ADULT SUPERVISION:

When McCarthy spoke, he thanked people who had played an instrumental role in his career. But the crowd of bigwigs -- corporate executives, elite lobbyists and top Republicans such as Reps. Steve Scalise (La.) and Jim Jordan (Ohio) -- gave only one standing ovation that night, according to two people in attendance: It was for Dan Meyer, McCarthy's chief of staff.

Despite more than three decades working in the upper echelons of Republican politics, Meyer, 68, is not a household name. And yet no other person -- save McCarthy -- is expected to play a more pivotal role this year in trying to steer House Republicans through a series of potentially explosive conflicts with the White House and each other over the nation's spending and debt, with the fate of the global economy hanging in the balance.

While Capitol Hill waits to see how McCarthy wields power, his most important adviser has already emerged as a source of comfort for those in establishment Washington nervous about the prospect of a U.S. default later this year. Although McCarthy has vowed to "change Washington as we know it today," he has tapped the consummate insider -- a former lobbyist connected to the old Republican guard who is widely respected among Democrats -- to lead his office. And that alone has assured many former colleagues on K Street that Republicans will find a way to raise the federal debt limit later this year without triggering an economic crisis, despite warnings from conservatives about the budget fight ahead.

Tweet   @brothersjudd