# 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:** 43
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/841 "2023-01-04T22:49:58Z")
Yeah I guess I got gotten. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/842 "2023-01-04T22:51:50Z")
If anybody in history epitomizes the idea of, “yep, I wouldn’t be surprised if he said/did it,” it’s Trump. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/843 "2023-01-04T23:23:32Z")
This could be very interesting. > **[Would Democrats agree to a deal in the race for House speaker?](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/democrats-agree-deal-race-house-speaker-rcna64205)** > > Retired Rep. Fred Upton, a relative GOP centrist by contemporary standards, is suddenly interested in being House speaker. Would Democrats consider a deal? > **[Fred Upton: Talk of Speaker candidacy is ‘intriguing’](https://news.yahoo.com/fred-upton-talk-speaker-candidacy-155009917.html)** > > As House Republicans search for a way out of the messy Speaker’s race, retired Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) swung the door open to the possibility that he could emerge as an alternative to GOP Leader … ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/844 "2023-01-04T23:25:54Z")
How has FOX been covering all of this brouhaha? I saw a screenshot that they were discussing Teletubbies instead? ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/845 "2023-01-04T23:31:41Z")
From their Foxnews website, of the five main stories, only one is related: [![](https://i.imgur.com/X4ipzmB.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/X4ipzmB.png) Fox News: Classy, relevant news. ---
**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, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/846 "2023-01-04T23:47:45Z")
[Alexandra Petri is the best.](https://wapo.st/3GiyoQJ) > [@Alexandra Petri](#): > > Honestly, we are a little confused you are taking this so poorly. This is like electing a bunch of clowns to office and being disappointed when they put on a magnificent clown show for you. Here is precisely the clown show you ordered! You shouldn’t be ashamed. You should be applauding. It is like ordering a decorative salad made entirely from Legos and being mad that you can’t eat it. It is like voting for Lauren Boebert and then becoming upset that a legislature that contains her is not productively working for the American people. ---
**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, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/847 "2023-01-04T23:58:41Z")
There was reporting on the beat that fox is calling it a clown show and embarrassing. Yesterday I was starting to feel a bit bad for McCarthy… today not so much. The fact that he is still insisting on going through all this… he deserves all the humiliation he is getting. Did he not understand the chorus of the gambler? “You gotta know when to walk away, know when to run.” ---
**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 5, 2023, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/848 "2023-01-05T00:03:03Z")
There are rumbles that a deal was worked with at least some of the 20 hold outs. If he doesn’t get it on the next vote, he is probably done/ ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/849 "2023-01-05T00:06:40Z")
The moderates will need to vote for someone else during the roll call unless he tells them what he agreed to. Imagine that the next two years are the same clown show on each and every item of policy, because he gave them the levers to crash every vote? It’s not worth it. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/850 "2023-01-05T00:09:39Z")
At first I thought the main people to blame were the ones who wouldn’t back the same person that 90% of the caucus did, but the longer this goes on the more blame can be placed on McCarthy. If the people he’s dealing with will absolutely never vote for him, he needs to start the process of finding someone that’s acceptable if he wants to be seen as a real leader. That he won previous leadership contests and was next in line seems to be the only reason why he thinks it has to be him; what has he actually done in terms of leadership? The Group of 20 seem to have coalesced around someone now, and this needs to be the point where the real leaders work both sides on which candidates for the job would be acceptable. The problem with this is that it’s likely that there won’t be enough Republicans that find anyone acceptable at the extremely high rate needed to be elected without Democratic help. Unless @hajario is right and there’s a deal that’s been made for the next ballot, I think the only way out is for centrists of both parties to find someone acceptable to enough people who want to get on with the business of the house. And at that point if the right-leaning Democrats aren’t willing to negotiate things, they’ll be just as much responsible as anyone else, but I don’t think the point has really been reached yet where the Democrats are getting into serious talks. Edit: I’m not sure what the normal house rules are for ousting a speaker, but I would imagine that whatever things a speaker agrees to in order to get a majority, he’ll have to keep the terms or be ousted as speaker. It might require people on opposite sides of the aisle to agree on something for entirely different reasons, but I would think it would be part of the compromise that gets the speaker elected that they would know the sword of Damocles was over their head. ---
**Author:** ![StraightTalk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straighttalk/32/9982_2.png) [@StraightTalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StraightTalk)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/851 "2023-01-05T00:12:46Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Well, he’s set up his desk in the Speakers’ office without actually holding the title of Speaker of the House, so it appears in a way, he has. I would be highly humiliating if he had to move out of the speaker’s office after having moved in. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/852 "2023-01-05T00:13:33Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > [Alexandra Petri is the best.](https://wapo.st/3GiyoQJ) > > > [@](#): > > > > Honestly, we are a little confused you are taking this so poorly. This is like electing a bunch of clowns to office and being disappointed when they put on a magnificent clown show for you. Here is precisely the clown show you ordered! You shouldn’t be ashamed. You should be applauding. It is like ordering a decorative salad made entirely from Legos and being mad that you can’t eat it. It is like voting for Lauren Boebert and then becoming upset that a legislature that contains her is not productively working for the American people. So very true. There was another editorial I read that said that the GOP has been letting the morons elect crazies and now they are surprised that the crazies are being crazy. > [@glowacks](#): > > At first I thought the main people to blame were the ones who wouldn’t back the same person that 90% of the caucus did, but the longer this goes on the more blame can be placed on McCarthy. If the people he’s dealing with will absolutely never vote for him, he needs to start the process of finding someone that’s acceptable if he wants to be seen as a real leader. The only one acceptable to the crazies is a crazy, and they are not acceptable to the rest. ---
**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 5, 2023, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/853 "2023-01-05T00:27:57Z")
They’re back. ---
**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 5, 2023, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/854 "2023-01-05T00:29:31Z")
They have a chaplain doing a prayer. Look at all of those old fucks bowing their heads. And now the pledge of allegiance. Performative bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/855 "2023-01-05T00:31:41Z")
A clip of Mr. McCarthy behind closed doors just a few moment before rejoining… [![](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tenor.com%2Fimages%2F4a4fada465e0b678e5580bf75f6430bc%2Ftenor.gif&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=501f8652b9352e1346840b95b1273f0344d117af23b9bab536b943b13a13735e&ipo=images) ](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tenor.com%2Fimages%2F4a4fada465e0b678e5580bf75f6430bc%2Ftenor.gif&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=501f8652b9352e1346840b95b1273f0344d117af23b9bab536b943b13a13735e&ipo=images) ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/856 "2023-01-05T00:33:44Z")
I thought they weren’t back until 8PM EST. C-Span is showing clips from earlier today. ---
**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 5, 2023, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/857 "2023-01-05T00:36:45Z")
It says LIVE. They are doing a quorum count. 351 people there so there is one. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/858 "2023-01-05T00:37:03Z")
Yeah, I’m not sure what others are looking at but I’m not seeing anything from the chamber on MSNBC. ---
**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 5, 2023, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/859 "2023-01-05T00:38:12Z")
Never mind. I somehow was looking at a replay. I’m a dipshit. ---
**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 5, 2023, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770/860 "2023-01-05T00:38:15Z")
Edit: hey, you think THEY are having an easier time keeping track? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770.md?page=42) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-speaker-contest/974770.md?page=44)