# House Speaker Contest **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 12, 2022, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770 "2022-11-12T00:48:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 21
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/401 "2023-01-03T21:42:00Z")
skip to senate. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/402 "2023-01-03T21:42:52Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Since the Speaker is 3rd in presidential sucession, wouldn’t they have to be? What happens if a naturalized citize is elected speaker and the president and VP are, say, assassinated? They would just skip over to the next in line. Non-native citizens have been very high in the line of succession, notable Henry Kissinger as Nixon’s SoS. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/403 "2023-01-03T21:47:17Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Voting for Jeffries demonstrates that the Democratic caucus is united. It demonstrates that the leaders can move votes. It contrasts to the noodle salad comprising the Republican party. Indeed so. And there is no one else who has been nominated (both McCarthy and Jordan have at best minimized what happened on January 6) who is even close to acceptable to Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/404 "2023-01-03T21:50:41Z")
Jordan now has 20. Moving the wrong way Kevin. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/405 "2023-01-03T21:54:40Z")
Plus, the Dems voting solidly for Jeffries is holding the Republicans’ feet to the fire. None of them can start voting « present » because if too many do that, Jeffries might win a majority of votes cast. That forces the Repubs to keep demonstrating with each ballot just how badly divided they are. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/406 "2023-01-03T21:55:45Z")
Who’s gonna blink? I think McCarthy still wins but I’m not betting a cent on it. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/407 "2023-01-03T21:57:41Z")
I’m thinking that Santos would change his vote to Jeffries for an envelope of cash… ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/408 "2023-01-03T21:58:29Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Who’s gonna blink? McCarthy doesn’t seem to have a plan. (Which is symbolic of the whole party at this time). He was hoping for a 40 vote majority after the Red Wave, and when that didn’t happen, he was just hoping people would fall in line. _A goal without a plan is just a hope._ ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/409 "2023-01-03T21:58:51Z")
Then Patrick Leahy would assume the Presidency as President Pro Tem of the Senate. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/410 "2023-01-03T21:59:15Z")
Patty Murray is now Speaker Pro Temp. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/411 "2023-01-03T21:59:52Z")
I sit corrected. (Pro Tem, not Pro Temp) ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/412 "2023-01-03T22:00:23Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > A goal without a plan is just a hope. I agree with this. McCarthy’s toast. I think Scalise comes out ahead in this whole embarrassing mess. Jordan doesn’t want it (thank fuck), and there’s no other viable candidate that Republicans will coalesce around. ---
**Author:** ![MulderMuffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldermuffin/32/2862_2.png) [@MulderMuffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MulderMuffin)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/413 "2023-01-03T22:00:30Z")
This has got to be embarrassing and potentially politically damaging for McCarthy (beyond just the loony fringe). It’s showing him up as a weak leader if he’s even elected leader at all. That being said, I don’t see him bowing out at this late stage even. No idea what might break this stalemate… ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/414 "2023-01-03T22:00:44Z")
To be fair she’s only been SPT for about three hours. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/415 "2023-01-03T22:02:05Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > And there is no one else who has been nominated (both McCarthy and Jordan have at best minimized what happened on January 6) who is even close to acceptable to Democrats. Dems should nominate and get behind an acceptable Republican (maybe Newhouse of Valadao, the surviving Trump impeachment votes) and see if they can get a handful of Rs to vote for him in order to either get this fiasco over with or as a real FU to McCarthy. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/416 "2023-01-03T22:04:37Z")
Who is that woman calling for the votes, and can we get her a whole pencil? > [@flurb](#): > > Patty Murray is now Speaker Pro Temp. I grew up in Washington, and national politics always seemed very remote. There haven’t been many politicians from there with much of a national profile; it’s kinda nice to see. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/417 "2023-01-03T22:04:56Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > > [@ISiddiqui](#): > > > > And there is no one else who has been nominated (both McCarthy and Jordan have at best minimized what happened on January 6) who is even close to acceptable to Democrats. > > Dems should nominate and get behind an acceptable Republican (maybe Newhouse of Valadao, the surviving Trump impeachment votes) and see if they can get a handful of Rs to vote for him in order to either get this fiasco over with or as a real FU to McCarthy. That’d go over well with the Democratic base… ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/418 "2023-01-03T22:07:25Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > Dems should nominate and get behind an acceptable Republican (maybe Newhouse of Valadao, the surviving Trump impeachment votes) and see if they can get a handful of Rs to vote for him in order to either get this fiasco over with or as a real FU to McCarthy. Pubs should nominate and get behind an acceptable Democrat and see if they can get a handful of Ds to vote for them. A Doper can dream, right? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/419 "2023-01-03T22:08:40Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > That’d go over well with the Democratic base… Yeah, I think it’s best to just let the Republicans twist in the wind for as long as possible. Whoever wins the Speakership will be so hobbled as to be rather powerless, so a unified Dem caucus could actually, you know, get shit done. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/420 "2023-01-03T22:12:05Z")
Well, I’m part of the Democratic base who would welcome a more moderate alternative to either McCarthy or Scalise who is also an anti-Trumper, plus it would neuter the wacko wing of the Republican Party. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770.md?page=22)