Kevin McCarthy: California GOP Has Nowhere to Go But Up

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Credit Ben Adler / Capital Public Radio

House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) addresses the Sacramento Press Club Friday.

House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy had plenty to say at the Sacramento Press Club Friday.

The California Congressman discussed everything from the federal budget cuts known as sequestration to the future of the Republican Party. Ben Adler has more from Sacramento.

McCarthy said President Obama was “creating hysteria” about the sequestration cuts – rather than working with Republicans:

“If we can’t find a way to cut $85 billion out of a $3.6 trillion deficit, we’re not gonna overcome our problems.”

He criticized the people running California’s high-speed rail project:

“The worst part about it is, they think the federal government is gonna pay it for them.  And it’s a false belief that that will happen.”

And he spoke about the state of the struggling California GOP:

“The most important thing that the Republican Party has is, I don’t believe we can get any lower.  All right?  So the only way is up.”

But to get there, McCarthy says the party must be more inclusive, improve its infrastructure and show voters Republicans care about their lives.