The Crazy Eights?
Rep. Andy Biggs (Ariz.)
Rep. Ken Buck (Colo.)
Rep. Tim Burchett (Tenn.)
Rep. Eli Crane (Ariz.)
Rep. Matt Gaetz (Fla.)
Rep. Bob Good (Va.)
Rep. Nancy Mace (S.C.)
Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.)
Congress is apparently going to do nothing for the next week. The GOP will do some behind the scenes glad handing, then maybe we will get a new nominee for speaker in a week. Can’t wait for the attempt to install Trump as speaker.
2 Likes
Gym Jordan is angling for the speaker of the house job. Lol.
Trump, Gaetz, Jordan should call the ticket Make America Grope Again
2 Likes
Trump got a few votes the last time around. Obviously not enough to win, definitely not enough to make an impact at any point. I don’t see the few relative moderates in the GOP making that jump to him.
Remember that in the final vote, it still wasn’t that McCarthy got a majority of the votes from members of the House. He won 216-212, with 6 members voting “present” and thus not adding to the total needed to win. 5 of the 6 who voted present on the 15th ballot (Biggs, Crane, Gaetz, Good, Rosendale) voted against McCarthy today; Boebert voted present in January on the final ballot, but voted for McCarthy today. As it stands, McCarthy needs all three of Buck, Burchett and Mace to flip back + Gooden (R, TX-5 who was absent from the vote to vacate) + one of those other 5, who were already dug in on him not being Speaker and only sat out when they got concessions from McCarthy.
I guess their game plan is … exhaustion? Make sure the House does literally nothing else until someone else gets offered as a compromise? And what deals do they have to cut to keep from suffering the same fate?
At least he can tell everyone “yeah, well joke’s on all of you - you all thought I’d never get elected Speaker of the House and I did.”
Republicans won’t be doing much of anything for a week, but their first order of business after the McCarthy ouster was asking Pelosi to vacate her office tomorrow. She is at Feinstein’s funeral, which they are well aware.
2 Likes
McCarthy says he won’t run for speaker again.
For all of his moral compromise and humiliation all he got was … more humiliation.
2 Likes
Liz Cheney?
No requirement that SOTH be an actual Representative.
i am sure the GOP will try and blame this on dems for not supporting the speaker. but the majority pretty much picks the speaker from among their ranks in the 2 party groupings we have, and mccarthy won on the nth vote bc he agreed to a very low threshold for MTV action and accepted the terms.
no clue who will fill the role next. doubt it is someone i like, but there is not a lot I like in that pool of applicants. perhaps if dems can secure keeping the govt open and running and aid for ukraine, then maybe they get behind someone. but i don’t expect that to happen. i expect a week or two of chaos.
Followed by what? A smooth functioning House producing progressive legislation for the American people? Forgive my cynicism about what follows. Absence of cooperation and compromise will continue. Chaos is imbedded in the system.
Would fit right in one of my kid’s books of fables.
2 Likes
Your interim speaker: Patrick McHenry (R-NC).
All of his allowable job functions:
- Recognize nominations for Speaker of the House
- Adjourn the chamber
- Recess the House
And, apparently, he’s also choosing to boot Pelosi and Hoyer out of their offices as punishment for Democrats not saving McCarthy just to show he’s an asshat.
1 Like
These are the types of things that people like to make fun of as not being a big deal, but I have a different view. These things are norms of our democracy, where we engage in measures that show at least some basic respect for people of the opposition party. Each time we erode one of these little things, it pushes the two parties further apart and causes deeper divisions. As somebody else mentioned, Newt started us down a dark path, and we are following it to the darkest places. Each one of these petty moves is another brick being placed in the wrong direction.
3 Likes
i meant around the speaker stuff alone. what will follow will be another round of chaos as we get closer to the end of the 45 day funding for the govt. i have no idea what will happen relating to ukraine. i suspect to secure votes needed there will be promises to defund the DOJ and “impeach” hunter biden. chaos will continue. but on this topic (speaker selection), 1-2 weeks
agree that ignoring norms in favor of what the rules allow is a bad path. for example, trump wondered why we haven’t used nukes since WW2. i mean, we have them (a lot of them). the judicial stuff where nothing gets past senate bc the rules allow (but prior practice did not). all human behavior needn’t be codified usually
1 Like
I agree this is a mockery of our government, but I’m curious when discussing “petty moves” if you meant it was also petty for Democrats to vote him out.
Personally I think that’s entirely rational. It’s my understanding he pledged to work with them and later completely reneged and refused. Thus, the Democrats would have no reason to save him and his party, as they obviously also don’t want their SS cuts, lack of Ukraine aid, etc. It’s a win for them on the cutthroat political side for optics (Republicans will be more blamed), but also in aggregate advances the likelihood of their policies passing, albeit with short-term turmoil.
1 Like
the speaker need not be a member of congress. so that option exists (although “impartial” is not likely IMO).