Since House Republicans first won their narrow majority in the midterm elections, I’ve been stressing that their far-right members will be the biggest hindrance to Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and his ability to govern as speaker. I can now say that I was myopic. While McCarthy’s inability or unwillingness to rebuff the far right is an ongoing problem, it won’t be the sole reason his speakership eventually collapses.
As it turns out, McCarthy is also just as bad at managing everyone else in his caucus, including the members of his own leadership team. And if he can’t get everyone on the same page, and fast, the global economy stands to be the biggest loser of the GOP power struggle.
The current drama is that Republicans have yet to agree on a budget. President Joe Biden, well aware of the divisions among the GOP on this matter, has said he won’t negotiate with Republicans over raising the debt ceiling until he can see their full budget plan. And, according to The New York Times, McCarthy has “no confidence” in Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, the chair of the Budget Committee.
But apparently, that’s not the extent of McCarthy’s beef with Arrington. During the drawn-out struggle for the speaker’s gavel in January, Arrington reportedly floated the name of Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La. That trial balloon went nowhere, not least because Scalise — the House majority leader, who has long been McCarthy’s No. 2 — reportedly “discouraged members from floating his name as an alternative.”
As for budget negotiations, Arrington told reporters last month that the GOP was readying a “term sheet” with its conditions for raising the debt ceiling. McCarthy told reporters, “I don’t know what he’s talking about.” Convinced Arrington can’t pull together a budget, McCarthy regards him as “incompetent,” the Times reported.
Ouch.
Scalise, meanwhile, isn’t exactly one of McCarthy’s favorite people right now. According to the Times, late last…
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