POL He Is Nowhere Near 218': A Scenario Is Emerging That Ends With Kevin McCarthy Not Being Elected Speaker -UPDATE - McCarthy Elected As Speaker!

jward

jward

passin' thru

He Is Nowhere Near 218': A Scenario Is Emerging That Ends With Kevin McCarthy Not Being Elected Speaker of the House​


Teri Christoph​

As Republicans make plans for taking control of the House of Representatives in January, members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus are warning that Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who won the GOP’s nomination for Speaker of the House last week, may not actually have enough votes to earn him the Speaker’s gavel.
Just because he won the Republican nomination doesn’t mean Kevin McCarthy automatically becomes Speaker; he essentially needs the backing of every GOP House member when the entire chamber votes early next year. Here are the numbers:
  • 219: The projected number of seats that Republicans will hold in the new Congress.
  • 218: The number of votes a candidate needs to become Speaker of the House.
  • 188: The number of votes Kevin McCarthy received to earn the GOP nomination to become Speaker of the House.
  • 31: The number of Republicans that did not vote for Kevin McCarthy to be their nominee for Speaker of the House.
  • 30: The number of Republican (or Democrat!) votes Kevin McCarthy needs to earn by January 3, 2023, in order to become the next Speaker of the House.
Freedom Caucus member Andy Biggs (R-AZ) has been one of the most vocal opponents of McCarthy’s ascending to the speakership. He appeared on Dana Loesch’s radio show today and confirmed that McCarthy is short of the votes he needs, tweeting:
Biggs, himself, confirmed to Dana that he is still in the running to become Speaker, having been nominated by fellow Freedom Caucus member Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) last week in a speech ahead of the GOP speaker vote:
“You’re not going to change anything if you keep doing the same stuff. That’s the truth.” “Will Republicans stand for change? Or will Republicans stand up for the continuation of the status quo?” “The status quo ain’t working.”
Click to expand...
Roy’s comments are in line with Biggs’ own complaints about House Republicans, led by McCarthy as Minority Leader, failing to take aggressive action on an agenda that excites American voters. As RedState reported last week, Biggs stated:
“… I think Americans want us to actually bring the budget under control, they wanted to secure the border, they want us to just find a way to reduce oil and gas prices, attack inflation, all of that. And you can’t do that by being a passive sideliner or sitting there acquiescing to the Biden administration or trying to get along, you’re going to have to be tough.”
Click to expand...
According to The Hill, a “Never Kevin” faction is growing in the GOP ranks, with Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) saying, “The hard thing for Kevin, realistically, is there are a fair number of people who have said very publicly they’re ‘Never Kevin.’ Like, there’s nothing that Kevin can do to get their vote.” This should be very concerning for Kevin McCarthy.
Interestingly, the Speaker of the House does not have to be a sitting member, meaning anyone could, conceivably, be elected. Even former representative Justin Amash, who came out of the woodwork to express his desire to be a “nonpartisan” Speaker of the House:

Kevin McCarthy, who is backed by former president Donald Trump and the recently reelected Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), isn’t likely to create an opening for someone like Amash to be a spoiler. After winning the nomination last week, McCarthy said, “Look, we have our work cut out for us. We’ve got to have a small majority. We’ve got to listen to everybody in our conference.”
In an effort to shore up support in his conference, McCarthy seems to be setting his sights on issues important to the more conservative members of his party. He is vowing, for instance, to “move meetings” to the border “so the Democrats can no longer ignore the problem, so the American public can actually have the information.” A move that certainly seems to align with the Freedom Caucus agenda. And there are sure to be more as he works toward that critical 218 number.
We’ll find out on January 3 if his efforts are successful.

posted for fair use
redstate.com

'He Is Nowhere Near 218': A Scenario Is Emerging That Ends With Kevin McCarthy Not Being Elected Speaker of the House

redstate.com redstate.com
 
Last edited by a moderator:
jward

jward

passin' thru
I'm admittedly not conversant with the political scene- am, by and large, convinced it's all kabuki theatre, that they're on the same side, and it ain't ours.
..still, a CA Republican seems rather oxymoronic to me, at least at first blush.
 
O

OldArcher

Has No Life - Lives on TB
jward said:

He Is Nowhere Near 218': A Scenario Is Emerging That Ends With Kevin McCarthy Not Being Elected Speaker of the House​


Teri Christoph​

As Republicans make plans for taking control of the House of Representatives in January, members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus are warning that Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who won the GOP’s nomination for Speaker of the House last week, may not actually have enough votes to earn him the Speaker’s gavel.
Just because he won the Republican nomination doesn’t mean Kevin McCarthy automatically becomes Speaker; he essentially needs the backing of every GOP House member when the entire chamber votes early next year. Here are the numbers:
  • 219: The projected number of seats that Republicans will hold in the new Congress.
  • 218: The number of votes a candidate needs to become Speaker of the House.
  • 188: The number of votes Kevin McCarthy received to earn the GOP nomination to become Speaker of the House.
  • 31: The number of Republicans that did not vote for Kevin McCarthy to be their nominee for Speaker of the House.
  • 30: The number of Republican (or Democrat!) votes Kevin McCarthy needs to earn by January 3, 2023, in order to become the next Speaker of the House.
Freedom Caucus member Andy Biggs (R-AZ) has been one of the most vocal opponents of McCarthy’s ascending to the speakership. He appeared on Dana Loesch’s radio show today and confirmed that McCarthy is short of the votes he needs, tweeting:
Biggs, himself, confirmed to Dana that he is still in the running to become Speaker, having been nominated by fellow Freedom Caucus member Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) last week in a speech ahead of the GOP speaker vote:

Roy’s comments are in line with Biggs’ own complaints about House Republicans, led by McCarthy as Minority Leader, failing to take aggressive action on an agenda that excites American voters. As RedState reported last week, Biggs stated:

According to The Hill, a “Never Kevin” faction is growing in the GOP ranks, with Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) saying, “The hard thing for Kevin, realistically, is there are a fair number of people who have said very publicly they’re ‘Never Kevin.’ Like, there’s nothing that Kevin can do to get their vote.” This should be very concerning for Kevin McCarthy.
Interestingly, the Speaker of the House does not have to be a sitting member, meaning anyone could, conceivably, be elected. Even former representative Justin Amash, who came out of the woodwork to express his desire to be a “nonpartisan” Speaker of the House:

Kevin McCarthy, who is backed by former president Donald Trump and the recently reelected Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), isn’t likely to create an opening for someone like Amash to be a spoiler. After winning the nomination last week, McCarthy said, “Look, we have our work cut out for us. We’ve got to have a small majority. We’ve got to listen to everybody in our conference.”
In an effort to shore up support in his conference, McCarthy seems to be setting his sights on issues important to the more conservative members of his party. He is vowing, for instance, to “move meetings” to the border “so the Democrats can no longer ignore the problem, so the American public can actually have the information.” A move that certainly seems to align with the Freedom Caucus agenda. And there are sure to be more as he works toward that critical 218 number.
We’ll find out on January 3 if his efforts are successful.

posted for fair use
redstate.com

'He Is Nowhere Near 218': A Scenario Is Emerging That Ends With Kevin McCarthy Not Being Elected Speaker of the House

redstate.com redstate.com
Click to expand...

Yet another reason for Trump NOT to be the Rupublican candidate for President 2024. Likewise, his snorkaling the backsides of Arabs is yet another reason many are starting to lose "faith" in him. America First? Get a no nonsense, hard core candidate that truly IS Pro-American, Conservative, and Constitution abiding individtual. Enough is enough. If not, chaos will finally consume our once great nation...

OA
 
155 arty

155 arty

Veteran Member
OldArcher said:
Yet another reason for Trump NOT to be the Rupublican candidate for President 2024. Likewise, his snorkaling the backsides of Arabs is yet another reason many are starting to lose "faith" in him. America First? Get a no nonsense, hard core candidate that truly IS Pro-American, Conservative, and Constitution abiding individtual. Enough is enough. If not, chaos will finally consume our once great nation...

OA
Click to expand...
And who would the no nonsense, constitution loving ,politician be ?
 
P

poppy

Veteran Member
Dennis Olson said:
Let’s have a name or two of people you feel match your criteria. And they need to be electable.
Click to expand...
And that's the problem with republicans. There's always a few that prevent the rest from doing anything, but the damn democrats usually all fall in line with anyone nominated or any legislation they put forward. I'd like to see Jim Jordan as speaker but there would be a few republicans that wouldn't vote for him too.
 
auxman

auxman

Ad eundum quo nemo ante iit...
While I ideologically support the Republicans, today's elected ones are a bunch of spineless p###### that cave to whatever is pressed upon them. God, I wish they had titanium b#### like Trump...
 
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Dennis Olson

Dennis Olson

Chief Curmudgeon
_______________
poppy said:
And that's the problem with republicans. There's always a few that prevent the rest from doing anything, but the damn democrats usually all fall in line with anyone nominated or any legislation they put forward. I'd like to see Jim Jordan as speaker but there would be a few republicans that wouldn't vote for him too.
Click to expand...
The dems have a new slogan they’ve adopted in the past few years:

“Vote blue, no matter who.”

That’s how they win. Conservatives could NEVER bring themselves to do that. And that’s why we lose, and will continue to lose.
 
Raggedyman

Raggedyman

Res ipsa loquitur
db cooper said:
Yup. Pretty much the equivalent of a red state democrat. My sister is from CA and claims to be a Republican, can't tell it by listening to her run Trump down and claiming glow bull warming is real as well as hating the military.
Click to expand...
I know a few like that too . . . probably a lot more of them out there than we’d like to believe. everyone of ‘em should be bitch slapped into next month
 
33dInd

33dInd

Veteran Member
Well hell
Let’s just put Paul Ryan back in there
And finish off this s…..t show and get it going
While I still got some energy and agility to wack some the communist
Amazes me that in my youth our mission was to kill communist
Now we elect them our leaders
 
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bev

bev

Has No Life - Lives on TB
auxman said:
While I ideologically support the Republicans, today's elected ones are a bunch of spineless pussies that cave to whatever is pressed upon them. God, I wish they had titanium balls like Trump...
Click to expand...
Your sexual adjectives are really getting old, auxman, not to mention offensive.
 
jward

jward

passin' thru
McCarthy struggling to secure GOP votes in House speaker's race

Asher Notheis
3 minutes

November 26, 2022 05:24 PM


House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) bid to clinch the speaker's gavel is at risk of falling apart due to insufficient support from his conference.

McCarthy launched his effort to be House speaker earlier this month in a closed-ballot vote by his conference. At the time, he only earned 188 of the 218 votes necessary to become speaker, with 31 votes going to his surprise challenger: House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (R-AZ). Biggs is one of the dozens of Republicans who have refused to support McCarthy's speakership bid. That opposition, combined with a less-than-stellar turnout by Republicans in the 2022 midterm elections, is jeopardizing McCarthy's chances of securing the gavel.

DHS TAKES SHOT AT MCCARTHY OVER CALL FOR MAYORKAS TO RESIGN

"I cannot vote for Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker," Biggs tweeted earlier this month after launching his bid for the gavel. "I do not believe he will ever get to 218 votes, and I refuse to assist him in his effort to get those votes."

I've seen enough.

I cannot vote for Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker.

I do not believe he will ever get to 218 votes, and I refuse to assist him in his effort to get those votes.https://t.co/lyImFCOHgI
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) November 18, 2022


Other Republicans who oppose McCarthy include Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), and Bob Good (R-VA). Norman argued Tuesday that McCarthy lost any chance to gain his favor when he rejected the Republican Study Committee’s seven-year plan for balancing the budget. The RSC is a highly influential group that makes up more than half of the GOP conference.

Some Republicans have been vocal about their support for McCarthy in his bid for House speaker, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Jim Jordan (R-OH).

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The floor vote for House speaker will be held on Jan. 3, just ahead of the start of the new Congress. While 218 votes equal a majority in the lower chamber, McCarthy only needs to win a majority of the votes from lawmakers on the floor. House rules state that if GOP lawmakers who do not support McCarthy’s bid simply vote “present,” the final number needed to win the majority is lowered — providing him a path to victory.

www.washingtonexaminer.com

McCarthy struggling to secure GOP votes in House speaker's race

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) bid to clinch the speaker's gavel is at risk of falling apart due to insufficient support from his conference.
www.washingtonexaminer.com www.washingtonexaminer.com
 
von Koehler

von Koehler

Has No Life - Lives on TB
A constitutional question: is it mandatory to have a Speaker of the House? If no one can reach the required minimum of votes, then what happens?
 
The Hammer

The Hammer

Has No Life - Lives on TB
von Koehler said:
A constitutional question: is it mandatory to have a Speaker of the House? If no one can reach the required minimum of votes, then what happens?
Click to expand...
I think it just mentions that the House has the power to choose the Speaker.

Perhaps it would be like an old-time political convention, where they have multiple ballots to see who can finally reach a majority.

I don't recall a Speaker race being this contentious in my lifetime. Usually the person who was expected to get it gets it without too much drama...
 
O

OldArcher

Has No Life - Lives on TB
packyderms_wife

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.

www.bbc.com

Hakeem Jeffries: What to expect from the man who'll replace Nancy Pelosi

Some on the left of the Democratic Party may be less than pleased with the choice of Hakeem Jeffries.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
​

Hakeem Jeffries: What to expect from the man who'll replace Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker​


Hakeem Jeffries (C) speaks to the media after fellow Democrats elected him the new Minority Leader of the House. Also pictured are Representative Pete Aguilar of California, who was elected Chairman of the Party Caucus, and Representative Katherine Clark of Massachusetts (R), who was elected as Minority Whip.
IMAGE SOURCE,EPA
Image caption,

Hakeem Jeffries, the new Minority Leader of the House, flanked by Pete Aguilar of California, Democrats' next Chairman of the Party Caucus, and Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, who was elected as Minority Whip

By Gary O'Donoghue
Washington correspondent, BBC News

There is, unquestionably, a generational shift taking place in the top echelons of the Democratic Party.

Out go House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 82, and her second in command, Steny Hoyer, 83 - who were more or less in charge of the caucus for almost 20 years.

Thirty years their junior, New York Congressman Hakeem Jeffries has been not so much elected as effortlessly anointed successor to Ms Pelosi, facing no competition whatsoever and receiving the unanimous support and effusive blessing of the outgoing leadership.

Mr Jeffries is the first black American to hold such a high-ranking position in Congress. And with the appointments of Representatives Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Pete Aguilar of California in the next two leadership roles, the Democratic top table will be devoid of white men for the first time in any party's history in Congress.

That is a milestone. But before everyone gets too carried away with predictions of change, it's worth stopping and asking whether the party's approach will be any different as it faces at least two years in the minority.

A swift look at Mr Jeffries' resume shows his is a thoroughly traditional political journey: first a lawyer, then a stint in New York's state house and onward to Congress.

Despite him being a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), some on the left have already dubbed him just another "corporate Democrat". And despite his insistence that he's a "black progressive Democrat", he also told one interviewer: "There will never be a moment where I bend the knee to hard-left democratic socialism."

That will put Mr Jeffries at odds, rhetorically at least, with the Bernie Sanders wing of the party which has grown ever more influential over the past six years, particularly among young voters.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi talks to Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who will follow her into the job
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,

For the Democrats' new House leaders, success will depend on how well they can exploit the fragility of the Republican Party's majority

It will also not have gone unnoticed on the left that he and two allies set up the Team Blue political action committee, designed to protect incumbent Democrats facing primary challenges from the left.

Having said that, it is curious that the CPC was not able to run a credible candidate of its own for the top job - an indication perhaps that the moderates are currently in the ascendancy, with a number of Biden legislative successes under their belts from these past two years: The American Rescue plan, infrastructure measures and even a modest gun control law. They can also claim some credit off the back of that for having seen off a widely predicted red wave in the midterm elections, with Republicans significantly underperforming the norms for opposition parties facing an incumbent president whose popularity ratings have been stuck in the very low 40s.

As for Mr Jeffries' number two, Katherine Clark, 59, she has also trod a fairly traditional path. She too is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, but not one of its stalwarts.

Mr Jeffries can point to some issues where he is sympathetic to some aims dear to the left of the party. He's not directly opposed to Medicare for all and has backed the idea of a $15 per hour federal minimum wage.

But with Democrats now in the minority in the House, there will be little chance for them to steer any of their legislative priorities onto the statute book in any case.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Jeffries promised to reach across the aisle whenever possible and to resist extremism when necessary. But the success or otherwise of the new team, which takes over on 3 January, will lie in its ability to exploit the wafer-thin majority the Republicans will have, and to ensure the promised investigations by Republicans into Joe Biden's record and into his family are robustly fought across the influential House committees.

Above all, the single digit majority Republicans will be holding in the 118th congress is a huge and unexpected opportunity for Mr Jeffries and his team come 2024.

Presidential contests of course play their part in who gets the upper hand in Congress, but with the speakership so clearly within reach in two years' time, the key pressure is undoubtedly on Mr Jeffries to get his party into a position where it can take back the House at the next time of asking.
 
The Hammer

The Hammer

Has No Life - Lives on TB
packyderms_wife said:

www.bbc.com

Hakeem Jeffries: What to expect from the man who'll replace Nancy Pelosi

Some on the left of the Democratic Party may be less than pleased with the choice of Hakeem Jeffries.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
​

Hakeem Jeffries: What to expect from the man who'll replace Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker​


Hakeem Jeffries (C) speaks to the media after fellow Democrats elected him the new Minority Leader of the House. Also pictured are Representative Pete Aguilar of California, who was elected Chairman of the Party Caucus, and Representative Katherine Clark of Massachusetts (R), who was elected as Minority Whip.
IMAGE SOURCE,EPA
Image caption,

Hakeem Jeffries, the new Minority Leader of the House, flanked by Pete Aguilar of California, Democrats' next Chairman of the Party Caucus, and Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, who was elected as Minority Whip

By Gary O'Donoghue
Washington correspondent, BBC News

There is, unquestionably, a generational shift taking place in the top echelons of the Democratic Party.

Out go House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 82, and her second in command, Steny Hoyer, 83 - who were more or less in charge of the caucus for almost 20 years.

Thirty years their junior, New York Congressman Hakeem Jeffries has been not so much elected as effortlessly anointed successor to Ms Pelosi, facing no competition whatsoever and receiving the unanimous support and effusive blessing of the outgoing leadership.

Mr Jeffries is the first black American to hold such a high-ranking position in Congress. And with the appointments of Representatives Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Pete Aguilar of California in the next two leadership roles, the Democratic top table will be devoid of white men for the first time in any party's history in Congress.

That is a milestone. But before everyone gets too carried away with predictions of change, it's worth stopping and asking whether the party's approach will be any different as it faces at least two years in the minority.

A swift look at Mr Jeffries' resume shows his is a thoroughly traditional political journey: first a lawyer, then a stint in New York's state house and onward to Congress.

Despite him being a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), some on the left have already dubbed him just another "corporate Democrat". And despite his insistence that he's a "black progressive Democrat", he also told one interviewer: "There will never be a moment where I bend the knee to hard-left democratic socialism."

That will put Mr Jeffries at odds, rhetorically at least, with the Bernie Sanders wing of the party which has grown ever more influential over the past six years, particularly among young voters.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi talks to Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who will follow her into the job
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,

For the Democrats' new House leaders, success will depend on how well they can exploit the fragility of the Republican Party's majority

It will also not have gone unnoticed on the left that he and two allies set up the Team Blue political action committee, designed to protect incumbent Democrats facing primary challenges from the left.

Having said that, it is curious that the CPC was not able to run a credible candidate of its own for the top job - an indication perhaps that the moderates are currently in the ascendancy, with a number of Biden legislative successes under their belts from these past two years: The American Rescue plan, infrastructure measures and even a modest gun control law. They can also claim some credit off the back of that for having seen off a widely predicted red wave in the midterm elections, with Republicans significantly underperforming the norms for opposition parties facing an incumbent president whose popularity ratings have been stuck in the very low 40s.

As for Mr Jeffries' number two, Katherine Clark, 59, she has also trod a fairly traditional path. She too is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, but not one of its stalwarts.

Mr Jeffries can point to some issues where he is sympathetic to some aims dear to the left of the party. He's not directly opposed to Medicare for all and has backed the idea of a $15 per hour federal minimum wage.

But with Democrats now in the minority in the House, there will be little chance for them to steer any of their legislative priorities onto the statute book in any case.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Jeffries promised to reach across the aisle whenever possible and to resist extremism when necessary. But the success or otherwise of the new team, which takes over on 3 January, will lie in its ability to exploit the wafer-thin majority the Republicans will have, and to ensure the promised investigations by Republicans into Joe Biden's record and into his family are robustly fought across the influential House committees.

Above all, the single digit majority Republicans will be holding in the 118th congress is a huge and unexpected opportunity for Mr Jeffries and his team come 2024.

Presidential contests of course play their part in who gets the upper hand in Congress, but with the speakership so clearly within reach in two years' time, the key pressure is undoubtedly on Mr Jeffries to get his party into a position where it can take back the House at the next time of asking.
Click to expand...
Headline should read "replace Pelosi as House Democrat leader". He won't be Speaker, unless the GOP goes completely brain dead.

Which, I mean...
 
jward

jward

passin' thru
OldArcher said:
McCarthy=Paul Ryan. Bad choices. Wonder if enough Republicans can still think…

OA
Click to expand...
Do we really think "thinking" enters into it- beyond the assessment o' which moves grease their own palms??
..sowwie, I know I've grown more and more cynical by the moment, but :: shrug ::
 
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