[Public Voices] McCarthy, the Speaker of the U.S. House, Who Sold the Soul of the '3 Young Guns'

[Asia Economy] After the 2008 U.S. presidential election, there were three ‘young guns’ in the Republican Party who expressed dissatisfaction with the aging leadership that had suffered consecutive election defeats. They were Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan, and Kevin McCarthy. In their early 40s, these politically savvy, diligent, bold, and professional figures were called the ‘3 Young Guns.’ The term ‘Young Guns’ refers to young gunslingers roaming the frontier. Experts regarded these three as the main players who would shake up American politics.

The backlash from the election of the first Black president in 2008 led to the conservative wave of the citizen right-wing political movement known as the Tea Party. The 3 Young Guns did not miss this opportunity. By effectively leveraging the Tea Party, they succeeded in electing over 40 newcomers in the 2010 midterm elections. The 3 Young Guns also became the center of power within the Republican Party. John Boehner was the figurehead speaker, Eric Cantor became the House Majority Leader, Kevin McCarthy the Majority Whip, and Paul Ryan took the position of (budget) Appropriations Committee Chairman.

In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain, who lost to Barack Obama, warned his running mate, political newcomer from Alaska Sarah Palin, “Far-right conservatives will rush to put you forward as president, but if they enter politics, the Republican Party will head toward ruin. You must never engage in politics with far-right conservatives.” McCain had witnessed the anti-intellectual racism of the far-right political movement, the Tea Party, which supported him.

The 3 Young Guns were not unaware of this. Cantor, the leader of the trio, mentioned distancing from the Tea Party. The result was disastrous. Cantor, the House Majority Leader, lost in the party primary due to concentrated attacks from the Tea Party. It was like a national representative losing in a local qualifier. Having experienced the Tea Party’s attacks, McCarthy chose to collude despite John McCain’s stern warning. He believed that he needed Tea Party support to succeed the soon-to-retire Speaker John Boehner. This is why McCarthy shifted from a traditional ‘moderate conservative’ stance toward the far right. From then on, McCarthy was held back by far-right extremists (Tea Party-Trump supporters). Cantor was out, and Boehner announced his retirement. McCarthy’s hope to become Speaker vanished due to the decline of the Tea Party faction and his own verbal missteps. The Speaker position went to Paul Ryan.

The far-right political force, the Tea Party, fully emerged when Donald Trump appeared as a presidential candidate. After Trump was elected president, Paul Ryan, unable to endure it, announced his retirement from politics. Now, only McCarthy remains among the 3 Young Guns.

Among 223 Republican members of Congress, about 20 far-right lawmakers who align with Trump’s politics launched a ‘rebellion’ opposing McCarthy’s election as Speaker for the 118th House opening. This group supported Trump on January 6, 2021, denying the election results and backing the attack on the Capitol. McCarthy had to concede to most of their demands, leaving behind about 200 regular members who supported him. Although their power is waning, Trump’s politics remain alive.

Among the three young guns of the frontier, McCarthy, the last one standing, finally became the second most powerful figure in Washington, the Speaker of the House. This happened after the 15th Speaker vote, just past midnight on the exact two-year anniversary of the Capitol riot. McCarthy recklessly brought in the Tea Party for his ambition and surrendered to Trump’s politics, being conquered by it. Prioritizing ambition over the essence of politics, he sold out the soul of the Young Guns. Although he became Speaker, he does not seem likely to become a true leader.

Kim Dong-seok, Representative of the Korean American Voters Alliance