Should Democrats Save Kevin McCarthy?
Even if they hate him?
Kevin McCarthy is clearly in the fight of his political life.
After decades of fighting to become Speaker of the House of Representatives, McCarthy is facing potential disaster over the next week. Hard-right members of his caucus want him gone. Republicans in the Senate do not want him to shut down the government. His approval ratings are dismal and he seems to not have an ally in the country. McCarthy needs to find some way to end the government shutdown while also avoiding a successful motion to vacate the chair that would end his leadership position.
One potential outlet for the Speaker is a vote that would garner Democratic support. McCarthy’s greatest constraining factor is his razor-thin majority in the House. He needs to win over all but four members of his caucus if he hopes to pass legislation with only Republican votes. With Democratic support, McCarthy could table distracting bills and stifle debate from Republican hardliners and pass a clean government funding bill, either in an omnibus package or with individual appropriations.
Of course, many Democrats are aghast at the idea of supporting McCarthy. They have noted McCarthy’s numerous outrageous statements against Democrats and attacks on Joe Biden. They do not trust any political figure allied with Donald Trump and…