Kevin McCarthy announced today he is no longer running for Speaker of the House. This is a swift fall from grace for the presumed successor to John Boehner. While we may never know, I am curious what caused McCarthy to pull out from this race. He had a fairly serious gaffe recently, but I didn’t expect it be serious enough to keep him from the Speakership.
Some of my libertarian friends would like to see Justin Amash as the next Speaker of the House. Sure, why not? Amash is a solid libertarian who has maintained his seat against challengers while voting true to his principles. He has nonpartisan appeal in his history of Facebook posts explaining his votes in Congress. I am personally grateful for all the time Amash has given up speaking at Students For Liberty and Young Americans for Liberty events for free including two events I organized while in college.
I have no reason to believe Amash has an actual chance at the Speakership. He is young, not extremely popular among Republicans, and isn’t being suggested by the colleagues who do like him. There are of course a number of other candidates who were being thrown around even before McCarthy bowed out.
The House Freedom Caucus, a group of Republicans of which Amash is a founding member, is supporting Daniel Webster for the Speakership. I don’t know much about Webster so I have nothing to say on his candidacy one way or the other.
However, I’m glad to see Amash gaining clout through a group like the House Freedom Caucus. Before McCarthy even dropped out, a few reporters speculated the House Freedom Caucus’ support for Webster was going to put McCarthy’s chances in doubt. It seems to me the best way to get the attention and support of a political power is not to merely support and partner with them but to scare them. Don’t let them (the powers that be!) take you for granted. I am pessimistic about opportunities for libertarians to gain change through direct political action but if it is going to happen, it will take the following: Show your power, gain a seat at the table, and fight for your top priorities.