Kevin McCarthy's speaker bid in balance as effort to placate hardliners flops

[marmar]

(Guardian UK) The final hurdle to Republican Kevin McCarthy’s years-long quest to secure the speaker’s gavel grew even more formidable on Monday as a sizable group of House colleagues from his own party said they were not yet ready to support him.

The nine Republican rebels made the announcement after the California congressman made a series of concessions on Sunday to try to shore up the support of conservative hardliners ahead of Republicans assuming control of the US lower chamber on Tuesday.

McCarthy can afford to lose only four votes from his party’s slender majority if he is to win the election for speaker that will be among the first orders of business for the new Congress.

The rightwingers had demanded a change in House rules to make it easier to topple the speaker, and increased representation for fringe members on committees. ............(more)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/02/kevin-mccarthy-speaker-republicans-hardliners-house

[EYESORE 9001]

1. I hope infighting occurs on an unprecedented scale

Maybe MTG will gouge an eyeball on the House floor.

[Walleye]

2. They want to govern the whole country and they can't even govern their own caucus

[Ocelot II]

3. Getting off to a great start, aren't ya, Kev?

[GreenWave]

4. Two years without a speaker...

Could it happen?

[jimfields33]

5. I don't think so. If no speaker by 13 January, then salaries stop for staffers.

They’ll have to figure out something. Speaker jefferies perhaps?


https://www.politico.com/amp/news/2022/12/29/house-committee-staff-pay-speaker-decision-00075801

[WhiteTara]

7. that's what I was thinking

peel off a few Rs and all Ds vote for Hakeem. Wouldn't that be funny.

[NCjack]

8. Most likely, DEMs are offering some sweet packages to get enough GOPers to switch.

[GreenWave]

10. I wubs you guys!

To think, perhaps to hope.

[electric_blue68]

13. That WOULD Be Very, very Funny. Go, Hakeem!

[dutch777]

6. Why would any sane human want this job with the GOP?

Unless you are allowed to use cattle prods and shoot defectors this is a no win endless pain in the a** position. I know you get the big office and other perks but can't imagine anything that would make this remotely worthwhile.

[NCjack]

9. Lobby money.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. What Annoys Me About This Story...

...is the obliviousness of the hardliners.
Last November was a slap down of their ideas and they have a razor-thin majority, a D controlled Senate & a D president. They have far less clout, especially among the public, than they think.
Yet, they can't even feign conciliation with their own side.
Stupid, annoying people.

[Eyeball_Kid]

12. Another publication posted that

it might be advantageous for any GOP prospective Speaker to cut deals with Democrats in order to secure enough votes. We'll see if anyone is creative enough to propose that possibility.

[RockRaven]

14. Repukes have made being a self-promoting shit-stirring chaos-agent a core part of their brand...

And McCarthy is fucking WEAK.

A + B = whatever the hell is about to happen.

[Silent3]

15. Even if all Republicans now are garbage...

...isn't there some point where, if McCarthy gives in too much to the extreme crazies, he loses votes from the not-quite-so-extreme Republicans in swing districts?

It's not like McCarthy has any values of his own except the naked desire to be Speaker at all costs, so what else could hold him back from giving the chaos brigade all they want?