Kevin McCarthy’s Debt-Ceiling Disadvantage

House speaker Kevin McCarthy’s narrow majority will put him at a distinct disadvantage in the debt-ceiling fight relative to what John Boehner had to work with back in 2011.

The reason is that during these sorts of standoffs between the House and Senate, it’s always helpful to the negotiating position of one chamber when the majority party is able to pass a bill, and then deflect blame to the other chamber for blocking it.