Many of John Boehner's detractors are lamenting the likely ascension of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy to the Speakership following next week's leadership elections. What the lower chamber needs is fresh, feisty, conservative leadership, these critics say, sighing that McCarthy represents more of the same. But as I
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The Fire Boehner/No McCarthy crowd has failed on both counts. Carping and sniping is easy; presenting realistic alternatives is harder. If you loudly demand the keys to the car, you'd better be able to demonstrate some ability to drive. As the 'conservative insurgent' contingent stared blankly at each other, contemplating what comes next, Kevin McCarthy served up a gift. In an ill-conceived attempt to ingratiate himself with disenchanted conservatives, he gaffed, casting the Bengahzi select committee as a partisan exercise that has damaged Hillary Clinton's political standing. This played directly into the hands of Democrats, who've sought to undermine the committee's work and crediblity since its inception. Boehner had to clean up after McCarthy in a
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In the wake of this "inauspicious start" for the Speaker-in-waiting, a relatively high-profile challenger has finally emerged, with less than a week to go until members cast leadership ballots:
House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz is planning to run for House speaker, taking on Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy in what appears to be a long-shot bid to lead House Republicans, according to multiple sources. The Utah Republican, first elected to Congress in 2008, is launching a campaign less than a week before the Oct. 8 leadership elections for the House GOP Conference. The date for a floor vote to pick the next speaker has not been set yet. McCarthy (R-Calif.) is the overwhelming favorite to win, and it’s unclear how many votes Chaffetz can garner...The last-minute move by the fourth-term lawmaker underscores frustration among some members of the Republican Conference with the current choices to lead the conference after Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) leaves at the end of the month.
Chaffetz has been outspokenly critical of McCarthy's Benghazi comments. In his interview on Fox, McCarthy asserted that he's "very close" to locking up the requisite 218 votes to be elected Speaker. Though the Majority Leader's Benghazi flub may have complicated his path to promotion a bit, Chaffetz faces a steep uphill battle. Many members are satisfied with the current leadership team, and McCarthy has earned a
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UPDATE - Two more points: Chaffetz was also in the news this week thanks to the Secret Service's outrageous reprisal-minded targeting of him for performing his oversight duties. And this, from Rich Lowry:
risk for mccarthy is that often someone who is far ahead in a leadership race&falls even a little short will see support completely collapse
— Rich Lowry (@RichLowry) October 2, 2015
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