It took Kevin McCarthy 15 ballots before he was finally allowed to hold the mallet in his hand. In Germany’s history, too, there have been elections in which a majority that was believed to be secure did not come about.
Politics is tough business – this phrase is not enough for the recent events in the US House of Representatives. It took Kevin McCarthy 15 ballots before he held the wooden mallet, a kind of speaker’s scepter, in his hand. He witnessed 14 times in front of the cameras that Republican MPs openly refused him the election. McCarthy allowed himself to be humiliated 14 times before the eyes of his fellow party members. Each time, the candidate and his opponents put their personal ambitions ahead of the dignity of democracy.