(Dan Tri) – US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy lost his position when he promised many things but could not keep them.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was dismissed after an unprecedented vote in US history on October 3 (Photo: Washington Post).
To sit as Speaker of the US House of Representatives in January, Mr. McCarthy had to stand down in front of a group of tough Republican senators.
On October 3, a Republican Congressman – Matt Gaetz – activated that right and successfully dismissed Mr. McCarthy, with the help of the Democrats.
Over the past 9 months, Mr. McCarthy has tried to hold on by many times compromising with a group of far-right lawmakers within the Republican Party.
He agreed to open an impeachment investigation of President Joe Biden.
All his efforts were ultimately in vain.
Internal contradictions within the Republican Party
When it was time to vote on October 3, all 208 Democratic House Representatives voted to dismiss Mr. McCarthy.
But 8 Republican lawmakers turned their backs on the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The key behind Mr. McCarthy’s loss of office lies in the internal conflict within the Republican Party in the House of Representatives, between a minority group that wants to change the system and a majority that wants to maintain the status quo.
The majority of House Republicans believe they need to lower expectations about legislative goals at a time when Republicans only hold a narrow majority in the House of Representatives, while both the White House and the Senate are controlled by Democrats.
Mr. Kevin McCarthy has offended hardliners in his own Republican party, as well as Democrats and the White House (Photo: New York Times).
The majority credited Mr. McCarthy with trying to restore `order.`
`He did what a Speaker of the House is supposed to do,` said Representative Tom Cole, a Republican and ally of Mr. McCarthy.
But Rep. Gaetz, who led the recall, said that if Republicans don’t take a tougher stance, they won’t change anything and won’t be able to advance their policy priorities, like requiring
This shows that there is a group of House Republicans who may refuse to compromise even if it means immediate consequences, such as a US government shutdown.
It is still unclear who can win enough support to succeed Mr. McCarthy, who has said he will not run again for Speaker of the House.
`Today is partly the result of the Republican Party trying to accommodate a small group of radical MAGA Republicans who will not be satisfied with any possible compromise in the current political climate.`
Unpopular with the Democratic Party
When asking the House of Representatives to vote to remove the Speaker of the House on October 2, Congressman Gaetz also prepared himself for the case that Democrats would save Mr. McCarthy.
`That is a possible outcome,` Mr. Gaetz told reporters before the vote.
But the reality is completely opposite, the reason is because many Democrats no longer trust Mr. McCarthy.
`No one trusts Kevin McCarthy,` Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal told reporters.
Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz spoke to reporters on October 3 (Photo: Washington Post).
Elected to the House of Representatives in 2006, Mr. McCarthy spent his first 12 years with the confidence of members from both parties.
But Democrats now say they no longer recognize the Kevin McCarthy they knew about a decade ago, after he repeatedly conceded to far-right Republicans.
Some Democrats expressed sympathy for Mr. McCarthy when he had to appease a group of right-wing extremists.
After the riot on January 6, 2021, Mr. McCarthy blamed President Donald Trump and called for the establishment of an independent investigative committee.
Some Democrats also pointed out that Mr. McCarthy himself – because he wanted to stay in power – agreed to relax the rules for dismissing the Speaker of the House of Representatives, contributing to instability in this body.
`He’s brought chaos to the House of Representatives and now he’s saying that helping him keep his seat is the way we can solve that problem? That’s an unconvincing argument,` said Democratic Congressman Adam Smith.
In May, Mr. McCarthy reached an agreement with President Joe Biden on debt and budget issues.
Faced with two promises, Mr. McCarthy chose the Republican side and ordered the House Appropriations Committee to cut more than $100 billion.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries assessed Mr. McCarthy as no different from the most extreme Republican figures.
`Due to their unwillingness to substantially and comprehensively get rid of MAGA extremism, the Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives will vote to agree with the Republican Party’s proposal to remove the Chairman,` he said.