‘Looking like idiots’: Multiple Fox News meltdowns amid McCarthy turmoil
McCarthy #McCarthy
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California speaks with reporters at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022, about his meeting with President Joe Biden. Conservative analysts appeared on Fox News Tuesday to excoriate House Republicans failing to elect a new speaker in one try for the first time in 100 years.
On Tuesday, several conservative commentators appeared on Fox News to excoriate Republicans in the House of Representatives for failing to elect a new speaker of the House in one try for the first time in 100 years.
The chamber voted to adjourn late Tuesday afternoon after three raucous rounds of voting. California Rep. Kevin McCarthy — the man who was expected to become speaker after the GOP retook control of the House in last year’s midterm elections — failed to secure enough votes to be elected to the post in all three rounds. By the end of the day, 20 Republicans had cast protest votes against McCarthy.
Prior to the voting, “Fox & Friends” host Brian Kilmeade tore into the defectors.
“You should not take this job if it’s about your ego and your own personal agenda,” Kilmeade said. “The whole thing should be service for the country, and the subset is your party. Please explain to me how this helps your party. You’re looking like idiots in front of the country.”
With each of the 434 current House members (one seat in Virginia is currently vacant) voting for a candidate by name in a roll call vote, McCarthy could only afford to lose four votes from his own party. The Republican defectors rallied around Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan in the second and third rounds, while the 212 Democrats in the chamber united behind New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries in all three rounds.
In the weeks leading up to the vote, a small number of House Republicans — including far-right members like Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert — expressed discomfort with a McCarthy speakership. However, the number of Republicans who ultimately voted for someone other than McCarthy came somewhat as a shock. The idea that as many as 20 Republicans would not back McCarthy for speaker would have seemed like a far-fetched scenario as recently as last month.
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel appeared on Fox News on Tuesday as votes were being counted and said Republican infighting weakens the party in its battle against Democrats.
“As long as we are fighting each other, we are not keeping our eyes on the prize,” she said. “And I think we have to get the speakership settled and we have to go forward if we’re going to be successful in 2024 as a united party, and right now, this exemplifies exactly what the Democrats want to see.”
Karl Rove, a former staffer in the George W. Bush administration and a regular Fox News contributor, also appeared on the network Tuesday and called the fracas over the speakership an “utter, unmitigated disaster” for the GOP.
“Chaos tends to bring about chaos until it no longer brings about chaos,” he said. “We’re a long way from the point in which chaos stops bringing around more chaos.”
The House is scheduled to reconvene at 9 a.m. Pacific time Wednesday to again try to elect a speaker. Unless the impending conservative media blitz or other outside pressure gets most of the defecting Republicans to throw their support behind McCarthy, the California Republican will fail to secure the speakership for the second time in his long political career.