USA
McCarthy fails again in the US House of Representatives
Kevin McCarthy was previously the Republican minority leader in the US House of Representatives. photo
© Alex Brandon/AP/dpa
The US House of Representatives still has no speaker after the 14th ballot – Republican Kevin McCarthy was only missing a single vote. Chaotic scenes played out in the plenary hall.
In a dramatic showdown in the US House of Representatives, Republican Kevin McCarthy once again failed to win the election as Speaker of the House of Representatives. In the 14th ballot of the chaotic voting series, McCarthy was only a single vote short of victory. However, despite desperate attempts to negotiate, his most bitter opponents allowed him to appear in the plenary chamber at the last minute. In the meantime, there was a heated exchange between the two camps of supporters and opponents of McCarthy and almost fisticuffs, as could be seen on live video recordings.
After that, one of McCarthy’s confidants initially requested that the session be adjourned again, this time until Monday. But at the last moment of that vote, when a majority was actually in favor of adjournment, a large number of Republicans changed their minds – and their voting patterns – to avert an adjournment of the session after all. As long as a vote is still running, it is possible to change your own voting behavior.
Shortly before, McCarthy had briefly spoken again in the plenary hall with one of his toughest opponents, MP Matt Gaetz, who abstained in the 14th ballot and thus sealed McCarthy’s renewed defeat. Observers took the turn as a sign that McCarthy could now have the necessary votes together. The Chamber of Congress then began another ballot. Republicans chanted, “One more time.”
Trump supporters want to increase their power
It is noteworthy that ex-President Trump supports McCarthy. Appeals on his part, however, have so far been in vain. This also shows how divided the Republican party is. The longer the power struggle drags on, the more likely it is that McCarthy will lose support within his own ranks. The fact that the 57-year-old MP from the US state of California has now managed to win opponents over to his side should calm the critical voices for the time being.
The Republican faction leader repeatedly downplayed the internal revolt against him and rejected allegations that the uprising in his own ranks was weakening him. Referring to the historical scope of the drama, he said, “I like making history.” He also holds the record for the longest speech in the House of Representatives.
Voting record since the 19th century
The current vote for the top job is already one of the longest in US history. Not since the 19th century has it taken the members of the House of Representatives as many attempts to elect a new leader as it does now. The last time there were more ballots was only in 1859/1860. At that time, Republican William Pennington was only elected chairman of the Chamber of Congress in the 44th ballot. The process took several weeks at the time.
The House of Representatives met on Tuesday for its inaugural session after the general election in November. Republicans regained control of the Congress Chamber, albeit by a narrow margin. But instead of demonstrating its newfound political strength, the party threw the Chamber into chaos and brought the work of Parliament to a standstill. Because until the presidency is clarified, nothing works in the House of Representatives: the chamber cannot start its work. Not even new MPs can be sworn in. Legislative work is out of the question.
The chaotic state of affairs in US democracy comes at a time when the country is remembering the unprecedented attack on the US Capitol. The brutal attack on the seat of parliament marked the second anniversary on Friday.
On January 6, 2021, Trump supporters violently stormed the Congress building in the capital Washington. Congress met there to formally confirm the victory of Democrat Biden in the presidential election. Trump had previously incited his supporters in a speech that he had been deprived of a victory by massive election fraud. Five people died as a result of the riots.