Under the category of unexpected consequences, the Republicans may have screwed themselves with McCarthy’s concessions. If there is a major fight, one congress person can mow move replace McCarthy. With only 4 or potentially fewer Republican votes, the Dems could force thru legislation. Something to think about
Changing the rules applies to everybody, Democrats, Republicans, alike. If anyone can call for a point of order to replace the Speaker, this could become a daily occurrence. It's not clear that the right to call for a vote applies to the so-called Freedom Caucus alone, or how that would apply to the management of the House of Representatives. I know of no legislative body here in the United States that allows a partisan faction ax exclusive right to overturn the rules of that body on its own motion.
If they really tried to insist on applying the rules only to some, the Dems would have to start disputing the entire process, using whatever methods they have. If the House has been stipulating that Robert's Rules of Order is presupposed, they start there. Otherwise it's the First and Fourteenth Amendments?
They could simply filibuster everything too, so it's crazy for McCarthy to try anything like that. "Disruption, you ain't seen disruption yet," Kev, wetc.
Me too. But I’ve been wondering if it’s all been staged by McCarthy and Unfreedom Fuckhead Caucus. To give the UFC all the power and spineless Kevin his treasured gavel.
I also look forward to Julian’s take on tonight’s events, and on the whole debacle. There’s a very good chance McCarthy will be elected Speaker tonight because of whatever shenanigans he has used to persuade most of the rebellious ultra-MAGAs to vote for him. We will, in short order, find out how they are going to behave, rather misbehave, and we can look forward to repeats of this hard-right posturing for the debt ceiling, and budget battles. McCarthy surely has handed them all the power, and neutered himself to get the honor of being called ‘Speaker’. In name anyway.
Of course, you have figured it out. Now we hold our breaths and wait. He has "sold his soul" to get what he wants.
Oh, goodie! They are going to do something really important for the people of America. Look into Hunter Biden's laptop. Won't that be really special and earth-shaking. They certainly have been talking about it for more than a year. I can't wait. LOL
E-mails posted by Hunter while in the throes of a substance abuse disorder; salacious nonconsenually posted photos that the wingnuts insisted Twitter MUST publish anyway?
If there's any real crime there, I have yet to see it from Biden, only the thinly veiled blackmail threats and election intereference that possibly indicate foreign influence (Russia Russia Russia) from the crackpot fringe elements.
Consider that the final humiliation of Kevin Mc may be his election tonight as Speaker followed by a motion on Monday that he be removed. Given his apparent acceptance of the rule that I single member can trigger the process, it would be sort of surprising if one of the holdout loons still does not do it.
In 2017 Ringling Bros, Barnum & Bailey Circus closed down. I was concerned about the employment prospects for the clowns, but with the Republican congress caucus I'm relieved to see that they have found jobs.
I can’t wait to read what they’re up to. No good, I’m sure. For the next two years it’s going to be one chaotic moment after another.. The crazies will be in control, and I’m really worried about our future democracy with all the dangerous concessions McCarthy has been making in order to become speaker.
Well, now we know. This was Friday evening, and not a lot else was going on, and so I decided to watch MSNBC; and lo and behold, I was instantly transported to the House of Representatives where Kevin the Perspiring was again struggling to beat the odds, and this was his 14th try in the past four days to secure the office of Speaker in the face of opposition from five hardliners. It had been announced earlier that Kevin McCarthy had agreed to make additional concessions regarding the power of the Speaker to control the business of the House. He thought he had a done deal with Matt Goetz from Florida. But apparently Goetz double-crossed him. It was all about how the votes of the Representatives were to be counted towards determining whether Kevin McCarthy achieved an absolute majority of the membership of the House of Representatives. The way it worked was that Members who voted 'present', which, in effect was an abstention from voting, would not be counted against the total by which a candidate's for the Office of Speaker would be determined. At that moment in time, McCarthy was stuck on 216 votes, one vote shy of the 217 votes he needed to claim victory in the election. Previously, McCarthy would have needed 218 votes in order to become Speaker, out of the 222 votes that would be cast by members of the Republican contingent in the newly elected House of Representatives; and McCarthy could afford to lose no more than four votes of those declared Members who were opposed to his nomination. Democratic nominee Hakeem Jeffries achieved 212 votes from newly elected Democrats, while in balloting, McCarthy was getting votes in the 202 to 203 range. That had left him six votes short of unanimity within the Republican conference, and four votes short of the 218 votes that he would've needed in order to prevail. Overnight bargaining had whittled down the number of votes he would've needed by one vote; so by the time the 14th round of voting would have occurred, instead of 218 votes, he now had to get 217 votes. McCarthy thought he had cut a firm deal with the five holdouts who opposed his nomination. It turned out that wasn't true. McCarthy ended up with 216 votes, as mentioned above. Apparently, one or more of the five holdouts would not agree to abstain from voting, by declaring themselves 'present', thus lowering the threshold needed for McCarthy to win.
That set off a ruckus, with McCarthy nearly getting into a fist fight with somebody. One of the Republican members moved to adjourn the proceedings until the following Monday, but the Democrats vociferously objected — first on a voice vote followed by a roll call vote on the record. And so the proceedings continued. After a bit of back-and-forth, McCarthy changed his vote to adjourn, and what followed next was preparation for what became the 15th and final roll call vote of the day. When all was said and done, Kevin McCarthy had the same 216 votes he had received in the previous voting round, and with the remaining objectors abstaining. What additional perquisites McCarthy had to give away in order to cut his deal was not revealed in any detail. We will all find that out soon enough sometime middle of next week.
Afterwards, there were the usual congratulatory speeches. Hakeem Jeffries' was especially good. His was rousing, optimistic, and I thought I heard somebody say that it bore the fingerprints of Lynn Manuel Miranda, because it sounded like something that could've come from Miranda's studio, it was that well done!
Kevin McCarthy then administered the Oath of Office to all other newly elected Members of Congress; but then he made a speech of his own which sounded more like he was plotting a campaign of revenge against the federal government. The laundry list of new rules that he and his cohort were planning on adopting was not mentioned in any detail, but it was hardly a portrayal of optimism or generosity of spirit. There was no Lincolnesque magnanimity whatsoever. When, on the few occasions I tune into something like the Golden Globes or the Academy Awards, I see that it's customary for the winners to thank everyone in sight, perhaps even the guy who ran the taco truck at the location where the movie was filmed. I get it. Show business is a collective enterprise; but so is politics. I can recall no occasion where people took the opportunity to use their moment in the spotlight to promise fire and brimstone on those who impeded their upward progress to success in their professional lives. That was not on display this past evening. As I said, Hakeem Jeffries gave a sparkling performance is speech before the assembled members of the House; and if he was disappointed with the outcome of the voting, he certainly did not reveal it. The Democrats came up short in the election, and that was nothing to cry over. There will be another election in two years, and the Democrats will be campaigning on their accomplishments the last time they were in charge, and the inability of the Republicans to manage themselves.
Those 15 separate ballots extending over four days made this the fifth most contentious fight over the leadership of the House of Representatives in our nation's history. Think about that. The last time that more than one ballot needed to be taken to get a Speaker elected was exactly a century ago, in 1923. Before then, most of the battles occurred in the pre-Civil War era where the opposing parties contended for months before a Speaker was finally chosen. For the past two months, the dysfunctionality of the Republican Party has been on full display, with promises of retribution and threats being the currency of the day made by nihilists bent on destroying the government they were elected to serve. Kevin McCarthy can luxuriate over his possession of the title of the Speaker; but Hakeem Jeffries put on a display of commanding leadership this past evening that will set the standard for a long time to come. I certainly hope so.
Could it be they've shown how they're going accomplish their goals come time for passing the budget/debt ceiling/Ukraine aid/finance bill? That'll be when 5+ of the chaos monkeys pull the speakership and start this process again, preventing anything from happening for days, or weeks, shutting down the government.
Fast forward to Friday, where Kevin the Insignificant achieved his goal on the fifteenth ballot, with no votes to spare. Five hardliners opposing him were able to squeeze additional concessions out of him, and all they had to do was to vote 'present'. Kevin is like a guy who lost fourteen of fifteen big bets. He won the last one, but now he owes his bookie bigtime. Whether Kevin gets to keep his fingers, arms and legs intact over the next two years is an open question. The outlook isn't good.
Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries gave a terrific speech (someone said it could have been written by Lynn Manuel Miranda) that was rousing and passionate.
Kevin McCarthy's speech was, well, Kevin becoming Speaker, knowing that he's overmatched by his opposition. He's the most unctuous, insecure guy I've seen in politics in a while. No program of action except to investigate, investigate, and investigate. He talked about walking the streets in Bakersfield, California. Really? I've been there. Nobody I know would do that.
I will have trouble sleeping in anticipation of your words tomorrow..
three of us.
Under the category of unexpected consequences, the Republicans may have screwed themselves with McCarthy’s concessions. If there is a major fight, one congress person can mow move replace McCarthy. With only 4 or potentially fewer Republican votes, the Dems could force thru legislation. Something to think about
Changing the rules applies to everybody, Democrats, Republicans, alike. If anyone can call for a point of order to replace the Speaker, this could become a daily occurrence. It's not clear that the right to call for a vote applies to the so-called Freedom Caucus alone, or how that would apply to the management of the House of Representatives. I know of no legislative body here in the United States that allows a partisan faction ax exclusive right to overturn the rules of that body on its own motion.
That idea occurred to me as well. The dems need to play this prudently so as to maintain the control of the narrative they now have
If they really tried to insist on applying the rules only to some, the Dems would have to start disputing the entire process, using whatever methods they have. If the House has been stipulating that Robert's Rules of Order is presupposed, they start there. Otherwise it's the First and Fourteenth Amendments?
They could simply filibuster everything too, so it's crazy for McCarthy to try anything like that. "Disruption, you ain't seen disruption yet," Kev, wetc.
Well that would be a wonderful consequence! Are we dreaming?
Me too. But I’ve been wondering if it’s all been staged by McCarthy and Unfreedom Fuckhead Caucus. To give the UFC all the power and spineless Kevin his treasured gavel.
I also look forward to Julian’s take on tonight’s events, and on the whole debacle. There’s a very good chance McCarthy will be elected Speaker tonight because of whatever shenanigans he has used to persuade most of the rebellious ultra-MAGAs to vote for him. We will, in short order, find out how they are going to behave, rather misbehave, and we can look forward to repeats of this hard-right posturing for the debt ceiling, and budget battles. McCarthy surely has handed them all the power, and neutered himself to get the honor of being called ‘Speaker’. In name anyway.
You're going to be waiting a while if you're waiting on Julian.
Sorry to have to ask and display my ignorance, but who is Julian?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_(emperor)
Possibly what the name "Lucian" looks like if you are momentarily distracted by the drama of the House of Representatives intra-party squabbling?
LOL - I’m perfectly content to calmly wait until you get it done, whenever.
Ick!
Of course, you have figured it out. Now we hold our breaths and wait. He has "sold his soul" to get what he wants.
Oh, goodie! They are going to do something really important for the people of America. Look into Hunter Biden's laptop. Won't that be really special and earth-shaking. They certainly have been talking about it for more than a year. I can't wait. LOL
E-mails posted by Hunter while in the throes of a substance abuse disorder; salacious nonconsenually posted photos that the wingnuts insisted Twitter MUST publish anyway?
If there's any real crime there, I have yet to see it from Biden, only the thinly veiled blackmail threats and election intereference that possibly indicate foreign influence (Russia Russia Russia) from the crackpot fringe elements.
Consider that the final humiliation of Kevin Mc may be his election tonight as Speaker followed by a motion on Monday that he be removed. Given his apparent acceptance of the rule that I single member can trigger the process, it would be sort of surprising if one of the holdout loons still does not do it.
That’s exactly what I was thinking. What good would it do him if he’s elected on a Monday and recalled on Tuesday?
🍿🍸
In 2017 Ringling Bros, Barnum & Bailey Circus closed down. I was concerned about the employment prospects for the clowns, but with the Republican congress caucus I'm relieved to see that they have found jobs.
With “baited” breath, we await your distinguished revelation. Yes, I spelled baited right, in this context. :)
If I hold my breath and turn blue, will you let us know what’s happening really early? Please!
I can't wait to read what you've figured out!
I can’t wait to read what they’re up to. No good, I’m sure. For the next two years it’s going to be one chaotic moment after another.. The crazies will be in control, and I’m really worried about our future democracy with all the dangerous concessions McCarthy has been making in order to become speaker.
Well, now we know. This was Friday evening, and not a lot else was going on, and so I decided to watch MSNBC; and lo and behold, I was instantly transported to the House of Representatives where Kevin the Perspiring was again struggling to beat the odds, and this was his 14th try in the past four days to secure the office of Speaker in the face of opposition from five hardliners. It had been announced earlier that Kevin McCarthy had agreed to make additional concessions regarding the power of the Speaker to control the business of the House. He thought he had a done deal with Matt Goetz from Florida. But apparently Goetz double-crossed him. It was all about how the votes of the Representatives were to be counted towards determining whether Kevin McCarthy achieved an absolute majority of the membership of the House of Representatives. The way it worked was that Members who voted 'present', which, in effect was an abstention from voting, would not be counted against the total by which a candidate's for the Office of Speaker would be determined. At that moment in time, McCarthy was stuck on 216 votes, one vote shy of the 217 votes he needed to claim victory in the election. Previously, McCarthy would have needed 218 votes in order to become Speaker, out of the 222 votes that would be cast by members of the Republican contingent in the newly elected House of Representatives; and McCarthy could afford to lose no more than four votes of those declared Members who were opposed to his nomination. Democratic nominee Hakeem Jeffries achieved 212 votes from newly elected Democrats, while in balloting, McCarthy was getting votes in the 202 to 203 range. That had left him six votes short of unanimity within the Republican conference, and four votes short of the 218 votes that he would've needed in order to prevail. Overnight bargaining had whittled down the number of votes he would've needed by one vote; so by the time the 14th round of voting would have occurred, instead of 218 votes, he now had to get 217 votes. McCarthy thought he had cut a firm deal with the five holdouts who opposed his nomination. It turned out that wasn't true. McCarthy ended up with 216 votes, as mentioned above. Apparently, one or more of the five holdouts would not agree to abstain from voting, by declaring themselves 'present', thus lowering the threshold needed for McCarthy to win.
That set off a ruckus, with McCarthy nearly getting into a fist fight with somebody. One of the Republican members moved to adjourn the proceedings until the following Monday, but the Democrats vociferously objected — first on a voice vote followed by a roll call vote on the record. And so the proceedings continued. After a bit of back-and-forth, McCarthy changed his vote to adjourn, and what followed next was preparation for what became the 15th and final roll call vote of the day. When all was said and done, Kevin McCarthy had the same 216 votes he had received in the previous voting round, and with the remaining objectors abstaining. What additional perquisites McCarthy had to give away in order to cut his deal was not revealed in any detail. We will all find that out soon enough sometime middle of next week.
Afterwards, there were the usual congratulatory speeches. Hakeem Jeffries' was especially good. His was rousing, optimistic, and I thought I heard somebody say that it bore the fingerprints of Lynn Manuel Miranda, because it sounded like something that could've come from Miranda's studio, it was that well done!
Kevin McCarthy then administered the Oath of Office to all other newly elected Members of Congress; but then he made a speech of his own which sounded more like he was plotting a campaign of revenge against the federal government. The laundry list of new rules that he and his cohort were planning on adopting was not mentioned in any detail, but it was hardly a portrayal of optimism or generosity of spirit. There was no Lincolnesque magnanimity whatsoever. When, on the few occasions I tune into something like the Golden Globes or the Academy Awards, I see that it's customary for the winners to thank everyone in sight, perhaps even the guy who ran the taco truck at the location where the movie was filmed. I get it. Show business is a collective enterprise; but so is politics. I can recall no occasion where people took the opportunity to use their moment in the spotlight to promise fire and brimstone on those who impeded their upward progress to success in their professional lives. That was not on display this past evening. As I said, Hakeem Jeffries gave a sparkling performance is speech before the assembled members of the House; and if he was disappointed with the outcome of the voting, he certainly did not reveal it. The Democrats came up short in the election, and that was nothing to cry over. There will be another election in two years, and the Democrats will be campaigning on their accomplishments the last time they were in charge, and the inability of the Republicans to manage themselves.
Those 15 separate ballots extending over four days made this the fifth most contentious fight over the leadership of the House of Representatives in our nation's history. Think about that. The last time that more than one ballot needed to be taken to get a Speaker elected was exactly a century ago, in 1923. Before then, most of the battles occurred in the pre-Civil War era where the opposing parties contended for months before a Speaker was finally chosen. For the past two months, the dysfunctionality of the Republican Party has been on full display, with promises of retribution and threats being the currency of the day made by nihilists bent on destroying the government they were elected to serve. Kevin McCarthy can luxuriate over his possession of the title of the Speaker; but Hakeem Jeffries put on a display of commanding leadership this past evening that will set the standard for a long time to come. I certainly hope so.
Could it be they've shown how they're going accomplish their goals come time for passing the budget/debt ceiling/Ukraine aid/finance bill? That'll be when 5+ of the chaos monkeys pull the speakership and start this process again, preventing anything from happening for days, or weeks, shutting down the government.
Fast forward to Friday, where Kevin the Insignificant achieved his goal on the fifteenth ballot, with no votes to spare. Five hardliners opposing him were able to squeeze additional concessions out of him, and all they had to do was to vote 'present'. Kevin is like a guy who lost fourteen of fifteen big bets. He won the last one, but now he owes his bookie bigtime. Whether Kevin gets to keep his fingers, arms and legs intact over the next two years is an open question. The outlook isn't good.
Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries gave a terrific speech (someone said it could have been written by Lynn Manuel Miranda) that was rousing and passionate.
Kevin McCarthy's speech was, well, Kevin becoming Speaker, knowing that he's overmatched by his opposition. He's the most unctuous, insecure guy I've seen in politics in a while. No program of action except to investigate, investigate, and investigate. He talked about walking the streets in Bakersfield, California. Really? I've been there. Nobody I know would do that.
Possibly the most famous reference to Bakersfield has nothing to do with Kevin McCarthy:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyK1bZZ7E-s
Closer to home for me is the song, 'Stuck in Lodi Again'.. All those valley towns look pretty much alike, but they do feed the world. That's a plus.
It’s going to be a great article!