Kevin McCarthy is baffled by the very predictable results of his own actions

Six days away from a painful and unnecessary shutdown of the federal government, the person most singularly responsible for it is apparently surprised by the most predictable turn of events in professional politics.

Beleaguered House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has repeatedly expressed astonishment at the fact that his fellow Republicans are seemingly incapable of responsibly governing—astonishment which is only sincerely possible under two conditions:

1. He’s an idiot.

2. He’s suffered an inexplicable loss of short- and long-term memory pertaining to the past 8 years.

The fact is that McCarthy not only had a front-row seat to the GOP’s transformation from an increasingly disloyal opposition party into a full-fledged authoritarian cult of personality under Donald Trump, he aided and abetted it as part of his party’s Congressional leadership during Trump’s presidency.

If there was any moment for McCarthy to have his cake and eat it too—to ride the capricious wave of Donald Trump as far as it could take him without drowning under it—it was in the aftermath of the January 6th insurrection. Then-Minority leader McCarthy publicly condemned the attack and publicly rebuked Trump.

But rather than do the bold and principled work of redirecting his party away from Trump, McCarthy—the consummate coward—soon bent the knee once more and the GOP resumed its acceleration towards full cult status.

Under Presidents Clinton, Obama, and Trump himself, Republicans have been rightly blamed by the American people for the shutdowns they trigger—and generally suffer the consequences during the next election.

And Trump, out-of-office and from distant Mar-A-Lago, is publicly and privately urging his cultists in the House Freedom Caucus to undermine any attempt to prevent a government shutdown because he believes it will personally benefit him (if not the party, about which Trump cares nothing).

With all this in mind, and as redistricting already favors Democrats to reclaim the House in 2024, McCarthy is being undermined by the same malignant narcissist whom he did not undermine when he had the chance (but should have).

The irony could not be richer.