Neutering Gaetz in particular would be good news for teenaged girls and their parents/guardians.
I’m fully aware of that, don’t worry. I don’t have any illusions that the parties are at all operating on equal footings. I just wish “bipartisan” meant something other than one or two votes being scraped over from the other party and then that being seen as a betrayal. (Although I don’t watch the House closely so I’m sure it happens more often than I know–it’s just these awful exceptions that make the noise that get the attention.)
The initial point remains: It’s truly sickening that any Speaker would ever be asked to make an actual promise not to work with the other party and that one would do so. This timeline sucks.
Of course they’re bluffing. There’s not enough of them in the Freedum Caucus to actually do anything, if the rest of the Republicans were to tell them to fuck off, and actually negotiate with the Democrats to get something done. Their power comes entirely from people’s reluctance to confront them, and as soon as the other Republicans figure that out, the FC will be entirely irrelevant.
Matt Gaetz is, fundamentally, a coward. Whenever it’s time to put up or shut up, he lacks he courage of his supposed convictions. I remember during the Speaker’s race they had already given up for the day and were voting to adjourn for the weekend. McCarthy was still talking to Gaetz, and you could see Gaetz just physically surrender. McCarthy immediately jumped up and told Republicans to vote against adjournment because he now had the votes.
Gaetz and his closer freakshow allies also love to talk about “agreements” and “understandings” to the effect that they would have their way or else, that however nobody can call them “cite?” on ‘cause there’s no damn cite to point to. They just want to rattle everyone because if everyone else is rattled it proves they are “stronger”.
The option seemed to me to refer to Democrats getting involved in the actual vote on the motion. I believe that the backlash to Gaetz may prevent the vote from being needed.
After introduction, a lawmaker would have to go to the House floor and request a vote on the resolution, which would be considered privileged and therefore require a vote to occur within two legislative days. Party leadership can determine the timing of the vote, and it could happen as soon as it’s introduced.
The resolution is subject to motions that could ultimately block it from getting a vote. For example, motions to table the resolution, or refer it to committee would be in order. If any of those intermediary steps succeeded, then a vote on the resolution to vacate the speakership would not occur.
If the blocking motions fail, and a vote on the resolution is called, it requires a simple majority of lawmakers present and voting to succeed. If it passes, the speakership is immediately vacated.
Would Democrats be necessary at these stages? Probably. The drama might be interesting, but there’s too much potential for a bad result. But I didn’t think Option 1 covered every possibility.
Gaetz says that McCarthy doesn’t keep promises. I’m thinking he is right about that.
So what’s to stop him from just refusing to step down if a Freedomer tries to oust him?
Everything that is going on in US politics can be summarized as one side playing Calvinball while the other side is still trying to play traditional football by the traditional written rules.
The Calvinballers use the rules when they are helpful to their cause and ignore them or act like the don’t understand them or make side deals to change them when that is more convenient to their cause.
The other team is trying to play by the real published rules, and the unwritten rules of traditional bounds of decency.
Unsurprisingly, the other team is getting their ass handed to them. The problem is the only way to win at Calvinball is to be better at changing / ignoring / making up the rules than the other guys. Two problems: A) that’s a tall order for real statesmen and pols not grifters, and B) that way lies simple armed insurrection and competing warlords.
At this point is it possible Gaetz is just trying to create as many headlines with his name in them as a precursor to his run for Florida governor? I don’t think he has an actual plan in regard to his congressional office.
I don’t think Gaetz has much planning ability. “Look at me” is about the limit for these muppets, IMO. The others will get jealous soon, and do some poo-flinging to try to grab the spotlight back.
I think at this point the Democrats should just say “ we have seen this idiocy recently with the nomination of the speaker, where the Republicans could not organize their way out of a paper bag. They should let us know when they are ready to work. In the meantime, we shall vote “present”, as it is their problem to fix. We are ready to get to work once they have their house in order. “
Gaetz needs to spend more time making sure we still have a functioning government in a few weeks.
His caucus seems not to care whether there is a functioning government.
More accurately, they would prefer there was not a functioning government. They’re simply vandals.
Exactly right. This is the “can’t do anything right” government the Republicans have been mewling about since the Reagan era. The Democrats haven’t been delivering the goods, so now they’re taking things into they’re own hands and grabbing that bull by the horns. Yee-haww!
Is there any real chance McCarthy will be removed? Or is this all just hot air and blustering?
Like, are we talking a 5% chance or is he actually at a 50-50 point here?
If all the Dems vote him out, along with the FC guys, he’s a goner.
On January 6, 2023, every one of the 212 voting Democrats voted for Jeffries. Only Republicans voted present:
High non-unanimous GOP support for McCarthy, is a given, as is the impossibility of Jeffries winning. Under those circumstances, a present vote is effectively a half-vote for McCarthy.
In other words, a Democrat voting present bails out a divided GOP caucus. (By contrast, my idea of Democrats voting for a non-partisan non-member speaker, such as the current parliamentarian, does nothing to help the GOP.)
If I am missing something, I will soon learn 