Given his slim majority, holding onto the speakership would almost certainly require Democratic votes. But the unprecedented series of concessions that McCarthy made to the far right all but foreclosed that possibility. Democrats have absolutely no incentive to save his skin, knowing full well that he would, for instance, continue a comical impeachment inquiry as soon as they did. In an early test of his leadership, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries convinced his caucus to hold the line, understanding that his party would derive no benefit from saving McCarthy’s skin. Even if they had cut a deal, there was no reason to believe that Republicans would honor it. It is, moreover, not entirely plausible that such a deal could have worked, in any case: Dropping the impeachment inquiry, one possible concession, would have just sparked another revolt in the GOP caucus. McCarthy painted himself into a corner the day he ascended to the speakership, and these are the fruits of that arrangement. Honestly, it’s shocking that he managed to hold on for as long as he did.
In any case, the idea that Democrats should bail out McCarthy because his successor might be even more extreme is preposterous, though some are already suggesting it. For one thing, the majority elects its own leader—why Democrats would boost any current House Republican is absurd, given everything that has transpired since the GOP retook the chamber earlier this year. But McCarthy has repeatedly dealt in bad faith and has spent the final days of his speakership pushing a ridiculous impeachment inquiry. Republican Tom Cole begged Democrats to do something—anything!—on the House floor on Wednesday, warning, “Think long and hard before you plunge us into chaos.” But the House GOP has been plunged in chaos for months. Democrats giving McCarthy a lifeline would do nothing to change that.
It’s not the least bit surprising to see McCarthy hoist by his own petard, having sown the seeds of his destruction from the outset of his tenure. From minute one, this trajectory was laid in—the only open question was how long it would take the extremists in McCarthy’s midst to gin up a reason to take him out. This speakership has proceeded along predictable lines, with McCarthy alienating everyone he needed to save himself: Democrats and the handful of Republicans he made his ill-fated grand bargain with last January. McCarthy may yet regain the gavel. He may cut another deal to become speaker again. But it’s not clear how that would end any differently from this. For now, this is a fitting celebration of the ignoble reign of a neutered House speaker; it is a pathetic moment and a deserved one.