Unveiling the Republican Upheaval: McCarthy's Fall from Grace in Trump's Extreme GOP Revolution

Kevin McCarthy's major error was attempting to govern.

The former speaker's removal from office occurred just three days after he was compelled to rely on Democratic votes to prevent a harmful government shutdown that his party's uncompromising stance was on the verge of causing. This compounded his initial mistake earlier this year when he backed down in the face of House GOP hardliners who posed a significant risk of triggering a catastrophic default on America's debts. Such a default could have thrown the economy into turmoil and sparked worldwide panic.

McCarthy's short tenure as speaker of the House highlighted the transformation of the Republican Party in the era of Donald Trump. It has become a powerful source of instability, not just in American politics, but potentially on the global stage as well. With the former president's dominance in the 2024 GOP primary, his sights are set on a potentially destructive second term.

Once known for its commitment to preserving traditional values of stability and strength, the party has undergone a significant shift over the last three decades. It has become a haven for those who thrive on chaos, engage in political stunts, and perpetually push the boundaries of ideology to new and extreme levels.

Furthermore, the party's tolerance for outrageous behavior was evident during a recent incident in New York. Trump unleashed a tirade in a courthouse corridor during a hearing for his fraud trial, resulting in a gag order after he attacked a judge's clerk on social media.

Former President Donald Trump speaks to the media before entering the courtroom at New York Supreme Court, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Seth Wenig/AP

Trump's inflammatory language reaches the courtroom.

While McCarthy lacked moderation and failed to curb the GOP's departure from democracy, his defeat by far-right rebels, whom he recently criticized for wanting to "destroy everything," speaks volumes about his party. Led by Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, his political assailants unseated him without a clear plan for the future, resulting in a critical branch of the US government being paralyzed for at least a week. This self-induced chaos will hinder the party's ability to take advantage of President Joe Biden's vulnerabilities, and the display of incompetence and extremism may impede the GOP's efforts to retain the swing seats necessary for maintaining its majority next year. Importantly, Tuesday's political regicide revealed the dysfunction within the House majority and the unmanageability of the Republican Party. Until this changes, governing America will remain challenging.

McCarthy stoked the extremism that felled him

McCarthy's actions appeared to be in alignment with the radicalism that continuously pushes the GOP towards the right. As he assumed a position of power that he had long desired, the Californian made efforts to please Trump, resurrecting the tainted image of the former president by visiting Mar-a-Lago after the Capitol insurrection, and actively working to hinder any consequences for the insurrection, despite briefly condemning it. In a more recent development, McCarthy initiated an investigation into Biden's impeachment, even though there is insufficient evidence to support allegations of serious illegal activities that would warrant such severe measures as outlined in the Constitution.

But unlike ejecting Biden from office, McCarthy himself was swiftly gone within a month of initiating the investigation. McCarthy likely hoped to appease the right's anger with the impeachment motion, but the demands of the anti-government GOP faction, for whom chaos is an end in itself, know no bounds. Before the interim Republican leaders announced a recess until next week in search of a new speaker, CNN's Jake Tapper asked Rep. Tim Burchett, one of the eight Republicans who sealed McCarthy's fate on Tuesday, if his party would have a new figurehead by nightfall. Reflecting the GOP's embrace of anarchy, the Tennessean responded, "I have no earthly idea, brother."

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Top row (left to right): Andy Biggs (Arizona), Ken Buck (Colorado), Tim Burchett (Tennessee), and Elijah Crane (Arizona).

Bottom row (left to right): Matt Gaetz (Florida), Bob Good (Virginia), Nancy Mace (South Carolina), and Matt Rosendale (Montana).

These are the 8 Republicans who supported removing McCarthy as House speaker.

Despite his alignment with the right, McCarthy eventually realized that holding power requires a responsibility to something larger than just the party and personal achievements. This realization came even for the leader of the most conservative House in history. On two occasions, when it came to raising the debt limit and preventing a government shutdown, he opposed his own extreme members who were willing to cause harm to the economy or leave troops unpaid. The GOP extremists, who outnumber the small faction that voted to remove McCarthy, are now demanding a significant reduction in government spending, even though they haven't garnered a nationwide majority through elections to support such drastic measures.

However, McCarthy agreed to a temporary spending bill lasting 45 days in order to avoid a shutdown. He decided to delay his confrontation with extremists until mid-November. His temporary solution did not include the requested $6 billion by Biden and the Senate for Ukraine, which infuriated hardliners. These hardliners wanted even deeper spending cuts compared to the agreement McCarthy previously made with the president to raise the government's borrowing limit, preventing a debt default. McCarthy was aware that House Republicans, with Democrats controlling the Senate and presidency, wouldn't be able to enforce their wish list as law. Additionally, he knew that a shutdown would come at a political cost. However, a Republican speaker relying on Democratic votes is running out of time, even though no one predicted that the end would arrive so soon.

McCarthy is now in the same category as former GOP Speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan, who were also forced out of office. All three of them failed to control a far-right faction that rejects compromise, an integral element of the US political system designed to facilitate democratic and incremental changes.

A sudden end

"Bring it on," McCarthy told his enemies this week as they plotted to oust him. They did.

"I will never give up," he cautioned. However, confronted with the harsh reality, he ultimately made the decision to refrain from participating in a subsequent speaker election.

Being the first speaker to be ousted from office in American history, which in and of itself epitomized the nihilistic and chaotic nature of his party, McCarthy endeavored to resurrect the amiable optimism for which he had once been renowned on Capitol Hill. Sadly, this optimistic demeanor had deteriorated amidst the gloomy atmosphere of the present political era.

"I have no remorse for prioritizing governance over grievances," asserted McCarthy, projecting strength despite facing humiliation, in a valedictory press conference that marked the completion of his speakership, which had perpetually felt like a temporary arrangement.

Image Credit: JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (14135453h)

Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy is seen walking to a vote on the House floor in the US Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, on October 3, 2023. The motion to vacate his leadership was initiated by Republican lawmaker Matt Gaetz from Florida. If McCarthy fails to secure the vote, it will mark the first instance in American history where lawmakers have forced the removal of a speaker. McCarthy is currently facing pressure to resign from his own party. Washington, USA - October 3, 2023.

A glimpse into potential successors for House speaker after McCarthy's departure was made possible by two factors. The first factor was the narrow majority that House Republicans gained in the midterms, leaving McCarthy with little margin for error when it came to passing bills along party lines. As a result, he was set to be one of the weakest speakers in history. This slim majority, influenced by voters rejecting extreme pro-Trump candidates who promoted falsehoods about the election, allowed a few extremists to wield significant influence in the chamber. Additionally, McCarthy's ambition to hold the top position in the House and be second in line to the presidency led him to make various concessions to right-wing individuals, further diminishing his power. One of these concessions was accepting a poison pill presented by his adversary Gaetz, which allowed a single lawmaker to call for a vote to remove him from his position.

McCarthy harshly criticized the Democrats for not providing enough votes to save him, which resulted in eight GOP rebels forcing him out of office. However, it was not surprising that a party facing an impeachment inquiry against its president and having its 2020 election victory tarnished by GOP members did not come to his rescue.

Privately, McCarthy may be questioning why he didn't receive help from another source - Trump. The former president, who previously referred to McCarthy as "My Kevin," was content with the California Republican acting as his political shield in the previous Congress, where McCarthy blocked an independent commission investigating the mob attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters. Additionally, as minority leader, McCarthy ensured the removal of one of Trump's most outspoken Republican opponents, former Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, from party leadership.

McCarthy's decision to initiate an impeachment investigation against Biden, despite lacking evidence of the president's personal gain from his son's alleged influence peddling, was likely motivated by a desire to lessen the impact of Trump's multiple impeachments and impending criminal trials before the 2024 election. Yet Trump, once again, failed to lend support to McCarthy, proving his tendency towards one-way loyalty and the expendability of all those who enable him, including those who hold important positions like Speaker of the House. This serves as a warning to future Republicans who may occupy McCarthy's influential position, and it helps explain why his departure is only expected to result in further chaos in both the House and the country.

However, Trump also understands a crucial lesson about the Republican Party, one that he has molded in his own unconventional image. As his behavior becomes more autocratic and unhinged, he recognizes that survival lies in embracing extremism. McCarthy, on two occasions, deviated from this path by attempting to govern in the best interest of his country.

He quickly learned the truism of radical political movements everywhere that recalls how leaders often fall prey to deepening extremism: The revolution devours its children.