Moderates and Democrats say a ‘coalition’ House speaker could end stalemate

[SecularMotion]

AUSTIN, Tex. — Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.), the unofficial spokesman for moderation within his party, has said for days that the Republicans might well need Democrats to bail them out of their leadership crisis. Last week, he floated the idea of "a bipartisan coalition to elect the next speaker." This past Saturday, he repeated himself.

"It's a possibility," said Dent on MSNBC's "Up." "If we can not get 218 Republican votes on the House floor, then of course the Democrats will have an impact on who the next speaker will be."

What Dent could have said, but didn't, was that some like-minded moderates used October's congressional recess to see who could be sold on the "coalition" idea.

"There are calls being made," said Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Tex.) after a panel at the weekend's Texas Tribune Festival in Austin. "It's an unlikely outcome. Maybe it's a plan B or plan C, but contingencies are being worked out."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/10/19/moderates-and-democrats-say-a-coalition-house-speaker-could-end-stalemate/

[DetlefK]

1. Next talking-point: "It's the Democrats' fault, Republicans can't find a speaker."

I saw it in a comment on an article, and it will come up. Oh, it will.

"If only Democrats would drop their partisanship and elect a republican speaker... Why do they have to be like this? Why are the Democrats so partisan? Why can't they just vote for a Republican and let this crisis be over? Oh, now I see: Democrats WANT this crisis! They WANT Washington to be dysfunctional!"



And no, a republican speaker elected with democratic votes wouldn't mean a return to bipartisanship. It would mean backstabbing, just like Boehner did after the Democrats had bailed him out on muss-pass-legislation the Tea Party refused to vote for.

[jberryhill]

2. Good

[malaise]

3. Only way to crush the loonie baggers

Hope that happens