As the 2022 midterms approach, the prospect of a Kevin McCarthy/Mitch McConnell "leadership duet on Capitol Hill should rile the base to action," former Trump campaign advisor Steve Cortes noted.
McCarthy and McConnell "align themselves with the optics of the America First movement … when they divine that it suits their personal ambitions," Cortes wrote in an April 24 op-ed on Substack.
In their new book "This Will Not Pass", New York Times writers Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns detail McCarthy’s private denunciations of President Donald Trump after the events of Jan. 6, 2021. They quote McCarthy complaining about Trump: “I’ve had it with this guy. What he did is unacceptable.”
After McCarthy issued a rebuke of the book’s account, denying the veracity of the reporting, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow released a tape of McCarthy consulting with Liz Cheney to plot against Trump in the waning days of his presidency. With only 10 days left in office, McCarthy told Cheney that “it would be my recommendation that he [Trump] should resign.”
"Rachel Maddow did America First a solid," Cortes wrote. "No, really. She further revealed to the world just what a duplicitous, conniving insider Kevin McCarthy is — and that unveiling should steel our movement’s resolve to oust him from leadership."
Cortes continued: "McCarthy blamed Trump for the riot on January 6th, lied to his constituents about his actual statements during that time, and remains a firmly entrenched lackey for Big Business. He represents the worst aspects of Beltway politics, a well-rewarded stooge willing to serve as controlled opposition for the oligarchy."
While a movement to replace McCarthy and ensure an America First speaker for the Congress that will be seated in 2023 has yet to fully materialize, Cortes noted that, "in politics, the fiercest fights often unfold within the ranks, and McCarthy and McConnell are the vipers within the tent."
McCarthy, the Republican leader in the House, and McConnell, the GOP leader in the Senate, have a combined 52 years in Congress. Yet, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average, both have just 24% approval, below Democrat leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.
"These operators must be punted from leadership for reasons of principles and philosophy, but the politics also make this call an easy one," Cortes wrote.
"The battles between the Left and Right in America currently form a political cauldron. In 2022, America engages in a scorched-earth culture war, not some academic debate over marginal tax rates. We need leaders who demonstrate courage, authenticity, and understand what time it is. McCarthy and McConnell fail on all those standards."
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