Name: Analysis | Power Up: McCarthy navigates GOP identity crisis by gambling on 'a very big tent'
Brand: washingtonpost.com
SKU: washingtonpost-com-525
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

Analysis | Power Up: McCarthy navigates GOP identity crisis by gambling on 'a very big tent'

preview

This article was published more than&nbsp;2 years agoCommentGift Sharewith Tobi RajiGood Thursday morning. It's been... a week. Tips, comments, recipes? You know the drill and MCCARTHY'S MOMENT: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) made a pivotal choice: To back both an unrepentant conspiracy theorist with President Trump's backing and an establishment conservative who supported the ex-president's impeachment.&nbsp;That's booby-trap laden terrain, but one that McCarthy clearly thinks is the best path toward keeping the Republican Party intact — and winning in the 2022 midterms. “verybig tent,” McCarthy told reporters. “—The identity crisis facing Republicans in a post Trump era was encapsulated in the four-hour conference meeting last night, when:Advertisement“You elected me leader, let me lead,” McCarthy told Republicans in his closing remarks on Cheney’s behalf, per our colleagues. “The speech prompted an ovation that could be heard from more than 50 feet away outside the room.”&nbsp;The drama will continue today. With no Republican action against Greene, the House vote on Greene's committee assignments will force Republicans to go on the record — .&nbsp;McCarthy in a statement gave Republicans cover by condemning some of Greene's most controversial remarks but also going on offense — Democratic leaders of taking insufficient action against controversial statements from their own members.&nbsp;It remains to be seen whether Greene's private apology is enough for Republicans. At the meeting, “Greene had received an ovation of her own after expressing contrition for some of her most outrageous comments made on social media — including questioning the 9/11 attacks, blaming a space ray directed by a Jewish cabal for a deadly wildfire and doubting school shootings. She also, according to Republicans in the room, apologized for putting her colleagues in a difficult spot,” our colleagues note.&nbsp;AdvertisementBut publicly, Greene recently and tweeted that she'll “never apologize” for her actions and statements.&nbsp;Some of her colleagues have urged her to take the apology public, and denounce QAnon and recant her extremist views:&nbsp;House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.):"They’re going to judge her on things that were said, that she has now denounced, before she was ever a member of Congress. … The voters decided she could come and serve." — JM Rieger (@RiegerReport)Republican lawmakers also continued to claim on Wednesday that Greene and her embrace of conspiracy theories and extremist views is an outlier and not representative of the party: McCarthy's statement said that Greene's remarks “ And GOP Senators amplified their condemnation of Greene. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) tweeted that Greene was “not conservative but insane.”However, Greene's national platform is just one indication of how mainstream QAnon and conspiracy theories – including about widespread claims of election fraud – have become in the Republican Party. The GOP's information crisis shows no signs of going away.&nbsp;AdvertisementMcCarthy just said he doesn't even know what QAnon is. So the House Minority Leader doesn't care to learn about a set of beliefs that helped inspire an insurrection at the Capitol.— Donie O'Sullivan (@donie)DEMOCRATS CLEAR A PATH FOR RELIEF: “coronavirus” . The vote was 218-212.&nbsp;By using budget reconciliation to sidestep GOP opposition, Republicans argue that House Democrats have ignored Biden’s promise of bipartisanship. Republicans have called it wish list of liberal packages disguised as a coronavirus relief bill.But according to a new Quinnipiac poll, most Americans — including some Republicans — support it:Biden's $1.9 trillion Covid relief plan starts out with wide popularity, per a new national Quinnipiac poll — Mark Murray (@mmurraypolitics)Biden has signaled he's willing to be limit the number of Americans who qualify for a third round of stimulus checks. “The latest proposal Democrats are considering would send $1,400 payments to individuals earning $50,000 or less and $2,800 to married couples earning $100,000 or less,” .&nbsp;AdvertisementHAPPENING TODAY:&nbsp;A marathon “vote-a-rama” on some 300 amendments.&nbsp;SCHUMER, MCCONNELL REACH A POWER-SHARING DEAL: “After weeks of negotiations, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and McConnell have come to terms on how to run a 50-50 Senate,” .&nbsp;EYEING TRUMP'S VISITOR LOGS: “The Biden White House said it cannot unilaterally release visitor logs from the Trump White House, amid questions about whether anyone who participated in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol visited the former president in the days leading up to it,” .&nbsp;SLOW VACCINE ROLLOUTS: “Vaccination has sped-up across the country but it is struggling to keep pace with expectations as states have widened the pool of eligible recipients,” .&nbsp;Advertisement55.9 million doses have been distributed, but only 6.7 million Americans have been fully vaccinated.What do states with the highest vaccine rollouts have in common? Simplicity. “One thing that the states moving fastest have in common it is that they have tried to bring at least some measure of order and simplicity to a process otherwise marked by chaos and complexity,” per our colleague.&nbsp;Such states include Connecticut, South Dakota and West Virginia.&nbsp;Meanwhile, large states like California, Pennsylvania and Texas continue to struggle with vaccine rollout.CANADA NAMES PROUD BOYS A ‘TERRORIST ENTITY’: “Canada formally designated the Proud Boys as a terrorist group under its criminal law on Wednesday, a move that could lead to financial seizures and allow police to treat any crimes committed by members as terrorist activity,” .&nbsp;AdvertisementCanada is the first country to designate the far-right group with a history of violence as a terrorist entity, prompting the U.S. to take a closer look.&nbsp;THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN SECRETARY OF THE SENATE: “Sonceria ‘Ann’ Berry was named secretary of the Senate on Wednesday, becoming the first African American to serve in the role since its creation in 1789,” . She starts March 1.What will she do? “The secretary of the Senate oversees a range of offices tasked with ensuring the chamber’s daily business runs smoothly, including the maintenance of Senate records, payroll distribution and the acquisition of supplies.”Sonceria "Ann" Berry has been appointed secretary of the Senate and will take office March 1, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced today. — Axios (@axios)CommentsGift ArticleTOP STORIESThe BriefingDon’t miss reporting and analysis from the Hill and the White House.Try a different topic or to save your preferences

This article was published more than&nbsp;2 years agoCommentGift Sharewith Tobi RajiGood Thursday morning. It's been... a week. Tips, comments, recipes? You know the drill and MCCARTHY'S MOMENT: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) made a pivotal choice: To back both an unrepentant conspiracy theorist with President Trump's backing and an establishment conservative who supported the ex-president's impeachment.&nbsp;That's booby-trap laden terrain, but one that McCarthy clearly thinks is the best path toward keeping the Republican Party intact — and winning in the 2022 midterms....

Analysis | Power Up: McCarthy navigates GOP identity crisis by gambling on 'a very big tent'

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS