In an episode of the podcast called “The Bulwark,” former GOP Congresswoman Liz Cheney deemed outgoing Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who’s skipping town at the end of the year, a “pathetic figure” in history. She also warned, though, about the implications of decisions McCarthy had made, like going along with continued objections to certain electoral college votes won by Joe Biden after the Capitol riot.
“I think that he’s a pathetic figure in many ways in our history,” Cheney said. “But I also think it’s important not to minimize the damage that he did, because even though he’s somebody who didn’t seem to have strong ideological beliefs, he was leading the Republicans in the House, and at each moment when his determination to do the right thing could have made a difference, he determined instead to do the wrong thing.”
McCarthy infamously visited ex-President Donald Trump in Florida not long after the early 2021 attack on the Capitol, helping essentially rehabilitate his image with some as Republicans across the House re-established or just continued their dependent relationships with the former president. And later, McCarthy seemed more interested in potentially acquiescing to far-right demands than keeping even the House functioning, considering he rebuffed the possibility of a deal with Democrats to save his stint as Speaker and instead went under after a small group of far-right Republicans ended up clearly dissatisfied with the course of his leadership.
Throughout the current Congress, in which McCarthy as Speaker has been replaced by Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson, Democrats have repeatedly salvaged key deals, delivering the votes necessary for approval on plans ranging from a lift to the nation’s debt ceiling to extensions to government funding. That’s despite them not even currently holding the House majority. McCarthy, meanwhile, clearly seems interested in party leadership or, well, bust, announcing his impending resignation not long after his removal as Speaker, leaving his constituents — soon — with no House member.
Liz has thoughts about Kevin.
“A pathetic figure … in our history.”The episode will be out soon. Find it here: https://t.co/LOLZjUlYl4 pic.twitter.com/66GmlRWh4a
— Katie Cooper (@thekatiecoop) December 6, 2023
