House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy faces a very difficult vote to get elected Speaker of the House on Tuesday, with five Republicans committed to vote against him as a bloc — already putting him below the required 218 — and at least nine others reportedly unsold on whether to vote for him, even as he makes major concessions to them.
But even if McCarthy somehow manages to clinch the Speaker vote, his troubles could be far from over. On Monday's edition of CNN's edition of "The Lead," political reporter Eva McKend said that the Republicans making demands will just be emboldened to continue making more — and possibly paralyze the whole House.
"McCarthy told CNN today he thinks it's going to be a good day," said anchor Jake Tapper. "For people out there who are just — you know, just got back from vacation, what do these people want? What do these hardliners want? What is their issue with Kevin McCarthy, other than he's a swamp creature? What, tangibly, are they looking for?"
"Some argue that he wasn't loyal enough to the former president," said McKend. "Some will argue that rank-and-file members don't have enough power. I think that's why the 72-hour time to review bills was proposed to be changed. There's going to be no end to their demands, even if he is able to successfully pull this off."
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Ultimately, argued McKend, McCarthy's bind is a demonstration that "you can't abandon your principles in pursuit of power because it ultimately may not work out for you in the end."
"We'll have to see," she added. "I think that over time these members that are challenging him might get worn out by the process. This could stretch on and on and on, and then maybe in the final hour he's able to pull it out. I think if anyone in Washington tells you they know with certainty what's going to happen, they're lying."
Watch the video below or at this link.
Eva McKend says anti-McCarthy Republicans will just keep making demands www.youtube.com
