The Blame Game: Matty Matty go Patty, banana fanna mo manny, fee fye foe Fatty. Matty. And we can do Kevin and George and Bobo and go all night long here, but you know what has happened. The GOP-led (if you want to call it “led”) House is a total skid row flop right now. And whose fault is that? Why, it’s the Democrats fault, of course. But Rick Wilson has his two cents to put in.
Gaetz and the rest of the MAGA lunatics aren't done. Nothing has changed with the rules governing the House. They will continue to abuse the rules to obstruct everything they can. @TheRickWilson details why the GOP doesn't deserve saving by Democrats. pic.twitter.com/vJOyQT8bQF
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) October 22, 2023
I daresay he’s right. They’re not done. And when I say “they’re” I’m talking about politicians like Gaetz and Jim Jordan who are from bulletproof districts. They could take a gasoline can and rags and a match and burn down the House and still get elected. And that, of course, proves up a major problem in our government right there. Politico:
So here’s what’s next: Any Republican who wants a shot at wrangling this goat rodeo has until noon tomorrow to officially seek the conference nomination as speaker. A member-only candidate forum will follow on Monday evening, with the nomination election happening Tuesday. They’ll vote as many times as it takes until a nominee can win over a majority of the conference.
As for the candidates, we count at least nine GOP members who have declared runs or are reported to be thinking about launching one. You can sort them into three buckets:
The up-and-comers … Rep. JODEY ARRINGTON (R-Texas), the Budget Committee chairman who has a base of support in the Texas delegation. … Rep. BYRON DONALDS (R-Fla.), a second-termer who has big fans on the hard right. … Rep. KEVIN HERN (R-Okla.), the Republican Study Committee chair who has been toying with a run for weeks. … Rep. MIKE JOHNSON (R-La.), the conference vice chair who has won plaudits for his Judiciary Committee work.
The back-benchers … Rep. JACK BERGMAN (R-Mich.), a retired Marine Corps general pitching himself as a caretaker. … Rep. DAN MEUSER (R-Pa.), a businessman promising more “inclusion” in leadership. … Rep. AUSTIN SCOTT (R-Ga.), who previously ran as a stalking horse for the anti-Jordan crowd. … Rep. PETE SESSIONS (R-Texas), the former Rules Committee chair who has been angling for a return to relevance.
The clubhouse favorite … Majority Whip TOM EMMER (R-Minn.), who is next in the leadership pecking order behind Scalise and possesses the relationships, staff and fundraising acumen to give him a clear leg up over the competition.
But there is a DONALD TRUMP-sized asterisk on Emmer’s candidacy.
As our Alex Isenstadt reports, the former president has told his own allies that he does not support a Speaker Emmer, and Trump’s allies are already working publicly to smother his bid for the gavel. Among those knocking Emmer for not supporting Trump enough in the past (or in the current presidential primary) are STEVE BANNON and BORIS EPSHTEYN.
“Trump has complained, [sources] say, that Emmer has not forcefully defended him against the indictments he is facing,” Alex writes. “He has also pointed to Emmer’s criticism of him following the Trump-inspired Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and reports — which Emmer strenuously denied — that as then-chair of the House GOP campaign arm, he advised Republican candidates to avoid mentioning Trump.”
There are reasons to think the Trump world opposition might not matter: Emmer does have credible backers on the MAGA right. Emmer’s staff and allies are working overtime this weekend to squash the beef. And Trump’s endorsement of Jordan certainly did not end up being dispositive.
And there’s the gravitas factor. As NYT’s Carl Hulse notes, it’s unclear if any of the potential candidates have “the level of experience and legislative acumen to go toe-to-toe not only with House Republicans’ own fractious members but with Senate Democrats and the Biden administration.” Emmer, at least, has some time in leadership and national fundraising experience as a recent former NRCC chair.
But it will only take a handful of members declaring their opposition on the floor to sink Emmer (or any other candidate). And with the House GOP wary of sparking yet another ruinous intramural meltdown, members will be thinking: Would an Emmer vote just mean another Scalise- or Jordan-style flameout?
Sunday is three weeks without a Speaker. How much longer? Is it possible we’ll still be doing this in November?
“…Is it possible we’ll still be doing this in November?”
A govt shutdown without calling it a govt shutdown.
That is what it is.
Good point. Except the legislators who aren’t working are still getting paid. If the government actually shuts down then the military wont get paid, parks won’t be open, all kinds of government functions will cease. And all because the personalities “in charge” can’t get along like a bunch of teeny boppers.
They should never be paid when the government shuts down, in my opinion.
Unfortunately, we have the Constitution to thank for that little loophole.
Amendment 27 (one of the original 12 amendments presented as part of the Bill of Rights but not ratified until 1992):
“No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.”
I’ve got a feeling there may be a great interest taken in a new Constitutional amendment that maintains the intent of the 27th but also making Congressional pay subject to be stopped during government shutdowns as well. There is an interesting side note, though. There have been unsuccessful efforts to use the language of the 27th to prevent COLAs from applying to Congressional pay (personally, they shouldn’t get them because their pay exceeds any reasonable need for a COLA, at least, not on an annual basis–maybe adjustments every 4 years or so but still keep it at whatever that year’s COLA is; for instance, the COLAs were 1.1%, 0.8%, 2.5% and 0.7%, the Congressional COLA would only be 0.7% matching that fourth year’s adjustment) but, then again, minimum wage workers don’t get COLAs at all. Members of Congress get somewhere in the neighborhood of 11-12 times as much money annually as a minimum wage worker working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year but the minimum wage worker doesn’t get money if their boss closes the store or whatever for refurbishing or failing a safety inspection or, you know, for being sick–and a “cost of living adjustment?” Forget it. The response to “I need a cost of living increase” is usually “Well, go get a better-paying job.” Meanwhile, Congress critters get paid whether they do their job or not.
Amendment 27 could be repealed. Oddly enough I feel that might just get some traction from both parties in our country and it would be easy to write the support ads. I cannot but imagine people on both sides of the political spectrum could be driven to enough anger/disgust over these fools getting paid to do political theater instead of their actual jobs.
These nazis would have gotten paid in 1941-1945 with lead. Now they control our goddamn country. Who’s responsible? The phucking ignorant citizens of the good old USA. YEAH I’M CALLING YOU ASSHATS OUT! The blood of brave boys lying in the ground and at the bottom of the sea require me to do so mutherfuckers. You never deserved freedom to begin with.