# The Impending Attempt to Oust Speaker McCarthy {10/1/2023}; Patrick McHenry is now Speaker Pro Tempore {2023-10-03} **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 1, 2023, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958 "2023-10-01T15:58:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958/261 "2023-10-04T00:23:19Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > This is P&E, if this was the Pit I’d have a really good answer. > **[Matt Gaetz questions Ron DeSantis's motives in battle with Disney](https://www.newsweek.com/matt-gaetz-questions-ron-desantis-motives-battle-disney-1797933)** > > The Florida congressman questioned if the Florida governor's motives were sincere or just a form of "virtue signaling." _Gaetz, a Republican representing Florida’s 1st Congressional District, joined the chorus of public figures scrutinizing DeSantis’s handling of the fight with Disney. I[n an episode](https://rumble.com/v2lnaqc-episode-103-live-desantis-and-disney-mayorkas-and-mexico-firebrand-with-mat.html) of his Rumble video series, “Firebrand,” the congressman called into question the governor’s motives, wondering if his attacks on Disney were sincere attempts to take on “corporate welfare,” or part of a more cynical effort._ _“The operative question in this whole saga between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Walt Disney Corporation is whether this is a true, sincere effort to crusade against corporate welfare, or whether it’s just virtue signaling and professional wrestling,” Gaetz said. “Is this Governor DeSantis really cracking with an effective effort against that type of corporate welfare we oppose, or is it something else, and is there willingness to maybe still treat Disney a little differently than everyone else gets treated?”_ _Despite hailing from the same state and party, Gaetz has consistently spoken out against DeSantis over the past several months, particularly amid the rumors that the governor will seek the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. [On Thursday,](https://abcstlouis.com/news/nation-world/gaetz-backs-trump-for-president-hopes-desantis-stays-governor-white-house-presidential-campaign-2024-florida-dc-sunshine-state-endorsement) Gaetz said that, while he is a fan of the governor overall, he would advise him not to run against former President [Donald Trump](https://www.newsweek.com/topic/donald-trump), whom Gaetz has endorsed for the nomination._ Interesting, ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958/262 "2023-10-04T00:23:52Z")
See, now _that_ is a quality P&E answer. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958/263 "2023-10-04T00:25:54Z")
Yeah, but now I think I’m wrong about this, because the rules don’t provide for the SPT to submit a list under (b). So the gavel would go to the next person on the old Speaker’s list. Needless to say, this is all an untested mess. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958/264 "2023-10-04T00:26:23Z")
One of Patrick Henry’s first official acts as Speaker Pro Tempore was to kick Nancy Pelosi out of her Capitol hideaway office space. Pelosi is in California for the funeral of Dianne Feinstein, and can’t retrieve her personal property. The office will be rekeyed tomorrow. > **[McHenry ordered Pelosi to leave her Capitol hideaway office by Wednesday](https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2023/10/03/congress/mchenry-pelosi-hideaway-office-house-remove-00119803)** > > The former speaker blasted the move as a “sharp departure from tradition.” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958/265 "2023-10-04T00:28:03Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > One of Patrick Henry’s first official acts as Speaker Pro Tempore was to kick Nancy Pelosi out of her Capitol hideaway office space. Pelosi is in California for the funeral of Dianne Feinstein, and can’t retrieve her personal property. The office will be rekeyed tomorrow. What a POS. Maybe he is worse than McCarthey. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958/266 "2023-10-04T00:30:06Z")
Well he _is_ a Republican. ---
**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:** [October 4, 2023, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958/267 "2023-10-04T00:31:30Z")
Yeah, I might need to retract my very limited words of faint praise for him. Might just be a little toad. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958/268 "2023-10-04T00:31:37Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > The only legitimate end is “the election of a Speaker or a Speaker pro tempore”. The acting speaker can only exercise authority toward that end. So does that imply that he has the authority to lock the Freedom Caucus in the Capitol dungeon for a few years? That would facilitate getting a new Speaker elected. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958/269 "2023-10-04T00:54:24Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > One of Patrick Henry’s first official acts as Speaker Pro Tempore was to kick Nancy Pelosi out of her Capitol hideaway office space. My first thought was that he had to act nastier than McCarthy to have any chance of winning the speakership outright. But there’s an [article in the New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/03/us/politics/house-speaker-replacement-mccarthy.html) suggesting he doesn’t want the speakership: > [@](#): > > Another logical person to turn to would be Representative Patrick McHenry, the longtime North Carolina congressman who is close with Mr. McCarthy and has previously served in leadership. But Mr. McHenry would most likely resist any attempt to draft him into the role. He chose not to run for a leadership role last year, opting instead to lead the powerful financial services committee. Most likely, McHenry really does want the speakership. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958/270 "2023-10-04T00:56:39Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > My first thought was that he had to act nastier than McCarthy to have any chance of winning the speakership outright. Sounds like he wanted to prove that he’s a fucking dickhead. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958/271 "2023-10-04T00:59:34Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > So does that imply that he has the authority to lock the Freedom Caucus in the Capitol dungeon for a few years? That would facilitate getting a new Speaker elected. Problem is, there [hasn’t been anything resembling a Capitol dungeon](https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/capitol-hill-facts/prisons) since the nineteenth century. But maybe Nancy Pelosi’s office will work 😒 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958/272 "2023-10-04T01:16:04Z")
So Nancy Pelosi had a hideaway office? What is that supposed to be? ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958/273 "2023-10-04T01:20:06Z")
> **[Hideaway (U.S. Senate)](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hideaway_(U.S._Senate))** > > The United States Senate's hideaways are about 100 secret offices in the U.S. Capitol building used by members of the Senate and by a few senior members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Their locations are unlisted in any official directory, and their doors are marked only by a room number. Senators use hideaways as a private space to prepare for sessions of the Senate, conduct confidential meetings, take naps, and for other personal purposes. They range from lavish and expansive upper-fl Me... ---
**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:** [October 4, 2023, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958/274 "2023-10-04T01:20:26Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > So Nancy Pelosi had a hideaway office? What is that supposed to be? Why does she have a hideaway? She’s not the minority leader. Perq of a former Speaker? Did Jeffries assign it to her? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958/275 "2023-10-04T01:22:19Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Well he _is_ a Republican. But Gaetz apparently isnt. I mean, either he failed to read the Republican playbook or long words like “corporate” confuse him. Its welfare that is evil, Matt. Not _corporate_ welfare, that is Good. 🙄 Its Democrats that hate corporate welfare. Geez. > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Why does she have a hideaway? She’s not the minority leader. Perq of a former Speaker? I cant believe someone asked this. Do you have any idea how much the MAGAs hate her, and want her dead? ---
**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:** [October 4, 2023, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958/276 "2023-10-04T01:26:41Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I cant believe someone asked this. Do you have any idea how much the MAGAs hate her, and want her dead? What does any of that have to do with the actual question I asked about why she had a hideaway? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958/277 "2023-10-04T01:33:24Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > What does any of that have to do with the actual question I asked about why she had a hideaway? For security reasons because-how much the MAGAs hate her, and want her dead. She was target #2 during January 6. There are about 100 of them, and they are assigned as perqs and for security reasons both. She is Speaker Emeritus. So, for her both as a perq and for security reasons, as I said. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958/278 "2023-10-04T01:43:13Z")
I read that rule as giving the SPT all the powers necessary to the end of acting as speaker. They have to at least make an attempt to elect a new speaker, but while they’re doing that, they can still do the Speakering themself. ---
**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:** [October 4, 2023, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958/279 "2023-10-04T01:46:11Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > > > The GOP learns the hard way: turning the base up too high blows out your Speaker. > > Genius. Excellent indeed. ---
**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:** [October 4, 2023, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958/280 "2023-10-04T01:48:51Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > > > One of Patrick Henry’s first official acts as Speaker Pro Tempore was to kick Nancy Pelosi out of her Capitol hideaway office space. Pelosi is in California for the funeral of Dianne Feinstein, and can’t retrieve her personal property. The office will be rekeyed tomorrow. > > What a POS. Maybe he is worse than McCarthey. And by insulting such a well-respected member of the Democratic caucus, just made it more difficult to get the Dems to trust him on anything. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-impending-attempt-to-oust-speaker-mccarthy-10-1-2023-patrick-mchenry-is-now-speaker-pro-tempore-2023-10-03/990958.md?page=15)