Calmes: McCarthy, the Republican ‘leader’ trying to be a follower

This week was a big anniversary for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican minority leader, but one he’d rather forget. For the rest of us, however, the events six years ago are worth recalling — to understand just who McCarthy is, what he’s so desperate to become and why he’s doing the craven things he does to realize his dream.

On Sept. 28, 2015, Republicans controlled Congress. McCarthy, then the House majority leader, announced a bid to become the speaker. He was favored to succeed Rep. John A. Boehner of Ohio, who was resigning rather than be ousted by party hard-liners contemptuous that he wasn’t enough of a battler against President Obama. McCarthy vowed to be that brawler. But a day later, live on Fox News, the congressman from Bakersfield committed a rare bit of truth-telling.

Fox’s Sean Hannity had badgered him: What had Republicans achieved under his and Boehner’s leadership? After minutes of testy back-and-forth, McCarthy finally had an answer to satisfy the conservative host. Not about some law to make the country a better place. Instead McCarthy boasted that polls showed House Republicans had succeeded in undermining Hillary Clinton, the likely 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, by their prolonged investigation of Islamic militants’ attack on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, which killed four Americans in 2012 when she was secretary of State:

“Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping.”

McCarthy pleased Hannity, but in saying the quiet part out loud he’d confirmed Democrats’ contention that the Benghazi probe was purely partisan; the Clinton campaign rushed out a video ad of McCarthy’s gaffe. Republicans questioned his political smarts, and a faction of House right-wingers endorsed a rival for speaker. On Oct. 8, McCarthy abandoned his candidacy.

The episode reflected the essence of McCarthy — an ambitious partisan rather than a constructive, substantive legislator. After election to the California State Assembly in 2002 and to Congress in 2006, he immediately moved in Sacramento and Washington to climb the party’s leadership ladders. Much like his Republican Senate counterpart, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, McCarthy is what the late Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona used to describe as a “party over country” politician.

McConnell has said he’s “100%” focused on blocking President Biden’s agenda, but lately McCarthy has been working to top him. McCarthy is mobilizing House Republicans against the bipartisan infrastructure bill that passed in the Senate with support from 19 Republicans, including McConnell.

Both men are “leading” Republicans to oppose an essential but unpopular increase in the nation’s debt limit, despite bipartisan responsibility for that debt. They’re demanding that Democrats alone authorize the…