'Somehow, Biden and McCarthy managed to resurrect the art of compromise in an extraordinarily uncompromising time.' More from danschnur on our blog:
Neither Joe Biden nor Kevin McCarthy is often accused of greatness. Both the transitional president and transactional Speaker are frequently denigrated when compared to more illustrious predecessors. But the
The threat to McCarthy is more immediate, after he was forced to grovel for the conservative votes that he needed to win the speaker’s gavel earlier this year, and it was widely assumed that those same members would refuse to allow him any leeway in negotiations with the White House. But Biden’s challenges are just as existential, as the centrist president was very aware that a progressive primary challenge next year could doom his chances for re-election.
Not surprisingly, the most conservative Republicans and most liberal Democrats are outraged. They represent districts that are absolutely safe for their party, so most know that they will never face a competitive general election campaign. The only possible way they could every lose a re-election campaign is to an even more doctrinaire primary opponent, and so protecting themselves from being outflanked on the far right or left is simply a matter of self-preservation.
These challenges are nothing new. Ronald Reagan used to muse about the most implacable conservatives “driving off the cliff with all their flags flying.” More recently, Nancy Pelosi would admonish her most progressive members for ignoring the needs of their more endangered colleagues. Reagan and Speaker Tip O’Neill worked together to save Social Security. President Bill Clinton and Speaker Newt Gingrich teamed up to balance the budget and pass seminal trade and welfare reform legislation.
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