So here we go again… Please direct all comments and links regarding the actual
VOTING to this thread. Edit NEXT STEPS: Mike Johnson is the current nominee.
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/house-speaker-vote-live-updates-10-24-2023/
[https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/house-speaker-vote-live-u...
So here we go again...
Please direct all comments and links regarding the actual VOTING to this thread.
Edit Confirmed, Mike Johnson is the next speaker after running the table of all present and voting Republicans, 220 to Hakeem Jeffries 209.
If you'd like to know more about Mike Johnson, here's a good link:
David Duke https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Duke - The first sentence: "David Ernest Duke (born July 1, 1950) is an American politician, white supremacist, antisemitic conspiracy theorist, and former grand wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan."
They basically help create the personas of these people to generate engagement. Obsessive liberal media coverage of Trump in January-March 2016 that immediately treated him as a frontrunner and amped up his persona. Coincidentally this was the coverage that Trump's base consumed for entertainment. Almost all the MAGA Trump video montages at the time were "shocked" liberal media personalities.
Democrats unanimously renominated House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.,
To win the gavel, a candidate needs support from a majority of the House members present, meaning the eventual speaker will need 217 votes if every one of the current members votes and does so for a candidate by name. There are currently 433 members, with two vacancies, so a majority is 217.
If members are absent, or if some vote present instead of supporting a candidate, that decreases what the majority vote needs to be. The House is intended to have a total membership of 435 members, so a majority is usually 218.
Jim Jordan is the sexual abuse cover up guy at OSU. Scalise is the blatant white supremacist who speaks at hate group events (see European-American Unity and Rights Organization which was founded by David Duke who used to head the KKK) and also compared himself to David Duke.
It's a long shot, but Moderate Republicans and McCarthy supporters could cast a vote for Democrat Jefferies as a FU to the Freedom Caucus. They would likely be able to get things done as a result.
That will never happen. It's much more likely IMHO for Democrats to throw some votes at a moderate Republican to get them over the line. Not Kevin, probably not Steve Scalise.
Becoming Speaker is only part of the story, though. The Speaker sets the agenda (meaning the day's schedule) but that agenda is subject to a vote and needs a majority every single time. So any Democrats who support a Republican (or vice versa) would have to be relied on to vote in favor of that speaker's scheduling, otherwise nothing can be scheduled.
Jeffries was picked by the House Democrats. It's not a long shot, it's 100% fever dream impossible that any Republicans would just vote for the Democrat option.
The long shot is getting a group of half moderate Republicans and half moderate Democrats and picking a Republican speaker who is moderate. That's not going to happen either.
The barely realistic possibility of bipartisan Speaker votes is a few moderate Democrats vote for a Republican candidate.
A politician and a political party has two domains they operate in: policy and governance. Policy is where a politician stands on issues, and typically where almost all of the campaigning happens. Where does this politician stand on healthcare, gun control, environment, etc.
But governance is as important, both for the individual and for the political party. For the politician: can they build consensus? Can they prevent alienating their constituents. Can they set goals that are big, but achievable. And for the political party, governance is how well they develop their members. Identifying who fits best in each elected position. How to help members gain experience for other offices. How to identify up-and-coming politicians.
The GOP is currently experiencing a failure of governance. The HOR is unable to operate because the GOP can't effectively govern. And time is ticking on one of the core HOR duties: approving the budget. The GOP is not getting high quality people into the correct positions, and has too many obstinate people in place to govern.
Johnson, one of the most conservative options imaginable, won probably because Republicans were sick of the chaos.
They are currently in the fuck around phase, and when it comes time to do the budget, will find out. Johnson will either trigger a shutdown and get all the blame onto the Republicans by refusing to compromise (and further prove the crazies have taken over the party) or he'll get a deal with Democrats and then Gaetz will yeet him again.
I give it until... Dec 1. Until speaker elections begin again.
Personally I prefer this to just two united parties, that's how stuff like the PATRIOT Act got enacted. It also leads to compromises being bipartisan rather than non-partisan. There is a preferable way the parties could be divided, but this is better than nothing.
Someone fill me in. I don't know shit about this guy.
I'm watching the vote live, and the in-video chat are all saying the guy is an election denier, full blown MAGA, and would promote a government shutdown. If this is the case, MAGA wins and will be emboldened to pull this shit again and again, knowing that they'll get their way in the end because the moderates of the party will eventually cave.
Good luck getting any kind of debt ceiling bill passed. This guy isn't gonna cut a backroom deal to get a bill passed knowing full well that they'll just hold another motion to vacate the minute they even sniff him trying.
EDIT: Yup, full blown MAGA. Swallows the Trump mushroom dick right down to the balls. MAGA wins. They have officially taken over the GOP.
Border security? Yeah. Israel? Probably. Ukraine? I'm not so sure.
Biden wants all the aid in one package. The GOP want to split it up so they can vote on border security and Israel and ignore Ukraine.
And then there are other holdouts who just want deep cuts everywhere and are willing to watch the world burn to get it. If these morons have all consolidated around this guy, that means he promised them something. And if it's MAGA that's asking for it, you know it's not going to be good. These people just learned that if they hold out long enough, they'll eventually get their way. You think after that they're going to be willing to negotiate on anything? No, they're going to make their demands, and will force a government shutdown until they get their way. Again.
The House adjourned without a vote for a new speaker. The Republican caucus have not reached the necessary 217 votes within the conference to elect Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who leads in the GOP with 152 in favor. [link]
Speaker ElectionHouse Delays Vote on Speaker After G.O.P. Nominates Steve Scalise
It became clear after the No. 2 Republican in the House won a secret ballot to become his party’s nominee that he did not have the votes to win the gavel.
There really is a very simple solution to all of this.
All the people refusing to vote for Jordan simply vote "Present". This lowers the threshhold for Jeffries to take the speakership without actually needing a single Republican vote. Those who vote Present will be able to say that they didn't vote for Jeffries and are waiting to throw their support behind a different candidate.
2a) Jeffries takes the gavel and gets us through the debt ceiling and aid for Ukraine and Israel.
2b) While this is going on, republicans take the time to find a speaker they can all agree on. Since they're in the majority, Democrats wouldn't be able to pass any other legislation without GOP votes anyway, reducing Jeffries to keeping the gavel warm.
When the GOP finds a new speaker, they can introduce a motion to vacate the chair and elect their own speaker.
Problem solved.
Number of Republican votes cast for a Democrat candidate: 0
Number of Republican votes cast for a Democrat bill outside of Ukraine/israel aid and the debt ceiling: 0
Number of other bills Democrats will be able to pass in the meantime: 0
And they can take back the gavel any time they want it. Heck, they can even spin it in the next election by "showing how Jeffries was ineffective as speaker" or whatever other spin they want to put on it. At least we'll be able to get back to business in the interim, and the GOP can take as long as they want fighting their little civil war.
I know it'll never, ever, ever happen. But it would at least work.
It's a brilliant proposal, but the key flaw is assuming the Republicans want the government to function. :) At their core, they don't believe it can or should work.
I don't want Jordan as the Speaker, but I wouldn't get comfortable just yet. It's possible that some holdouts from swing districts wanted to vote against Jordan in the first round to "prove they aren't all in on MAGA" (so as to not drive independents away) before voting for Jordan (to show they play well with Republicans).
Of course, there could also be Republicans who agreed to vote for Jordan in the first round only and now feel free to vote for someone else in future rounds.
I won't feel safe until Jordan removes his name from consideration.
Yep. And the 'other' votes are all over the map. I have no idea how they'll ever get anything done unless some Republicans cross the aisle and vote for Jeffries.
This has me wondering how much longer is this going to go on before the Republicans end up with mass calls to step down and resign from the House of Representatives and let the Democrats take over. When the Government runs out of funds and is forced to shut down November 17th?
It's amazing how low the House has fallen. It's always been dysfunctional, but this seems like a new low point. The question is "Is it THE low point? Or is it simply A low point?"
Now all his insane views have come to light though, we'll see how well he can actually wrangle the party and work with dems (since any legislation has to pass the senate/president)
Couldn't shake this feeling last time, seems equally appropriate now:
"Master of the house, doling out the charm
Ready with a handshake and an open palm
Tells a saucy tale, makes a little stir
Customers appreciate a bon-viveur
Glad to do a friend a favor
Doesn't cost me to be nice
But nothing gets you nothing
Everything has got a little price!"
He probably got multiple viable death threats to his family.
How the fuck are these nutjobs still out there? Are there really that many people willing to throw their lives away by declaring a death threat to a politician? Truly insane.
The Constitution does not explicitly require the speaker to be an incumbent member of the House of Representatives, although every speaker thus far has been.
It sounds like some people don't respond well to strong-arm tactics. Even if it works and he bullies his way to be Speaker, there may be lasting bad blood between members of the caucus. I hope so, at least.
Could all the republicans just drop out of the entire government since they obviously don't want to govern? They should just skip a few steps and (ghost) write their books ffs