I am deeply skeptical that there is anyone in the GOP capable of uniting their party in the House. The "we-don't-want-to-burn-it-all-down" faction is pretty unlikely to support a candidate belonging or loyal to the "we-want-to-watch-it-all-burn-down" faction, and vice versa. That was clear at the start of this Congress, and nothing has changed.
So at some point there's either going to have to be a portion of the anti-conflagration group who just votes "present" (thus allowing Jeffries to become Speaker), or they're going to cause it all to burn down anyway. Especially in swing districts, I'd think that at least some of them are trying to calculate whether such an action is more likely to cost them their seat than shutting down the government for 14 months. I don't think they're going to win the messaging war if they let everything collapse.
I mean, what else are they gonna do? Vote to change their completely arbitrary rules about what a Speaker-pro-tempore is allowed to do, just like they changed the completely arbitrary rules about how many votes were needed for a motion to vacate?
It's interesting that even among the Republicans who've gotten soundbites on camera about the mess, not one of them takes any personal responsibility for this mess (typical Republican stance). They blame others and there's no mention of compromise anywhere. Although it's a great soundbite, the Republican women are not "wiser" for not stepping up, they're practical and know that their male colleagues won't vote for a woman.
The Clown Caucus has no business being in government since their stated goal is to destroy it (or at least hamstring it, which they're doing). As bad as it is, I'm trying to imagine the damage they could cause if they got their sh*t together.
There's been a question online about whether he'd vote to certify Biden's re-election if he's Speaker. Here's my only glimmer of hope: if we do our jobs and vote blue, it won't matter in Jan 2025 if he's Speaker or not; the new Blue Congress (headed by Hakeem Jeffries, crossing fingers) will certify with no trouble. We'll just have to survive the next year.
I am deeply skeptical that there is anyone in the GOP capable of uniting their party in the House. The "we-don't-want-to-burn-it-all-down" faction is pretty unlikely to support a candidate belonging or loyal to the "we-want-to-watch-it-all-burn-down" faction, and vice versa. That was clear at the start of this Congress, and nothing has changed.
So at some point there's either going to have to be a portion of the anti-conflagration group who just votes "present" (thus allowing Jeffries to become Speaker), or they're going to cause it all to burn down anyway. Especially in swing districts, I'd think that at least some of them are trying to calculate whether such an action is more likely to cost them their seat than shutting down the government for 14 months. I don't think they're going to win the messaging war if they let everything collapse.
I mean, what else are they gonna do? Vote to change their completely arbitrary rules about what a Speaker-pro-tempore is allowed to do, just like they changed the completely arbitrary rules about how many votes were needed for a motion to vacate?
Well I was wrong. Guess we will see how long this lasts.
It's interesting that even among the Republicans who've gotten soundbites on camera about the mess, not one of them takes any personal responsibility for this mess (typical Republican stance). They blame others and there's no mention of compromise anywhere. Although it's a great soundbite, the Republican women are not "wiser" for not stepping up, they're practical and know that their male colleagues won't vote for a woman.
The Clown Caucus has no business being in government since their stated goal is to destroy it (or at least hamstring it, which they're doing). As bad as it is, I'm trying to imagine the damage they could cause if they got their sh*t together.
There's been a question online about whether he'd vote to certify Biden's re-election if he's Speaker. Here's my only glimmer of hope: if we do our jobs and vote blue, it won't matter in Jan 2025 if he's Speaker or not; the new Blue Congress (headed by Hakeem Jeffries, crossing fingers) will certify with no trouble. We'll just have to survive the next year.