# Will Kevin McCarthy be the next speaker? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 1, 2015, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121 "2015-10-01T10:36:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121/221 "2015-10-12T03:25:04Z")
The Pelosi thing actually seems like a good idea. Pelosi can’t make the majority do anything, nor will she take the blame for anything in that situation. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2015, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121/222 "2015-10-12T03:37:41Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > He’s called “The speaker of the House”, not “The Speaker of the Majority Party”. Looking after the interests of the Republican party is the majority leader’s job. The title itself is irrelevant. Nancy Pelosi looked out for the interests of the Democrat party, not the House. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121/223 "2015-10-12T03:41:59Z")
What is the Democrat Party? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121/224 "2015-10-12T05:11:53Z")
The President’s supposed to place country before party too, but how often does that happen? ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121/225 "2015-10-12T05:26:21Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > The President’s supposed to place country before party too, but how often does that happen? All the time. Obama has negotiated in good faith, giving ground that the Dems would find distasteful. But the modern GOP is held hostage by stupid assholes that thing negotiation consists of, “Everything I want, and you beg!” ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121/226 "2015-10-12T05:38:25Z")
That’s because since the Democrats have the White House, getting things done is important. Not that Obama has been above taking credit for things he opposed, like the spending cuts that have reduced the deficit. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121/227 "2015-10-12T07:08:35Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > That’s because since the Democrats have the White House, getting things done is important. Not that Obama has been above taking credit for things he opposed, like the spending cuts that have reduced the deficit. Getting things done is always important, no matter who is in the White House. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121/228 "2015-10-12T07:26:36Z")
Not always. We live in a great country, we don’t need a lot done. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121/229 "2015-10-12T07:34:27Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Not always. We live in a great country, we don’t need a lot done. That betrays, what I would suggest, is a cartoonish view of reality. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121/230 "2015-10-12T07:51:33Z")
The idea that Congress must be in session nearly the whole damn year cranking out changes to our system is one that is great for incumbents’ careers(makes them indispensable and their “experience” valuable), but it’s not actually reality. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121/231 "2015-10-12T07:54:21Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > The idea that Congress must be in session nearly the whole damn year cranking out changes to our system is one that is great for incumbents’ careers(makes them indispensable and their “experience” valuable), but it’s not actually reality. That’s like saying you only need to steer every five minutes while driving. It’s nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121/232 "2015-10-12T08:06:40Z")
If that analogy had any validity whatsoever it would make sense. Congress doesn’t direct the country, it just makes the rules. It’s more akin to saying the rules of the road need to be changed constantly. ---
**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 12, 2015, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121/233 "2015-10-12T08:54:23Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > If that analogy had any validity whatsoever it would make sense. Congress doesn’t direct the country, it just makes the rules. It’s more akin to saying the rules of the road need to be changed constantly. And who built that road? Congress does a lot more than make the rules. In fact, I would say appropriations make up a lot more of their work than making rules. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121/234 "2015-10-12T09:16:56Z")
Congress does do some things that have to be done annually, like the budget. I prefer to measure their productivity by whether they can get appropriations passed through normal procedure. Which has been a problem since before the Republicans took Congress. ---
**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 12, 2015, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121/235 "2015-10-12T10:03:12Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Congress does do some things that have to be done annually, like the budget. I prefer to measure their productivity by whether they can get appropriations passed through normal procedure. Which has been a problem since before the Republicans took Congress. Which, to get back to the original point, is not enhanced by becoming a part-time body. They take too many breaks as it is, leaving important work delayed or undone. They need more days in Washington, not less. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121/236 "2015-10-12T10:19:46Z")
More days won’t resolve the fact that they can’t agree on anything. They need fewer days and more sense. And that is mostly the Republicans’ fault. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2015, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121/237 "2015-10-12T11:36:29Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > What is the Democrat Party? Some people can’t bring themselves to say “Democratic Party” and think it’s clever to leave off the last two letters. > [@adaher](#): > > And that is mostly the Republicans’ fault. You misspelled “entirely”. The silly Hastert Rule keeps Boehner from holding votes that would easily pass. The next Speaker will be Paul Ryan, he just needs his ass kissed a lot before he accepts it. He also may think it would be the death knell for his presidential ambitions, and perhaps that would be right. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121/238 "2015-10-12T11:42:42Z")
I don’t think Ryan has Presidential ambitions. This was the best time for him to run. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2015, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121/239 "2015-10-12T11:57:25Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I don’t think Ryan has Presidential ambitions. This was the best time for him to run. He can bide his time. He’ll never have to worry about having to skip an election because of a Republican incumbent. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121/240 "2015-10-12T12:20:54Z")
Heh. I say he’ll have a shot next in 2024. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-kevin-mccarthy-be-the-next-speaker/733121.md?page=13)