The Positives Surrounding the Speaker Election

So, while House Republicans keep balloting, no speaker has yet emerged. Representative Kevin McCarthy is stuck at around 200 votes, which seems to be his base in the GOP conference, but he lacks sufficient support to put him into the end zone. I’ve made no bones about it: I think Mr. McCarthy would make a superb speaker. He is a staunch conservative, has enormous stature, has led the GOP House to victories in the last two election cycles, has been an indefatigable traveler, and has made a number of concessions to our friends in the Freedom Caucus. Thus far, though, he has not made it over the line, and analytically appears to be losing some ground. As I mentioned last evening, I think the Republican battlefield right now is about personalities, not policies. Some members opposed to Mr. McCarthy seem to have forgotten that he went over and spoke to the Senate policy luncheon just days before the monstrosity omnibus spending bill vote and argued to stop it. The idea was to run a C.R. for 15 days and then pass the baton to the House Republicans, who could make use of their power of the purse. Yet Mr. McCarthy was turned down by the GOP Senate leadership, which in my view was a tragic political mistake. He did what he could, though. He should not be blamed for the fact that President Biden, Senator Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and Senator McConnell froze House Republicans out of the omnibus spending discussion. Again, Mr. McCarthy did what he could. In any case, I’m not here to predict the outcome of the leader’s race. My vision right now is just as fogged as anybody else’s. The Republican House has a very strong bench and, if Mr. McCarthy doesn’t get the nod, there are a number of outstanding, principled conservative Republicans who can be great leaders, who can take the helm. Budget restraint, fighting inflation, supply-side tax cuts, stopping Mr. Biden’s regulatory war against fossil fuels and businesses in general, establishing law and order on the border, parental rights, and strong judicial oversight will be the new Republican House policies, no matter who becomes speaker. As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, the public was not at all concerned or even aware of the speaker’s race. You can even argue that a large chunk of the public hasn’t even thought about the important positive consequences of a Republican House takeover. Certainly the liberal mainstream media has ignored it. So has Mr. Biden. Now, though, as interest has suddenly soared over the speaker’s race, which is a good small-d democratic process, this whole story has become front page news: who’s going to win and how new conservative policies will stop Mr. Biden’s radical agenda. The GOP’s taking heat right now, but you know what? As long as their names are spelled right, it’s a good thing. That’s because we have a whole battalion of conservatives on the front pages with their widely popular ideas, and I really like that. Did someone say spending caps? Did someone say no more borrowing? Did someone say make the Trump tax cuts permanent? Did someone say re-open the oil and gas spigots for energy independence, and no more begging the Saudis or Venezuelans? Or loud whispers about stopping the IRS? Or direct plans to close the southern border? I’m hearing all these things. I’m even reading about them. I’m even watching our liberal media friends begrudgingly talking about them on air like moths drawn to a flame. So, I still believe much good will come from this very interesting family discussion. Keep the faith. Better times are coming. From Mr. Kudlow’s broadcast on Fox Business News.

The Positives Surrounding the Speaker Election

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