💣 The Disastrous 118th Congress - MAGA Mike Johnson Saved by Shadow Speaker Hakeem Jeffries

[AndyinPA]

https://www.businessinsider.com/who-lea ... re-2023-10

Under House rules, McCarthy was required to provide the House clerk in January a then-secret list of members that temporarily serve as Speaker of the House if the office became vacant. McHenry, a nine-term North Carolina Republican, was revealed to be the first name on McCarthy's list.

McHenry, who leads the House Financial Services Committee, now has the power of the speakership that is needed to lead the chamber through the days ahead. The speakership is more than just one of the most powerful posts in Congress. The House speaker is also second in line to the presidency, after the vice president.

A congressional rules expert pointed out that this temporary speaker could theoretically remain in power.

[Chilidog]

So what's the deal on this McHenry guy?

[bob]

There's also a (basically theoretical) question about Line of Succession.

As the succession act doesn't mention an Acting Speaker, the Senate President pro tem. Murray arguably is next in line.

[Sam the Centipede]

What's this McHenry guy like? Would Democrats be content for him to stay in post while Republicans squabble about who they'd prefer, while talking to get majority support?

[noblepa]

I am not a supporter of McCarthy but hate to see the Democrats voting with Gaetz.

Me too. If he's replaced it will be by a hardliner. I could be missing something or not thinking clearly, but I don't see the benefit to Democrats to get an even worse right winger as House Leader.

The Dems owed Kevin NOTHING. He reneged on deals almost before the ink was dry, he ran to Trump to grovel after first condemning him for Jan 6, he pushed a sham impeachment, and he is as MAGA as Gaetz and others of his ilk. As I understand, the Dems were offered no concessions for their votes. I'm thrilled that they stood in solidarity and voted him down. Admire the leadership of Rep. Jeffries.
OMG. And also, just on MSNBC, Kevin went on TV and lied that Democrats were actually pushing for the govt. shutdown. Rep. Omar says they were all sick of the lies.

I agree that the D's owe McCarthy nothing.

I'm not sure that he is a MAGA true believer. He does not seem to be angling for a position in a potential second Trump administration, as Gaetz seems to be. I think that McCarthy was just bending with the prevailing wind, which was/is coming from Mar-a-Lago. He wanted to be speaker so badly, he could taste it and would have done anything to achieve that goal. That is no longer in his future.

I'm not a fan, either, but I suspect that he will be slightly more sane than before, with the speakership out of reach. He's not simply there to burn everything to the ground, as are Gaetz, Greene and Boebert.

[Maybenaut]

I am not a supporter of McCarthy but hate to see the Democrats voting with Gaetz.

Me too. If he's replaced it will be by a hardliner. I could be missing something or not thinking clearly, but I don't see the benefit to Democrats to get an even worse right winger as House Leader.

Washington post had an article on why the Dems wanted him gone. They summarized:

— McCarthy didn’t vote to certify the election on Jan. 6, 2021. The attack on the U.S. Capitol is still raw on Capitol Hill, and Democrats will never forgive McCarthy for voting against certification after the mob was cleared from the building.

— McCarthy said former president Donald Trump was responsible for the Jan. 6 riot — and then, a few weeks later, traveled to Mar-a-Lago and took an infamous picture with Trump with their thumbs up. Democrats are still furious about the incident, which helped revive Trump politically and whitewash the severity of his role on Jan. 6.


— McCarthy worked against the creation of the Jan. 6 select committee, which Democrats viewed as an attempt to protect Trump.

— McCarthy gave the Jan. 6 security footage to since-fired television host Tucker Carlson without releasing it to news outlets.

— McCarthy delivered votes for the Cares Act — a $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill passed in 2020 and signed by Trump — and later became highly critical of pandemic relief legislation.

— He worked with Democrats to help put together the microchips manufacturing bill last year and then whipped his party to vote against it.

— McCarthy backed out of a spending agreement he made with President Biden as part of a deal to lift the debt limit less than two weeks after Biden signed the law in an attempt to placate the furious conservatives in his conference. Democrats on the House floor on Saturday chanted, “Keep your word!”

— McCarthy said in August that he would hold a vote on the House floor to open an impeachment inquiry against Biden. In September, on the first day back from summer recess, McCarthy opened an impeachment inquiry and did not hold such a vote.

— On Saturday morning, McCarthy didn’t give lawmakers 72 hours to read the short-term spending bill to keep the government open despite House rules. Republicans argued that it was an amendment and not a full bill so the 72-hour rule didn’t apply. But Democrats were given just minutes to read it and vote on it despite asking Republican leadership for more time. (Democrats deployed stalling tactics to get about two hours to read and discuss the bill.)

— On Sunday, McCarthy went on CBS’s “Face the Nation” and charged Democrats with wanting a shutdown. That infuriated Democrats, who voted nearly unanimously for the government spending bill when fewer than half of Republicans did.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... -mccarthy/

[Kendra]

Reporting on air right now, McCarthy will not run again for speaker. The Rs have been huddling, but McCarthy will be speaking to the press in about 30 minutes. Gaetz looks drunk with power

[Suranis]

Sadly, the Alien organism that lives on top of his head is pretty goddam stupid.

[Suranis]

Oh, slight reminder of what was the future of the Republican party. The book was published September 14, 2010.

[bob]

"For completeness," House Rep. (117th Sess.) R. 1, sec. 8:

(a) The Speaker may appoint a Member to perform the duties of the Chair. Except as specified in paragraph (b), such an appointment may not extend beyond three legislative days.
(b)(1) In the case of illness, the Speaker may appoint a Member to perform the duties of the Chair for a period not exceeding 10 days, subject to the approval of the House. If the Speaker is absent and has omitted to make such an appointment, then the House shall elect a Speaker pro tempore to act during the absence of the Speaker.
(2) With the approval of the House, the Speaker may appoint a Member to act as Speaker pro tempore only to sign enrolled bills and joint resolutions for a specified period of time.
(3)(A) In the case of a vacancy in the Office of Speaker, the next Member on the list described in subdivision (B) shall act as Speaker pro tempore until the election of a Speaker or a Speaker pro tempore. Pending such election the Member acting as Speaker pro tempore may exercise such authorities of the Office of Speaker as may be necessary and appropriate to that end.
(B) As soon as practicable after the election of the Speaker and whenever appropriate thereafter, the Speaker shall deliver to the Clerk a list of Members in the order in which each shall act as Speaker pro tempore under subdivision (A).
(C) For purposes of subdivision (A), a vacancy in the Office of Speaker may exist by reason of the physical inability of the Speaker to discharge the duties of the office.

[Frater I*I]

Reporting on air right now, McCarthy will not run again for speaker. The Rs have been huddling, but McCarthy will be speaking to the press in about 30 minutes. Gaetz looks drunk with power

He made a deal with the devil from the Twilight Zone.....

He got what he wanted....

But there was a little something extra thrown in to spoil the deal....

[pipistrelle]

Why did Gaetz want McCarthy out?

I remember most of those times McCarthy lied to the Democrats. Not only is he a spineless non-leader, but he's an amoral serial liar.

[bob]

Why did Gaetz want McCarthy out?

Gaetz said the proverbial backbreaker was the "secret" deal with Democrats to vote on Ukraine funding.

But, really, Gaetz never wanted McCarthy in.

[Kendra]

McCarthy steps up now to the cameras and the podium (or whatever the proper term is).

[bob]

McCarthy steps up now to the cameras and the podium (or whatever the proper term is).

* * *

[Kendra]

Not done with the presser yet, but it sounds like it's everyone's fault except for Kevin...

[SuzieC]

Why did Gaetz want McCarthy out?

I remember most of those times McCarthy lied to the Democrats. Not only is he a spineless non-leader, but he's an amoral serial liar.

For shits, giggles, TV time, and grifting. Someone held up a phone vid of him fund raising and grifting off his motion to vacate.

[June bug]

Not done with the presser yet, but it sounds like it's everyone's fault except for Kevin...

And after trashing Democrats and “the eight”, he’s now moved on to smearing President Biden. That was it for me. I turned it off.

[Kendra]

Not done with the presser yet, but it sounds like it's everyone's fault except for Kevin...

And after trashing Democrats and “the eight”, he’s now moved on to smearing President Biden. That was it for me. I turned it off.

Thankfully it's over

[Annrc]

Truth Suzie C. I am so sick of looking at his smug face. Would love to slap him.

[AndyinPA]

Truth Suzie C. I am so sick of looking at his smug face. Would love to slap him.

Yes, he has a very slappable face.

[Dr. Ken]

[AndyinPA]

[Dr. Ken]

Do we change the title now?

[northland10]

Oddly enough, Gaetz may have just hurt his own Shit on the World Caucus. They had a pliable speaker, and he pushed him out because he needed to fundraise. Their only priority is they get everything they want, despite not even being a majority of their Republican reps.

It would be interesting how the Republicans Want To Keep Their Job Caucus will play this. While they may be crazy in positions, some of them are not complete idiots and realize that one of the worst things you can do before an election in a swing district is to shut down the government or default on the debt. They realize that no attempt of whining about libs will save them from blame. The GOP is always blamed for shutdowns. Whining about that fact never works with independents. The only thing worse they could do is try to abolish Social Security and Medicare in an election year, which the Dumbass Caucus would probably push.

The former invertebrate Speaker of the House never realized that you never make a deal with the Fuck You Caucus. They will always move the goalposts, and what he delivers will never be good enough.

Now is the time I would not mind seeing the GOP and other politicians of old who knew how to properly punish those who risk them losing power. Some of them knew when to hit back big, and if the situation called for it, destroy somebody with a thousand paper cuts. IIRC, they were even able to make it harder for somebody to fundraise.