Kevin McCarthy removed as US House speaker

[Tribble]

All this strikes me as a near-inevitable denouement to the Republican Clown Show. Unfortunately, there's never a good time for this sort of governmental melt-down.

There is a side of me that thinks some Republicans breaking away to support Jeffries is the only way out of this, but we all know there are a lot of Republicans who'd rather see this country burn than work with the "enemy". That sort of bipartisan partnership might finally break some of the hold the Rabid Right has on the government right now but it seems incredibly unlikely to occur. And if it did things would get violent because in the current atmosphere not all of those threats to legislators are idle, some of the whackos really do mean it.

Alternatively, it’s conceivable that should Jordan fail to win Trump will again offer himself as their saviour and in desperation they elect him instead.

[bilateralrope]

If Trump wins speaker, he will try to use that as a reason to delay his trials. If he gets those delays, that's something that the democrats can attack the MAGAs on for the next election. Especially if they try to run as "law and order" candidates.

If some of the judges refuse to allow the delays, that is going to get in the way of his duties as speaker. So Trump and the MAGAs can be attacked on not getting anything done. Then there is the risk of Trump being convicted and hauled off to prison.

Then there is apparently some rule against someone becoming speaker if they have been indicted for serious crimes. It's only a rule within Congress, and could be changed with a vote. But the temp speaker isn't allowed to do anything beyond the procedural steps to select the next speaker.

Finally there are Republican members of Congress who are in districts that Trump won. Being clearly tied to Trump probably won't be good for their reelection chances.

So making Trump speaker seems like a stupid move. Though that doesn't rule it out.

[bilateralrope]

Here's what happened Friday in the House speaker saga — and what is expected to occur next

From CNN's Clare Foran, Melanie Zanona, Haley Talbot and Annie Grayer

House Republicans are once again scrambling with no clear path to elect a new speaker after voting to push Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan out of the race — the latest sign of the chaos and divisions that have engulfed the majority party and left the chamber in a state of paralysis.

If you are just tuning in, here's what you need to know about today's developments:

• The race is wide open again: The stage is now set for new speaker hopefuls to emerge – and a number of Republicans jumped into the race shortly after Jordan’s exit. It is increasingly uncertain, however, whether any lawmaker can get the 217 votes needed to win the gavel while Republicans control such a narrow majority. Republicans are expected to hold a candidate forum Monday evening and select a nominee by secret ballot Tuesday. Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer, who serves as majority whip, is making calls to run, according to two sources. And McCarthy is backing him for speaker, sources tell CNN, delivering an early boost for his candidacy. McCarthy did not publicly endorse a candidate when Jordan and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise vied for the nomination.
• Jordan loses secret ballot: In a dramatic turn of events, the House GOP conference voted by secret ballot on Friday to drop Jordan as their speaker designee after he failed to win the gavel for the third time in a floor vote earlier in the day. Jordan’s failure to win the gavel highlighted the limits of former President Donald Trump’s influence in the speaker’s race after he endorsed Jordan. Speaking to reporters after the vote to push him out, Jordan said, “We need to come together and figure out who our speaker is going to be,” and said he told the conference, “It was an honor to be their speaker designee.”
• Third failed floor vote: The move by Republicans against Jordan came after three failed floor votes for his speaker bid and vows from the Ohio Republican to remain in the race despite mounting opposition. In Friday’s floor vote, 25 House Republicans voted against Jordan – a higher number than in the two prior votes and far more than the handful of defectors Jordan could afford to lose and still win the gavel given the GOP’s narrow majority.
• What Republicans are saying: A number of Republicans left Friday’s closed-door meeting sounding more confused than ever about the path forward and who is best to lead them. Many expressed frustration and some called for reflection after the collapse of Jordan’s speakership bid. “We’re back to square one,” South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson said.
• The chamber is still in limbo: The House remains effectively frozen as long as there is no elected speaker. The paralysis has created a perilous situation as Congress faces the threat of a government shutdown next month and conflict unfolds abroad. The battle for the speakership has now dragged on for more than two weeks with no end in sight.

Looks like things are going to get more chaotic.

[bilateralrope]

Trump tells allies he doesn’t support Tom Emmer’s speaker bid

The frontrunner for the post is already running into problems.

By ALEX ISENSTADT
10/20/2023 08:08 PM EDT

Former President Donald Trump privately conveyed to allies on Friday he does not back House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s bid for speaker, throwing another wrench into an already chaotic process to find the next person to hold the gavel.

Trump’s conversations come as Emmer has begun privately expressing his interest in the post. The Minnesota Republican, who has been making calls to fellow lawmakers, has emerged as an early frontrunner, having received the endorsement of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

But a sustained offensive from Trump, if one materializes, could spell doom, as any candidate for the job can only afford to lose a handful of votes.

The former president’s top allies are already working to thwart Emmer’s candidacy. Trump supporters have begun passing around opposition research on the congressmember, and the pro-Trump “War Room” podcast on Friday afternoon turned into an Emmer bash-fest. During an appearance on the program, top Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn noted that Emmer had yet to endorse Trump in the Republican presidential primary.

“If somebody is so out of step with where the Republican electorate is, where the MAGA movement is, how can they even be in the conversation?” Epshteyn said. “We need a MAGA speaker. That’s what it comes down to. Because if you look at the numbers, if you look at the energy, if you look at the heat, this is the Trump party, this is the MAGA party. It is no longer the old-school khaki establishment Republican Party.”

Steve Bannon, a former Trump White House adviser and the “War Room” host, chimed in to call Emmer a “Trump hater.”

Others close to Trump said Emmer as speaker would open a breach between House Republicans and their likely presidential nominee. Emmer “has no relationship with Trump,” one adviser said.

In conversations Friday, Trump made clear he was concerned by the prospect of Emmer in the speaker’s chair, telling people he believed the Minnesota Republican was not a fan, according to two people familiar with those private talks. Trump has complained, they say, that Emmer has not forcefully defended him against the indictments he is facing. 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.

Casey Nelson, communications director in Emmer’s Whip office, disputed the idea that there was friction between the two camps. “As NRCC Chair,” Nelson said, “Whip Emmer worked hand in hand with President Trump to help House Republicans fire Nancy Pelosi and retake the majority. If he becomes Speaker, Whip Emmer looks forward to continuing that productive relationship.”

Trump had previously thrown his support to House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan’s bid for the speakership. But Jordan on Friday saw his bid flame out after House Republicans, on a secret ballot, declined to continue supporting him as their speaker designee. Prior to that, the Ohio Republican had failed on three occasions to get the votes needed to win the speakership. His failed bid followed an aborted run by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and the ousting of McCarthy prior to that.

The tumult has opened the door for other candidates to get into the race. Those seen as possible contenders, other than Emmer, include Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern, Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson and Texas Rep. Jodey Arrington.

I see that the court cases aren't keeping Trump busy enough to prevent him making things worse.

[Broomstick]

At some point either the more "moderate" Republicans will realize the only way forward is to find some way to join with Democrats or we'll be facing an epic governmental crisis.

The MAGA crowd keep wanting all the power and all the control. That's not how democracy works. They haven't come to grips that they are NOT the overwhelming majority and the world does not work as they want it to.

I have no idea where this is going.

[bilateralrope]

Seven of the nine men running for House speaker voted to overturn the 2020 election results

But the two other men signed on to a Texas lawsuit to invalidate the election results in key states.
Oct. 24, 2023, 5:31 AM NZDT / Updated Oct. 24, 2023, 11:47 AM NZDT
By Amanda Terkel and JoElla Carman

WASHINGTON — Of the nine Republicans running for House speaker, seven voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results that made Joe Biden president.

After Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, took himself out of the running last week, when it became clear that he wouldn't get enough votes for the top job, nine men have lined up to see if they can pull the sword from the stone.

The fact that so many of them backed Donald Trump's theory of a faulty 2020 election — even after a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol — isn't entirely surprising, since it was a common position among GOP leadership.

The ousted speaker, Kevin McCarthy of California, voted against certifying Biden's win, as did his second in command, Steve Scalise of Louisiana — who also recently lost his bid for speaker. Jordan, one of the former president's staunchest allies in Congress, voted to overturn the election as well.

Speaker candidates Jack Bergman, of Michigan; Byron Donalds, of Florida; Kevin Hern, of Oklahoma; Mike Johnson, of Louisiana; Gary Palmer, of Alabama; and Pete Sessions, of Texas, all objected to certifying the 2020 election results in Arizona and Pennsylvania. Rep. Dan Meuser, of Pennsylvania, voted only to object to his home state's results.

Reps. Tom Emmer, of Minnesota, and Austin Scott, of Georgia, are the two who didn't object.

But even those two men signed onto a brief supporting a Texas lawsuit that would have invalidated the election results in four key states.

Emmer, the GOP majority whip and a two-time chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, has the backing of McCarthy and probably has the upper hand. But it's still not clear if he'll be able to get the 217 votes needed to win because many of Trump's allies oppose him — in part because he was one of the few senior House leaders willing to certify the election for Biden.

Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., one of the far-right members who voted to oust McCarthy, recently told MSNBC that it's important to him that the next speaker be willing to "unequivocally and publicly state that the 2020 presidential election was not stolen."

At 6:30 p.m. ET, there will be a candidate forum for House Republicans to hear from all the wannabe speakers. On Tuesday morning, the caucus will meet behind closed doors to vote on which candidate they're ready to get behind.

Just a reminder about what the Republican party thinks about elections.

[Broomstick]

No wonder they can't elect a Speaker....

[Gandalf]

The MAGA crowd keep wanting all the power and all the control. That's not how democracy works. They haven't come to grips that they are NOT the overwhelming majority and the world does not work as they want it to.

But the MAGA caucus also know that the path to a Republican majority goes through them.

It's like the generations of legislators who used similar situations to get federal spending into their electorates. But instead of a highway or whatever, it's more ideological in nature.

[Zwinmar]

If they are anything like certain people I have the distinct displeasure of knowing it boils down to a case of "screw der libs" and that is all there is to it.

[bilateralrope]

Mike Johnson picked as new GOP speaker nominee just hours after Tom Emmer drops bid

By Clare Foran, Melanie Zanona, Lauren Fox, Manu Raju, Haley Talbot, Kristin Wilson and Annie Grayer, CNN
3 minute read
Updated 10:48 PM EDT, Tue October 24, 2023

The House GOP picked Rep. Mike Johnson as their latest speaker nominee Tuesday evening, though the Louisiana Republican so far lacks the 217 votes needed to win the gavel – the latest sign that Republicans are still no closer to electing a new speaker three weeks after Kevin McCarthy’s historic ouster.

The vote for Johnson came at the end of a tumultuous day that began when Republicans voted to elect Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer as speaker nominee only for Emmer drop out just hours later amid stiff resistance from the right flank of the conference and a major rebuke from former President Donald Trump.

In the final round of secret-ballot voting, Johnson was elected speaker nominee with 128 votes. McCarthy received 43 votes, the next highest tally, and some House Republicans are blaming the California Republican for undercutting Johnson’s ascent. Ahead of Tuesday night’s votes, some members raised the idea of a McCarthy tag team with Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan to solve the speakership stalemate – with McCarthy returning as speaker and then making Jordan his “assistant speaker,” sources told CNN.

But in a positive development for his bid, Johnson survived a key follow-up vote late Tuesday evening, and he announced that the full House would vote on a speaker noon ET on Wednesday.

Republicans are under intensifying pressure to find a new leader as the House remains in a state of paralysis, and the GOP remains unable to govern without a speaker. The conference has repeatedly failed to coalesce around a successor to McCarthy amid deep division within its ranks – including for Jordan who was ousted as the party’s nominee on Friday after three unsuccessful rounds on the House floor.

The politically precarious situation has plunged the House into uncharted territory as it looks increasingly unclear whether any Republican can get the 217 votes needed to win the gavel.

Emmer is now the third Republican to win the nomination of the GOP conference only to then exit the race after failing to lock up the necessary votes to win the gavel.

After winning the party nomination in a secret ballot election on Tuesday, Emmer faced swift opposition from the right flank of his conference as well as a significant rebuke from former President Donald Trump. In a post on Truth Social, Trump called Emmer a “Globalist RINO,” and said that voting for him “would be a tragic mistake.” Trump later said he had a “big impact” after Emmer dropped out.

Emmer voted to certify the 2020 election, voted to keep the government open for 47 days, voted for the bipartisan law to avoid a debt default and voted to codify same-sex marriage – all issues that members of the hard-right had cited as issues for his candidacy.

Members of Trump’s team also called GOP members and urged them to oppose Emmer for speaker, two sources told CNN.

Despite a cordial phone call with the former president over the weekend, Trump reposted attacks against the House GOP whip on Truth Social Monday night and then followed up with his own attack after Emmer was nominated.

Leaving a GOP conference meeting Monday night, Emmer told CNN, “We have a good relationship,” when asked about Trump.

Following Emmer’s withdrawal from the race, Republican Rep. Steve Womack of Arkansas warned that the GOP is at an “impasse” and said he doesn’t know if they’ll be able to resolve their internal differences and find a speaker.

“Right now, I think it is apparent to the American people that the GOP conference is hopelessly divided. Can it be overcome? Never say never,” he said. “But the signs are right now that this conference is at some kind of an impasse.”

3 people who won the nomination then pulled out. Jim Jordan who lost multiple votes in the full house. And now the 5th nominee.

I wonder what they are going to do once they get through their current batch of hopefuls.

[Gandalf]

I assume at some point the GOP just declare that a speakerless house is a good thing, while hoping to primary out the ones causing trouble.

[bilateralrope]

I assume at some point the GOP just declare that a speakerless house is a good thing, while hoping to primary out the ones causing trouble.

Will they do that before or after the government shutdown means soldiers aren't being paid ?

Along with a lot of people the GOP doesn't claim to care about.

[Broomstick]

It's not that the GOP claims they don't care - they really don't care. The only people the GOP cares about are financial donors to the party and unborn babies. Everyone else can go to hell.

It would all be hilariously embarrassing except that shit is going to get serious in mid-November if Clowngress can't get their act together. When the dust settles I'm hoping this is the nail in the coffin for the Republican Thug Party. If we aren't all too preoccupied to care what with living in a Mad Max style wasteland.

[bilateralrope]

It's not that the GOP claims they don't care - they really don't care. The only people the GOP cares about are financial donors to the party and unborn babies. Everyone else can go to hell.

Agreed. My point was that they claim to care about the military, but the shutdown is going to stop them being paid if the GOP don't sort their mess out.

[LadyTevar]

It's not that the GOP claims they don't care - they really don't care. The only people the GOP cares about are financial donors to the party and unborn babies. Everyone else can go to hell.

Agreed. My point was that they claim to care about the military, but the shutdown is going to stop them being paid if the GOP don't sort their mess out.

They already shown they don't care about the military either. After all that ONE GOP is blocking approval of several important Military Promotions still.

While I don't WANT a shutdown, I know that the current Military does have a large number of MAGArats, Trumpists, and other right-leaners in it. MAYBE not getting paid will get them to stop voting Right-Wing. *sigh*

[LaCroix]

If this goes on for much longer, we'll see the hillarious meltdown when a handful of GOP people decide "fuck it, let's vote for the Democrat guy and let him deal with the "Shittiest Job In The World (TM)".

I mean, the chances of him actually getting 218 is close to nil, but even one or two defectors will see knives come out. Literally. Or fisticuffs - you never can go wrong with live broadcast of a brawl in a parliament of any nation.

Watching the live ticker with popcorn at hand...

[bilateralrope]

If this goes on for much longer, we'll see the hillarious meltdown when a handful of GOP people decide "fuck it, let's vote for the Democrat guy and let him deal with the "Shittiest Job In The World (TM)".

I mean, the chances of him actually getting 218 is close to nil, but even one or two defectors will see knives come out. Literally. Or fisticuffs - you never can go wrong with live broadcast of a brawl in a parliament of any nation.

Watching the live ticker with popcorn at hand...

That's a nasty game of chicken they have got themselves playing.

[madd0c0t0r2]

A shutdown, even the threat of a shutdown, to make Ukraine cautious for a few months is what Russia wants. This will run for a while yet.

[LaCroix]

Seems to be done - Johnson is neither despiccable enough to make the sane ones not vote for him, and crazy enough the MAGA crowd does not completely hate him.

[LadyTevar]

Seems to be done - Johnson is neither despiccable enough to make the sane ones not vote for him, and crazy enough the MAGA crowd does not completely hate him.

Trump's taking credit for backing Johnson already.

We'll see if Johnson can do the job. Counter of Johnson or Lettuce has begun.

[LadyTevar]

in Other News, someone's finally getting punished.

George Santos faces House Explusion

Embattled Republican Rep George Santos faces expulsion from the US House of Representatives next week in a vote called by members of his own party.

Congressman Anthony D'Esposito took to the House floor on Thursday to formally demand the vote of expulsion and read the resolution.

It comes after prosecutors filed 23 charges against Mr Santos earlier this month - including identity theft.

Mr Santos denies the charges and has insisted he will not resign.

Guess the GOP decided they didn't need him anymore?

[bilateralrope]

Two articles. First one from Politico: Democrats rev up the opposition machine against Mike Johnson

The party sees him as a particularly ripe target for their messaging to retake the House.

By BRITTANY GIBSON and HOLLY OTTERBEIN
10/25/2023 06:35 PM EDT

Mike Johnson might have been an obscure, four-term congressmember before Wednesday, but if Democrats have their way, he will soon be well-known by every American — as an election denier, an anti-abortion extremist and a slasher of Social Security and Medicare.

Johnson hadn’t officially been elected speaker before the Democratic opposition research machinery went full tilt. Democrats have spent the last few days sifting through old shows from Johnson’s time as a podcast host and previously authored editorials in his local newspaper.

They are determined to define Johnson in the public eye before he has a chance to define himself.

Democrats — and aligned research groups — said on Wednesday that they were hurriedly digging into Johnson’s record. There were, as of October 8, 69 episodes of his podcast on Spotify, which Johnson co-hosts with his wife, many of which touch on hot-button political topics. One Democratic operative was quick to spotlight one such episode as indicative of the gold mine they believe is about to be discovered: a June 5 show in which the Johnsons spotlighted an initiative to turn Pride Month into “Fidelity Month.”

“It’s not like there’s any shortage of material when you go looking,” said one official at a top liberal group who was granted anonymity to discuss strategy. “He’s not someone who’s broken through to have a national reputation, but there’s a lot there.”

House speakers are always fodder for the opposition party looking to flip seats. But few, if any, have come into office with a record as little-known as Johnson’s. The congressmember has been in the House since 2017. And rarely during that time period has he been in the spotlight.

Democrats began rolling out talking points minutes into his speakership, attacking him in hopes of retaking the House in 2024.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sent a memo on “messaging guidance” to House Democrats on Wednesday outlining their strategy.

“House Republicans may be breathing a short-sighted sigh of relief now that they’ve elected a new Speaker,” it read, “but their decision to elevate an anti-abortion extremist who has pushed to gut Social Security and Medicare and who was one of the main architects of the illegal attempt to overturn the 2020 election will lose them the majority in 2024.”

The DCCC added in its dispatch that it “is committed to ensuring that every battleground member of the Republican conference is tied to Speaker Johnson’s” record.

Johnson did not respond to a request for comment.

Still, even with this firepower aimed at the new speaker, Republicans are waving away claims that Johnson could be a liability in 2024. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) was skeptical that Democrats could effectively attack the new speaker as a way to hurt battleground Republican members next year.

“If Democrats think they’re going to beat swing-seat Republicans by tying them to Mike Johnson, good luck,” Dusty Johnson said in an interview. “Johnson is smart, decent and hard-working. He’s not going to be an easy guy to villainize.”

He earned the full-throated endorsement of National Republican Congressional Committee chair Richard Hudson. “I know Mike cares deeply about our conference, understands our majority is the last line of defense against the Democrats, and will work relentlessly with the NRCC to go on offense,” he said in a statement.

But Democrats are already feeling optimistic that Johnson will help them win back the House. Tommy Vietor, a Democratic strategist who worked as a spokesperson for former President Barack Obama, said Johnson will give them “an opportunity to win back some of those moderate seats that we lost in places like New York and California.”

And the messages from DCCC and others were already getting repeated by House Democrats as the speaker vote wrapped up.

“It is just yet another example of the so-called moderates voting for extremism,” Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) said in an interview.

It’s not just House Democrats getting in on the act. President Joe Biden’s campaign is also planning to focus on his leading role in attempting to overturn the 2020 election, his support of an abortion ban, and his positions on Social Security and Medicare, according to a person familiar with the campaign’s thinking.

Johnson’s time as a private attorney is a rich target for opposition researchers. Before getting elected to Congress, he worked for the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative Christian legal advocacy group now known as the Alliance Defending Freedom, and has opposed same-sex marriage and other LGBTQ rights.

Johnson once filed a 2003 lawsuit that argued gay city employees’ partners should be blocked from receiving health care benefits. He authored editorials in his local paper that argued LGBT people shouldn’t be included in the legal definition of employment discrimination, “We don’t give special protections for every person’s bizarre choices.”

But as opposition researchers dig through the archives, Democrats say they have more than enough to point to from his time in Congress. When Roe v. Wade was overturned, Johnson called it a “joyous occasion.” Johnson has also spoken in favor of entitlement reform, which Democrats argue is code for cutting programs like Social Security and Medicare.

Rep. Pete Aguilar called Johnson the “architect of Electoral College objections” in a floor speech on Wednesday. Johnson voted against certifying the 2020 election, and asked other Republican members to sign onto a legal brief in a case challenging the election results in multiple states.

Republicans said efforts by speaker candidates to decertify the 2020 election came up in caucus meetings, but they weren’t disqualifying — much of the Republican conference voted the same way.

“I think it’s really important we get a speaker and move forward,” said Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), who has been critical of the right flank of the GOP throughout the multi-week process to choose a new speaker. “I’m not electing someone I’m going to marry, I’m not electing someone I’m going to raise children with. I’m electing someone who’s going to lead the conference.”

New Speaker Mike Johnson Blamed School Shootings on the Teaching of Evolution

Johnson’s comments ultimately imply science teachers are to blame for school shootings
J.D. Wolf17 hours ago

While preaching a sermon in 2016, newly elected GOP Speaker Mike Johnson blamed mass shootings on the teaching of evolution.

Johnson remarks were delivered in a sermon titled Preserving Liberty at Christian Center Shreveport in 2016 in which he promoted his “legal ministry.”

Johnson claimed the United States was founded as a Christian nation and then God was replaced over time for human reasoning. Johnson then said when the late 1960’s came it ushered in the “countercultural revolution, Woodstock, peace, and drugs” and further undermined religion and morality by introducing things like “no fault divorce laws” and “legalized abortion.”

Johnson then argued this “path” led to school shootings and blamed these shootings on students being taught evolution:

“And people say, ‘How can a young person go into their schoolhouse and open fire on their classmates?’ Because we’ve taught a whole generation, a couple generations now of Americans, that there’s no right or wrong, that it’s about survival of the fittest, and you evolve from the primordial slime. Why is that life of any sacred value? Because there’s nobody sacred to whom it’s owed. None of this should surprise us.”

Johnson was showing a slide presentation during his sermon. During this segment, Johnson displayed a slide showing an atheist banner, women’s rights protesters, and coverage of the Sandy Hook school shooting that claimed the lives of 20 children and 6 staff members.

Johnson’s statement indicates he believes that evolution means teaching no morals, believing in no right or wrong, and having no value for life.

Johnson also sees evolution not as potentially complimentary to a biblical faith, but views it as some fundamentalist Christians do, as the antithesis of his faith.

The implication of Johnson’s belief that the teaching of evolution is to blame for school shootings ultimately blames educators and scientists for school shootings. According to Johnson graphic, he’s lumped atheists and women’s reproductive rights advocates in there too.

Blaming evolution and the lack of societal piety allows Johnson to be off the hook politically for addressing the mass shooting and gun violence epidemic in our country. For Johnson, the answer to mass shootings is mass revival, not common sense gun laws.

Don’t expect Speaker Johnson to offer any legislative solutions to prevent school shootings. He’s too busy blaming school teachers.

This is the speaker the GOP selected. The person they feel best represents them.

I wish any of his beliefs were a surprise.

[wautd]

This is the speaker the GOP selected. The person they feel best represents them.

I wish any of his beliefs were a surprise.

Putin must be pleased to have this nut represent him in Congress

[LadyTevar]

This is the speaker the GOP selected. The person they feel best represents them.

I wish any of his beliefs were a surprise.

Putin must be pleased to have this nut represent him in Congress

The more I hear about Johnson, the more I fear for what's coming.

[bilateralrope]

Chaos is what's coming.

Johnson’s speakership win fails to end House GOP infighting

The centrist vs. conservative spending fight is rearing its head again. New York Republicans are pushing to expel George Santos. Matt Gaetz is still openly taking aim at Kevin McCarthy and others.

By JORDAIN CARNEY

10/27/2023 05:35 PM EDT

Republicans hoped Mike Johnson’s ascension marked a detente from the personal vitriol of a three-week speaker fight. That ceasefire appears to be over already.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), the architect of ousting Kevin McCarthy from the speakership, is openly sparring with multiple members, including taking aim at a key committee chair. New York Republicans want to expel Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) from the House, a vote with consequences for their thin majority. Former acting Speaker Patrick McHenry is venting to reporters about his “pure anger” when McCarthy was booted.

And as Johnson settles into his new role atop the House, his fires don’t end there. A handful of conservatives are already signaling that they’re going to spur part two of a centrist vs. hardliner shutdown fight.

Johnson will now have to deal with the kind of nasty infighting that McCarthy couldn’t control, and the looming Nov. 17 shutdown deadline will test how he navigates a longstanding fight between his party’s two factions. Johnson wants to pass a short-term spending patch until January or April to buy more time for Republicans to pass each of their full-year funding bills, but he’s already getting hard resistance from a handful of right flank members.

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), a member of the Freedom Caucus, said there are likely at least five Republicans who couldn’t support a short-term spending bill into January. With Republicans’ four-seat majority, that would be enough to require Johnson to get support from Democrats — a complaint that doomed McCarthy.

“I don’t even want to think about something lasting until January or April. That would be folly,” he said, adding that based on talks he’s had with colleagues “I don’t believe I’m the only one” who thinks that.

Johnson hasn’t detailed how he will try to advance a months-long funding bill, though he’s signaled it will include “conditions.” Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) warned that “there will need to be some conservative victories in there to make it palatable. Border. Some sort of cuts.”

The renewed sniping between conservative and centrist factions hasn’t begun in earnest. But there are plenty of other signs of strain within the conference that suggests the drawn-out spectacle that saw career-long ambitions crushed in a matter of days and sometimes hours — all on embarrassing display before a national audience — isn’t over yet. That self-inflicted drama included intra-GOP rivalries bursting into the open, with fingerpointing, shouting and, at one point, death threats from supporters of one speaker candidate.

Now, the House will have to consider a resolution to expel Santos next week, brought from his own party over the litany of charges against him. It’s unlikely to pass, given it requires a two-thirds majority, but many New York Republicans intend to back it.

And while Johnson told the GOP lawmakers sponsoring the resolution to “do what’s right for New York,” according to the group, he appeared to signal during a Thursday night Fox News interview with Sean Hannity that he didn’t support the effort given that Santos hasn’t been convicted.

“He’s not convicted. He’s charged,” Johnson said. “And so if we’re going to expel people from Congress, just because they’re charged with a crime or accused, that’s a problem.”

There’s also the typically affable McHenry (R-N.C.), now free of the trappings of the gavel, who is no longer holding back. In comments to reporters, he called the decision to oust McCarthy and the following three weeks “perhaps the dumbest set of politics or decision-making a majority party in this institution could make.”

Then there’s Gaetz, who has drawn attacks from across the conference. During a closed-door GOP meeting earlier this month, McCarthy yelled at the Floridian to “sit down,” as he stepped up to the microphones. When Gaetz refused, one Republican recalled Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.) hollering a command: “If you don’t sit down, I’ll put you down.”

It didn’t stop there, as Gaetz has openly feuded with other members via his podcast and social media. That includes accusing McCarthy of trying to meddle in the fight to replace himself — an accusation that has been echoed by others in the conference. Gaetz also took aim at Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) in the Floridian’s podcast Thursday, saying anybody “with eyes can observe how the corrupt power centers of this town compromise people like Jason Smith and then flip them to do their bidding.” Smith did not respond to a request for comment.

And on the policy front, it’s not just the stopgap spending bill that could serve to deepen animosity. Republicans are predicting intraparty headaches on passing some of the full-year funding bills, including legislation to fund the Department of Justice and FBI. Johnson will also face an early test on abortion as Republicans try to revive a funding bill that includes provisions on the topic.

“They will be difficult, and that’s when people have to decide are they going to make perfect the enemy of the good,” said Rules Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.), adding that his colleagues “have got to be real politicians and real legislators again.”

And while Republicans were able to quickly pass an energy and water funding bill this week, some on the right-flank are warning Johnson that he shouldn’t presume he has their support on other bills going forward.

“I don’t know how many more stinkers I can vote for,” Biggs said.

And while that same group clearly communicated that they trust Johnson more than McCarthy, that doesn’t mean they’re done pushing their priorities.

“Mike Johnson will have to be held accountable,” Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) said this week. “He’ll have to hear from the right voices.”