Tag: Kevin McCarthy

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Congress GOP

House Democrats Have A Brilliant Plan To ‘Wreak Havoc’ On Kevin McCarthy

When he finally managed to become Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy may have thought the biggest challenge was behind him. But he’s about to find out that his problems have just begun.

Thanks to the concessions he made in order to get the 218 votes he needed in order to be elected as Speaker, McCarthy is on the verge of being challenged by a group of progressive Democrats who are eager to make his job a living hell, according to Politico.

Republicans’ new rules allow just one member, regardless of party, to force a floor vote on deposing the speaker. And liberal Democrats, some of whom are part of the progressive “Squad,” are warning they have no problem with using the move against McCarthy, even if they don’t expect it to succeed.

“Why not? You know, that sounds like a good idea. I mean, you’re still going to need what, 218 for passage, right? But listen, man, he has a very slim majority,” mused Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.). “Whenever we want to cause complete chaos, we’ll do that.”

It’s called a motion to vacate, and while it would probably fail to gain enough votes from Republicans to boot McCarthy from his lofty perch, it could prove to be a major source of irritation for House Republicans and their leader.

The use of the motion to vacate could end up being a test of progressive power in this Congress, as some enter their first term in the House minority. Some liberal Democrats said they viewed it as one of their many options to resist the Republican majority.

“All of these procedural mechanisms here are merely tools, and so it’s about when it’s appropriate to reach for a certain tool,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). “It’s really a matter of when it may be appropriate.”

Ironically, the very threat of a motion to vacate is reminiscent of tactics used by Republicans in the House “Freedom Caucus,” which was constantly looking for ways to throw a hand grenade into House operations.

For the moment, Democrats are more than willing to let McCarthy try and navigate the fragile coalition he’s created, but they always have the option of demanding his ouster, calling for debate, and demanding a vote, all of which could slow things down as Republicans attempt to pass their extremist agenda.

Stay tuned. This could get interesting.

 

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Congress GOP

Matt Gaetz Has A Disgusting Reason For Hating Kevin McCarthy So Much

If perhaps you were wondering why exactly Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) steadfastly refused to support Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, it turns out that the reason was purely personal, despite what Gaetz said recently as he continued to vote for anyone but McCarthy.

According to Gaetz, the reason for his recalcitrance was that McCarthy had compromised too often with Democrats and not been sufficiently loyal to failed, one-term former president Donald Trump, especially after Trump helped fan the flames that led to the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

On the floor of the House, Gaetz had this to say about his refusal to vote for McCarthy:

“Maybe the right person for the job of speaker of the House isn’t someone who wants it so bad,. Maybe the right person for the job of speaker of the House isn’t someone who has sold shares of themselves for more than a decade to get it.”

The real reason, however, is much more personal for Gaetz: Because McCarthy hasn’t been more supportive of the Florida congressman since he was first accused of paying an underage girl to sleep with him and taking her across state lines, which has led to a federal investigation of Gaetz that could lead to charges of sexual trafficking, according to Rolling Stone.

But Gaetz’s hatred curdled into something even more powerful after it was revealed in early 2021 that the MAGA congressman was the target of a federal investigation into the sex trafficking of a minor. (No charges were filed against Gaetz, but his “wingman” Joel Greenberg was sentenced to 11 years in prison.) McCarthy, in Gaetz’s opinion, failed to mount a forceful enough defense on his behalf. According to two sources familiar with the matter, Gaetz has been furious at McCarthy for the perceived lack of support ever since — despite the fact that McCarthy did not strip him of any committee assignments during the probe.

Apparently, McCarthy was supposed to stand behind Gaetz and declare his loyalty even though the Floridian is suspected of being a perv and may soon be charged with numerous criminal offenses that could put in him in prison for the rest of his life.

If Kevin McCarthy had any balls (and he clearly doesn’t), he’d refuse to put Gaetz on any committees until the Justice Department declines to prosecute him for his alleged crimes.

And, if we’re lucky, both Gaetz and McCarthy will wind up behind bars one day. They damn well deserve such a fate.

 

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Congress GOP

Anti-McCarthy Republicans Are ‘In For A Rude Awakening’ Now That He’s Speaker: Report

Now that Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has finally been elected Speaker of the House, what will become of the breakaway faction of Republicans who refused to support him and made the entire GOP caucus look like a clown car for 96 hours?

According to a former Republican strategist, members of Congress such as Reps. Lauren Boebert (CO) and Matt Gaetz (FL) can expect to pay a heavy price that may contribute to them not getting reelected in 2024.

Conservative campaign consultant Alice Stewart said Saturday on CNN that the first punishment for renegade members who wouldn’t support McCarthy will be less prestigious committee assignments.

“I don’t think there’s going to be as much under the Christmas tree for them in that regard as they seem to think. Speaking with a lot of members of the rational Republican group throughout the weekend, specifically late into the night last night, they were frustrated. They were angry. They felt this was completely unnecessary given the fact that every concession they had requested had been met and this was not a matter of policy, this was just about personality conflicts with Kevin McCarthy.”

She added:

“Here these people have gone in day-in and day-out for all the right reasons for the party and for policies, and you have people like [Rep. Matt] Gaetz and [Rep. Lauren] Boebert who are in a vanity project to raise money for the future. They do have the opportunity to decide who gets on which committee and where and, I can guarantee you, Alex, that they’re going to be quite selective in who gets on which committee.

“Certainly Matt Gaetz has his eye on the prize for a key committee assignment, but they’re going to be in for a rude awakening because their colleagues are frustrated with the fact that they have a job to do.”

If indeed Boebert and Gaetz do lose in the next election, all of the chaos they’ve cause might just have been worthwhile. And the fewer Republicans there are in Congress, the better off the country will be.

Here’s the video from CNN:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rsZacN04no

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Congress GOP Social Media

Twitter Brings Down The House With Hilarious Kevin McCarthy Jokes: ‘Best Season Of C-SPAN…Ever’

It’s been an abysmal week for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who is trying to become the next Speaker of the House.

By extension, it’s also been a bad week for all House Republicans because they’re making the Keystone Cops look competent.

At last count, McCarthy had lost 10 straight ballots for the Speaker’s chair, with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) getting the most votes, which is humiliating for the GOP when you consider they have the majority of the votes in the chamber.

According to The Hill, here’s the latest update on the search for a Speaker:

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) appears to have lost the 10th vote for Speaker of the House.

The preliminary results were largely unchanged from all three of Wednesday’s and Thursday’s first three votes, with McCarthy garnering 200 votes, 20 Republicans voting for another candidate and one voting “present.”

Lawmakers are still in negotiations but are touting progress.

This will send the Speakership fight to a 11th ballot for the first time since before the Civil War. It’s unclear if that vote will happen tonight.

Long story short: It’s a clusterfuck.

However, despite all the chaos, one good thing has come out of this: Humor. Specifically, internet humor. Take a look:

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Congress GOP

Matt Gaetz Demands That ‘Squatter’ Kevin McCarthy Be Evicted From Speaker’s Office ASAP

The GOP civil war between far right members of the House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is escalating further, with some suggesting that McCarthy is illegally occupying the office of the Speaker of the House and needs to be evicted ASAP. McCarthy began moving into the Speaker’s chambers on Tuesday morning.

McCarthy failed to garner the necessary 218 votes needed on Tuesday that would elevate him to Speaker of the House, and the erosion of his support is evident in the fact that his vote total went down with each ballot, according to NPR:

Tuesday’s vote was the first time in a century that the election of a House speaker took multiple ballots to complete. The longest vote in U.S. history took place in 1855, lasting 133 rounds over two months, from December 1855 to February 1856.

McCarthy faces a Republican bloc of critics who want changes to the way the House operates. Although he’s given in to many of their demands, he remains short of the votes needed.

Instead of celebrating their return to the majority on the first day, McCarthy and other GOP leaders were sorting out how to respond to an open rebellion that showcased division and cast doubt on their ability to govern.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) decided to rub salt in McCarthy’s wounds by demanding that the California Republican be evicted from the Speaker’s office he began moving into Tuesday morning.

In a letter dated Jan. 3 that he addressed to Architect of the Capitol, J. Brett Blanton, Gaetz wrote:

I write to inform you that the Speaker of the House Office located in the U.S. Capitol Building is currently occupied by Rep. Kevin McCarthy. As of this morning, the 117th Congress adjourned sine die, and a Speaker from the 118th Congress has not been elected. After three undeciding votes, no member can lay claim to this office.

What is the basis in law, House rule, or precedent to allow someone who has placed second in three successive speaker elections to occupy the Speaker of the House Office? How long will he remain there before he is considered a squatter?

Please write back promptly as it seems Mr. McCarthy can no longer be considered Speaker-Designate following today’s balloting.

Sincerely,

Matt Gaetz
Member of Congress

McCarthy has yet to respond to Gaetz’s eviction notice.