Kevin McCarthy has demeaned himself for Donald Trump. But has he demeaned himself enough?

Donald Trump has coined countless silly nicknames and one perfect one: “My Kevin.” So he christened Kevin McCarthy for good reason: There are a lot of Kevins in the world, but only one is so thoroughly Trump’s.

At least until this week, when the New York Times revealed that the House minority leader told fellow Republican lawmakers that Trump should resign in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. McCarthy made the mistake of trying to paper over this embarrassing report of truth-telling as he often does — with a baldfaced lie — whereupon the reporters produced an audio recording to prove it. The fallout leaves McCarthy’s abject loyalty in question and his endlessly demeaning quest for the House speakership in jeopardy.

Weeks after the insurrection that inspired McCarthy to tell fellow congressional leaders he had “had it with this guy,” he traveled to that guy’s Florida estate to bow and scrape before him. He went on to overrule and excommunicate top lieutenants to ensure that no other Republican would investigate or criticize the armed insurrection that threatened them with bodily harm or worse. But McCarthy was only continuing the arc he began when he ordered a staffer to collate candy so he could gift the former president a jar filled exclusively with his favorite colors of Starburst.

In short, the congressman from Bakersfield has done a lot for Trump. But now McCarthy — coup condoner, self-abaser, Starburst segregator — faces a pivotal question for his political career: Can he do even more? And the answer is yes, the candy man can. For example:

▪ Figure out totalitarian Twitter: In the coup’s aftermath, McCarthy was also caught wishing Twitter would ban some of his colleagues. It’s a sore subject for Trump, who was thrown off the platform when Silicon Valley joined McCarthy in an uncharacteristic fit of character. Cracking the so far fruitless quest for an alt-right Twitter could help the minority leader make amends while outshining his stiffest competition in the category of sycophantic California congressmen, Devin Nunes, whose leadership of Trump’s “Truth Social” platform has been as abortive as his chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee.

▪ Refine confectionery cleansing: Plenty of fully integrated dessert items still await the red-lining attentions of McCarthy and his staff. Given that marriage equality has been a subject of renewed scrutiny among Republicans in Congress, it could be time to separate Mike and Ike, for instance. M&M’s are another promising subject of unhealthy obsession on the right: One pundit has lamented that he no longer wants to “have a drink” with the modernized cartoon representation of the green one, who is now less sexy and, it’s worth noting, still not real.

▪ Get serious about repealing Obamacare: By one count, McCarthy and his colleagues attempted to repeal or rein in the Affordable Care Act at least 70 times. It’s been challenged in court nearly 2,000 times. Is that enough? Obviously not. The signature legislation of Trump’s nemesis still stands, an outrageous monument to humanity and competence.

However he endeavors to patch up relations with the former president, it’s unfortunately too soon to count the congressman out. There are a lot of humiliating errands in the world, but few beyond McCarthy’s capacity for humiliation.