DRIVING THE DAY: Mourners in San Francisco will gather today to pay their respects to the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein as she lies in state at City Hall. It’s a fitting place to remember Feinstein. A lifelong San Franciscan, she emerged as a national figure while presiding as mayor of the city prior to her three decades in the U.S. Senate. She died last week at age 90. Residents can say their goodbyes and sign a condolence book from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Funeral services, which are not open to the public, will be held Thursday and broadcast on the late senator’s social media pages. THE BUZZ: A SPEAKER SIDELINED — Kevin McCarthy lost his job. California Republicans lost a lifeline. McCarthy’s defenestration in Washington leaves beleaguered Republicans in California, whose seats he helped defend, preparing to spend the next 13 months without one of their biggest assets. "He was a phenomenal fundraiser and phenomenal recruiter," Matt Shupe, a Republican strategist in the state, said of McCarthy. "Unless we get another Californian as Speaker, I think we all could have something to be concerned about." Reps. Michelle Steel, Young Kim, Mike Garcia, David Valadao, and John Duarte were already vulnerable before Tuesday’s dramatic removal, led by Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and other hardline conservatives. With McCarthy now stripped of his power, the fight to hold their districts — and by extension, GOP control in Congress — just got that much more daunting. “Matt Gaetz and the other useful idiots have delivered a huge gift to [Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem] Jeffries,” said Rob Stutzman, a top Republican operative in California who has known McCarthy since his time in the statehouse in Sacramento. California Republicans tried to keep the ship steady on Tuesday (Valadao said he still “feels good” about his campaign) but others couldn’t dismiss the potential impact on the balance of power. McCarthy said he will not run again for the speakership — not surprising since it took him 15 rounds of voting to win the first time. Garcia said he still expects the former speaker to play an important role in keeping the California seats. Democratic consultants were jubilant that McCarthy’s ouster could boost their candidates in a half-dozen or so swing districts across California. Orrin Evans, a Democratic consultant working on multiple swing races, said McCarthy tarnished GOP candidates on his way out the door by forcing them to vote on a stopgap spending bill with cuts to law enforcement and other key services. The bill failed, and McCarthy relied on Democratic votes to temporarily avert a government shutdown. “The GOP is in full crisis mode. Every single one of these Republican enablers are going to have to own that parting gift from Kevin McCarthy from now to November 2024,” Evans said. GOOD MORNING. It’s Wednesday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook.
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