Kevin McCarthy

2023 - 1 - 7

Post cover — Image courtesy of "POLITICO Magazine"

The Shakespearean Tragedy of Kevin McCarthy, Prince of Washington (POLITICO Magazine)

Warring factions, a man possessed by naked ambition, a tragic fall from grace. Where have we seen this play before?

“I rise to cast my vote for a member not of the Freedom Caucus, but for Kevin,” she taunted during one of the votes on Thursday. We turn to the whole of Shakespeare’s works so we can understand the themes that rhyme with each other, the blocks on which rulers stumble, and the tides in the affairs of men. As we spoke, she broke out the script and read from a scene in which Caesar had just left the Senate and Casca and Brutus were each calculating whether the other was safe to conspire with. Aaron Posner, a theater professor at American University, says that the plays occupy such a treasured place in our collective imagination because they hold broader lessons on power: “what will you do to get it, what will you do to hold it, and [how] the only bad thing is the losing of it.” 3, as the caucus sat in a closed-door meeting that preceded the first ballot, McCarthy grew more and more convinced that he was the rightful heir to the speakership, thundering, “I’ve earned this goddamn job!” But as he led his foot soldiers into battle, akin to many a Shakespearean commander, his once-loyal subjects broke rank. [seasoned theater critics certainly think so](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/19/theater/trump-shakespeare-comparisons.html), urging Washington’s commentators to turn the page on the Shakespeare references and quit stretching the metaphors. Since McCarthy’s arrival in the House in 2007, his Republican colleagues watched with a certain measure of astonishment as he shape-shifted. Is he instead Hamlet, staring into the eyes of a skull at arm’s length, trying to avenge the ghost of Donald Trump? Like the Scottish protagonist, McCarthy’s preferred method of consolidating power was to keep the characters in his caucus happy. It may be an exercise in futility to attempt to find a one-to-one comparison between real life and the page. [tweeted Robin Young](https://twitter.com/hereandnowrobin/status/1610354648904237057), the co-host of NPR’s “Here and Now,” “I’d check my tea for hemlock,” a reference to the poisonous herb used to make the witch’s brew that sets in motion Macbeth’s tragic downfall. For eight terms, he’d waited, dutifully crafting a script that would allow him to seize power over the lower chamber, only for a rebellious band of Republicans to conveniently forget the lines he’d asked them to memorize.

Kevin McCarthy elected US House Speaker after 15 rounds of voting (BBC News)

The Republican is finally chosen after a week of chaos and angry scenes between colleagues in his own party.

Mr McCarthy opened his acceptance speech joking; "that was easy, eh?" "Maybe it didn't determine the outcome, but that is no way to conduct the people's business. "Two years ago insurrectionists failed to take over the Capitol," Congressman Eric Swalwell wrote on Twitter. "He was with me from the beginning... The Alabama congressman had to be physically restrained by colleagues as he bellowed and jabbed his finger at Mr Gaetz. And I will never give up for you, the American people."

Kevin McCarthy finally wins US Speaker vote after tensions boil over ... (Sky News)

The Speaker is one of the most powerful positions in US politics and without one, Congress cannot function. This week's failed votes marked the highest ...

Previously the role was held by Democrat Nancy Pelosi. The Speaker is one of the most powerful positions in US politics and without one, Congress cannot function. The Speaker of the House is one of the most powerful positions in US politics. The Speaker is taken from the party with the largest majority in the House and so depending on their allegiances can be a help or a hindrance to the US President. The Speaker is one of the most powerful positions in US politics, and this week's failed votes marked the highest number of ballots for the speakership since 1859, two years before the start of the American Civil War. Mr McCarthy's party had taken control of the House – the US lower chamber – following the midterm elections in the autumn, with a slim 222-212 majority.

Life-long dream finally realised for Kevin McCarthy (RTE.ie)

Becoming Speaker of House of Representatives and the third most powerful politician in America has been a life-long dream for Kevin McCarthy.

It has been a dramatic and historic journey for the proud Irish-American. He married his high school sweetheart, Judy, in 1992 and they have two children together. Becoming Speaker of House of Representatives and the third most powerful politician in America has been a life-long dream for Kevin McCarthy.

Kevin McCarthy finally elected speaker but divisions in Republican ... (The Irish Times)

Dramatic and chaotic scenes on the floor of the US House of Representatives as speaker elected after 15 separate votes.

There is talk of capping discretionary spending at 2022 levels, meaning cuts would have to be made in the years ahead. Republicans quickly switched their votes to oppose the adjournment. This removed one obstacle to him securing the post. Eventually McCarthy reached a deal with some of the rebels before, in a late night session on Friday night, wearing down the hardliners who continued to oppose him. Republicans ended up with a very slender majority, which meant McCarthy could afford to lose just four votes on his own side if he was to become speaker. However, within weeks McCarthy had travelled to meet Trump at his home in Florida to make peace.

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy pledges to tackle immigration ... (CNBC)

Newly elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he wants to "be the check and provide some balance" to President Joe Biden's policies.

"Jill and I congratulate Kevin McCarthy on his election as Speaker of the House," said Biden. "Congratulations to Kevin McCarthy and our GREAT Republican Party!" McCarthy's first job as speaker was to swear in the other 433 members of Congress, who had been in limbo as members-elect since Tuesday, when the 118th Congress first opened. "I don't think he should, anybody should doubt his influence," McCarthy said. "And now we need to finish strong for the American people." McCarthy claimed he will pass bills fixing "urgent" problems in the nation with an America-first approach. "No more ignoring this crisis of safety and sovereignty," he said. He highlighted immigration reform as a top priority, saying the Republican-controlled House will hold some of its first hearings of the year at the Southern border. He said the first legislation he plans to tackle will repeal funding for more than 87,000 new IRS agents. [Donald Trump](https://www.cnbc.com/donald-trump/) for his support and said he was crucial in securing the final votes McCarthy needed. - The U.S. McCarthy said the tense showdown on the House floor this week was proof that he is not someone who gives up easily.

Kevin McCarthy elected US House Speaker after 15 rounds of voting (BBC News)

The Republican is finally chosen after a week of chaos and angry scenes between colleagues in his own party.

PHOTOS: The drama-filled process to elect Kevin McCarthy as ... (WJCT NEWS)

Friday was the fourth day of voting for House speaker. Photographers captured tense moments in the House chamber as lawmakers negotiated.

Here's a peek at what the tense, drawn-out negotiations looked like on the final day, on and around the chamber floor. After a chaotic four days and 15 rounds of voting to elect a speaker of the House, California Republican Kevin McCarthy finally emerged victorious early Saturday to convene a new Congress. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Kevin McCarthy's Hollow Victory Will Have Economic and Political ... (The New Yorker)

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene takes a selfie with Republican leader Kevin McCarthy. As Kevin McCarthy waited for the official tally, Representative ...

The new rules agreement for the 118th Congress, to which McCarthy acceded in order to win over the MAGA holdouts, and which will almost certainly be voted through on Monday, calls for the establishment of three new investigative subcommittees. (During the drama on Friday night, the Lear of Mar-a-Lago called several MAGA holdouts to ask them to support the beleaguered Californian.) But it doesn’t explain how the Republican Party has been reduced to this sorry state, or why McCarthy would still want the job of Speaker in these circumstances. Although Trump is not named explicitly, the added language would appear to give the new subcommittee license to look into, and perhaps hold up, the Justice Department’s investigations of his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his post-Presidential mishandling of hundreds of classified documents. [Politico reported](https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/07/gop-panel-criminal-investigations-00076890) that this reference appeared to have been added to the rules during last-minute negotiations between McCarthy and his ultra-right opponents. Earlier this week, Representative Ralph Norman, of South Carolina, who is a member of the Freedom Caucus, called on McCarthy to “shut down the government rather than raise the debt ceiling,” adding that this demand was “a non-negotiable item.” In this instance, it would be a mistake to focus exclusively on the MAGA crazies: months ago, McCarthy and Senator John Thune, of South Dakota, both made clear that they favored using the debt limit to force big cuts in spending. A repeat of the 2011 debt-ceiling crisis, in which the G.O.P.-led House of Representatives defied President Barack Obama, now seems likely, and it could be a lengthy one. Ultimately, perhaps, even the members of the Freedom Caucus won’t want to be held responsible for a financial crash that tanks their voters’ 401(k) plans and endangers the mighty dollar, especially at the start of another Presidential-election campaign. performance art, which will likely encompass passing legislation that has no chance of being enacted by the Democratic-controlled Senate and holding innumerable conspiracy-theory-stoking hearings into the Based on his own self-serving modus operandi, McCarthy doesn’t have much choice but to comply; if he is to get anything done over the next two years, he will need to retain the support of Greene and many other far-right extremists. This prospect is already raising alarms on Wall Street, where attention is focussing on the need to raise the debt ceiling and prevent a U.S. In return for backing McCarthy, Greene will likely receive new committee assignments and be treated, by Party leaders, as an important ally, despite the fact that just last month she said the January 6th insurrection would have succeeded if she and Steve Bannon had been in charge of it. In February, 2021, eleven House Republicans voted with the Democrats to strip Greene of her committee assignments.

PHOTOS: The drama-filled process to elect Kevin McCarthy as ... (NPR)

Friday was the fourth day of voting for House speaker. Photographers captured tense moments in the House chamber as lawmakers negotiated.

Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/Getty Images hide caption Bryan Steil, (R-Wis.), holds up the tally sheet in the House chamber after Rep. Rep.-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) offers a phone with the initials "DT" to Rep.-elect Matt Rosendale (R-MT). Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., speaks as the House meets for the fourth day to elect a speaker. Republican members walk out of the chamber as Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., interrupts Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) is restrained after getting into an argument with Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., talks to Rep. Rep. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images toggle caption House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy takes the oath of office after he was elected on the 15th ballot.

Kevin McCarthy

Explore the last week