Current House Minority Leader and Speaker Wannabe Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is being asked to play Santa Claus in exchange for conservatives to support him in January as the next Speaker. Most of the gifts are in changes to how the House operates in terms of rules and committee assignments. Sounds simple until you have to govern under the rules you have committed to your new majority.
Republicans galvanized around a plan this year as fundamental to their future leadership. The “Commitment to America” organizes various pledges under four broad categories: the economy, safety, freedom and accountability. The outline is an attempt to harness the historical success of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s 1994 “Contract with America,” which propelled GOP gains during President Bill Clinton’s first term.