["Still not sworn in because the Republicans are having a hard
time picking their leader," said Democratic Rep.-elect Maxwell
Alejandro Frost. "This is a snapshot of how theyll operate for the
next two years." ]
[[link removed]]

‘THE GOP IS IRRETRIEVABLY BROKEN’: HOUSE ADJOURNS AFTER MCCARTHY
FAILS TO WIN SPEAKERSHIP  
[[link removed]]


 

Common Dreams Staff
January 3, 2023
Common Dreams [[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

_ "Still not sworn in because the Republicans are having a hard time
picking their leader," said Democratic Rep.-elect Maxwell Alejandro
Frost. "This is a snapshot of how they'll operate for the next two
years." _

U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) talks to Rep.
Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as lawmakers cast their votes for speaker of the
House on the first day of the 118th Congress on January 3, 2023 in
Washington, D.C, Win McNamee/Getty Images

 

In a signal of what the U.S. House of Representatives could look for
like the next two years, the chamber adjourned Tuesday evening after
GOP Congressman Kevin McCarthy repeatedly failed to secure the 218
votes needed to become the next speaker due to a revolt by several
far-right Republicans.

During the third round of voting, the California Republican received
only 202 votes. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla). joined
[[link removed]] with the
19 other Republicans who had backed Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) in the
second round, while Democrats maintained their support for Rep. Hakeem
Jeffries (D-N.Y.).

"Unfortunately, it's the American people who will pay the price for
House Republicans' inability to govern."

"If Americans had any doubt that the GOP is irretrievably broken,
today's House speaker debacle confirms it," Stand Up America founder
and president Sean Eldridge said in a statement after the chamber
adjourned until noon Wednesday.

"Political arsonists control the House majority," Eldridge added.
"Whether they ultimately choose Kevin McCarthy or another extremist
speaker of the House, the MAGA agenda will be the same: sow chaos,
waste taxpayer dollars on sham investigations into President [Joe]
Biden, and block progress on the pressing issues facing our nation.
Unfortunately, it's the American people who will pay the price for
House Republicans' inability to govern."

Recalling [[link removed]]
her warning
[[link removed]] from just
after the November midterms about "Republicans in ruin," Congressional
Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) took the
opportunity to contrast Democratic and GOP House leadership.

"Thinking about how Democrats have delivered for the people time and
again," Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) similarly said
[[link removed]].
"Meanwhile, Republicans can’t even deliver for themselves.

Several other progressives in the chamber also piled on, such as Rep.
Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), who said
[[link removed]] that "this
is embarrassing for McCarthy, and yet another display of Republican
dysfunction."

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) quipped
[[link removed]] that
"Republicans want to run the country. They can't even figure out who
they want to run their party."

Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) tied
[[link removed]] Tuesday's
events to the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, taking aim
at ex-President Donald Trump and Steve Bannon, his former White House
chief strategist.

"This once-in-a-century humiliation of a party's nominee for speaker
is chickens coming home to roost for McCarthy, who whitewashed
right-wing insurrectionism on the House floor," said Raskin. "Nobody's
getting killed now, but the House GOP now sleeps in the bed they made
with Trump and Bannon."

Many of the Republicans who voted for Jordan tend to align themselves
with the twice-impeached former president—who in November announced
his 2024 campaign, despite various legal issues. However, both Jordan
and Trump urging them to back McCarthy was not effective.

"Still not sworn in because the Republicans are having a hard time
picking their leader," Congressman-elect Maxwell Alejandro Frost
(D-Fla.) tweeted
[[link removed]]
Tuesday. "This is a snapshot of how they'll operate for the next two
years."

_EARLIER:_

With several far-right allies of former President Donald Trump leading
a charge to block U.S. House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy's bid to become
speaker of the chamber, the California Republican repeatedly fell
short of the votes he needed to prevail on Tuesday.

During both rounds of voting, McCarthy got only 203 votes from his
fellow Republicans, several short of the 218 votes needed to win the
leadership position. In the second round of voting, GOP Rep. Jim
Jordan (Ohio) received 19 votes.

That came after Jordan secured just six votes in the first round, when
10 Republicans
[[link removed]]
supported Rep. Andy Biggs (Ariz.) while Reps. Byron Donalds (Fla.) and
Jim Banks (Ind.) as well as former Rep. Lee Zeldin (N.Y.) each
received one vote.

Defectors included outspoken backers of Trump—who urged
[[link removed]]
members to support McCarthy—including GOP Reps. Lauren Boebert
(Colo.) and Matt Gaetz (Fla.), who nominated Jordan for the second
round even though the Ohio Republican had already spoken in support of
McCarthy.

For both rounds, every Democrat backed Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.),
who ended up with more votes than McCarthy but did not win the
majority needed for the speakership. Jeffries is expected to become
the House minority leader.

Leading up to the first vote, McCarthy agreed to some demands by his
detractors, who include members of the House Freedom Caucus. He agreed
to include in the House rules a stipulation that members can vote to
unseat the speaker at any time, but refused to pledge to hold votes on
some bills proposed by ultra-conservative members. He also did not
pledge that the party's political action committee would decline to
fund primary challengers.

No other members can be sworn in until the speaker is elected, and the
House will not be able to proceed with any official business until the
matter is resolved.

The second round of voting began shortly after McCarthy lost the first
round, with Jordan once again giving a nominating speech in support of
the California lawmaker.

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) tweeted
[[link removed]] that
McCarthy's failure to win the leadership post shows "the rise of the
extreme MAGA caucus [has] already had ramifications."

"House Republicans are showing the American people that they can't
govern," said [[link removed]]
Lieu.

Anticipating the revolt by some House Republicans, _The Washington
Post_noted
[[link removed]]
last week that "the last time a speaker election took more than one
ballot was in 1923, when Speaker Frederick Gillett (R-Mass.) was
reelected on the ninth ballot."

===

* Republican Party; Kevin McCarthy; House Speakership;
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

 

 

 

INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

Submit via web
[[link removed]]

Submit via email
Frequently asked questions
[[link removed]]

Manage subscription
[[link removed]]

Visit xxxxxx.org
[[link removed]]

Twitter [[link removed]]

Facebook [[link removed]]

 




[link removed]

To unsubscribe, click the following link:
[link removed]