Republican Man Can’t Take No for an Answer
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) lost his 12th vote for Speaker of the House. How many more times are we going to do this?
Politics

In his utterly embarrassing bid to become Speaker of the House, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has practically promised all but his first-born child to ultra conservative detractors who have dubbed themselves “Never Kevin.” On the fourth day of voting and the 12th(!) ballot, he’s finally making some progress—but the whole spectacle is humiliating nonetheless.
It is literally the House Speaker’s job to whip and count votes on legislation, and McCarthy is showing very publicly that he’s not up to the task. Say what you will about the political views of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), but she was exceptionally effective in the role. She rarely ever went into a vote without knowing whether she would win, and certainly not one for herself as Speaker. Please contrast that philosophy with Kevin’s:
When Pelosi faced a challenge to her leadership post in 2016, she held a closed-door vote first, rather than air the party’s dirty laundry live on TV. Even Republicans are mad about the shitshow this week, as Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) told Politico: “The actions of a few that have shut down the House has embarrassed the GOP and our country.”