How Republicans can make the best of their microscopic House majority

Home Minority Chief Kevin McCarthy spoke throughout a information convention with members of the Home Republican management.
AP

Kevin McCarthy could now have the toughest job in Washington.

Assuming he turns into speaker of the Home, which would require the near-unanimous help of his caucus and isn’t essentially a foregone conclusion, he’s signing up for probably the most depressing expertise of any congressional chief since John Boehner barely managed a Republican Home majority within the Obama years. 

Boehner presided over a caucus infused with new Tea Get together members who anticipated to do nice issues when the leverage a congressional majority has over a president of the other occasion is inherently restricted. 

The mismatch between their hopes and their energy led to continuous frustration, which was taken out on Boehner. By the point he resigned, the Ohio Republican could possibly be forgiven for questioning if his canine was going to show towards him.

Now, Home Republicans can have a microscopic majority in a Washington nonetheless arrayed towards them. It is going to be exhausting sufficient to go something consequential or controversial out of the Home earlier than it runs right into a brick wall within the Democrat-controlled Senate. Home Republicans presumably received’t be capable to get their handiwork inside hailing distance of President Biden’s veto pen. 

In gentle of this, the primary precedence for Home Republicans ought to be tempering expectations. Their most essential achievement has already occurred — particularly guaranteeing that Nancy Pelosi will not be the speaker with all that that entails for Biden’s agenda.

If Home Minority Chief McCarthy turns into speaker of the Home, it would require near-unanimous help of his caucus.

AP

Profiting from their alternative in any other case would require some realism, subtlety and creativity.

Deadline-driven fights loom over the debt restrict and funds subsequent yr. Republicans will need to extract their pound of flesh, however shouldn’t overestimate their affect. They aren’t going to reform entitlements or put the US on a essentially completely different fiscal path in a dramatic, down-to-the-wire confrontation over the debt restrict or a doable authorities shutdown. Often, the aggressors in such fights lose, and it’ll be exhausting to take care of GOP unity, with extra cautious Republican senators hesitant to go down this path. 

Republicans could be well-served to decide on a couple of believable coverage aims on the outset of those fights — say, revoking the brand new Biden IRS brokers — somewhat than developing with giant, superficially enticing calls for that inevitably need to be deserted. 

Then there are the investigations. Right here, Republicans don’t have to fret in regards to the balancing act concerned in attending to 218 votes. The Home Oversight Committee can merely get busy. There are nonetheless pitfalls to keep away from, although. 

The Hunter Biden investigation clearly must give attention to public corruption and the query of Joe’s involvement greater than Hunter’s lurid private life. Republicans ought to keep away from any counterprogramming on Jan. 6, particularly given what the midterms confirmed in regards to the political prices of any affiliation with Cease the Steal. And impeaching Biden with out even a majority within the Senate could be an train in futility. 

In any other case, the sector is vast open for probes that could possibly be substantively essential and politically helpful, whether or not on the origins of COVID, how the CDC and different authorities entities responded to the pandemic, the Afghan withdrawal, and authorities stress on social media corporations.

Lastly, Home Republicans ought to go laws, not within the hopes of getting any of it signed, however to point out that the occasion has a solution-oriented agenda. This was a component of the occasion’s message that was woefully missing within the run-up to the midterms.

John Boehner beforehand held the place of speaker of the Home of Representatives in the course of the years of President Barack Obama.

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They need to go payments to handle inflation, help households, management the border, transfer towards a extra merit-based authorized immigration system, push again towards the woke training forms, scale back faculty prices and level in a extra wise route on crime. 

The occasion ought to exhibit that it’s pro-family and pro-law-and-order whereas making an attempt to promote itself to the center once more as severe and competent. 

This might be no small activity with a really slender, fractious majority, however nobody stated Kevin McCarthy’s job could be simple.

Twitter: @RickLowry