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Sigh. As Representative Kat Cammack said yesterday during the sixth round of voting, we are currently locked in the purgatory cycle known as Groundhog Day when it comes to the vote for Speaker of the House.
Unfortunately, the 20 or so members who are still holding out as “Never Kevin” votes see themselves as pre-vita-rays Captain America, claiming that they “can do this all day” while getting punched in the face. And again we return to the fundamental problem of the Republican House Caucus – there is NO ONE who can gain a majority of 218 except McCarthy at this point. The other names that might have had support – Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan, for example – have declined to take the job. So, what is the point? What is the end goal here?
And then the plan is, presumably, that any group of five Republicans among 222 can do the same to any potential nominee? Who is the candidate replacing McCarthy who will garner 218 and be significantly more conservative? https://t.co/LxqXXT3nnC
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) January 5, 2023
This morning, the House Republicans apparently came to a new agreement, and McCarthy conceded even more power should he become Speaker.
McCarthy and his allies met with detractors for hours in a bid to break the impasse, finally agreeing to a number of new concessions. McCarthy offered to allow a single member to call for a vote to oust the speaker, the holdouts’ original demand, and committed to adding more Freedom Caucus members to the Rules Committee, according to CNN. He also pledged a vote on bills regarding term limits and border security.”
The news comes on the heels of the Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC aligned with McCarthy, agreeing not to interfere in open GOP primaries. The pledge earned McCarthy the support of the Club for Growth, an influential conservative group that had been opposing his candidacy.”
So let’s ask the GOP holdouts again, and louder, WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?
Matt Gaetz answered with “TRUMP!” The seventh floor vote proceeded much like the previous ones. McCarthy was nominated. Byron Donalds was nominated. The vote tally was going on, same as before, when this happened.
And once the seventh floor vote was done, with 19 votes for Donalds, one for Trump, and Spartz voting “present,” the eighth vote began. This time, Gaetz stuck with Trump, 17 of the holdouts voted for Donalds again, and two of the holdouts peeled off to vote for Kevin Hern of Oklahoma. So much for the “unity” of the holdouts. They don’t have the votes, and now they are just going to let everyone have a turn to get a vote for Speaker of the House?
The Trump vote is ridiculous, as Trump himself endorsed McCarthy. Scalise and Jordan are backing McCarthy. This “purity test” that is going on in the Republican party is making them a laughingstock. The Democrats are enjoying the spectacle, because they know that this is hurting Republicans in the public eye. Now, the country will not fall apart without the House being seated. But perception is everything in politics, and even Gaetz is admitting that McCarthy will likely become Speaker, but they just want to punish him first, essentially. Right now, the Republicans are being seen as unserious clowns while the Democrats crack open their popcorn. Now, will this affect the 20 holdouts in the long term? Too soon to say, because most events in politics have a very short shelf life. But it might affect them in a primary, especially if you are someone like Lauren Boebert, who only won re-election by 546 votes. You don’t think a primary opponent is going to use that result and these antics and make a hard run at her in 2024? Boebert, in the ninth round of voting, nominated Kevin Hern formally.
"I believe that Kevin Hern is a unifier. He just received chairman of the Republican Study Committee … Where does this go? Who can unify the party? Who can deliver results? Rep. Kevin Hern can do just that."
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) January 5, 2023
Here’s the problem: Hern has been voting for McCarthy THIS ENTIRE TIME. But apparently Boebert’s new idea was enough to bring Gaetz on board, as he also voted for Hern. So in the ninth floor vote, McCarthy, Donalds, and Hern all got votes – and still no majority.
Meanwhile, the people who are getting up and going to work every day could not care less if a golden retriever was Speaker of the House, and these “Never Kevin” holdouts are basking in their momentary importance and the media glory that goes with it.
NeverKevin members almost missing votes because they’re too busy doing media interviews is really just perfect https://t.co/hoPb8wEDjx
— Sunny McSunnyface (@sunnyright) January 5, 2023
And the media is absolutely lapping this up. This is the kind of drama they LOOOOOVE. Which is why this has gone on for nine floor votes now, and will probably continue to keep going. The attention-seekers are enjoying this way too much, and the media has all the cameras on them to capture every single second of stupid drama.
All we want in a Speaker, and a House Republican majority, is someone who will say “no” to Joe Biden for the next two years. I think even Kevin McCarthy can do that with the majority backing him up. This has gotten beyond ridiculous and there is no one who can or will stop it.
Featured image: United States Capitol Building via Pixabay, cropped, Pixabay license
“Meanwhile, the people who are getting up and going to work every day could not care less if a golden retriever was Speaker of the House…”
That is the problem.
Turtler says: I grew up with Goldens. I can vouch that almost any of them would do better as Speaker than anybody we have had in the past decade, if not longer.
Kinnison says: If the ruling politicians were actually interested in attempting to solve some of the country’s problems I would be more concerned. In the meantime, I’m quite content to watch the circus in the House of Representatives.
GWB says: there is NO ONE who can gain a majority of 218 except McCarthy at this point
Not true. He can’t get there, either.
What is it with you all capitulating and “We can never change anything, we just have to accept the inevitable and let the GOPe continue” attitudes?
BTW, the one leadership principle (humility/putting the principles and group ahead of oneself’s aggrandizement) that is vitally important is the one thing McCarthy refuses to do. He could easily step back and support a consensus choice. But this isn’t about conservative or constitutionalist government – this is entirely about McCarthy’s lust for power. He feels he deserves this – and that’s the moist important reason of all for him not to attain that position.
Cameron says: “It’s my turn, dammit!”
Eworth says: The others who are voting for McCarthy will likely not yield to vote for someone else unless McCarthy volunteers to step aside and open the floor to anyone else. I’ve been a witness to these kinds of legislative leadership fights at the state level. No legislator wants to screw over their speaker/leader, because most speaker/leaders have the power to make their legislative lives miserable. I get the impression that one of the key things that the anti-Kevins want is to minimize the power of the Speaker to retaliate against individual members. McCarthy should step aside and say that he is temporarily suspending his campaign for speaker, and see if anyone else can come to the forefront to get the votes. McCarthy made a point of having the national org NOT invest in candidates who could have flipped seats because he didn’t want there to be a large bloc that would not favor him for Speaker. So cry me a river, McCarthy.
McCarthy will be ineffective as Speaker, so I’m not particularly impressed by him on this. He should have made it work before ever allowing this to come to the floor for a vote, and if the terms were not satisfactory for him, then he should have taken himself out of the running.
These 20 have nothing to lose by compromising.
The Dems are not going to cross over to vote for an R to get McCarthy across the line.
The RINO R’s might be stupid enough to vote for a Dem, but that would be disastrous for them.
So the only pathways are McCarthy steps aside to clear the field, or McCarthy agrees to the 20’s demands. Either way, he loses power, which is what he is most pissed about. The American People should not be.
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