McCarthy rips California Dems in speech
SACRAMENTO — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy promised California’s top Republicans Saturday that he won’t buckle in his negotiations with President Biden over raising the government’s current $31.4 trillion borrowing limit — a high-wire negotiation that pits the new House leader between appeasing the most conservative elements of his party and allowing the government to tumble into default.
Appearing before the California Republican Party convention Saturday, McCarthy said he told Biden there “are two things I would never do. I will not raise taxes. And I will not pass a clean debt ceiling” bill — a measure that doesn’t include compromises on other issues. “But if you want to cut spending, if you want to find savings for the American public, I’m all ears.”
The federal government will not be able to pay its bills as early as July, according to the Congressional Budget Office, unless the current debt limit is raised or suspended. The most conservative GOP House members are pushing McCarthy to demand huge budget cuts before agreeing to a deal.
McCarthy didn’t mention what he would be willing to cut in the debt negotiations. Then again, Biden is still waiting to hear McCarthy’s proposal for the federal budget. On Thursday, Biden released his proposal and urged McCarthy to come to the negotiating table.
“I’m ready to meet with the speaker anytime, tomorrow if he has his budget,” Biden said during a rally in Philadelphia. “Lay it down. Tell me what you want to do. I’ll show you what I want to do. See what we can agree on. What we don’t agree on, we vote on.” Biden refused to link the debt ceiling staredown to the budget negotiations.
Saturday was the first time that McCarthy, who represents Bakersfield, has spoken to the California Republican Party since he became speaker this year after a protracted fight that required him to make numerous concessions to the most far-right members of the GOP.
McCarthy emerged as the most powerful California Republican on the national stage since Ronald Reagan. Over the years, has become one of the top money-raisers for the state party, its chief candidate recruiter and is so tight with state party chair Jessica Millan Patterson — who he recruited for the job in 2019 — that Patterson’s daughters call him “Uncle Speaker.” He received two standing ovations from the friendly audience of conservative grassroots activists and donors who have watched him rise from the California Young Republicans to leadership positions in the Legislature to speaker.
His supporters were not shy about their belief that government policies should be tethered to the Christian faith — shrugging off the Constitutional separation of church and state — including by describing the upcoming election as a “crusade” amid an increase in political violence nationally.
In a blessing offered “in Jesus’ name” before McCarthy’s speech, Orange County GOP Chair Fred Whitaker said, “Lord, we ask for a hedge of protection around” McCarthy as he leads through “these challenging times to help prevent the destruction of our country” as well as for a blessing for “the crusade we’re going to enter for 2024.”
McCarthy didn’t mention his controversial decision to give hours of security footage of the Jan. 6 insurrection to Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson, who has spread conspiracy theories about the attack. Nor did he weigh in on the 2024 presidential campaign — including former President Donald Trump, who has referred to him as “My Kevin” for his fealty. On the day before last year’s convention, news broke of a recording of McCarthy saying Trump bore responsibility for the Jan. 6 insurrection.
He touted his early moves as speaker, including creating a Select Committee on China to deal with a country he called “one of the greatest threats” to the nation. But even some conservatives have been dubious of the GOP’s new subcommittee on the “weaponization of the federal government.” The conservative news site the Bulwark said it was “shooting blanks,” and Fox News commentator Jesse Watters said last month: “Tell me this is going somewhere.”
McCarthy got a better reaction Saturday when he ridiculed Democrats. He took shots at Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, boasted about kicking Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, and Eric Swalwell, D-Livermore, off of the House Intelligence Committee and mocked Gov. Gavin Newsom for continuing to support the over-budget and long-delayed high-speed rail line in California.
“The only thing I think Gavin spends more time on than highspeed rail is spending time on his hair,” McCarthy said.
On Pelosi, who he mentioned several times even though she is no longer the top House Democrat: “It’s not that I wanted to be speaker. I just wanted to have a speaker from California that wasn’t Nancy Pelosi.” He expressed joy that Pelosi lost the speaker’s gavel in part because California held or flipped several House seats.
He also was self-deprecating, poking fun at his tortuous and widely ridiculed pathway to the speakership when House Republicans took 14 votes before electing him.
“Anybody can win on the first vote,” McCarthy said. “But to be able to go 15 … ” The audience laughed.
The night before McCarthy spoke, Rep. Tom McClintock, RElk Grove (Sacramento County), was asked in an onstage interview to explain what was going on behind the scenes during the chaos.
“It wasn’t complicated,” McClintock said. “Congress is a deliberative body. We were deliberating.”
The audience laughed that time, too.
Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale (Butte County), said that the tussle “was kind of a cleansing. I think it strengthened us. I feel bad for Kevin. But he’s actually feeling really good right now.”
Steve Hilton, a Fox News host who moderated the discussion with McClintock and LaMalfa, asked if there were any behindthe-scenes “funny stories” from the vote drama.
“It wasn’t that funny at the time,” McClintock deadpanned, to more laughter.
Huntington Beach Mayor Tony Strickland, who shared a rented house with LaMalfa and McCarthy when the three served together in the state Legislature two decades ago, knew McCarthy wouldn’t give up.
“When Kevin digs in, he would have waited until the 112th vote,” said Strickland, who urged his longtime friend, Rep. Alex Mooney, a Freedom Caucus member from West Virginia, to back McCarthy. “He’s relentless.”