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A Train Wreck Waiting to Happen?
The first two years of the Biden administration have been a train wreck. Now that Republicans have a majority in the House, there is a chance to, at the very least, slow down the Woke Express in the next two years of a Biden administration.
The infighting between Republicans over the Speaker of the House reminds me of a parliamentary government. More time is spent on coalition building and then coalition failures that lead to a parade of Prime Ministers. I would hope that Republican representatives come to their senses and realize that they have a chance to influence Senate legislation. They also have the ability to control Biden’s spending over the next two years.
The egos, and the intellect of those who are elected to the House are interesting and amusing. You get two years of short-term employment to try and stop the train, but as it speeds down the track you spend that time tossing each other off the train.
GK Chesterton:
Published in PoliticsThe whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of Conservatives is to prevent mistakes from being corrected. Even when the revolutionist might himself repent of his revolution, the traditionalist is already defending it as part of his tradition. Thus we have two great types — the advanced person who rushes us into ruin, and the retrospective person who admires the ruins. He admires them especially by moonlight, not to say moonshine. Each new blunder of the progressive or prig becomes instantly a legend of immemorial antiquity for the snob. This is called the balance, or mutual check, in our Constitution. (Illustrated London News, 1924)
I think that could be the end result. Or this thing could end with Don Bacon, a squishy Republican from Nebraska, being Speaker with some Democrat and some Republican votes.
Seems more likely to me that some Dimocrat votes would be used to drag McCarthy across the finish line. And it wouldn’t take nearly as many of them.
I suppose that could happen if the Dimocrats got some concessions such as “No investigations against the Biden administration.”
Not sure about that though.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/mccarthy-ends-first-day-speakers-election-shaky-ground
With an attitude like that, no wonder he lost a vote in the third round.
Another thing that could happen is about 12 Republicans from New York, New Jersey and California could decide not to show up at the House for the vote.
There is already one vacancy in the House. So, only 434 members. But if 12 Republicans don’t show up, there are only 422 members at the House and that means 211 makes a majority.
That would mean the Democrat Jeffries would win if Jim Jordan continues to receive 19-20 votes and McCarthy gets 202-203.
I think Matt Gaetz has said that he would prefer the Democrat Jeffries become speaker over Kevin McCarthy. But that’s based on Kevin McCarthy’s say so. So, maybe not true.
And you don’t think that if that were actually going to happen that the conference wouldn’t get together and actually solve the problem? The GOP is not that stupid. Allegedly.
Smear
The 19-20 Republicans voting for Jim Jordan (even as Jim Jordan is endorsing Kevin McCarthy) aren’t backing down.
So, the New York, New Jersey and California Republicans (these are Republicans representing districts won by Joe Biden) want to resolve this Speaker battle and might decide that taking a long lunch is the easiest way to let Jeffries become Speaker without them having to cross the aisle and vote for him.
It might not happen tommorow. But if this drags on to next week, it could happen.
Right now, no one is backing down. Not the Democrats with their 212 votes. Not McCarthy with his 202 votes and not those supporting Jim Jordan (not including Jim Jordan himself) with their 20 votes.
It’s a complete crapshoot. No one knows who will end up speaker. It’s a fair bet that the divisions within the GOP will allow the Democrats to win despite being in the minority.
The Jordan voters have been all over the place, but are basically “Not McCarthy.” The McCarthy voters are “Must be McCarthy.”
Which is to say the NeverMcCarthy voters would take other options. The AlwaysMcCarthy voters would only take McCarthy. Seems like the NeverMcCarthy voters are more open to dealing. They just don’t trust McCarthy, and for good reason.
If he actually said that, he’s even more of a dingbat than I thought he was.
I think I read that he did say that. But the quote lacked context, and I don’t trust the press one bit. Nor should anyone.
At any rate, that sends a message, doesn’t it. If the Freedom caucus offers a number of candidates, and the McCarthy caucus demands only one result, who’s really being the intransigent ones?
I’ll concede the minority if you acknowledge the minority is > 20.
Some supporting McCarthy are playing RealPolitik with more in common with the Jim Jordan guys.
There’s a problem in the GOP. They are imploding.
Before ever even getting sworn in. Unless a van-load of GOP members drive into the Potomac or accidentally yell out “Jeffries” during a vote, there is no risk.
I expect them to work out a deal overnight to make McCarthy acceptable to the Freedom Caucus.
He marches over to the Senate chambers and punches Mitch the B*tch right in the beezer.
As they should be.
If I faced this, and then won, I’d screw them to the wall.
Well when you don’t stand for anything really and a large contingent of congress critters are more interested in their next hit on Fox news than actually doing their job is it any wonder. The GOP may not be a viable party any longer.
Congress critters already have an abysmal reputation with the public. This tempest in a teapot will be long forgotten when the next campaign season rolls around. Voters will then dutifully return the vast majority of incumbents to office. And that is all they want.
However, not knowing too much about McCarthy going in to this, he sure does come off like LBJ.
Gasp! Thou shalt not say such things! (No matter how true they are.)
I wonder if the way this thing gets resolved is that Kevin McCarthy and Hakeem Jeffries enter into a power sharing arrangement where every House committee is equally divided and has two co-chairmen.
It’s hard to know how this is going to turn out. But I imagine this “let’s keep voting and see what happens” will probably end within a week or two. How many inconclusive votes do they need to take before a paradigm shift happens?
If they did that, it would be exactly like the Jan. 6th committee, where only “Democrat” Republicans are allowed on committees.
Which could happen because I’ll wager that a majority of Republicans are closet “Democrat” Republicans.
No question in my mind.
I would rather have them trying to pull the Dems right than constantly trying to pull the Freedom caucus and R voters left.
If there was something like the power sharing arrangement that I described, Jim Jordan would not be chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
So, Hunter Biden would be the biggest victor in that kind of deal, followed closely by Joe Biden.
Chances are, Hunter Biden wins regardless of if McCarthy or the dem guy wins.
That’s the point. Try understanding that.
McCarthy promised Jim Jordan chair of the House Judiciary Committee so that Jordan can go after Hunter Biden and the Biden administration generally.
But you are right in that the US House, without cooperation from the Senate, can’t really hold Biden accountable.
For Joe Biden, yes. But Hunter Biden doesn’t hold political office. It would be referral to DOJ to try him for crimes.