What the Kevin McCarthy saga means for America’s Congress

With the anguish of someone who has spent a decade pursuing a prize, only to see it , Kevin McCarthy told his colleagues in the House Republican caucus, “I’ve earned this job.” And, in a way, he had. The from Bakersfield has kissed an army of frogs, including lobbyists, donors and cranks like congresswoman , to shore up his position, only for 20 House Republicans to turn around and accuse him of infidelity. This tale has its comic side: at one point Matt Gaetz, one of the “Never Kevin” Republican members, wrote to the Architect of the Capitol complaining that some guy called Kevin had moved his desk into the Speaker’s office and that it should be removed forthwith. But the McCarthy saga—the kind of power tussle and public humiliation that Washington loves—also augurs ill for the progress of important legislation in the 118th Congress.