From duck stamps to doomsday: the past year in American politics

THE YEAR began with the swearing-in of a new Congress, after Republicans won a slim majority in the midterms. In January Kevin McCarthy was eventually chosen as speaker of the House. You may remember Mr McCarthy. He was the House majority leader who supported Donald Trump through his presidency. After the January 6th riot, Mr McCarthy told the floor of the House that Mr Trump “bears responsibility” for the violence. Then when it became clear that the former president retained the support of the majority of Republicans, Mr McCarthy went to Florida to pay homage to Mr Trump.By January 2023, uncertainty over whether Mr McCarthy was a true believer in Trumpism, combined with personal animosity against him, and that tiny majority, meant he had to endure to secure the speakership. One concession he made to do so made his job particularly insecure. Any single member of the Republican caucus would be able to call for a no-confidence vote. Spoiler alert: as surely as nemesis follows hubris, this would be his undoing.