Just before the November 2022 election, former Reagan Pollster Craig Keshishian was on the “Tucker Carlson Show.” On discussing the House of Representatives, he was not so effusive on the possibility of the Republican Party obtaining a significant increase in the Congressional races, saying, “Republicans never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” He took a lot of heat for the comment, but he was accurate.
The Republicans only obtained a slight margin, some five seats, to regain control of the House. But this month, a handful of Republicans fell into the same trap of seeking perfection over accepting something good.
Let me first state that I have been acquainted with Congressman Kevin McCarthy for some two decades. He was even my keynote speaker for a fundraiser I hosted in Orange County, California, for Kern County Supervisor Zack Scrivner.
I should also disclose that the now former Speaker of the House was a contributor to my 2020 reelection campaign for California State Senator, donating the maximum amount to my unsuccessful efforts.
With that, allow me to make some observations. The first is natural skills and talents. Some of us who served in legislative office, like Mr. Campbell, are policy wonks. We read everything about legislation and listen to as much counsel as we can gather up in the limited time allowed to make an appropriate vote. Put me in this category.
Some legislators are leadership focused and spend their time developing relationships with their colleagues and focus their attention on building the team and raising funds to support caucus members. They rely on the policy-driven members to assist in how they vote. And they spend time raising money.
Everyone else in the party’s caucus is somewhere in between. And all are critical to the whole.
Mr. McCarthy was a first-class schmoozer, in the highest management-style meaning of the term. He built relationships and he raised money. Coming from the Bakersfield area helped him to connect with many supportive individuals, with deep pockets, who were in the oil industry. From there, he developed a large circle of other well-heeled donors around the state and the nation. Photos of him are the most prominent in the California Republican Party headquarters in downtown Sacramento.
It takes a lot of effort to become acquainted with 80 fellow Assemblymembers, which he did when he served in the California State Assembly. Add to that another 40 state Senators.
I’m not the only connection Mr. McCarthy has in Orange County. He also has the brother-in-law of a Lido Isle resident, major donor, and Trump supporter Palmer Luckey. The brother-in-law is Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, the main instigator of the recent insurrection in Washington, D.C. He’s one of the eight cats who don’t necessarily like to be herded.
While Mr. McCarthy was a local-boy-who-makes-good story, Mr. Gaetz has developed the reputation of being a hot-head who has a tendency to mouth off, consequences be damned. I appreciate purists, but I also know how critical it is to maintain caucus leadership when you don’t have a legitimate succession plan.
One can only hope that the Republicans in the House of Representatives can recover from an ill-advised coup over the Speaker’s supposed leadership style. Mr. McCarthy knew he was going to have a difficult time holding his coalition together in the fifteen voting rounds it took to finally make him Speaker. Now the nation must endure the unintended consequences of rash and impulsive actions.
Dethroning someone who has built an impressive fundraising base, with well-established relationships with most of his colleagues, could distract Mr. McCarthy from maintaining the same pace and enthusiasm. It’s like hammering a nail into a tire. It takes the air out of one’s motivation. Brutally deflating Mr. McCarthy was bad form, and it will have long-lasting reverberations.
I’m worried about Mr. McCarthy. I’m concerned about the tenuous hold the Republicans have on Congress. And I’m frustrated that a few self-righteous politicos can be disruptive enough to miss an opportunity.
