Things are starting to look grim for Kevin McCarthy.
He made a dirty deal with the Democrats.
And he may be on the verge of losing his job because of it.
Kevin McCarthy had an incredibly difficult time getting elected Speaker of the House back in January.
Many members of the Republican caucus were opposed to him.
Although he was able to eke out a win by the narrowest of margins, his relationship with the caucus has remained tenuous.
And his latest mistake may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
McCarthy made a deal with the Democrats to borrow and spend more money, spiraling America farther and farther towards bankruptcy.
It was a short-sighted decision by McCarthy in an attempt to avoid criticism – but puts the country on a pathway to disaster.
America is almost $32 trillion dollars in debt.
At some point, the country will simply not be able to pay its bills anymore and there will be a crisis like no other.
Many Republicans know this and are not happy with McCarthy for kowtowing to the Democrats.
And McCarthy’s staff knows he’s hanging by a thread and have been desperately sending out press releases denying anything is wrong.
According to Politico, “A Louisiana Republican who was the lead negotiator on the debt ceiling deal said House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is in no jeopardy of being ousted by his fellow Republicans.”
“Speaking Sunday on CBS’ ‘Face the Nation,’ Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) told host Margaret Brennan: ‘Speaker McCarthy’s position is absolutely safe.’”
Graves can say that all he wants, but as the saying goes, “Thou doth protest too much.”
If you’re having to put out press releases and announce to a national audience that your job isn’t in jeopardy – it probably means your job is in jeopardy.
McCarthy knows that people are questioning his ability to lead the caucus, and he’s having to use surrogates like Graves to try to reassure people who are getting nervous.
The article continues, “Brennan pointed out that 71 House Republicans voted against the deal and noted that a number of them have continued to speak against the agreement.”
71 Republicans defying the Speaker from their own party is a very significant number, and it far exceeds the number needed to oust McCarthy from his position altogether.
Republicans have such a slim majority over Democrats in the current House that McCarthy needs virtually every member of the caucus to support him in order to keep his job.