How Long Can Kevin McCarthy Hang On?

Playbook: “The House is now paralyzed, unable to swear in its members or form committees or adopt rules — let alone pass legislation. And the scary realization for the GOP rank-and-file is that there’s no easy way out of this mess and no sign that one is going to appear anytime soon.”

“Fact is, while this fight is over Kevin McCarthy, it’s about way more than Kevin McCarthy. Disagreement over governing tactics started brewing when John Boehner was speaker and only escalated after Paul Ryan succeeded him. Donald Trump’s election to the White House papered over those differences for a time and delayed a climactic showdown between the conservative hardliners eager to make fundamental change in Washington and the party leaders who see anarchy in their demands.”

“Indeed, at this point, it’s difficult to see a path to the gavel for McCarthy. As we reported Monday, his detractors have privately indicated that their lack of trust in him outweighs any rules, policy or personnel concession that he can offer. And one potential off-ramp McCarthy laid out last night — convincing a swath of members to vote ‘present,’ lowering the victory threshold — is, shall we say, speculative at best.”