“When you elect clowns….you get a circus”

Welcome to the Greatest Sh*t Show On Earth.

Two days into the historic move by the GOP to remove their man from the office of the Speaker of the House.

All this drama is making the MSM slobber like hungry sharks.

So what is going on in the House these days?

Kevin McCarthy has said he won’t run again for the coveted House speaker gavel, after being ousted in a historic 216-210 vote Tuesday thanks to a rebellion of far-right Republicans led by Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who joined with all the House Democrats in booting McCarthy. Now, that unprecedented vote in the nation’s history—McCarthy is the first House speaker ever kicked out of the job—sends the chamber into “a period of unpredictability and paralysis,” notes the Washington Post. More analysis, and a glimpse at what may be coming down the pike:

• No help from Dems: NPR lists some takeaways from Tuesday’s events, including that “the Democrats chose not to save McCarthy.” Time quotes some of them, including Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger. “I think he’s likely the most unprincipled person to ever be speaker of the House,” Spanberger said before the vote. “He’s disdainful, he lies about us, he lies about the process of governance. It’s not even a question of whether or not we should take any particular action.”
• More Dems react: The New York Times, which describes a now “ungovernable GOP,” details how McCarthy failed to not only unite Republicans, but also how he “deeply alienated” lawmakers on the other side of the aisle. “This is someone who betrays his word on pretty much a daily basis,” California Rep. Adam Schiff says. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland adds, “This is a somber day for America as the chickens come home to roost for Kevin McCarthy.”
• Temporary fill-in: The Washington Post dives deep into North Carolina Rep. Patrick McHenry, who was appointed as speaker pro tempore after McCarthy was removed. The 10-term lawmaker, 47, has limited powers, though he opted Tuesday to use his new role as an opportunity to remove former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from her “hideaway” office at the Capitol.

Who’ll fill in for good: The New York Times notes there “isn’t a clear candidate in waiting,” though McHenry’s name does make the short list. Others being mentioned include Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota, and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, the top woman in Republican House leadership. The AP also mentions Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, who heads up the House Judiciary Committee, and Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern, chair of the Republican Study Committee. Democrats, meanwhile, will almost certainly position House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as their choice for speaker.

• Perception: So how does all this bode for Republicans heading into a big election year? Politico deems the GOP a “rudderless ship,” with one Republican lawmaker noting that what went down Tuesday was akin to “stepping on a rake.” “Asked how voters are viewing the party’s speakership debacle, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito [of West Virginia] offered a guess,” per the outlet. “‘Are you guys nuts?’ she said. ‘That’s what they are thinking.'”

• A Failed state’: That’s how John Harris, also for Politico, frames the modern-day GOP, though he notes that McCarthy isn’t alone in the “optical illusion” of his speakership. “For a quarter century, every Republican to ascend to the speakership has descended from it with his standing diminished,” he writes. “It’s a line that travels from Newt Gingrich to Dennis Hastert to John Boehner to Paul Ryan to McCarthy.” Harris also asserts that “authority and order” Republicans have fallen into a state of “nihilism.”
• Gingrich’s take: The 80-year-old, who served as GOP House speaker from 1995 until 1999, railed on the eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy, calling them “traitors” who made an “astonishingly destructive” decision and should “all be driven out of public life,” per the Daily Beast. Gingrich reserved special ire for Gaetz, who he says should be expelled for being “actively destructive to the conservative movement,” per an op-ed in the Washington Post. “Some behavior crosses the line,” Gingrich writes. “And when it does, there has to be consequences.”
• Final word from McCarthy: In a tweet announcing he wouldn’t seek the gavel again, the former House speaker delivered a message to the nation. “I may have lost a vote today, but I fought for what I believe in—and I believe in America,” McCarthy wrote Tuesday night. “It has been an honor to serve.”

See what I mean….rudderless.

But not to worry one of the Trump faithful has thrown his hat into the ring….Rep. Gym Jordan of  Ohio….

The list of those officially seeking the gavel formerly held by Kevin McCarthy now has one name on it. Rep. Jim Jordan on Wednesday announced he’ll run to be the next speaker of the House. In a letter seeking his GOP colleagues’ support, Jordan described being “at a critical crossroad in our nation’s history. Now is the time for our Republican conference to come together to keep our promises to Americans. The problems we face are challenging, but they are not insurmountable. We can focus on the changes that improve the country and unite us in offering real solutions. But no matter what we do, we must do it together as a conference.”

Politico predicts the move will “prompt praise from House conservatives,” but that it will also likely pit him against Majority Leader Steve Scalise, “who is also considering a speakership bid and has worked to court conservatives.” Jordan is chair of the House Judiciary Committee, which has had Jordan heavily involved in the impeachment inquiry into President Biden. CNN reports speaker candidates are expected to speak Tuesday, meaning a House-wide speaker vote could come as soon as Wednesday.

Think about this a Trump faithful, Gaetz, brought this whole thing down and a Trump faithful, Jordan, is the first to run for the nominating table…..is it possible that Trump could have somehow orchestrated this whole thing?

Just wondering.

As I was writing this word has come down that there is another big mouth wanting the job of Speaker…..

Rep. Jim Jordan was the first Republican to announce a bid to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House speaker Wednesday, but he wasn’t in the race alone for long. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise announced his bid hours after Jordan, telling fellow lawmakers, “We all need to come together and pull in the same direction to get the country back on the right track.” The 57-year-old, who has been undergoing treatment for blood cancer, is seen as more conservative than McCarthy, reports Reuters. Republicans are expected to hear from candidates Tuesday and vote the next day.

Then there is the threat of Trump being put up for the job…..(shivers running up my spine)

Two Republicans announced their bids to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House speaker Wednesday, and a third appeared to rule himself out. Donald Trump, speaking to reporters outside the Manhattan courthouse where his civil fraud trial is taking place, said he is “totally” focused on his presidential campaign, the Hill reports. “If I can help them during the process, I would do it,” he said of House Republicans. “But we have some great people in the Republican Party that could do a great job as speaker.”

The speaker of the House does not need to be a member of the House, and Republican lawmakers including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have suggested bringing Trump in, the AP reports. Asked about Greene’s support, Trump said: “I think she’s a wonderful woman. I’ll do whatever it is to help, but my focus, my total focus is being president and, quite honestly, making America great again.”

A silly notion….why would he want the number 3 job when he can have it all?

Watch for Ukraine to play heavy in the vote.

I think Ukraine will be the deciding factor on who gets the gig as Speaker.

One of the Republicans who announced he’s running for speaker, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), has said he’s opposed to additional funding for Ukraine. Jordan has voted against aid for Ukraine going back to the $40 billion package in May 2022, the only stand-alone Ukraine aid bill.

Because of his position, Jordan has earned a grade of “F” from Republicans for Ukraine, a neoconservative project that was launched to rally GOP support for the proxy war. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) has also announced his intention to run for speaker. Scalise has supported arming Ukraine, earning himself a grade of “B” from Republicans for Ukraine.

I love this stuff….as a political historian this situation is pure gold.

Anticipation!

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“lego ergo scribo”