MEGHAN MCCAIN: McCarthy is critically wounded, the GOP humiliated, Biden stronger. Good luck in 2024

There's a cancer in the Republican Party that has yet to be cut out.

And as of Wednesday, the prognosis doesn't look good.

In the sixth round of voting, stretching into a second day, California Congressman Kevin McCarthy again failed to muster the votes necessary to be elected speaker of the House.

It is the first time in nearly a century that this has happened.

Weakened by an appalling midterm election debacle, McCarthy needed every Republican to back him — save four.

Ultimately, 20 Republicans voted against him in what can only be described as a complete and utter circus, a raw political drama that only the best reality TV can offer.

In this episode of Republican Dysfunction, the House MAGA caucus smelled blood in the water and pounced — like a jealous Real Housewife sensing her chance for revenge.

After publicly airing their grievances, members such as Congressman Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert, demanded concessions. Hamstrung, with his back against the wall, McCarthy conceded.

He gave them want they wanted, only to have it thrown back in his face.

What he should have realized is they're performance artists — not negotiating partners. With a compromise in hand, they moved the goalposts, reportedly demanding power that no members have ever been granted, something they knew McCarthy couldn't give them.

Weakened by an appalling midterm election debacle, McCarthy needed every Republican to back him — save four.

But compromise wasn't the point of this exercise – they wanted humiliation.

Like Donald Trump, his acolytes in Congress value nothing more than their own celebrity.

They probably prefer to be in the minority – it doesn't require much responsibility. In the minority, they can be outraged on cable TV and stoke their ever-shrinking base of supporters. They don't need to build coalitions or reach across the aisle. They only need to promote themselves and win re-election. To them, it doesn't matter if they're powerless.

But it does matter. They cannot advance the values they claim to champion on their own. That's not how democracy works. And that's the root of the disease the Republican Party has yet to shake.

The dragging of Kevin McCarthy is confirmation of all my worst fears. Evidence that the nihilism and thirst for chaos that defined the Trump-era is still alive and well in the GOP. The hangover lingers.

Now, I am no great fan of McCarthy. I'm still perplexed by his post-January 6th decision to come out very aggressively against Trump only to turn around a week later and meet with the ex-president to publicly make amends. I also thought his treatment of Congresswoman Liz Cheney was deplorable and unbecoming of someone who should be leading a big tent party.

But at the end of the day, there is no clear alternative to his speakership. He's all we have got. And politics is the art of the possible.

There is no other House member who could come close to corralling the 218 votes needed to become the next speaker. Congressmen Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise have made it clear they are not interested in the job.

At this point, who would be?

Time and time again, Republicans shoot themselves in the foot, distracting the American public from the steaming pile of mess the Democrat Party has left in the form of sky-high inflation, crime-ridden streets and ridiculous cultural conflicts.

McCarthy's deranged detractors offer no viable alternatives. They're only solution is to burn it all down and dance in the ashes, except this kamikaze mission brings everyone else down with them.

The only solace that one can take from this disaster is that Trump's personal influence has also been diminished by this whole ordeal.

Tuesday night, Trump appeared to stick the knife in the back of his on-again, off-again ally's back. He refused to back McCarthy amid the House turmoil, reportedly telling a reporter, 'We'll see what happens. We'll see how it all works out.'

Then Wednesday morning, Trump turned, posting, 'Republicans, do not turn a great triumph into a giant & embarrassing defeat… Kevin McCarthy will do a good job, maybe even a great job – just watch!'

Faint praise to say the least, and obviously too little too late. The damage has been done.

But Trump also failed to have an impact.

'Sad!' Gaetz said in a statement. 'This changes neither my view of McCarthy, nor Trump, nor my vote.'

In the end, even if McCarthy can whip enough votes to become speaker, he loses. He'll be critically wounded, limping over the finish line.

The GOP is stuck in neutral as the world moves on. And this only makes Democrats and President Biden appear stronger and more unified going into 2024.

A weak leader presiding over a small minority is not a recipe for success. Say what you want about Nancy Pelosi, strength and a steel grip on her caucus was not her problem.

But the GOP is stuck in neutral as the world moves on. And this only makes Democrats and President Biden appear stronger and more unified going into 2024.

Time and time again, Republicans shoot themselves in the foot, distracting the American public from the steaming pile of mess the Democrat Party has left in the form of sky-high inflation, crime-ridden streets and ridiculous cultural conflicts. There are very real and very serious issues facing our country that Republicans can easily confront, yet they cannibalize one another instead.

The identity of the next Republican speaker is now up in the air – a mortifying start to a GOP-majority House – revealing a divided, broken, sick party.

If they don't find the cure soon, 2024 may turn into a repeat of 2022.

But who cares right? The ratings are though the roof.