# 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:** 38
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/741 "2023-01-04T19:11:27Z")
Okay, but what does that mean? Could the Republicans kick him out or not? ---
**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 4, 2023, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/742 "2023-01-04T19:12:21Z")
from what mccarthy agreed to, they could knock him off. ---
**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 4, 2023, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/743 "2023-01-04T19:13:42Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Thanks. What does “privilege” mean in that context? In parliamentary proceedings, points of privilege normally have to be dealt with immediately, taking priority over routine business. If that’s how it works in the House, it would mean that a motion to vacate the chair would have to be dealt with immediately. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/744 "2023-01-04T19:17:01Z")
CNN just showed the outside of the Capitol building. I half expected Jake Tapper to say, “And over there is the chimney that so far, has produced only black smoke. If a speaker is elected, it will, of course, produce white smoke …” ---
**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 4, 2023, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/745 "2023-01-04T19:18:38Z")
And the other tally clerk is back on this vote. Looks like she just prefers short pencils. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/746 "2023-01-04T19:19:27Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > They shouldn’t _trust_ him, but they should realize that, in this scenario, _they have power over him_. > > If McCarthy gets in on the backs of Democratic votes, the Howler Monkey Caucus is going to go even crazier. They’ll spend the whole term looking for the votes they need to turf McCarthy. And some of those votes will have to come from the Democrats, most likely. > > The Dems need to make it clear to McCarty: “We know you want to screw us on this deal, because it’s in your nature to be a shit weasel. But, remember: if you _do_ screw us, we’ll let the Howler Monkey Caucus have their way with you.” I really really think y’all are wrong here, for a couple of reasons. First, whatever pressure McCarthy feels to please Democrats is more than countered by the pressure he’ll get from even moderate Republicans _not_ to please Democrats. The more he compromises with Dems, the likelier it is that the Republicans will **unite** behind someone they don’t consider a turncoat. Second, and more importantly, if this were a good move, Nancy Pelosi would already have done it. I trust her judgement (and Jeffries’s judgement by extension) far more than yours or mine, when it comes to savvy politicking in the US House of Representatives. The Democrats who are putting up a united front know a helluva lot more about the situation than either of us, and I don’t think we’re going to think of a sneaky political strategem that they haven’t already considered and discarded. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/747 "2023-01-04T19:20:49Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Okay, but what does that mean? Could the Republicans kick him out or not? Yes by resolution requiring a majority vote. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/748 "2023-01-04T19:22:19Z")
Well, it’s a good thing Trump finally weighed in overnight and gave McCarthy his endorsement – this is just the kind of bold leadership that will finally break the deadlock! /s ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/749 "2023-01-04T19:23:26Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > They shouldn’t _trust_ him, but they should realize that, in this scenario, _they have power over him_. > > If McCarthy gets in on the backs of Democratic votes, the Howler Monkey Caucus is going to go even crazier. They’ll spend the whole term looking for the votes they need to turf McCarthy. And some of those votes will have to come from the Democrats, most likely. > > The Dems need to make it clear to McCarty: “We know you want to screw us on this deal, because it’s in your nature to be a shit weasel. But, remember: if you _do_ screw us, we’ll let the Howler Monkey Caucus have their way with you.” A Speaker McCarthy would prefer to let the Howler Monkey Caucus have their way with him. Better than those Democrats who aren’t _Real Americans_. Once he gets in, he’ll toss the Democrats aside. Rather than a shit weasel, the more apt analogy is the scorpion and the frog. Why should the frog help the scorpion, knowing what will happen? ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/750 "2023-01-04T19:23:28Z")
If McCarthy steps back–and I think that’s more likely than the radical wing breaking–they will be able to spin this as McCarthy as having no real support but refusing to bow out until forced: a single deluded idiot, not a dysfunctional party. Suddenly everyone will be all 'I never really supported McCarthy and I am glad he saw the light and stepped aside for Scalise". ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/751 "2023-01-04T19:23:42Z")
SHOW US WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE [THIS lS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE!](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/01/04/house-speaker-vote-live-updates-kevin-mccarthy/#link-DPHYQPUEJZBHBAZQL2SVJU2WAE) > [@Washington Post](#): > > Former congressman Justin Amash — who served as a Republican before leaving for the Libertarian Party — is wandering around the House side of the Capitol and just offered himself as an alternative candidate for speaker, saying the defectors don’t “trust” Republican leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). “Whether anyone would ever consider me, I don’t even know that. But I think it’s important to be here and offer that opportunity,” he said. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/752 "2023-01-04T19:27:31Z")
I, too, will take on the mantle if asked although it’s not entirely clear to me if anyone is interested. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/753 "2023-01-04T19:28:34Z")
Well then, it’s important that you go wander outside the Capitol and offer that opportunity! I hold out hope that Vermin Supreme will go make the same offer. > **[Vermin Supreme](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermin_Supreme)** > > Vermin Love Supreme (born 1960 or 1961) is an American performance artist and activist who has run as a candidate in various local, state, and national elections in the United States. He served as a member of the Libertarian Party's judicial committee. Supreme is known for wearing a boot as a hat and carrying a large toothbrush, and has said that if elected President of the United States, he will pass a law requiring people to brush their teeth. He has campaigned on In 2011, he participated in ... ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/754 "2023-01-04T19:31:35Z")
Well I **am** offering myself for the post but I’d release my votes to Mr. Supreme if needed to put him over the top. ---
**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 4, 2023, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/755 "2023-01-04T19:33:08Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > They shouldn’t _trust_ him, but they should realize that, in this scenario, _they have power over him_. Dems have leverage over McCarthy until he, or someone, is elected Speaker. After that, they have nothing. The FC isn’t going to join up with the Dems to unseat a GOP Speaker. In this climate where basic norms are ignored, you can’t trust McCarthy to keep his word on any deal. ---
**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 4, 2023, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/756 "2023-01-04T19:38:19Z")
they are cleaning up the vote right now. getting the people that had skipped to the loo. ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/757 "2023-01-04T19:39:03Z")
If the democrats are going to back a GOP or unity speaker, they’d have to include the rule of a majorty vote vacating the chair (same thing McCarthy agreed to give the freedom caucus) so they can blow it up if the GOP tries to cut them out after getting the speakership. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/758 "2023-01-04T19:39:34Z")
Another “present” vote from Spartz. ---
**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 4, 2023, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/759 "2023-01-04T19:41:27Z")
oh my. i like the boot hat. ---
**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 4, 2023, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/760 "2023-01-04T19:41:46Z")
Those poor family members who traveled to DC to attend their loved ones’ swearing in ceremonies… another day wasted. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770.md?page=37) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770.md?page=39)