Even with GOP backlash, Dems would rather have McCarthy than alternatives. This makes removing him impossible.

So here we are. A bipartisan majority is taking shape and the vote to pass a debt ceiling increase will probably take place by the end of this week.

What we do next depends on how the drama of the last few weeks comes to be understood as the dust settles. There have been a number of unexpected twists along the way, and we’ll need to think carefully about how those affect our plan. The most important are these:

President Biden brilliantly tied a budget agreement to the debt ceiling negotiations. By doing that, while also insisting on a two-year raise, he succeeded in removing any further Republican threats of economic blackmail from the 118th Congress. No government shutdown, No potential debt default.

By out-negotiating Speaker McCarthy, which resulted in his abandonment of MAGA extremists in the House, President Biden has greatly diminished the power of that radical faction. No longer able to count on their control of the Speaker, they are now reduced to being just another one of several caucuses in the chamber. However, they remain a dangerous and on-going threat both to the institution and to democratic governance itself.

There have been rumors that centrist Democrats quietly promised Kevin McCarthy they will vote against any motion to vacate the chair, thus assuring that he can continue as Speaker. If true, the task of removing him becomes exponentially more difficult. On the other hand, if he is indebted to the Democrats to remain Speaker, removing him may be less urgent. Either way though, countering MAGA is as urgent as ever - particularly if the extremists are now more desperate than before.