They're already up to 7 R votes to vacate.

Yeah he is gone.

Some where Steve Bannon and his cronies are very happy. The ultimate goal of him and the old Tea Party was to break the federal government. Looks like it is working though it has been broken for a long damn time.

Conservatives online blaming dems because they voted with Gaetz is gold. They think it's dems jobs to be safety rails for their party.

I just learned something. This will not shut down the House. The Speaker Pro-Tem will take over and they can pass other legislation until they elect a new speaker. So Patrick McHenry will be in effect Speaker.

Dems need to find 6 sane Republicans and make Liz Cheney speaker.

Bye Kev!

Yeah its a nice fantasy, but I just can't see it happening. She will hold them to the fire and admit to their part in Jan 6, kick out those who say no. A lot of the current Republican members wanted the coup one way or another. Can't believe there are many (any?) who will go along with that. She will likely end the investigations into Hunter and Joe Biden, which again most of the conservative and MAGA Republicans will never go for.

Liz Cheney sucks.

Also lol at remembering Nancy Mace is in Congress. She spraypainted her sidewalk and claimed it was antifa a few years ago.

There is just no Republicans left that woukd be considered moderate enough for Democrats. Kevin McCarthy has betray them on deals over and over again. The "moderates" have voted time and time again for all their nutty laws. None of them can show any kind of willingness to work with Dems or they will be primary-ed out of office.


Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

This seems bad but I remember when Newt had to step down over adultery it was a shitshow too. Someone else was supposed to take over that I can't remember, but he had a mistress too. So they made a child molester Speaker.

Despite what's happening, still a long ways from hitting that low point unless they make another child molester in Gaetz the Speaker.

Gaetz couldn't be elected to take out the trash in the GOP conference.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

We're assuming Gaetz is the only child molester in the caucus?

McCarthy is announcing he will not run again. There will be a new Speaker if anyone is elected.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

pics or it didn't happen

Republicans have decided to shut down the House till next week. They are definitely at a loss on what to do next.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

Didn't expect McCarthy to give up. What a mess.

This is a terrific idea. :D

This does not feel nearly as historical as it obviously is. We knew this would be the end result sooner rather than later given the fifteen round election process. Looking at the Speakers who served during my lifetime, I realized it would have only felt historic if it happened to Tip O'Neil, Newt Gingrich, or Nancy Pelosi. I don't remember Jim Wright. I barely remember Tom Foley. As far as the R's go, I think this could have happened to Hastert, Boehner, or Ryan at any point of their time in office.

So the Speaker Pro Tem's first order: Nancy Pelosi please vacate your office by Wed. She is in CA for Feinstein's funeral

So yeah McCarthy says now that Democrats played political games with Jan 6 investigation and he's still upset over that so that's why he didn't reach out to the Democrats. So yeah I'm glad he's no longer Speaker.

The Republicans blaming Democrats for ousting McCarthy is among the most ridiculous things I have ever seen. Could you imagine the heads exploding if Republicans voted to help keep Pelosi in the Speakership if the positions were reversed?

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

Big "Why did you let me put my hand on the hot stove" energy.

The reason for the one week recess, is because by law, the speaker pro tem can only hold the position for three legislating days, before they go back into "Only thing we can do until we elect a new speaker is... elect a new speaker!"

So, they're going to take the week to try to coalesce behind a candidate for a new speaker.

Of course, this is using up almost 20% of the time before our next "Bomb Throwers try to hold the economy/government hostage" moment.

I'm with miami_fan. Based on what the conversation was like at the time of McCarthy being elected in the first place, it's amazing that he lasted this long, not amazing that he eventually got ousted. The historical element to me is nothing about McCarthy, it's about the continually growing dysfunction in Congress.

Oh, yes, McHenry! Bang that gavel. Bang it hard. You know the way I like it! *BANG* OHHHH YESSSSSSSSSS!

Another visual I prefer not to think about!

Paul Pelosi?

I thought I was reading that the only business he can bring in front of the house was a new speaker nomination. Otherwise, they would never need to elect a speaker. The house is effectively shut down, no?

That’s my understanding of it.

Not quite: He can be speaker for three legislating days. Once that term's over, then we're back into the "Forever voting for Speaker" phase.

Of course, if they try to do anything BUT arrange for speaker votes, several R's have said they will put in a new vote to vacate the chair, and then we're in "Forever Voting For Speaker" phase again

edit: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/wha...er-2023-10-03/

Ok. Honest question: Assuming you were of the right political bent and able to be appointed to Speaker, what would be your demands?

A) Removal of the 1-to-vacate rule. Just impossible to govern with it there (which I admit is several folks preferred solution). Instead, 10% of the speaker's party can initiate a vacate the chair vote

B) Permission to seek a "BIG deal" with Biden, where we get some of what we want, and they get some of they want. (border security for DACA, for example)

C) A stop to all the messaging bills and stuff that's doomed to fail. By that I mean some of the more recent "Defund all prosecutions of Trump", etcetera. After the last nine months of insanity, it feels like the R's need to show that yes, they can be entrusted with the seat of power and not immediately piss on the seat.

Any of the three would be enough to disqualify me, even if I was of that political persuasion.

1) Do everything reasonably possible to discomfit the enemy ... and recognize that the greatest enemy is the one on the other side of the aisle.

I'm not sure there's much that wouldn't be covered by that single demand.

And our resident bomb-thrower shows up right on cue... ;)

If congressional fan fiction is wrong then I don't want to be right.

Not meant as a bomb, you asked what seemed like a reasonable enough question. I gave it what was intended as my legitimate answer.

The point, which I thought would be kinda clear, is that as the hypothetical Speaker, there's not a point a, b, c that's a priority. It's about everything, and about recognizing that stopping any further advance by the most crucial threat facing the nation IS the priority. Not one thing, every bit of it. And if the (simplified) options are a) shut it all down completely or b) allowing those advances, then shut it all down indefinitely afaic.

Anything less and I'm not sure what the point of changing Speaker is/was.

I don't think there was a point to changing the Speaker. It was just a pissing match that Gaetz won.

Oh no, wireless test!!! I better watch out cause I’m about to get whacked for being vaxxed!

It reminds me of my children. I say these on a daily basis:

“Literally everything can’t be a competition boys.”
“Ultimately you guys are going to have to realize you are on the same team. You are brothers.”
“You guys are both taking the same side but are still fighting about it. Stop.”

I think quite a bit of that could apply to the Republican Party.

This Marberg virus is no joke. Thanks, Biden.

Who would want this job?

Newt Gingrich: resigned in shame after he was caught cheating on his wife dying of cancer and then destroyed the midterms for Republicans

Dennis Hastert: Child molester

John Boehner: chased out by the Freedom Caucus

Paul Ryan: quit and saw it as an "escape hatch" from Trump

Kevin McCarthy: ousted by the Freedom Caucus

Honorable Mentions-

Bob Livingston: Resigned for an extramarital affair after Gingrich quit

Eric Cantor: Primaried before he could truly chase his Speaker dreams

I feel his fear cause I was on a zoom when it went off and we all died.

The "three day" rule only applies for times when the Speaker will not be avaible due to illness or disability. In the case of a Speaker vacancy, there is no time limit.
"The intent of the rule was for the speaker pro tempore to serve for a short period, until the House elected a new speaker, but the House rules set no specific limit on the length of time that a member may be speaker pro tempore.^"
He does have all the powers of the Speaker, which is why for instance he was allowed to make the petty move of kicking Pelosi and Hoyer out of their offices. The only part of the Speaker he isn't granted is being in the line of Succession. Now it is likely if he tries to move forward as acting Speaker without quickly calling for a vote on a new Speaker, someone will probably call for another vote to vacate. But in theory, he could serve out the rest of the term if no Speaker is elected, and the House could continue to function in its regular disfunction.

As long as the vacate rules remain in place, I don't know why anyone would want the job.


Gaetz wants attention. I think that's all this was. You can tell by the people who voted against McCarthy that they really wanted a shutdown at all costs for the attention. The deal McCarthy offered them was as good as they'd ever get, but I don't think they care about it.

I was reading a House Dem staffer speculating that the continuing resolution that McCarthy offered was designed to get Dems to vote no so the GOP could blame the shutdown on Dems. When Dems voted for it the whole plan blew up and it ultimately cost McCarthy his job.

Not sure that's what happened, but it's plausible given the timing of the surprise CR.

Speakers of the House have always been beholden to their respective party, going back through modern history, Pelosi, Gingrich, Tip O'Neill, etc.

This however, is uncharted territory, where you have someone who is held hostage by a small minority of MAGAts. I don't know what the end result is going to be, but building some sort of a coalition doesn't appear to be a viable option at this time.

Ever since that Emergency Broadcast, I have been feeling funny. Like wanting to eat on brains funny. Anyone up to slowly chasing snacks...er, I mean people around?

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

So far as to who wants to throw their hat into the ring:
Scalise
Jordan
:popcorn: :eek: