Why The House Speaker's Race Just Got Nasty

[Purveyor]

By Deirdre Walsh and Manu Raju, CNN
Updated 9:11 PM ET, Sun October 4, 2015

Washington (CNN)The race for Speaker could turn the House floor into complete chaos later this month, prompting an ugly public fight and further roiling a Republican Party struggling to present a governing vision for the country.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, announced a long-shot campaign for the post on Sunday, asserting that more than 50 house Republicans won't back the current frontrunner, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-California, to replace retiring Speaker John Boehner later this month.

McCarthy can't afford to lose more than 29 Republicans; if he does, he won't get the 218 votes needed on the House floor, giving Chaffetz an opening to position himself as a unity candidate. If neither man surpasses 218 votes, it could throw the full House into a state of deep uncertainty -- just as Congress has to deal with major national issues, including the possibility of the first-ever default on the national debt.

Boehner said he was stepping down in part to spare House Republicans from the pain and distraction of addressing a challenge to his speakership. But McCarthy's front-runner status means the race is essentially set up as a proxy vote on Boehner's tenure, which has been marked by ongoing fights with conservatives who feel the leadership hasn't taken a hard enough line against President Barack Obama and Democrats.

"You don't just give automatic promotion to the existing leadership team," Chaffetz said on "Fox News Sunday." "That doesn't signal change. I think they want a fresh face and a fresh, new person who's actually there at the leadership table in the Speaker's role."

MORE...

http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/04/politics/house-speaker-mccarthy-chaffetz/

[wheniwasincongress]

1. When will the decision be made?

I can't seem to find out when a speaker will be picked. Is there a specific date? Does it need to be before Boehner leaves?

[DonCoquixote]

2. Go ahead GOP

Go ahead and show everyone you are willing to fiddle while Rome burns, make it so that Obama can whip out the part of the constitution that says our government must pay it's debts, make it so that pig Tony Scalia is afraid to even cross Obama for fear of handing victory to the Democrats.

GO AHEAD...MAKE OUR DAY!

[flamingdem]

3. Yes

[drm604]

5. Wouldn't that be a joy to watch?

[Jim Beard]

4. Isn't he the one the Secret Service released private information?

He was a jackass to the Secret Service. Doesn't seem to be the type to work with others.

[edhopper]

8. And had that completely bogus

chart at the Planned Parenthood hearing.

[NBachers]

6. OK, so, do the Democrats have a unified and coherent strategy in this affair?

[DonCoquixote]

7. of course not

That is why GOP friends of Debbie Wasserman Schultz support her and keep her in power. I would say she is a GOP op, but frankly, the GOP would not be able to find someone who undermines the agenda as well as DWS.

[NBachers]

9. Has it even occurred to them . . .

Maybe it's "Whatever the President does, we'll hide and keep quiet instead of supporting him."

[gratuitous]

10. The winner will need 218 votes

There aren't 218 Democrats in the House, so it doesn't matter what the Democrats do, this is totally a Republican clusterfuck. Nobody is likely to cross the aisle to vote for someone from the other party as Speaker, and anyone who does might as well not try to come back to the side they abandoned.

[JNelson6563]

12. Exactly right.

Sadly this info won't stop the misguided from using the situation as an opportu ity to take gratuitous pot shots at the Dems.

The only question that remains is: Are those who love to trash Dems at every turn here @DU self loathers or trolls? We'll never know.

Julie

[gratuitous]

13. That's why, when it comes to pot shots

Insist on only gratuitous brand pot shots!

Your friendly neighborhood
gratuitous

[tkmorris]

11. Proceed, Representatives

[MiniMe]

14. Chaffetz was the one who held the Planned Parenthood hearings and introduced a bunch of lies

I know, big surprise. He had a bunch of charts that were produced by that anti-abortion hate group that did the hit piece on PP. When the PP person pointed it out, Chaffetz denied it. Of course, on the charts was something that said produced by whatever the hate group's name was .

[Maeve]

15. I foresee a run on popcorn!