Relax, The GOP Fight Over House Speaker Doesn’t Really Matter

After three rounds on Tuesday, Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy did not secure the 218 votes needed to become Speaker of the House. It was the first occasion in a century that the ballot went to multiple ballots. Now, “fight spills into a second chaotic day,” notes ABC News. There’s a lot Washington is full excitement  

Because the GOP takes a few more days to get their leadership vote, it is unlikely that any of the voters in the area of zero will have a change of mind or political affiliation. There is nothing particularly dysfunctional in disagreeing on this question. McCarthy isn’t an admiral or preordained by the Lord to be speaker, so this isn’t “mutiny,” it’s just a vote. A battle for leadership is a better example of democratic dynamics than traditional lockstepping. This type of parliamentary battle would be completely normal in other democratic countries.

However the vote ends up, though, it won’t matter much because neither side in this battle has anything special or particularly consequential to offer.

“This is about saving the country and getting somebody that’s going to cut and get us on a financial path of solvency,” claims McCarthy supporter Ralph Norman. Guess what? Kevin McCarthy isn’t Henry Clay. He possesses no extraordinary skill or vision that makes him uniquely qualified to stop the Democrats’ next spending bill, much less “save” The country. Insufferable is the ingenuity and sanctimony displayed by politicians who believe that the world needs their talents. You can venerate middling politicians by becoming a Democrat and throwing your hosannas to Nancy Pelosi.

These days, Republicans require more competency than any other thing. The American people voted to split government power — again. House Republicans have the governing mandate to monitor the executive branch. With a slim House majority, and the Senate and presidency in the hands of Democrats, the only requisite skill needed in a speaker is the ability to corral the party’s factions to stop the opposition. How will you achieve consensus in a partisan vote to become a leader?

“You can’t accommodate a small group that essentially has you hostage, and that’s what’s going on here — we’re not going to do it,” says Don Bacon, McCarthy booster Sure you can. This isn’t the papacy. Is there any other conservative in Congress with basic skills who could bring together the party? McCarthy could go back to his roots as a congressman or a lobbyist, and the country would be exactly the same as it was before he left. McCarthy is as competent as any other member of Congress. However, he’s not as good as anyone in Congress.

But what’s the point? It’s not clear to me. Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert do not have a competing legislative agenda, or coherent philosophical positions. McCarthy went out of his way for placating

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