Maybe with another speaker candidate/previous conditions but with McCarthy it was just impossible.
Pelosi and ex GOP speaker Boehner for instance, despite having very different politics and multiple disagreements, managed to be fairly collegiate - hence Boehner unveiling Pelosi’s portrait recently,
John Boehner Cries While Telling Nancy Pelosi How Much His Daughters 'Admire' Her During Portrait Unveiling
John Boehner choked up Wednesday as he told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi how much his daughters "admire" her during a special ceremony. A portrait of Pelosi was unveiled at the Capitol to honor her. Pelosi is the first woman to serve as House Speaker. She held the gavel from 2007 until 2011 when...
www.mediaite.com
However McCarthy has been far more on the rightwing from the start, probably to avoid getting challenged in a primary by a more extreme Republican like his predecessor Eric Cantor who lost his speakership.
House majority leader Eric Cantor loses primary to Tea Party challenger
Economics professor Dave Brat wins in unexpected result in Virginia's 7th congressional district that sends shockwaves through Republican party
So even if Dems had been willing to make a deal with McCarthy it is very unlikely he would have been receptive to it.
And I don’t think you can discount the level personal animosity and distrust of McCarthy on the hill given his sharp turn from condemning Trump for the Jan 6th attack and then two weeks later running down to MIL to kiss Trump’s feet - he isn’t a man whose “word is his bond”. Those attackers were threatening to hang the Dem speaker Pelosi and other Dems like AOC - that isn’t just a minor issue that people forget as normal business.
How January 6 may have doomed Kevin McCarthy's speaker hopes https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64182829
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