The House has completed five rounds of speaker votes and Republican Kevin McCarthy continues to lose. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has won the popular vote in every round, but that doesn’t count in our system, as usual. Will there be a round six of balloting? Almost certainly. Will the maniacs be swayed to save McCarthy? Certainly not. Pop some more popcorn and join us in the comments.
UPDATE: Thursday, Jan 5, 2023 · 12:40:05 AM +00:00 · Barbara Morrill
Continuing coverage can be found here.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 9:35:05 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Tom Cole (R-OK) moves to adjourn until 8 PM, they go to voice vote and Dems object when the Clerk rules on the voice vote to adjourn. But then none of them rise to object and demand a roll call vote, so were out until 8:00 ET.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 9:32:21 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Okay, vote count is official and Jeffries got the most votes again. Which isn’t winning in this world.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 9:24:56 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
And, yeah, it was exactly the same as the last two rounds. There are rumors that Democrats might agree to adjourn for a break now, coming back later in the evening.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 9:23:48 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
MIght as well go back into history a little bit. It has been 100 years since the congress failed to elect a speaker in the first balloting. Before that, it had happened 14 time. Three of them it was decided in the second balloting. It took three votes on three occasions, and nine, ten, elven, and twelve ballots each one time. In 1819, 22 ballots were required; 44 in 1859; 63 in 1849, and a whopping 133 (and three months) in 1855. In case you were curious.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 9:06:55 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
If they do manage to adjourn after this vote, the GOP reportedly won’t have a full conference meeting but continue negotiating in small groups. Which means McCarthy can promise things to one group without the other knowing what he’s giving away. Yeah, that’s a way to get people to trust you.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 9:03:29 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Here’s more on the hostage demands from the whackjobs. Gaetz wants an Armed Services subcommittee chair, presumably to “investigate” the origins of COVID. Andy Harris wants to head the Appropriation’s subcommittee on health and human services. They want the Freedom Caucus to have a majority of the seats on the House Rules Committee. These are things McCarthy can’t really give them without having the rest of the conference revolt. He can’t appease the 20 if it means losing 200.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:52:07 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
The current plan is to adjourn after this vote, which would require Democratic cooperation, so we’ll see.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:46:48 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Once again, the only suspense left is if they go to a seventh vote today or adjourn when this one’s done.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:44:13 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
And the Cs do McCarthy in again. He’s lost this round of balloting before the Ds come up. Again.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:40:38 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
CNN reporter Manu Raju says in a tweet thread that Chip Roy, one of the 20 opposing McCarthy, is bending having had “more productive” talks today with McCarthy’s allies. He’s not a “Never Kevin” vote, he says, and might change his mind. That’s one, maybe, down.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:34:17 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Scott Perry, who helped instigate the coup that had violent insurrectionists breaking into the Capitol, keeps talking about how broken Congress is. Fuck you, Scott Perry. You should be in prison.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:30:13 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Insurrectionist and coup plotter Scott Perry nominates Donalds.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:27:20 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Aguilar again nominates Jeffries, “the lead vote-getter in the last five rounds.”
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:26:20 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Cammack just accused the Dems of having alcohol on the floor. It did not go over well on their side of the chamber. Wow, she’s pulling out all the stops to appeal to the deplorables.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:24:06 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
These people. They really don’t understand how any of this works.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:20:36 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
So much for a reasonable compromise.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:18:20 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Okay, we’re back at it. Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) is the designee for nominating McCarthy this time. She’s supposedly tight with Byron Donalds, today’s choice for the maniacs.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:08:15 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
While we’re speculating, recently retired Michigan R, Fred Upton says the prospect of being the consensus speaker is “intriguing.” Again, any Democratic agreement on that would have to require some pretty steep concessions from him and the Rs.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:04:49 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Say McCarthy does come up with enough concessions to finally win them over. That would mean even more select committees—the Hunter Biden Laptop Committee chaired by Gaetz?—and taking chairs and gavels away from other people. At what point does the rank and file rebel and say “no way”? They’ve been pretty spineless vis-a-vis the whackjobs so far—which is how they got into this mess in the first place—but you’d think at some point their sense of dignity would demand they tell them to stuff it.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 7:58:10 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
They appear to be sticking with Kev, though what more he could offer at this point to seal the deal is a mystery.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 7:49:17 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Because they literally have nothing else to do today.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 7:46:40 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Talks continue, for what it’s worth.
UPDATE: Thursday, Jan 5, 2023 · 12:40:05 AM +00:00 · Barbara Morrill
Continuing coverage can be found here.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 9:35:05 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Tom Cole (R-OK) moves to adjourn until 8 PM, they go to voice vote and Dems object when the Clerk rules on the voice vote to adjourn. But then none of them rise to object and demand a roll call vote, so were out until 8:00 ET.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 9:32:21 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Okay, vote count is official and Jeffries got the most votes again. Which isn’t winning in this world.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 9:24:56 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
And, yeah, it was exactly the same as the last two rounds. There are rumors that Democrats might agree to adjourn for a break now, coming back later in the evening.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 9:23:48 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
MIght as well go back into history a little bit. It has been 100 years since the congress failed to elect a speaker in the first balloting. Before that, it had happened 14 time. Three of them it was decided in the second balloting. It took three votes on three occasions, and nine, ten, elven, and twelve ballots each one time. In 1819, 22 ballots were required; 44 in 1859; 63 in 1849, and a whopping 133 (and three months) in 1855. In case you were curious.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 9:06:55 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
If they do manage to adjourn after this vote, the GOP reportedly won’t have a full conference meeting but continue negotiating in small groups. Which means McCarthy can promise things to one group without the other knowing what he’s giving away. Yeah, that’s a way to get people to trust you.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 9:03:29 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Here’s more on the hostage demands from the whackjobs. Gaetz wants an Armed Services subcommittee chair, presumably to “investigate” the origins of COVID. Andy Harris wants to head the Appropriation’s subcommittee on health and human services. They want the Freedom Caucus to have a majority of the seats on the House Rules Committee. These are things McCarthy can’t really give them without having the rest of the conference revolt. He can’t appease the 20 if it means losing 200.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:52:07 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
The current plan is to adjourn after this vote, which would require Democratic cooperation, so we’ll see.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:46:48 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Once again, the only suspense left is if they go to a seventh vote today or adjourn when this one’s done.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:44:13 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
And the Cs do McCarthy in again. He’s lost this round of balloting before the Ds come up. Again.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:40:38 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
CNN reporter Manu Raju says in a tweet thread that Chip Roy, one of the 20 opposing McCarthy, is bending having had “more productive” talks today with McCarthy’s allies. He’s not a “Never Kevin” vote, he says, and might change his mind. That’s one, maybe, down.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:34:17 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Scott Perry, who helped instigate the coup that had violent insurrectionists breaking into the Capitol, keeps talking about how broken Congress is. Fuck you, Scott Perry. You should be in prison.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:30:13 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Insurrectionist and coup plotter Scott Perry nominates Donalds.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:27:20 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Aguilar again nominates Jeffries, “the lead vote-getter in the last five rounds.”
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:26:20 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Cammack just accused the Dems of having alcohol on the floor. It did not go over well on their side of the chamber. Wow, she’s pulling out all the stops to appeal to the deplorables.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:24:06 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
These people. They really don’t understand how any of this works.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:20:36 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
So much for a reasonable compromise.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:18:20 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Okay, we’re back at it. Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) is the designee for nominating McCarthy this time. She’s supposedly tight with Byron Donalds, today’s choice for the maniacs.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:08:15 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
While we’re speculating, recently retired Michigan R, Fred Upton says the prospect of being the consensus speaker is “intriguing.” Again, any Democratic agreement on that would have to require some pretty steep concessions from him and the Rs.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 8:04:49 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Say McCarthy does come up with enough concessions to finally win them over. That would mean even more select committees—the Hunter Biden Laptop Committee chaired by Gaetz?—and taking chairs and gavels away from other people. At what point does the rank and file rebel and say “no way”? They’ve been pretty spineless vis-a-vis the whackjobs so far—which is how they got into this mess in the first place—but you’d think at some point their sense of dignity would demand they tell them to stuff it.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 7:58:10 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
They appear to be sticking with Kev, though what more he could offer at this point to seal the deal is a mystery.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 7:49:17 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Because they literally have nothing else to do today.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023 · 7:46:40 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
Talks continue, for what it’s worth.