Crenshaw torches McCarthy House speaker detractors: They have no plan, doing 'disservice' to American people
FOX NewsJan 06, 2023
On Friday, the US House of Representatives continued its historic stand-off, as Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) made progress towards securing house leadership, but still lacked a critical mass. As of Friday evening, McCarthy had lost all 13 rounds of voting with the House adjourning until 10:00 pm EST.
Despite failing to be elected speaker, McCarthy did make progress not seen in previous days. During the 12th round of voting, he flipped 14 Republicans who hadn't voted for him in previous rounds; in the 13th round, he flipped an additional vote. He expressed confidence in shortly clinching the role.
The remaining "Never Kevin" detractors seem to be campaigning on the House floor rather than fighting for substantive change. McCarthy has already promised to enact most of the concessions requested, but these so-called "anti-establishment" representatives are only pushing the talking points that their ill-advised consultants have fed them.
No matter what happens with this vote, Kevin McCarthy and his staunchest supporters — including Donald Trump — will have learned that even a 16-year congressional veteran can't bully dissenters the way he could in the past. Even hardcore Trump supporters like Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert have ignored his endorsement because they understand that figures like McCarthy will never like them so long as they oppose the money-fueled elitism of the establishment GOP.
It's deeply ironic that amid Friday's voting turmoil and drama, only one Republican showed up to mark a Congressional memorial of the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots of 2021. While the memorial was ongoing, much of the House of the GOP was reportedly on a Speaker conference call. This turbulence isn't a good look as America also reflects on a historic day.