The historic and embarrassing dismissal of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House of Representatives leaves an open wound within the Republican Party that will be difficult to heal. Ahead, uncertainty in abundance and the paralysis of the Lower House, which will not be able to continue operating without a speaker in front. The main problem now is the lack of a clear candidate or a specific date for when they will be able to vote for the new leader. There is talk of next Wednesday and four names to replace the congressman from California, everything bathed in a dense layer of confusion.
The only one who has taken a step forward is Jim Jordanrepresentative of Ohio, on a potential list in which Steve Scalise, of Louisiana, the number two of the House of Representatives, Tom Emmer, of Minnesota and Elise Stefanik, congresswoman for New York, the only woman who at the moment points to a possible replacement for McCarthy. The former president has made it clear that he will not run again.
“Unfortunately, 4% of our caucus can join the Democrats and dictate who will be the speaker Republican in this House,” lamented the one from Bakersfield after the vote to dismiss him. “I don’t regret having negotiated or trying to reach consensus.”
His words are a clear warning of what may be to come. It matters little who is chosen by the party. The new speaker He will arrive knowing that he will have to submit to the scrutiny of the radical wing of the party, the same one that ended up sentencing McCarthy after nine months of obstacles and a dysfunctional mandate. During that time, they have not only made clear his opposition to the leader in the House but also his lack of intention to carry out measures, including his refusal to grant a budget extension to avoid a partial closure of the Government.
From the moderate wing of the party they want to modify the rule to stop being at the mercy of the will of a few. “We are in favor of a rule that prevents a single person from proposing the dismissal of the speaker“said Mark Alford, congressman from Missouri. “It should be a majority, 50% plus one, otherwise too much power is given to a few to be able to change the course of History. That was the Achilles heel that ended up costing McCarthy his job. We have to change that rule now.”