Nine GOP members vying to be their party’s nominee for speaker pitched their case to their conference behind closed doors last night, responding to questions on their record, their vote to certify the 2020 election and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s inquiries about whether they have the “balls” to go after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Into the meat-grinder they go…
Just saw that Sessions is the first loser. Per NBC
Marjorie Taylor Greene is a vulgarian amongst other vulgarians.
five lawmakers voted for people who did not make a bid
This would appear to be a big deal…this says there’s (at least) 5 who will refuse to go along with the others. One more and all of a sudden 217 is impossible.
Bergman is the second one gone.
Spokefoot took off her shoes and redid the numbers on her toes - she says McCarthy could still win.
Added (/s) tag
Pete Sessions would have had more clout in the voting had he continued as the regional distributor of Russian campaign funds, a job he excelled at in 2016. [Pete Sessions is “Congressman 1” in Giuliani associates’ indictment, reports say | The Texas Tribune] https://www.texastribune.org/2019/10/10/pete-sessions-congressman-1-guliani-associates-indictment/ (The link I had earlier posted was not working.)
Looking at the vote totals for round two, there was only 212 votes cast among all the candidates. I think that they’ll have a problem getting to 217.
I think the remaining candidates are open to persuasion if given the proper ‘inducement’. Not likely that threats against their families and pets would work, though. 
And then there were four, Scott is out.
“Democrats Find Emmer least objectionable”. Welp, he’s doomed in a floor vote unless the Dems do sit out, but if we thought the rabid-Trumpers were horrid before, they will make his life even more of a hell because in their minds, even just letting them sit out would be a compromise too far.
Full disclosure - relative to the caucus and within the subset of people willing to take the abuse, Emmer would actually be the probable best outcome. The Dems would probably not support a vacate for him either, as, well, he’s not McCarthy, Jordan or Scalise.
Yes, for various reasons he’ll need to let the Shampeachment continue, and he’ll have to kowtow to the Alt-Reich-Wing on a lot, but at least with him in charge shutdowns, etc are less likely.
Genuine question - why? I don’t see the GQP abandoning the “only pass things with GQP votes” so Ukraine aid is dead, and unless they change the rules to get rid of the one vote motion to vacate, so is avoiding a shutdown?
The best chance for a short shutdown is the CR expiring and the air traffic controllers having a sick out over Thanksgiving, grinding travel to a standstill.
Also, McCarthy is an ahole. But we all knew that already.
McCarthy continues to bash Dems for lack of bipartisanship, while simultaneously rejecting bipartisanship.
From what we know and how the votes are going, it is obviously going to be Emmer.
But before getting to that, a point needs to be made about Kevin McCarthy blaming Gaetz and the rest of the eight for this chaos. While it is true they were responsible for getting rid of McCarthy, like McCarthy all eight voted for Jim Jordan. That is this is more than just the hateful eight.
But to Emmer who voted to certify Biden’s victory but also signed onto a law suite led by Texas AG Ken Paxton to overturn the election results in 4 states, I have said all along that the Dems will support a Speaker who will:
Dems find the candidate to be the “least objectionable,” in Punchbowl’s words, primarily due to his vote to certify the 2020 election and would make way for his speakership if he were to agree to fund the government at debt-limit negotiated levels and bring a Ukraine-Israel aid bill to the floor.
How many Republicans does it take to solve a problem?
No one knows, its never been done.
Children and mothers and grandparents are being executed in Israel and Ukraine and Mike Johnson wants to prevent two people who love each other from getting married, at all and any cost.
