All Politics Are Loco: 2023

[Edgy MD]

Representative Jeffries: 234
Representative McCarthy: 203
Representative Jordan: 19

We go to round three.

You certainly got my attention there. Wouldnt that tally give the speakership to the Dems?

Sorry about that. My fingers fail me.

[metirish]

McCarthy loses for a 4th times

[kcmets]

And on the cusp of Loss#5.

Kinda amusing between the yawns.

[Edgy MD]

So much ceremonial energy goes into polling the entire House with a voice vote every time. And then a half-dozen counters have to agree that they got the same numbers.

Can't they just click a toggle like in the Tabloid Cover Derby?

[MFS62]

The GOP handles an election like Fredo handles a pistol.

Later

[A Boy Named Seo]

6-time loser Kevin McCarthy. You keep fighting, bud.

[MFS62]

6-time loser Kevin McCarthy. You keep fighting, bud.

Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.*

Later

* = attributed to Einstein, but he may not have been the first person to say it.

[ashie62]

I guess some democrats could vote for McCarthy in exchange for committee assignments

[ashie62]

Matt Gaetz is twisting George Santos's arm to switch his vote

[Lefty Specialist]

Adjournment until 8 PM. The terrorists are still in control.

McCarthy moved into the Speaker's office prematurely. He may have to move out again, because there doesn't seem to be any way he can get elected.

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

Watch for just-retired Michigan Rep. Fred Upton to emerge as a potential compromise candidate. Strong record of bipartisanship, more than 40 years in the House. Could gain enough support from Dems to get through.

And, while not mentioned in the story, he is the uncle of the wife of our new ace.

From a story today:

OPINION
Finley: Fred Upton finds House speaker suggestion 'intriguing'
Nolan Finley
The Detroit News

Former Michigan U.S. Rep. Fred Upton says the possibility he could become a consensus candidate to break the Republican House speaker stand-off is "an intriguing suggestion that I have not rejected."

Upton's name has been floated for several weeks as a choice who could win bipartisan support should Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California, fail to rally the 218 votes he needs to become the new leader of the GOP-controlled House. McCarthy did not reach that magic number in three ballots Tuesday.
Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., left, speaks to reporters outside the White House in Washington, May 3, 2017.

Up to this point, Upton, who retired Dec. 31, has demurred when asked whether he is interested in serving as speaker of a chamber in which he is no longer a sitting congressman — an unorthodox arrangement that is permitted by law but has never before happened.

Now, he says he'd be willing to do so, "to put an end to the dysfunction that is doing so much damage to the country."

Upton would not have to be nominated by Republicans. Congress members can cast ballots for speaker for whomever they please.

[MFS62]

Watch for just-retired Michigan Rep. Fred Upton to emerge as a potential compromise candidate. Strong record of bipartisanship, More than 40 years in the House. Could gain enough support from Dems to get through.

If the speaker can be a past but not currently a representative, I wonder how a nomination LIz Cheney would be received?
(ducking)

Later

[MFS62]

Donald Trump Jr. is selling Bibles.
Let that sink in for a bit.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/donald-trump ... 12235.html (Huff Post via Yahoo)

If that isn't loco I don't know what is.

Later

[batmagadanleadoff]

According to Kevin McCarthy, Matt Gaetz told McCarthy that he could care less if the stalemate led to Democrat Hakim Jeffries winning the House speakership vote

[nymr83]

According to Kevin McCarthy, Matt Gaetz told McCarthy that he could care less if the stalemate led to Democrat Hakim Jeffries winning the House speakership vote

Gaetz said "don't worry Kevin, whether or not you are speaker i'll still have underage girls in my office"

[kcmets]

Matt Gaetz woke up this morning worried that America doesn't know
he is still an utter douchebag. So he nominates Chump for Speaker.

Thanks, Matt.

[Lefty Specialist]

I'm sorry, but if people voted me down eight times, I would not put my name up for a ninth time. It's just freakin' embarrassing on a human level.

[Edgy MD]

The odd thing is that parliamentary democracies have to do this all the time. If you have a plurality but not a majority, you make a deal with the bloc on your right and a deal with the bloc on your left and whoever asks for the least gets to go into government with you.

The odd thing is that the asks the main Republican bloc are getting aren't agenda items, but the speaker's balls in a jar. It's absurd. And there's not a single leader among them who knows how to make a deal to bring in a bloc of democrats? They don't even have to follow through on such a deal. They just have to show the gasoline-and-fire bloc that they have that option.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Am I having a stroke or did Gaetz just nominate Trump for speaker?

[Edgy MD]

It totally happened, baby.

Probably because he wants to give you a stroke.

[Lefty Specialist]

It totally happened, baby.

Probably because he wants to give you a stroke.

A stroke of Stable Genius!

There are basically 20 House members who are engaged in performance art now. They just want to blow it up. They gave them everything they wanted and they still said no. The crazies are in charge, and they don't have a clue as to actually govern, they just want to enhance their Newsmax/Breitbart street cred.

Whoever wins this election will still have to stick to these hostage demands, which means the one who wins will be an incredibly weak speaker who can literally be tossed out on a whim of any one of these nutjobs. It'll be chaos. Any leader who tries to raise the debt ceiling this year will be immediately thrown out. McCarthy wants the job, but for the life of me I can't think of any reason why anyone would.

[Edgy MD]

I do like the fact that this means the former president has lost another election.

[TransMonk]

As funny as I find the Speaker fight now, I have a feeling this is how the House is going to be on EVERYTHING for the next two years.

It will get increasingly tedious and worrysome between now and then.

[Edgy MD]

We'll see.

This is more than funny. It challenges children to behave like grownups. Somebody in that caucus is going to rise above the moment. The moment is so low, someone almost has to.

[MFS62]

Later