The House has elected a Speaker 127 times since 1789. Only 14 times did it take more than one ballot according to US House of Representatives History.
Understanding the Math
The GOP holds 222 seats. The Democrats have 212. One seat is vacant. 218 is a simple majority. A mere 5 GOP defections are enough to derail the process given the math.
It’s a bit more complicated because it only takes a majority of the votes, not an outright majority of Congress but right now, Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy
213 votes would be enough if the rest abstain. That means the GOP can handle 9 abstentions if all the rest vote for McCarthy.
Ballots So Far
On the third ballot, 20 House Republicans Voted Against McCarthy
That’s an increase of 1 from the first two ballots. Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, voted for McCarthy in the first two rounds, then shifted his support to Jim Jordan.
All 20 defectors voted for Jim Jordan.
However, Jim Jordan endorsed McCarthy and does not want to become Speaker. Jordan wants to head the House Judiciary Committee.
Amusingly, Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries had 212 votes. Mr. McCarthy had 202 on the third ballot.
Democrats have to be laughing their heads off over this Republican fiasco.
What’s the Beef?
To the 20 rebels, McCarthy isn’t conservative enough. McCarthy did have a rift with Trump but that’s now healed. Or is it?
The New York Post reports Trump refuses to say if he still backs Kevin McCarthy for House Speaker
The Atlantic says Kevin McCarthy’s Loyalty to Trump Got Him Nothing
McCarthy broke from Trump only once, briefly, after the January 6 insurrection, when he privately called Trump’s behavior unacceptable and told members he’d ask the president to resign. (He had reason to be angry at Trump, who had flippantly dismissed his pleas for help that day, saying, “Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are.”) But he quickly moved to mend the breach, flying to Mar-a-Lago in late January 2021 to prostrate himself. He also tried to deny his private remarks until reporters produced tapes.
For What?
All day I was asking myself what good can any of this bickering do.
The Wall Street Journal asked the same question: “A rump faction blocks McCarthy’s Speaker bid, and for what?”
Please consider The GOP’s Chaos Caucus Returns
One puzzling document was a list of demands for Mr. McCarthy posted by Rep. Scott Perry, who leads the Freedom Caucus. He wants guaranteed votes on a balanced budget and “term limits for Members of Congress,” plus a pledge that “all amendments to cut spending would be allowed floor consideration,” plus a promise that Mr. McCarthy would stay neutral in open GOP primaries. Rep. Ralph Norman hinted Mr. McCarthy could earn his vote for Speaker with a plan to balance the budget in seven years.
Mr. McCarthy made many concessions to his critics, including a rule that would let a mere five dissatisfied Members force a vote on deposing him as Speaker. This unfortunate concession is one reason to wonder about him as Speaker because it will weaken his ability to enforce consensus and discipline on the hard votes to come—such as raising the federal debt limit.
But the GOP chaos caucus didn’t want to take yes for an answer. A few Republicans revel in making messes, including Rep. Matt Gaetz. According to Mr. McCarthy, Mr. Gaetz declared that he didn’t care if Mr. Jeffries ended up elected as a Democratic Speaker of a Republican House. This kind of peacock politics doesn’t serve Mr. Gaetz’s Florida constituents.
Refusing to Take Yes For An Answer
Despite the fact that McCarthy gave in to the rebel’s demands and their hero does not even want the job, they will not back McCarthy.
Matt Gaetz would rather have a Democrat as Speaker than McCarthy, and I am sure the Democrats would be willing to oblige.
Questions For GOP Rebels
Hello GOP rebels, do you understand how the system even works?
Democrats hold the Senate. Democrats hold the White House.
What the hell is the point of insisting on a balanced budget bill and “term limits for members of Congress when it’s doubtful those would pass even if Republicans held the Senate.
Of course, Biden would veto the bills, so why bother? Is symbolism all you’ve got?
Why if you wanted these things didn’t you pass legislation in the first two years of the Trump Administration when you held the Senate, House, and the White House?
And why, if you wanted a balance budget did you pass the Trump tax cuts and keep voting for insane levels of military spending?
The fact is, you are all a bunch of damn hypocrites who only want balanced budgets when the Democrats hold the White House.
Vote For Mish
I have the solution. Vote for Mish as Speaker of the House. My pledge is to pass nothing at all other than mandatory budget items and for no more than necessary.
Nothing would be a spectacular achievement compared to what we are suffering through.
This post originated on MishTalk.Com.
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Mish
Looks like you would rather prefer the silence of a graveyard to the hustle and bustle of a lively bazaar.
It’s conventional wisdom that it’s a “terrible start.” Conversely, when it comes to intraparty battles, I tend to like the Jeffersonian view that “a little rebellion once in a while is a good thing.”
Which half of the government should shut down?
Looks like the far right is trying to grab as much power as they can. To me it seems it would be in the rep and dems best interest if some of the dems voted for McCarthy or the republicans find some moderate the dems could support. Minimizes the problems these holdouts can cause down the rd. Plus help purge trump from the system. I would say the same if dems were trying to appease the far left.
quite revealing. All of the so-called conservatives on Fox News are also showing
their true colors. It’s not a coincidence that they are the same people
supporting the fraudulent war in Ukraine that will lead to WWIII.
Way i see it is most people are closer to the middle (one side or the other)than either end. Representatives policies should represent the people not the party. The farther to the right the republicans move. The more democrats get elected to office.
And you have what proof of all these claims?
Deflation collapse on deck, brought to you by Pfizer!
If it weren’t for the slaves demanding their chains from scumbags like these stay on, this would be a great country. But, this whole too cowardly to be free attitude really blew chunks on the wedding cake. Way to go losers. That’s you voters. Keep doing the same thing and expect different results. Voting is still for slaves. And slaves don’t matter. Ever.