Kevin McCarthy is now taking on water from both sides
Kevin McCarthy’s total lack of leadership skills means that he’s unable to please or control any faction of his House Republican caucus – and that kind of leadership vacuum tends to embolden those factions to begin fighting with each other for internal control.
Earlier this week House Republican extremist Marjorie Taylor Greene publicly lashed out at McCarthy’s lack of leadership, faulting him for not punishing the thirteen House Republicans who voted for President Biden’s infrastructure bill. Now a so-called “moderate” House Republican is telling CNN that McCarthy is about to have a problem from the other side.
The “moderate” House Republican in question is remaining anonymous. But based on the description, we’re guessing it’s not Adam Kinzinger or Liz Cheney, who are both right wingers in spite of their anti-Trump positions. It’s more likely that CNN’s source is one of the thirteen House Republicans who voted for infrastructure.
But in any case, it’s clear that Kevin McCarthy now faces the specter of being simultaneously eaten alive from all sides. This is what happens when you’re the kind of weak leader who has no ability to set the tone or steer anyone in any direction. McCarthy is a deer in the headlights who’s simply trying to placate the factions of his own caucus. Now he’s taking heat from three sides: the House Republican extremists, the so-called moderates, and Cheney-Kinzinger. It’s difficult to imagine any of this ending well for McCarthy.
