McCarthy & McConnell: Vipers Within the Tent

Kevin McCarthy represents the worst aspects of Beltway politics, a well-rewarded stooge willing to serve as controlled opposition for the oligarchy

Rachel Maddow did America First a solid.

No, really.

She further revealed to the world just what a duplicitous, conniving insider Kevin McCarthy is -- and that unveiling should steel our movement’s resolve to oust him from leadership.

Here’s the relevant background on Frank Luntz’s roomie, McCarthy:

NY Times writers Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns published a new book, This Will Not Pass, detailing McCarthy’s harsh private denunciations of President Trump after January 6th. They quote Kevin whining about Trump: “I’ve had it with this guy. What he did is unacceptable.”

Last week, McCarthy issued a rebuke of the book’s account, denying the veracity of the reporting. Then, Maddow showed the world the truth. Her program released a tape of McCarthy consulting with Liz Cheney to plot against Donald Trump in the waning days of his presidency. With only 10 days left in office, McCarthy told Cheney that “it would be my recommendation that he [Trump] should resign” over then events of January 6th.

So, this episode reveals McCarthy as both dishonest and disloyal. Only a true acolyte of Frank Luntz could earn the scorn of the Maddow radical Left and the America First populist Right…simultaneously!

Then again, Luntz and McCarthy aren’t just roommates. They also both derive massive benefits from some of the biggest business interests in America, particularly Big Tech oligarchs.

Big Tech perverted our 2020 election and wields increasingly ominous control over our society. Yet, Politico correctly characterizes McCarthy’s relationship with these behemoths: “Silicon Valley lobbyists are skeptical that McCarthy would actually enact policies that hurt their companies. After all, the California lawmaker spent years distinguishing himself as their top advocate among congressional Republicans.”

McCarthy blamed Trump for the riot on January 6th, lied to his constituents about his actual statements during that time, and remains a firmly entrenched lackey for Big Business. He represents the worst aspects of Beltway politics, a well-rewarded stooge willing to serve as controlled opposition for the oligarchy.

Admittedly, there is not yet a groundswell to replace McCarthy and ensure a dynamic and America First speaker for the Congress that will be seated in 2023. But the prospect of a McCarthy/Mitch McConnell leadership duet on Capitol Hill should rile the base to action.

At the voter level, activists and citizens have fully transformed the Republican Party into an America First movement of cultural conservatism plus economic populist nationalism. But at the donor and legacy officeholder level, the battle rages on. In corporate C-suite boardrooms and the salons of K Street lobbyists, the credentialed grandees of the establishment GOP scheme to perpetuate a bygone Republican era of globalism and corporatism.

As cunning politicians, both Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell recognize this populist sentiment among voters. Accordingly, both Kevin and Mitch, to some degree, align themselves with the optics of the America First movement…when they divine that it suits their personal ambitions. But in politics, the fiercest fights often unfold within the ranks, and McCarthy and McConnell are the vipers within the tent.

McCarthy and McConnell are DC dinosaurs, serving a combined 52 years in Congress. That longevity does not translate in popularity, though. They both sit at just 24% approval, per the RealClear Politics polling average, well below even the dismal ratings of Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. A recent survey from the Public Polling Project finds that only 10% of citizens strongly approve of McCarthy, while nearly 2.5 times that many strongly disapprove. These operators must be punted from leadership for reasons of principles and philosophy, but the politics also make this call an easy one.

The battles between the Left and Right in America currently form a political cauldron. In 2022, America engages in a scorched-earth culture war, not some academic debate over marginal tax rates.  We need leaders who demonstrate courage, authenticity, and understand what time it is. McCarthy and McConnell fail on all those standards.