A stark split screen from Washington
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, cener right, talks with Rep. Matt Gaetz after losing the 14th vote for speaker in the House Friday night. MCarthy was finally elected speaker after a 15th vote late into the night. Credit: AP/Andrew Harnik
Friday brought a stark split-screen from Washington.
The day began on the steps of the U.S. Capitol with a somber commemoration of the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot. Families of officers who died in the aftermath read aloud the names of loved ones.
That was followed, deep into the night, by the proceedings inside that same building as Republicans labored to elect a speaker of the House. And in that effort, longtime speaker wannabe Kevin McCarthy was negotiating with, and caving in to, a group of 21 holdouts — most of whom had voted not to certify the 2020 presidential election and most of whom had voted against awarding Congressional Gold Medals to the Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police for their efforts to protect the Capitol and the lawmakers inside as they tried to fulfill their constitutional duty on Jan. 6, 2021.
A further contrast to McCarthy’s actions came when President Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal to 12 people — law enforcement officers, election officials, and poll workers — who resisted attempts to overturn the election.
McCarthy’s deal-making eventually brought over most of the holdouts and got him within striking distance of the speakership he eventually claimed (after some late treachery — what a surprise). But his unholy alliance will long be remembered by people who cherish our democracy.
McCarthy had presaged his capitulation when he followed his post-Jan. 6 criticism of Donald Trump by quickly scurrying back to the ex-president’s fold, earning the demeaning “My Kevin” sobriquet. The about-face could be seen even then as part of his long campaign for the gavel. But a real leader would have called out his tormentors last week, at the very least for putting performative politics before governance. If you viewed the endless proceedings on the House floor as something akin to a slow-motion car wreck, you also saw that leadership was lying amid the rubble strewed along the shoulder of the road, one of the casualties.
McCarthy’s tolerance of — and talent for — self-abasement during his quest has been painful to watch. Step by step, he caved on a series of issues that stripped his position of much of the tools and authority that can be marshaled for good by an effective speaker.
Compounding his unleadership was his motive. He never seemed to want to be speaker to advance legislation or achieve lofty goals. He has no real convictions along those lines. His ambition seemed to be for the title only, since he’s given away so much of its power.
Now we are left to wonder how the next two years will unfold. McCarthy’s House seems unmanageable, and might be even with a less handicapped leader at the helm. In extracting concessions from him, the rebels know they won the day. Other days will come and larger issues, like funding the government and the nation’s debt ceiling, will loom. Concessions will be harder to come by.
The disquieting spectacle also included familiar interparty attacks couched in nominating speeches for speaker candidates. Many spoke about what the American people sent them to Washington to do, but it’s not like we-the-people are rowing in the same direction. If we do agree on anything regarding Washington, it’s that we want Congress to work. And there was little hint of that on the House floor last week.
One hopes that we are not, to borrow a phrase, just getting the government we deserve. But we, like Congress, are divided. We are increasingly short-tempered with those we perceive as foes. We engage in verbal brawls, all the way down to the school and library board level.
And we no doubt saw different things when we looked at the split screen on Friday.
n COLUMNIST MICHAEL DOBIE’S opinions are his own.
Michael Dobie is a member of the Newsday editorial board.
