'He doesn't have the votes': House GOPer serves notice to McCarthy he won't be elected speaker

[TheBlackAdder]

.

According to one high-profile member of the Republican House Freedom Caucus, current House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is getting ahead of himself by blanketing the conservative news outlets and boasting about what he plans to do when he is voted House speaker in January.

Speaking with MSNBC, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) claimed that McCarthy -- with an exceedingly slim GOP margin in the House predicted -- doesn't "have the votes" and is in "denial."

AS MSNBC's Kyle Stewart and Scott Wong wrote, McCarthy needs 218 votes to take possession of the speaker's gavel from Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) but he is far from a lock for the job and it could require multiple ballots over weeks before a new speaker is finally voted in.

https://www.rawstory.com/kevin-mccarthy-speaker-gop-revolt/

Marjorie Taylor Greene - Just complete the Circus conversion already.

.

[Trenzalore]

1. I really hope they start off by making a shit show of this

Will show they have no ability to govern.

[Midnight Writer]

2. McCarthy will be out-loonied by the MAGAs, who have learned the lessons of minority rule.

RW strategy is to leverage the power of a few to overcome the will of the many.

That's why we have abortion laws, gun laws, migration policies, election laws, tax laws, healthcare policies, etc., that are not supported by the majority of Americans.

If you would rather burn the country down than accept a reasonable compromise then you wield tremendous power, crazy as that is.

Republicans have long used that power to overcome their minority in the government. Now they are using that power against each other.

A minority of the minority will now hold the power.

[mahina]

12. How would they get to 218?

The moderates would cave to the loons?

[Hekate]

41. Well, I can imagine being given a choice between crazy and craziest. Not a good scenario....

Mostly though, these days I just enjoy the Schadenfreude of murmuring, “Republicans in Disarray.” It won’t last long, but I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.

[certainot]

42. how can the McCarthy loons cave to the magas? one route suggested is to choose a moderate that

might get some dem votes. that would not be a republican who wouldn't get support from rw media and wouldn't push those idiot investigations. a type of move the GOP has to make to regain some sanity

[ProfessorGAC]

54. My Question As Well

What would motivate the moderates to start out by ceding clout to the radicals?
They'd set an immediate standard that their own opinions on things don't matter to the larger caucus .
And, they can make deals for committee assignments with anybody.
It makes no sense for them to cooperate. They won their seats by NOT being part of the lunatic brigade.

[Evolve Dammit]

21. sounds about right.

[Indykatie]

3. Somewhere John Boehner is Smiling, Smoking a Cig or Joint and Taking a Drink n/t

[erronis]

11. Yup - I can see his rosy cheeks in his smoking gown with a nice goblet of something.

At least he was up front about being a hedonist.

Unlike the pseudo-xian RW nut jobs.

[vanlassie]

17. It's Merlot.

[phylny]

24. And crying.

[emulatorloo]

45. With joy.

[republianmushroom]

4. Tsk Tsk Poor Kevin, now we know why he's suck up to the crazies needs those votes

[PatSeg]

5. Poor, poor Kevin

He really paid the price in principles and integrity to be Speaker and now it appears it may have all been for naught. He lied and kissed ass and he'll still be a huge loser.

[Trenzalore]

7. Well that is the thing

He has never led and no one respects him.

[PatSeg]

9. Yes, he has been a joke

for a very, very long time. If Boehner and Ryan couldn't control the nuts in the House, what chance does McCarthy have? No one listens to him. This will get very interesting.

[Hortensis]

43. :) +100. He won't lose to MT Greene...,

but that she has power to compel his cooperation is insane.

If he wins, he may have "Shadow Speaker Greene" riding his back, plus the other extremists battling his "corrupt-establishment traitors" faction for control.

Our leaders are going to hand this clown mob their asses.

[PatSeg]

46. I can rather see Greene

as a "Shadow Speaker" and she'll probably walk all over whoever the eventual speaker is.

[Hortensis]

56. Umhm. Constant power struggle no matter who.

Like Boehner's, but now all the factions already ran off the cliff.

Very interesting!

[PatSeg]

57. The next couple years

should be very entertaining. I don't see how the republican party can survive. The crazy keeps getting crazier.

[Hortensis]

58. Hope you're right, Pat. Or abandoned to intractable MAGAs as others

have had too much. Not a boring time, though. We're living through a remarkable period.

[PatSeg]

64. Yes, "remarkable" it certainly is

Not quite like anything we've seen before, at least not in real life anyway. I swear we are living in some satirical movie and not a very good one at that. There are no Peter Sellers roles in this version, all B actors.

I really thought the party would have self-destructed before now, as I didn't think it could get worse. Apparently with these people, it can always get worse!

[Hortensis]

66. That last! +100 and, incredibly, true.

[DENVERPOPS]

15. There seems to be a long line

of Republicans lined up and waiting to be in the Republican Big Boys Club. The never learn, that they can do anything and everything for the party, and without exception they will then be kicked to the curb and drown in the gutter that they in fact helped to make...

The epitome of this was Colin Powell sucking up to Cheney and Crew.........

[PatSeg]

47. Yes, that was truly sad about Powell

Unfortunately, it seems that republicans don't learn from history and we'll probably see more of the same.

[DENVERPOPS]

59. Powell should have learned the first time

when the good ol' white boys set him up to take blame for his involvement in the cover up of the MaiLai? Massacre.....

He sooo much wanted to be accepted by the WHITE good ol' boys club. So much that he proclaimed that a worn out, antique weed sprayer on some long abandoned farm was in fact, A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION, proving for Cheney/Rumsfeld that indeed Sadaam was guilt of terrorism, including 9/11.......Powell's declaration threw a great number of U.S. Citizens & Politicians votes in the direction of allowing the Invasion of Iraq........

[PatSeg]

65. Yeah, that makes sense

And that has become his legacy.

[mercuryblues]

60. There is an old saying

If they'll do it with ya, they'll do it to ya.

[Skittles]

48. he is a piece of shit

fuck him

[QED]

6. I saw a photo of Empty Green signing her name as "Speaker of the House"

It was a couple of weeks ago. I thought it was pretty bold but now not so much.

[33taw]

8. Yep, if Trump could be elected President - Green can be speaker.

[stopdiggin]

71. nah. still a deranged fantasy.

I know this is all off the cuff. But you can't really assert that McCarthy doesn't have the votes - and then in the next breath postulate that Greene does. Just doesn't compute.

[OAITW r.2.0]

10. What are the numbers to win the House Speaker?

I assume a straight line Party vote, but if a 1/2 dozen Republicans hold out against McCarthy? Can the House function w/o a Speaker? Could a 1/2 dozen sane Republicans vote for a Democrat as opposed to some other RWNJ?

[Silent3]

38. That's my fantasy. Too bad it's probably just a fantasy.

If this could happen for real, it would take a HUGE amount of compromise on the part of Democrats that I'm sure many here would find tough to swallow, but as awful as the compromises would be, it's probably better than the alternative.

We could avoid the revenge impeachments and Benghazi-esque "investigations" if a deal could be made with a few Republicans in swing districts who are finally ready to get off the Trump Train.

[GregariousGroundhog]

69. It's tough to think of someone who is worthy of being a compromise candidate though.

Adam Kinzinger and John Katko come to mind, but both are leaving congress.

[Silent3]

70. The point is you'd have to settle for unworthy

The biggest compromise would be that nothing much gets done, but at least the vengeful, chaotic impeachment/Hunter Biden 24/7 shit doesn't get done either.

You'd have to settle for some handouts to the rich and deregulation to get a budget passed, and very little of what progressive or even moderate Democrats would want in the mix, but we'd avoid government shutdowns and defaulting on the debt.

I suspect many DUers wouldn't tolerate that even though the alternatives are worse.

[gratuitous]

13. Andy Biggs is saying that?

I'll put a c-note on that action, Andy. Biggs is not known for being very s-m-r-t.

[ColinC]

14. It isn't too late for Sane republicans to form a coalition with democrats

[PJMcK]

19. Who are the "sane Republicans?" (n/t)

[ColinC]

20. I imagine hiding behind a veil of insanity

[grantcart]

30. Mitch Daniels is one, bet you can't name another. Lol

[ColinC]

51. Valadeo and the other pro impeachment one

At a loss for others

[Skittles]

50. newsflash: THEY ALL STINK

it's just a matter of degree....

[ColinC]

73. True. But some would like to be re elected

Which is doubtful for the 5-10 of them in Biden +5-10 districts unless they actually work to get things done. Maybe?

[stopdiggin]

72. any Republican that had even the slightest desire to retain his/her seat?

----- --- -------- ------- ---

[Autumn]

74. There are no sane republicans. The last one died and he was only a little sane.

[Chainfire]

16. I hope that the put the goofiest bastard in the party in as speaker.

Let let the people get a good dose of Republican "leadership."

[KS Toronado]

34. LOL, I'm with you on that one! MTG for the win.

[NCjack]

18. If neither party can put forth a successful candidate, I suggest actor

Tom Hanks, as his performance in the movie "Greyhound" (2020) demonstrates that he has command skills superior to any MAGAt and should be acceptable to the DEMs as an alternative to the possibility that McCarthy could find a path to election success.

[grantcart]

32. I suggest Mitch Daniels. He is retiring as President of Purdue next month.

[NCjack]

53. OK with me, if Mitch has comparable experience to that of Tom in commanding

a crew of desperate people in a hopeless situation.

[Ruby the Liberal]

22. Please tell me this will air live on CSPAN

[Evolve Dammit]

23. maybe they'll bring Louis Gohmert back? Still amazing that dimwit was a f'in Judge.

[lees1975]

25. I'm not all that familiar with the GOP make-up of the House anymore

is there a possibility that there are enough moderates to keep the loonies out of power and elect Jeffries as speaker? I know there are very few Republicans these days who are willing to stand up for their principles but maybe there are enough to see the disaster that is about to happen and will step in to stop it.

On the other hand, what better election opportunity can Democrats have than for a GOP house to fall all over itself and be a major failure. We don't really need them for the next two years, at least, not if the current house gets things in order about debt ceiling and all of that.

[Justice matters.]

26. Maybe the "moderates" (if any left) smell a smashing defeat in 2024 IF they keep the crazies running

and finally realized they would destroy them all by going the trending Fascist way?

[Trenzalore]

27. I don't know if there any left

They don't survive primaries

There are those that are quietly not infatuated with MAGA but again, they are very quiet about it.

[Justice matters.]

37. They would know they have to keep quiet with the violent crackpots in their corner.

I think there are some Kinzinger-leaning types in there who can smell the coffee...

A traitorous criminal funded by a lethal barbarian tyrant bent on burning the country up in fumes stealing highly-classified National Security documents by the hundreds?? Flushing many in the toilets and maybe selling the missing ones?? Launching a brutal attack with Confederate flags and Fascist white supremacists on the Capitol threatening to hang their VP and murder pols based on a proven big lie??

From a party founded by Abraham Lincoln?? REALLY?? And a hair furhair about to get his "due" for his crimes??

WTF is next?? They would be foolish to not keep quiet.



We'll see.

[Trenzalore]

40. I don't know if it was here or Facebook

but I saw a post that the congresscritters on the right keep a careful eye on the GOP websites. They have gone more virulently extreme and racists so I assume if they like being in congress that is where they will be.

[Ford_Prefect]

44. If there remain any genuine Republican moderates I haven't seen them.

I doubt there are more than a very few who would cross the line except for certain particular issues. No one currently in office wants to be primaried next go-round. They may not care for the MAGA crowd but they are quite aware of how the big money is talking.

[Emile]

28. Who in the GOP can muster up 218 votes?

[czarjak]

29. Admitted cheater can't cheat his way to "winning"?

[SheltieLover]

31. ...

[mgardener]

33. You are underestimating

Elise Stefanik.

[Silent3]

35. He sold his soul to get that speakership

Serves him right if he gets nothing at all.

[spike jones]

36. Am I remembering correctly that trump could still be appointed speaker? n/t

[edhopper]

39. It should be noted

that every member of the Freedom Caucus is a fucking liar.

[blue-wave]

49. They will war among themselves over electing a speaker

The future of the house is is gridlock and chaos. What happens when there is no speaker elected? Can the house function? Can we find 5 or 6 republicans to vote for a democrat? (I know, wishful thinking)

[LuvLoogie]

52. If it's not McCarthy, it will be Scalise.

Maybe Sarah Palin.

The GOP are like a bunch of shitty middle schoolers.

[calimary]

55. Kinda hard to imagine him standing at the same level of stature

as Tip O’Neill, Sam Rayburn, and of course the history-making giant Nancy Pelosi.

[Texaswitchy]

61. January will be wild.

Marjorie will be trying to burn the country down.

[brooklynite]

62. FWIW, I wouldn't put my money on Biggs' analysis.

[Cha]

63. Oops. So who are the magat

Fascists going to come up with?

[Chipper Chat]

67. Elsie Stiffneck.

[Cha]

68. Barf.. isn't she

a little mini Dt robot?