(RepublicanPress.org) – Politicos predicted that Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) tenure as the 55th speaker of the US House of Representatives was on borrowed time from day one. Not only did it take 15 ballots for him to secure the necessary votes from his own party to assume the position, but he also had to agree to a rule change allowing only one member to enter a motion to vacate the speakership. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) obliged. On October 3, the motion passed by a margin of 216 to 2010. The former speaker spoke out about being ousted later that evening.
McCarthy held a nearly hour-long press conference with reporters within hours of making history as the first speaker of the House removed from that position — eight of his fellow Republican representatives sealed his fate.
“I made history, didn’t I?” he mused at one point. For the most part, he gave a rambling talk, beginning with the obligatory references to former Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan.
There were some lighter moments, like when he smiled while recounting winning the lottery many moons ago. Grinning, he told reporters that $5,000 meant a lot more in the days before “Bidenomics” ruled the land.
At other moments, the former speaker appeared a bit grim. For instance, he said he feared that “the institution fell today,” an apparent reference to the House. He blamed Democrats for the situation — but The Washington Post reported that the Liberal’s contended that McCarthy’s overly politicized behavior contributed to their decision not to save him from the conservative wing of his party.
Most notably, McCarthy told reporters he would not run again for speaker. “I will have the [Republican] conference pick somebody else,” he explained. There had been some talk earlier among pundits and mainstream media outlets that he might put his name in the hat for consideration. Reps. Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Jim Jordan (R-OH) are now running to replace him as speaker.
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