, is a McCarthyite who has made it clear that he has his own goals.
But Scalise is probably seen as more of the same by the “Never Kevin” crowd.
Hardliner investigations of Biden’s family, administration, and the FBI and CIA have already been promised by McCarthy, who defied a subpoena from the House panel investigating the 2021 assault on the Capitol.
Be that as it may, the more he is viewed as surrendering to one side, the almost certain he is to estrange moderates, starting open conflict among Senate and House conservatives, where there is as of now little love lost.
For the Republicans in Congress, things weren’t all bad.
Tuesday marked the start of a new term in the Senate, and Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell broke the record for the longest-serving Senate leader.
After the House was adjourned on Tuesday evening, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “There is so much unnecessary turmoil in the Republican party.” He specifically blamed McConnell for the divisions, but he did not mention McCarthy or the chaos in the House.
Source: AFP
