Column: McCarthy’s fall was sudden, but a long time coming
LA TimesRep. Kevin McCarthy is no longer speaker of the House, following a revolt led by Rep. Matt Gaetz. So, too, do those nihilist Republicans led by McCarthy’s archnemesis, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who gleefully filed the resolution to vacate the speakership, as the process is known. Let’s see how we can bridge the differences between different groups in our party.’” For fans of deja vu, the scene Tuesday — anger, recrimination, members watching wide-eyed on a crowded House floor — recalled the chaotic night in January when McCarthy achieved his long-held dream of becoming speaker. He won the job only after 15 agonized and embarrassing rounds of voting that laid bare House Republicans’ penchant for anarchy and McCarthy’s preternatural tolerance for humiliation. To claim the speaker’s gavel, McCarthy surrendered a good many powers, giving his foes an effective veto over critical legislation — like keeping the government up and running and avoiding a cataclysmic government default — and a bigger say in committee assignments.