Kevin McCarthy Ousted As Speaker of the House
By a vote of 216-210, Kevin McCarthy has lost a motion to vacate the chair, and for the first time in US history, the Speaker of the House is now vacant by removal. Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina is now the temporary Speaker pending until a new Speaker election.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Kevin McCarthy was voted out of the job Tuesday in an extraordinary showdown, a first in U.S. history, The 216-210 vote, forced by a contingent of hard-right conservatives, throws the House and its Republican leadership into chaos.
McCarthy’s chief rival, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, brought forward the “motion to vacate” drawing together more than a handful of conservative Republican critics of the speaker and many Democrats who say he is unworthy of leadership.
Next steps are uncertain, but there is no obvious successor to lead the House Republican majority.
All you can do is laugh.Report
I laughed heartily. True, maybe there’ll be an absolute nutter replacing him or maybe the GOP will just stand in a circle shooting each other until the 45 day CR runs out and we paralyze into a shut down but those are future worries.
McCarthy deserved to be deposed and he was deposed by the wingers he coddled so assiduously- the fisher had it coming.Report
Agreed. No idea how the GOP resolves this among themselves but I am enjoying the unprecedented own goal.Report
Laugh so hard that you cry and weep for the Republic.Report
Exactly. Some of the reactions remind me of an old political cartoon — if updated for the current moment, it would be a big canoe with a bunch of humanoid donkeys clustered on the left-hand side and a bunch of humanoid elephants on the right; and there’s a big hole on the right-hand side of the canoe, the elephants are looking alarmed, and the donkeys are pointing and laughing and saying “you guys are so screwed!!”.Report
He managed to alienate anyone who might have saved him.Report
The best way to play this, I think, is to go for someone who appeals to 125ish Republicans and also 125ish Dems.
But that assumes that you could find 125ish dems willing to disagree with 80ish others.
Which might be a bad assumption.
So they might go for 210ish Dems and 20ish Republicans.
Might be easier to bribe 20 Republicans, now that I think about it.Report
I doubt there are 20 to bribe. They know they’d be primaried.Report
You can find any given number of Dems if you cut a deal with Dem leadership. If you don’t then you may find it tricky because the Dems have been in charming array for quite some time now.
As for bribing Republicans, I don’t see what any Dems could offer them- most Republicans are more afraid of being primaried than defeated in the general and any moderate GOP congresscritters know they’ll go down if their party is wiped out. What do you offer such folks that’s persuasive?Report
Retirement benefits!Report
Hahahah!Report
The really questionable assumption is that there is someone who appeals to 125ish Democrats and 125-ish Republicans. If such a person exists, then whichever party he (or she) represents will have to offer some incentives to the other.Report
Everything exists in the imaginationReport
It’s not the job of the Democratic Party to save Republicans from self-inflicted gun shot wounds. That Democrats have for most of the last three decades is maddening – but apparently they have finally grown the spine they are accused of lacking.Report
I really did not expect this to happen. I thought McCarthy had the basic ability of counting votes. I thought he knew which way most of the House would jump.
Maybe he isn’t worthy of leadership.Report
Maybe he was willing to risk losing power in order to make what he believed to be the best possible deal for the country.Report
It’s a fair comment.Report
I think maybe a little of this, and a little of just being exhausted trying to wrangle the “Freedom Caucus” for nine months. That’d wear anyone out, I think.Report
The tell was his comment about ten days ago when the House sank the Defense appropriations bill that he didn’t understand voting against debating the bill. I honestly think he saw the Freedom Caucus as performative and thus not a threat to actual governing.
Now he knows better aparently.Report
I admit to snorting:
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Thank you for this. I laughed heartily for a minute, then I drank some water and laughed again.Report
Per Amazon published September 14, 2010. Might as well add in a galaxy far, far away.Report
It was the noontide of political libertarianism and we didn’t even realize.Report
A collection of some of the worst people to ever serve as public servants. A triumvirate of dipshits who ran for office on the theory that their offices, and government as a whole, should not exist.Report
Crosby, Stills, and Nash!
hahahahahaha
Neil Young remained worse than all of them, though.
Trump is Neil Young.Report
I think I misspoke when I said “No problem.” What I meant was, “No, problem.”Report
Hmm, here’s a potential way forward. Dems peel off I think it’s 4 Republican reps from districts that Biden won, who switch to being D’s. They are promised financial support for their elections and primaries. Jeffries becomes Speaker. This seems more plausible than a 125 + 125 split.
Democratic solidarity has been excellent, I should note. Jeffries is doing well.Report
Here’s why I don’t think that that happens:
The bribe will have to be for something else. The election is 13 months away and the biggest arguments about the strength of the economy rely on stuff like “but the price of food isn’t going up as quickly!” which plays well to fewer folks than you’d think.
They might be able to peel off 4 congress people, of course. But those congresspeople will need to be bribed with lobbying sinecures, not election support.Report
Fair point. Though a year is a long time. And how much damage to the economy would a shutdown do?
For the record, I think general inflation – both wages and prices going up – is probably good for the average voter, whom I reckon to have a mortgage in place. Bad for new buyers, but good for people already holding debt. I thought we needed a solid round of inflation 10 years ago, to ease the debt burden.
But the average voter doesn’t really agree with me.Report
Is the shutdown still averted? If so, I’d say that the messaging about how the shutdown would have been even worse than inflation (and the first derivative is going down!) is going to impress even fewer people than insisting that people are deliberately ignoring that inflation isn’t as bad as it was when we were being told it was transitory.Report
The Continuing Resolution has 42 days left in it.Report
Or get 12 or so from districts Biden won to simply vote “present”.Report
If you weren’t able to predict this, its probably a signal to avoid offering predictions.
This isn’t a criticism of anyone- Its noting that the chaos caucus by its very nature, is unpredictable.
They have no real goals aside from chaos and attention which means that any attempt to use logic or rational process to predict their movements will be futile.Report
Current conspiracy theory: The next Speaker will be Kevin McCarthy.
He’ll get elected in a squeaker and the nutters will say “He got taught a lesson!” and back to Business As Usual.Report
It is entirely possible.Report
He has said he refuses to run. Last I checked you can’t elect someone not running for an office.Report
Yes our Kevin said he wouldn’t run well after this conversation.
That being said, you CAN elect someone Speaker even if they aren’t running. A majority of the house could elect me speaker if they so chose to- right now- even though I’m assuredly not campaigning for the office.Report
Are you implying we should consider you a dark horse candidate for the post?Report
A quick google search tells me that the Speaker of the House of representatives gets paid a cool $223,500.00 per year. So if elected I would, assuredly, take the job. I think my boss might even let me take unpaid leave to do it for the few weeks that I could, maybe, keep it.
So yeah. Though I’d never live down being a Republican Speaker of the House down around here and Prof. Hanley would probably unfriend me on facebook.Report
I’m wondering if the Romans saw the late Republic period filled with stupid shenanigans that drove them to excessive wine drinking.Report
Incitātus was not made a senator, though. So that’s something that Rome had going for it.Report
McCarthy has announced he will not run again for speaker.Report
Ooooh, interesting. In that case we might have chaos.
Unless we can find 20 bribable Republicans…Report
I will give McCarthy this for all his craziness. He asked for help from Democratic Party earlier than expected, took the bullet for it, and knows when to bow out of crazy town. That is as good as we are going to get from a Republican politician for a long time.Report
Yea it suggests deep down he has some basic sense of a higher duty or respect for the position. If I were him the next announcement I’d be making is my resignation and retirement from politics. Then I’d go write my tell all book about my 10 months as ringleader at the dumbest show on Earth.Report
Scheming graspers for power generally have an idea of wanting to preserve it and use it for something.Report
A fitting end to another crypto-fascist dweeb. I seem to recall an article where he haughtily answered a query about his “legacy” given his support of Trump and the rest of the crypto-fascist club. I copied it below, it is, seems pretty prescient today, he will have an ignominious place in history and it does not bother him or the rest of these chuckleheads one bit.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/07/kevin-mccarthy-lindsey-graham-trump-devotion-2024-election/661508/Report
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I don’t know if I’m recalling these things correctly or not: (a) the Speaker pro tempore can’t bring bills to the floor for a vote; (b) the debt ceiling has been taken care of through the end of 2024; (c) there’s a budget deal already on the books that’s effective Jan 1 if nothing else happens; and (d) that budget includes a couple percent across-the-board spending cuts.
Just trying to figure out the budget situation if it takes a very long time to select a new Speaker.Report
You are largely correct – however the budget deal is not an appropriation bill. At the federal level, we run out of spending authority when the CR expires in 42 days, unless a permanent appropriation is passed.Report
My gimmick candidate would be Lee Zeldin, but it’s such a strong argument that I don’t know if it counts as a gimmick. Conservative, marketable, eight recent years’ experience as a member, walked away from the House and took one for the team, not currently affiliated with any of the groups.Report
I get why a party would take a ‘clean up your own mess’ approach to the Speakership. In ordinary times with ordinary internal squabbles.
But part of me wonders if it’s not simply better, more aggressive politics, to thwart a particular faction that is in the business of subverting politics. Like honestly, having Team Red join Team Blue roflstomp an extreme Team Blue faction that has no viable agenda would be a good use of a vote. Like coming together to remove activists from closing down roads for no benefit to anything.
I suppose we’ll just have to see how the Speaker issue is resolved internally by Team Red; if it’s just a clown car for a few days that’s one thing; if it impacts, say, shutdown prospects to the benefit of Gaetz and his squad of 8, then that’s another.Report
418 – 8? “For the sake of the country and in a spirit of cooperation”? Sure.Report
Serenity NOW!
Heh, but there are lot’s of scenarios – Jeffries could lead a symbolic cadre just to keep the House functioning (for a few concessions public or private).Report
It would really put the right’s assertion (YMMV) that this is a republic not a democracy to the test, wouldn’t it?Report
I don’t follow.Report
Let’s assume the non-Gaetz faction of the Republican party holdw its nose to vote for a speaker candidate somewhat antithetical to their views, and very antithetical to those of their MAGA constituents. The same constituents who loudly proclaim republic not democracy when leftists complain about congressional votes in opposition to the popular will. At what point does America become a democracy for them again? (rhetorical question)Report
I was talking about Marchmaine’s idea that if the D’s and R’s had voted in support of McCarthy it would have been a strong rebuke to Gaetz and the other seven. I’m just not sure what scenario you’re describing.Report
In a polarized country I am not sure either side can afford that. I think it’s particularly the case with Republicans as long as their party is in such a place that activists are able to primary out anyone no matter how loyal or conservativs they have been overall (the Liz Cheney example must scare everyone), and are willing to do it even if it means running unelectable candidates in general elections.Report
I’m not sure I agree… I agree that the polarization is real, but honestly wouldn’t see a downside to — let’s hypothesize — AOC and the Squad holding Jeffries hostage over a Green New Deal and Republicans gleefully walking in the door she forgot to chain shut.
It would be that kind of polarizing anti-polarizing move. It probably hurts Jeffries more.
It’s not a vote on an actual ideological Bill, just a vote to prevent people from gluing their hands to the artwork.Report
Maybe. But I think that’s where there really is an asymmetry to where the parties are, and where the incentives lie. The furthest left members of Congress will make various noises at their own leadership to distinguish themselves and their brand but it’s telling you never saw the Squad hint at something like this with Pelosi or demand the sort of leverage the HFC has. Even where some of them want to vote against the party 1 or 2 of them always magically finds a way to toe the line to make sure they aren’t the reason a bill backed by the larger caucus fails.Report
No my friend, don’t read the analogy as anything other than getting people out of their priors. I’m not making a both-sides argument.
I’m saying that it’s quite possibly in Team Blue’s best interest to have done that … the analogy is to show how the polarization issue doesn’t really play.
Nobody would primary Bob Good for ‘nuking’ AOC. No one would primary AOC for ‘nuking’ Matt Gaetz. Much less folks in the middle.Report
Wait a sec – AOC got her seat by primarying someone for being white.Report
I suppose but I think you might be proposing something that just isn’t in the constitution of the people the system is currently producing. Even the more moderate Republicans are where they are by engaging in some level of placating a voting base for whom allying with Team Blue on anything would be treasonous. Meaning even if it was in Team Blue’s interest in theory I just don’t think there’s anyone on Team Red to do that deal with, no matter how many reps in Team Red are livid about what just transpired, which I assume really is a lot of them, possibly even a significant majority.Report
What deal?
Motion to vacate raised by Gaetz. Motion fails. Status quo ante. Gaetz’s powerplay slapped down. McCarthy ‘forced’ to continue his fragile speakership knowing that Jeffries holds cards he’s willing to play.
There’s no actual legislation at stake. That’s a pretty strong play by Jeffries, IMO.
My self critique is: it’s a meaningless take if the assumption of an ordinary (if embarrassingly stupid) transition to a new speaker happens in a day or two; and if that’s Jeffries calculation, then fair enough. Anything other than that, though, isn’t worth the squeeze.
Plus, I genuinely think there’s real political value in thwarting idiots like Gaetz as they throw sand in the sandbox.Report
I think there’re more moving parts to this than you’re considering. For instance the literal fact of Blue members moving to support a Red speaker would cause more red congresscritters to stop supporting him. Which then requires even more team Blue congresscritters to support him and steadily increases the “wait, why are we doing this for this deceitful, doublecrossing right wing fisher?” questions.
And, it bears noting, that the Speaker in question very publicly indicated he wouldn’t offer anything to team Blue for their support and didn’t want it.Report
Jeffries should want moving parts… if at some point the Red Caucus ceases to exist through Blue movement… then that’s good for Team Blue.
Might even beg just the question you ask, why not Speaker Jeffries picking up stragglers/wounded in a Team Red civil war.Report
I suppose, but the Democratic caucus is not a monolith even though they’ve been in admirable array lately. Giving away votes to a proven double-crosser on the nebulous hope that at some point it’ll flip around to your benefit is a tough ask and if the Dems splintered over it that’d be a painful cost for a faint hope of benefit. Maybe if a longer standing Democratic Minority leader were in charge* they could try such a maneuver and pull it off.
*Note: it’s good Pelosi stepped down and Jeffries has done a great job so far.Report
That’s another part of it. I think the hypothetical probably also assumes a different McCarthy, but then, could a different McCarthy have even become speaker, given that the actual McCarthy was only able to do it by making promises to the craziest members of his own caucus, which in turn virtually guaranteed this exact scenario? Seems unlikely.Report
Exactly. the two extremes are not like each other.Report