GOP Imploding Before Taking Over US House?

[Jimmy Higgins]

Well, the GOP have 222 seats in the US House, the Dems have 213. Not exactly the red wave... and more importantly, kind of sucky for the far right Republicans (led by California Republican Kevin McCarthy), because the alt-right Republicans (led by Arizona Republican Andy Biggs) are ready to tear it down because... well... they aren't really all there. In order to become Speaker of the House, you need a majority vote or 218 votes. But the Republicans barely have a majority to start with. Then have 222 seats... and with all the promises of trying to turn this upcoming term into a "Fuck Joe Biden" session, the Democrats will be in absolutely no position to want to help the "moderate" Republicans.

So 222 total votes... and they need 218 votes to become Speaker. For those who aren't good at math, this means a person needs to hope their opponent gets no more than 4 votes. That's small! The only way that happens is if Rep Biggs drops out. Of course, Rep. Matt Gaetz suggests that someone else could step in.

“How many members vote for someone else will show the strength (of the anti-McCarthy group),” Rep. Bob Good, a Virginia Republican who is a “hard no” on McCarthy, told CNN. “I think the second ballot is going to have more candidates. … There are already Republicans letting us know they’d like to be considered.”

Multiple ballots haven't happened in nearly 100 years... which again... just shows we are reliving the 20th century... just with better food and more entertainment options.

And currently McCarthy is working to try and pull in as many Republicans as he can... which means concessions. But check this out.

Their list of demands – which shows the work McCarthy needs to do to get to 218 – includes a promise that leaders won’t play in primaries, restoring the motion to vacate the speaker’s chair, placing more conservatives on key committees, giving members at least 72 hours to read bill text before a vote, and committing to using the debt ceiling as a bargaining chip to demand more spending cuts, according to a copy of the letter obtained by CNN.

You see that? More "conservatives" on key committees. McCarthy is far right... what the GOP wants is more insane people, like Rep. Tarr (R-KY) or Rep. Fether (R-NY) on key committees. Rep McCarthy was going to try and sabotage President Biden. These people he needs to negotiate want to Scorched Earth the US to sabotage President Biden.

More pragmatic far right Republicans aren't as pleased with all of this.

“I think that’s one of the reasons that we didn’t see a red wave … the idea that people are sick and tired of the noise, and they’re sick and tired of the fighting,” Rep. David Joyce, an Ohio Republican, said of the impact of a January 3 floor fight. “And I know I get that wherever I go in my district is, ‘why can’t you guys just get things done?’”

Ahhh... ain't that cute! Why can't the GOP 'get things done'?

When new Democrat leader Hakeem Jeffries was asked if he was interested in helping the GOP select a Speaker, he replied:

What'd be really funny is that the Dems and a handful of Republicans (the last actual ones) team together and the result of the first vote was:
Steny Hoyer (D-MD): 218
Kevin McCarthy (R-CA): 191
Andy Tibbs (R-AZ): 26

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

It will be interesting to see what happens. I'm hoping for any republican that is willing to tell off Trump and his minions. I know, in my dreams! But with all the stupidity and ego going around in republican world these days one must still have hope.

 

[lpetrich]

Can the 'Never Kevin' caucus hold the line?

The small band of far-right firebrands who could derail Kevin McCarthy’s speaker bid is facing enormous pressure to cave and throw their support to the California Republican ahead of the Jan. 3 floor vote.

The “Never Kevin” Republicans are being hammered by Mark Levin and other conservative media personalities who say McCarthy has earned the job. ...

Republicans grumble that, without a speaker, they can't do such things as investigate border crossings in Texas and Hunter Biden's laptop. Yes, Hunter Biden's laptop is shaping up to be a big issue, much like the attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, an attack which Republicans never tired of investigating.

The article quoted Rep. Jim Jordan, "who as the incoming chairman of the powerful Judiciary Committee plans to launch major probes into the Justice Department and FBI, including examining the search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate."

The rebel group is comprised of GOP Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Bob Good of Virginia, Matt Rosendale of Montana, and Ralph Norman of South Carolina, and they’re all rallying behind Biggs for speaker.

If every House lawmaker attends the first vote of the year, on Jan. 3, those five could single-handedly block McCarthy, sending the speaker’s vote into multiple ballots — and almost certain chaos — for the first time in a century. Good said the number of his colleagues opposed to McCarthy is actually much larger; some Republicans say the number is as large as 12.

But KM has plenty of supporters.

He has personally committed that once he takes power, onetime conservative critic Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., will be reinstated on her committees after Democrats booted her. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, a McCarthy ally, is expected to be appointed by him as Intelligence Committee chairman, while McCarthy just named Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., as chair of a new select committee on China.

Thus helping to make MTG the face of the Republican Party.

 

[ZiprHead]

Conservative Betty and Conservative Veronica are fighting too.

Even Marjorie Taylor Greene And Lauren Boebert Are Fighting Over McCarthy’s Speakership Bid

Boebert and Greene, both prominent faces of the MAGA movement, have reportedly feuded in the past behind closed doors.

www.forbes.com

 

[lpetrich]

The Never Kevins are also taking fire from some influential voices on the right. Former GOP Rep. Trey Gowdy, now a Fox News host, called the McCarthy detractors a “small band of Republican kamikazes” who are “convinced Donald Trump won the presidency in 2020 with 47% of the vote yet somehow Kevin McCarthy lost the speaker’s race with 85% of the vote.”

And conservative radio talk show host Mark Levin recently took aim at Biggs for opposing McCarthy, blasting him for “parading around as Mr. Conservative” and saying “he doesn’t even fundamentally understand the Constitution.”

“I’ve called out Andy Biggs and four others in the House of Representatives who are trying to sabotage the election of a speaker,” said Levin, who warned that moderate Republicans could team up with Democrats to elect a “liberal” speaker like retiring Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., if the GOP fails to rally behind McCarthy.

Rep. Matt Gaetz responded in Steve Bannon's "War Room" podcast.

“Mark Levin was against Kevin McCarthy before he was for Kevin McCarthy. Just like Mark Levin was against Donald Trump before he was for Donald Trump,” Gaetz said. “So who knows? Being against Andy Biggs might be just like the first Mark Levin step to being Andy Biggs’ campaign manager in the next election cycle.

“Mark Levin said that Kevin McCarthy was a creature of the establishment and thus could never be speaker. Those were his own words.”

 

[lpetrich]

Moderate Republicans weigh hardball tactics to counter anti-McCarthy crew | CNN Politics
Like kicking the anti-KM Reps off of their committees.

In addition to booting the McCarthy holdouts off committee assignments, various members are considering several other ways to potentially de-fang the threat from their right-wing colleagues. That includes weighing whether to oppose a rules package if it includes reinstating an arcane tool that would empower any member to bring up a floor vote to oust a speaker at any time, as well as the longshot idea of teaming up across the aisle with Democrats to elect a speaker if the race goes to multiple ballots and no one budges.

“Teams win. Fractured teams lose,” GOP Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, co-chair of the centrist-leaning Main Street Caucus, told CNN, pointing to McCarthy’s broad support among the conference. “We can’t let a handful hold the conference hostage.”

...
Meanwhile, Rep. Andy Biggs, one of the ringleaders of the anti-McCarthy crew, said he wasn’t intimidated by the prospect of retribution.

“When you do the right thing, if somebody wants to punish you for doing the right thing? That’s on them,” Biggs said.

Rumble, rumble.

With proportional representation, such factions could easily be separate parties.

House speaker elections and floor fights, explained | CNN Politics

 

[lpetrich]

Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene seem much alike, and one might expect them to be good friends, but they squabble.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert spar over House speaker race

Asked by Charlie Kirk, founder of right-wing youth group Turning Point USA, about Greene's support of McCarthy for speaker, Boebert distanced herself from the Georgia lawmaker, mentioning a conspiracy theory Greene posted online in 2018.

"I've been aligned with Marjorie and accused of believing a lot of the things that she believes in," Boebert said. "I don't believe in this, just like I don't believe in Russian space lasers – Jewish space lasers – and all of this.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Twitter: "I’ve supported and donated to Lauren Boebert. ..." / Twitter

I’ve supported and donated to Lauren Boebert. President Trump has supported and donated to Lauren Boebert. Kevin McCarthy has supported and donated to Lauren Boebert. She just barely came through by 500 votes.

She gladly takes our $$$ but when she’s been asked:

Lauren refuses to endorse President Trump, she refuses to support Kevin McCarthy, and she childishly threw me under the bus for a cheap sound bite.

The country is facing extremely difficult times. Americans expect conservative fighters like us to work together to Save America and that is the only mission I’m 100% devoted to, not high school drama and media sound bites.

Save America!
Defeat the Democrats!

 

[lpetrich]

Lauren Boebert on Twitter: "Oversight is going to be a full court press with my friends ⁦@Jim_Jordan,⁩ @MattGaetz and @JamesComer! (vid link)" / Twitter along with her, she claims.

Jim Jordan R-OH will be the head of it and Jamie Raskin D-MD the ranking member.

MTG Attacks Boebert, Calls Childish and Mocks Narrow Re-Election

Greene's ire was stoked by a video showing Boebert with Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk at its "AmericaFest" event.

Kirk asked Boebert and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, also listed as a speaker at the event, what they thought of Greene's endorsement of Rep. Kevin McCarthy to be the next House speaker.

Neither Gaetz nor Boebert were fans of the idea. While Gaetz politely disagreed, Boebert was more personal.

Like slamming MTG for believing in Jewish space lasers.

The remark was a reference to a since-deleted 2018 Facebook post in which Greene speculated that that year's wildfires in California were caused by lasers controlled by politicians and Jewish bankers.

That got turned into "Jewish space lasers".

olitico reported that the pair got into a heated debate over Greene's attendance, in February, of a white nationalist-organized event. According to the outlet, Boebert dislikes being associated with Greene.

noting
Inside the House Freedom Caucus’ identity crisis - POLITICO

Privately, Republicans say Boebert (R-Colo.) — who’s seen as more of a party team player than Greene — detests being tied to her Georgia colleague. And when the House Freedom Caucus board of directors gathered last month at its usual spot a few blocks from the Capitol, the two tangled over Greene’s appearance at a February event organized by a known white nationalist.

Their confrontation grew so heated that at least one onlooker feared the Greene-Boebert back-and-forth might escalate beyond the verbal cage match had another board member not stepped in to de-escalate, according to a GOP lawmaker who was granted anonymity to describe what happened. The incident was confirmed by three people connected to the Freedom Caucus, whose members largely avoided public criticism of Greene and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) at the time and focused their discontent on the event organizer, Nick Fuentes.

 

[lpetrich]

Greene and Boebert trade public barbs over McCarthy, ‘space lasers’ | The Hill

Boebert has withheld support for McCarthy, saying that her “red line” is restoring any member’s ability to make a “motion to vacate the chair” to force a vote on ousting the Speaker.

Greene, on the other hand, has emerged as one of McCarthy’s most vocal supporters, warning that a more moderate alternative could win the Speakership if House Republicans do not unify around him.

LB doesn't like being associated with MTG flakiness.

“I’ve been asked to explain MTG’s belief in Jewish space lasers, why she showed up to a white supremacist’s conference, and now why she’s blindly following Kevin McCarthy and I’m not going to go there,” Boebert said.

Matt Gaetz, however, likes both of them.

But Gaetz, who went on a speaking tour with Greene last year, soon made clear that he is an “admirer” of Greene’s and praised her for “inspiring our patriotic fellow Americans.”

Appearing in the same interview with Boebert on Monday, Gaetz said that while he is “a fan of hers,” they do not see the Speakership battle the same way.

 

[lpetrich]

The MTG-Boebert Feud Is Fueled by Diverging Political Paths

Then discussing how MTG has a safe seat (Cook PVI R+22), and her only likely threat is another Republican. But LB's district is not as safe (Cook PVI R+7), and she won by a very narrow margin, 546 votes out of 327,285. So she risks being unseated by a Democrat.

The only theoretical threat to Greene is in a Republican primary, which is why it makes sense for her to snuggle up to McCarthy and aim at a leadership position. Boebert will likely be a Democratic target in 2024 after coming so close to losing — and not because she was insufficiently Trumpy. She needs to appear to be an independent battler for her constituents and their presumed Washington-hating values and interests. She doesn’t need the distraction of being identified as the MTG of the West, ...

...
So it makes sense for her to pick a fight with Greene, or with one of Greene’s famously batshit bits of commentary. There is, after all, a huge expanse of ultraconservative ground she can occupy without coming close to MTG.

Proposing that this squabble is motivated by political strategy.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

Boebert vs Greene. There is only one way to settle this. Chainsaws!

 

[Patooka]

Boebert vs Greene. There is only one way to settle this. Chainsaws!

Flamethrowers at ten paces would be beneficial to everyone.

 

[Politesse]

How is examining a laptop for crimes even a legislative task? Do they need to watch the old Schoolhouse Rock cartoon about the three houses of government? They already control the Supreme Court, they don't have to cosplay as judges on the House as well.

And Republicans, ever so quick to cry "fiscal responsibility" whenever an aging veteran needs a tylenol or a poor black kid needs a school lunch that isn't a mayonaise packet on stale bread, should be outraged that their Party has no goals for the coming term except grandstanding for the cameras at exorbitant taxpayer expense.

 

[lpetrich]

Boebert vs Greene. There is only one way to settle this. Chainsaws!

A duel? With chainsaws?

Even without chainsaws, a duel between the two might be fun. I remember once imagining a duel between Hillary Clinton and Tulsi Gabbard over HC calling TG a Russia-lover or something like that. Or TG and AOC having a duel over AOC calling TG an evasive fence-sitter in the first impeachment of Donald Trump.

It seemed to me that HC and TG are not very physically matched, because HC is much older than TG. But LB and MTG are well-matched, as are TG and AOC.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

It doesn't really have to do with Congress but does have to do with the GOP, and that is Kari Lake. The judge presiding over Lake's case in Arizona that her loss was a fraud just told Lake to go pound salt. Big surprise there.

Lake loses suit over her defeat in Arizona governor’s race

In a decision Saturday, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson, who was appointed by then-Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, found that the court did not find clear and convincing evidence of the widespread misconduct that Lake had alleged had affected the result of the 2022 general election.

The judge said Lake’s witnesses didn’t have any personal knowledge of intentional misconduct.

“The Court cannot accept speculation or conjecture in place of clear and convincing evidence,” Thompson said.

Did she at some recent point in time change her name from Karen to Kari to avoid the obvious accurate implications? Obviously the more these a-holes lose their cases the better for the country.

 

[Patooka]

Whilst I don't expect Frankenstein Republicans ever taking ownership for their creation, I'm content with them having to watch their legacies being torn up and shat upon in such a way that almost makes me believe in a divine plan at work.

 

[Elixir]

I'm content with them having to watch their legacies being torn up and shat upon in such a way that almost makes me believe in a divine plan at work.

“Donald Trump is God’s gift to Democrats“
- Me, 2016

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

Meanwhile, Charles Kirk, head honcho of far right Turning Points USA is threatening the GOP with destruction from he and his supporters if they do not fire the current head of the RNC and install his chosen candidtes in that position. The revolution eats its own.

Charlie Kirk threatens to wreck GOP's 2024 prospects if it doesn't oust Ronna McDaniel as RNC chair

Republican and founder of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk has issued a first salvo in his attempt to replace GOP Chair Ronna McDaniel by issuing a warning that his organization and affiliated groups will withdraw their support if they do not approve of party leadership. Kirk has been vocal in his...

www.rawstory.com

 

[Worldtraveller]

Ain't enough popcorn in the world....

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

Ronna McDaniel! We hates it, We hates it forever! We hates it forever!