I just watched Republican representative Michael McCaul saying how dangerous it is without a speaker. The House is paralyzed, and that was before Scalise withdrew. If moderate Republicans had any sense or concern for the country, they’d make a deal with Democrats to elect another Republican or even Jeffries. Of course that’s not going to happen. The electorate should be reminded of this constantly during the 24 campaign.
Will Kevin McCarthy become Speaker?
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Their desire to hold on to their seats is directly proportional to their inability to govern or tell the truth. These are overpaid, spotlight-worshipping, fundraising idiots in safe districts who have been (and are continuing) to be coddled. Couple that with their absolute fear of Donald Trump - literally one of the least-threatening politicians in American history - and you have a recipe for disaster.
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Trump has been cheerleading the division. He wanted Jordan - a pawn. And he may still get him, who knows. He said nothing about McCarthy. He expressed doubt about Scalise.
Former President Donald Trump, who endorsed Jordan, was sour on Scalise’s speakership candidacy in a Fox News Radio interview, pointing to the House majority leader’s recent cancer diagnosis.
“I just don’t know how you can do the job when you have such a serious problem,” Trump said.
amp.cnn.com
They need some random Republican with no baggage to be nominated, cut a deal with democrats and get them to be/vote absent.
Kill the one person motion to vacate. Figure out Ukraine and Israel aid, maybe a joint package. Figure out a debt deal. Then the clowns can be ignored and go back to doing whatever it is they do when they aren’t sucking up airtime by not doing their job and gloating about it.
Former President Donald Trump, who endorsed Jordan, was sour on Scalise’s speakership candidacy in a Fox News Radio interview, pointing to the House majority leader’s recent cancer diagnosis.
“I just don’t know how you can do the job when you have such a serious problem,” Trump said.
Steve Scalise drops out of speaker’s race as House GOP faces leadership crisis | CNN Politics
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise announced he was dropping out of the speaker’s race Thursday after House Republicans failed to coalesce behind him in the aftermath of Kevin McCarthy’s historic ouster.
amp.cnn.com
They need some random Republican with no baggage to be nominated, cut a deal with democrats and get them to be/vote absent.
Kill the one person motion to vacate. Figure out Ukraine and Israel aid, maybe a joint package. Figure out a debt deal. Then the clowns can be ignored and go back to doing whatever it is they do when they aren’t sucking up airtime by not doing their job and gloating about it.
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Couldn't agree more, it's easy to bust on them but the reality is our system is broken at the worst possible time. I fear anyone sane and reasonable (yes, I believe their party does have that in their ranks) won't stand a chance. In the end they'll have to answer to the American people and we're all running out of patience.
Dems can also step up here and help out for the good of everyone, I know it's not a popular opinion but IMO reaching out and working together benefits us all.
KingOfPain
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A Live Look at the Speaker Race (from the Late Show with Stephen Colbert):
There’s another option: the house can elect a temporary Speaker that only has the power to call votes on specific bills within a limited timeframe. Then it doesn’t really matter who is elected; could be literally anyone so long as they show up and say the words. Seems like the most probable
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Better take another week off to calm down and regroup before another grueling round of two or three two-hour meetings with no results. What are they doing, crossing names off a list?
I agree but Kevin immediately after his untimely departure boasted that he had rejected an offer from the Democrats to stave off this chaos - stating he rejected them for the "good of the conference" - i.e. the Republican party, conspicuously absent was mention of good of the country. Truthfully I don't know if they did or not but they came through and supplied more votes for the CR than the Republicans did and he still burned them afterwards - which is what he did after every attempt that Democrats did exactly that and tried to reach out during his tumultuous 9 month tenure.
Earlier @GermanSuplex reposted that an otherwise conservative House member claimed he would vote for Scalise if Scalise would just say out loud that 2020 wasn't stolen and Scalise wouldn't do it. And Scalise was the more moderate of the two in terms of overthrowing Democracy (though he like Kevin and Jordan all voted to do so after the attempted January 6th putsch). So yes they have to reach out, but it's not clear that there is anyone on the Republican side who wants/can get leadership who is willing to work with Democrats in even the slightest way.
Huh, interesting. How does that differ from the current Speaker situation I wonder? We technically have one but I think he's only allowed to call a vote for Speaker ... oh and kick Democrats out of office space because he's a peevish jerk.
Trying to figure out where the Vatican gets its fancy smoke from.
I gather that the current Speaker only has the power to elect a new Speaker (and effect ancillary motions like calling the House to order, adjourning, etc., though who knows what sort of loopholes exist). I believe the terms of Speakership are not constrained much (or at all?) by the Constitution. However, IANAL… @Cmaier?
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I think we’ve been focusing on the wrong word in “Who would even want this job?”. The focus tends to be on “this” when it should be on “job”. The Republican Congress doesn’t want to do any actual job. We’re close to a decade of being able to replace the collective Republican Congress with a giant “No!” stamp. Their paychecks should be issued from the unemployment office.
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Is there such a person? I’m beginning to think that one of the requirements for election is having baggage.
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You may be on to something. They got rid of McCarthy, but even the self-proclaimed David Duke without the baggage - Steve Scalise - didn’t make the cut. Now they’re onto their number two - Gym Jordache - who’s back in the running. David Duke with the baggage.
I put his chances at zero. No Republican in a purple district will give in to that.
Nominating Jordan is a further sign of their dysfunction.
They are in a pickle because they don’t have much room for present votes because then Jeffries would win. Jeffries no doubt has more votes than any Republican they are throwing around.
Gym is a non-starter.
*Home for the weekend. They don’t even have a leader brave enough to say “Stay in town until this is done”?
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You and I both hope. He’s balls deep in Jan 6 nonsense but I would not be shocked if Republicans find their way to him as speaker. Not much they do has made sense in years. He’s as bad as they come.
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I’m sticking with zero chance. Even if you love the guy, there aren’t enough republicans in safe districts to get him to 217. A vote for Speaker Gym would be the end of many a Republican political career, with none of the instant fame you get from going against Trump. All risk and no reward.
Republicans would be mocked relentlessly with no grounds for a retort, and he’d never be able to get any outrageous bills through the senate or president, which would require him to negotiate with democrats, which would kill his standing in the MAGA cult and his ability to lead.
I’m surprised he wants the job, he’s done well for himself by passing zero bills in sixteen years and putting on auditions for the role of Trump muppet during committee hearings. He’s also part of the reason republicans have such a slim majority and are so dysfunctional that someone like him is their nominee for speaker,
Seemed more like a way to just pass a vote and go home for the weekend while they think some more.
You know I'd like for this to be true. Right now I'd say Jordan doesn't have much if any chance of becoming speaker, but the reality is January 6th happened, the Republicans voted to overturn the election results, and two years later people voted the Republicans back into power in the House. Right now polls, regardless of how accurate you think they are, show Trump with a decent shot of winning despite January 6th and 90+ indictments. I'm not sure who is more to blame for this - the media or ourselves, i.e. the general public - but we're in trouble.
