Man, when I saw the news, I just burst out laughing. This crew of incompetents shouldn’t be trusted to run a lemonade stand, let alone the U.S. of A.
Now, Universe, I know I haven’t been a very good pantheist. But if You could just stack the deck a little, so that Nancy Pelosi is elected Speaker…
Don’t get too gleeful about your anticipation - the last time they went without a functioning Speaker, they impeached the President for a blowjob.
I recall reading something very disturbing about Daniel Webster that I am attempting to find again. The other possible candidate I have heard for the speakership is Jason ‘how dare a woman make a decent salary’ Chaffetz.
How likely is it that one of these guys will be the next speaker?
Not very. If McCarthy can’t enough votes, they don’t have a chance. That would require a complete capitulation by the majority establishment Republicans, and I don’t see that happening. I’m betting they drag Paul Ryan kicking and screaming to the Speakership.
Webster is a hardcore fundie with some unusual habits that arise from it. He’s also probably getting redistricted into the private sector after this term, which could either help or hurt him.
Just spell it out for us, will you!
He’s about as hardcore as you can be on abortion without actually blowing up clinics, but otherwise I can’t recall anything particularly objectionable about him. He’s my mother’s congressman.
ETA: You might have been recalling a hugely misrepresentative Alan Grayson campaign ad (though one of his kids is BFF with the Duggars).
He’s so tied in with the Duggars that he’s picked up the nickname"Taliban Dan". And:
No, I don’t think that was it.
In American politics, nobody wins.
No, Alan Grayson’s campaign gave him that name in the campaign ad I linked to before. I was hugely disappointed with Grayson at the time and in the end the backlash probably cost him the election.
This was about to come out, too - maybe it’s got more to do with the decision than the Benghazi admission?
Something Darrel Issa, human fleshlight runoff, accidentally exposed during a hearing, as I recall
I’m rooting for injuries. 
That already came out (though the story didn’t seem to break big), and I agree that probably has more to do with it.
Here’s a batshit, not-going-to-happen plan… the Democrats talk to a few dozen of the most moderate Republicans, and put up some conservative Democrat with at least 5 terms or so for Speaker. Maybe there are 30 or so Republicans that actually want some things to move forward.
It would be an incredibly weak, precarious speaker, but he/she might be around long enough for a few months to pass some good stuff.
Well, she did have an interesting quote today:
“McCarthy has not spoken to me personally for my vote, and Jason Chaffetz has, so that’s where I am right now,” she said, adding: “I’m apparently not high on his priority list.”
It’s be kind of a kick in the balls for the Secret Service to have to start protecting Chaffetz, given their tense relationship after they got back at him for something by posting details of how they denied his application for a job with them.
I’ve offered before that it might be possible, but if the chosen Speaker was one of the RINO’s and could spin it as him being attractive across the aisle to the Sane Majority. He’d have to be careful about shunning the nihilists too publicly, of course. But it’s asking too much of the RINO’s to vote for Pelosi.
That might help Webster’s case, if this is his last term. He could be a safe compromise until after the next election.