What You Need to Read About Politics 10/7 Edition
My roundup of the week's most important stories
Some weeks, one story dominates this news. That was certainly true this week, as the stunning downfall of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the attendant paralysis of the chamber, and uncertainty about what comes next sucked the oxygen out of every other story. That’s probably going to persist for at least another week, and maybe longer if we still don’t know who the speaker is for a while.
But that didn’t mean that nothing else important happened this week, nor that we went a week without really great reporting on big things that have huge influence on our lives. So I’ve broken this week’s links into two sections: one with 16 links related to the defenestration of McCarthy, and one with 14 links on other topics. For those readers looking to catch up on the big news of the week, the first section is for you. For those sick of Capitol Hill drama, and looking for stories you might have missed that are thought provoking and relate to things that influence our lives, the second is for you.
The McCarthy section includes up to date reporting on the state of play in the House and why efforts to save the former speaker failed. There’s even a piece investigating what power the acting speaker, Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), actually has. Since he’s the first person to serve in this particular role, it’s all uncharted waters and no one is sure precisely what he can do and what only an actual, elected speaker can do.
It also includes some fantastic analyses about why a few far right Republicans were able to topple McCarthy, and why Democrats didn’t save him. There are several stories by the Washington Post’s Paul Kane, as well ones from the Dispatch’s Haley Byrd Wilt and the Atlantic’s Ron Brownstein that provide keen insight into how we got here. There are also some macro-level analyses on the broken nature of the GOP and how the party became almost ungovernable, including a round up of takes from a diverse group of scholars and political practitioners. I’d be remiss if I didn’t include my own analysis from earlier this week in case you missed it.
Finally, there is a piece that looks at how the story is playing beyond the Beltway — do even tuned in voters understand what’s going on and care — and a few stories that look into why the center-right and center-left seem incapable of rising up and banding together across party lines to govern the House at a time when it’s clear neither party has a workable majority.
The two quotes of the week also come from the House drama.
The non-McCarthy segment of the column really pushes beyond Beltway politics. There are stories on state and local politics, religion, culture, the economy, the Supreme Court, and maybe our hottest button policy issue. There is also an absolute must read, long read on a group reshaping American law.
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