In a recent political stir, U.S. Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) declared he won’t be seeking the Speaker’s chair again following a vote that saw him ousted from the position.
An alliance of eight Republicans and Democrats culminated in a 216-210 vote on Tuesday, making McCarthy’s tenure as Speaker a thing of the past.
“I won’t run for speaker again,” McCarthy said, emphasizing his persistent faith in the citizens of the nation. “I’ll never give up on the American people. That doesn’t mean I have to be speaker to do what I have to do for the American people.”
The episode has shone a spotlight on the disagreements within the Republican ranks, as the handful of conservative hardliners who voted against McCarthy cited broken promises as the crux of their grievance.
Notably among them were Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Eli Crane of Arizona, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ken Buck of Colorado, Bob Good of Virginia, and Matt Rosendale of Montana.
The reasons for dissent varied among the defectors.
Rep. Burchett’s discontent had a personal touch to it, as he felt mocked by McCarthy over a prayerful deliberation on a critical decision, according to The Washington Times.
He explained that the incident was the tipping point, as he had desired to hear McCarthy out, stating, “That sealed it right there for me because I wanted to listen to what he had to say.”
Reps. Crane and Good voiced their disappointment over McCarthy’s alleged departure from a commitment to revert the appropriations process to a standard protocol, commonly referred to on Capitol Hill as passing the annual dozen spending bills individually rather than lumping them together in a massive omnibus package.
On the other hand, Rep. Rosendale pointed to a myriad of issues, prominently lambasting McCarthy for being a feeble leader incapable of championing conservative causes in a Democrat-dominated Senate.
He accused McCarthy of betraying the trust of both the American populace and the Republican Conference, articulating, “Unfortunately, Kevin McCarthy violated his promise to the American people and the Republican Conference by working against them repeatedly and supporting ploys to aid the Left.”
Rep. Mace echoed a similar sentiment regarding the slow progress on spending bills.
She criticized McCarthy for not living up to his assurances to enhance women’s welfare, especially in extending better access to birth control.
She expressed her discontent not just as a fiscal conservative, but also as a woman, stating, “If you make a promise, you should keep it, and if you promise women you’re going to help them, then you damn well better do it. So as a fiscal conservative, I’m angry. As a woman, I am deeply frustrated.”
