'Kevin McCarthy is drowning' Steve Schmidt

[Joinfortmill]

Last edited Mon Oct 2, 2023, 09:09 AM - Edit history (1)

https://steveschmidt.substack.com/p/kevin-mccarthy-is-drowning?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2

'There must be no Democratic bailout of Kevin McCarthy’s speakership. It will be stripped from him this week by a MAGA wolf pack of weirdos, extremists, seditionists, white supremacists, and one handsy 36-year-old grandmother, who apparently has a “Beetlejuice” fetish....Kevin McCarthy single-handedly resurrected Donald Trump from his post-January 6 shame...

Cynicism helped transform Kevin McCarthy from an “amiable dunce,” who functioned as the House Republican Conference’s rush chairman. He is an indefatigable fundraiser, who loves the pursuit of power and the details of the game. He is completely disinterested in policy, global events, history or anything substantive that matters. He is a gadfly who did the chores that no one else wanted to do, and so he was made the leader because, in the end, he is the House Republican concierge. It’s how the members see him. He makes their lives easier, and so up he went. He went up and up and up until he became a legitimately dangerous menace to the US constitution and the American republic.

Democrats should sit back and do nothing. No doubt soon the airwaves will be filled with commentators talking about the necessity of maintaining McCarthy as speaker to somehow protect America from the MAGA nuts who want to take his office sign down. It’s a false choice. The only choice that really matters is the one that the American people get in 2024. The decision will be simple. Do the American people want to maintain a majority of epic dysfunction made up of some of the most dysfunctional people in a nation of 330 million people?...Kevin McCarthy is drowning. Throw him a cinder block, not a life jacket.'

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Ok, Steve. What'cha gonna do in 45 days on US solvency with a MAGA chairman as Speaker?

[Hugin]

2. It's a Hobson's choice...

Deal with the terrorists or the terrorist’s front man.

I have enough confidence in the Democrats to believe that they could effectively clean up the mess left by the implosion of the right side of the aisle, if they wanted to.

[calimary]

37. I hope they do!

Clean it up and Dump ‘em Out!

[Joinfortmill]

6. How the far right could remove McCarthy and why his fate could be in Democrats' hands

https://www.npr.org/2023/09/30/1202713718/kevin-mccarthy-motion-to-vacate-gaetz-house-speaker

'This is where Democrats come in to play

Democratic leaders have refused to engage in any war gaming about the vote. "We haven't given any thought to how to handle a hypothetical motion to vacate, because we are entirely focused on making sure that we avoid this extreme MAGA Republican shutdown," Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Thursday.

"I can tell you I have been in a number of conversations and I have not heard one Democrat voice any interest in saving Kevin," an aide said. Another aide noted that Democrats don't believe they can trust the speaker to cut any deals to win their votes, noting he walked away from the budget deal he cut with President Biden in late May just days after it was signed in to law.

'If a resolution were to pass, the House would enter into unchartered waters of making new precedent. Under continuity of Congress procedures enacted after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, there is a list of people who can act as speaker pro tempore in an event where the speakership is vacated. This was created in anticipation of a mass casualty event like a terrorist attack, but it would apply if the speakership is vacated. The irony is that list is written by the sitting speaker — so McCarthy knows who is on the list — and it is kept by the House clerk and only to be made public in the event of a vacancy.''

[bucolic_frolic]

8. So #1 would be presumably on that list Scalise

If Kev's even thought about it

[Joinfortmill]

9. Don't know. List is not public.

[Dulcinea]

30. Scalise is battling cancer.

He may not be physically up to the job.

[PJMcK]

10. How would Gaetz or another MAGA representative win the speakership?

They are a small, if noisy, faction of the Republican side of Congress. Do they have the votes to win the Speakership?

If the Democrats stay united as they did during McCarthy's ridiculous 15-ballot election, that's nearly 50% of the House. It's difficult to see that the Republicans would unite behind the bomb-throwers.

If I'm wrong, I'll acknowledge it. It just seems unlikely that the entire caucus would unite behind Gaetz or Greene or any of the other idiots.

If McCarthy is ousted, I'd bet on Scalise getting the gig.

[Mike Nelson]

3. Love Steve, but...

... I think they may have a deal already struck to keep Kevin in place, with a number of Dem voters. I think Kevin will probably hold. Now, although it is my prediction, nothing is 100%. If Kevin is unable to keep his side of the unwritten bargain - Ukraine aid, for example - then, the deal could be off... I trust one side, not the other. Chaos will increase as they attempt to "take down" the US government in '24.

[czarjak]

4. Remember when Steve and his ilk were going to drag us kicking and screaming...

to republican conservatism? I do. Kevin was your Dude not THAT long ago. But, good story, Bub.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

23. Amazing how quickly people forget who gave us Sarah Palin

When they started criticizing TFG and Merrick Garland...

[Raine]

39. I remember too and I don't trust Schmidt one bit. 😠 nt

[LittleGirl]

5. Have you noticed

That whenever McCarthy speaks and starts to lie, he closes his eyes. As if, since his eyes closed, what he said was true.

[Hugin]

7. K&R for "handsy". n/t

[tanyev]

13. Also "Beetlejuice fetish".

[Irish_Dem]

11. Steve is right. Why should Dems save the GOP from itself?

Dems cannot be enablers to sociopaths.
We know that is wrong.

[Escurumbele]

16. Because the replacement may be worst? Better the enemy you know, than they one you don't.

McCarthy is an idiot who only cares about his position in government, I believe he will negotiate with anyone to keep his post, can he be trusted? No, but I believe that by now Democrats know how to deal with him. Would you rather have McCarthy as Speaker, or someone like Josh Holly? I think I rather have McCarthy.

[Frasier Balzov]

17. Hawley can just stay over in the other chamber, as far as I'm concerned.

[Joinfortmill]

22. Yup

[Irish_Dem]

35. I don't believe in always being afraid.

Like appeasing Putin because we are afraid of his replacement.

So we run scared all the time.

Not a way to live and produces bad decisions.

[Javaman]

12. mccarthy is the perfect example of the peter principle. nt

[Rebl2]

29. Yep

[Skittles]

14. GOOD

[2naSalit]

21. +1

[gab13by13]

15. If McCarthy wants to keep his job

it is up to him to go to Jeffries and agree to honor the deal he made with President Biden. Magats will never vote for Ukraine funding because Trump/Putin don't want it.

I heard Eric Swalwell say last night that if push comes to shove a discharge petition will be used to get the Ukraine funding.

[Duppers]

19. Indeed! 👍

[Autumn]

18. Good. Toss him a cement block.

[multigraincracker]

20. The Putin Appeasement Branch

of the Republican House are the problem. Time to start calling them what they are.

[Calista241]

24. If I had to offer a prediction, I suspect McCarthy won't wait until Gaetz has his ducks lined up.

One of McCarthy's allies will probably file a motion to vacate sometime today. Everyone will be on the record for their vote by tomorrow, and we'll know what McCarthy's future is. I don't think many of the 'normal' repubs will have a lot of support for whoever Gaetz wants as Speaker.

[Joinfortmill]

25. 👍

[SpankMe]

26. Great description!

"...wolf pack of weirdos, extremists, seditionists, white supremacists, and one handsy 36-year-old grandmother, who apparently has a “Beetlejuice” fetish..."

I know Steve Schmidt is a nominal Republican and draws criticism from some here on DU. But as long as he criticizes the current incarnation of Republicans in terms like this, I'll be a fan.

[Marthe48]

27. The froth at the top

The bubbles will burst.

[D23MIURG23]

28. We need McCarthy until the Government is funded.

Moreover, its important that we not punish Rs in the rare instances where they do something approaching responsible behavior.

Marginalizing and isolating MAGA extremists needs to be the top priority, and I'm surprised that Schmidt doesn't see that. Any shred of power these people have will be used to attack the country and cause chaos.

[Martin Eden]

31. If McCarthy is removed, will a shutdown be more likely in November?

A lot of people would be hurt by a shutdown.

[Demsrule86]

36. Yes we will be shutdown indefinitely.

[republianmushroom]

32. This posting is correct and nails it.

[Hekate]

33. Wow, Steve, tell us how you *really* feel

[TygrBright]

34. Stevie dear, your GOP underwear is showing.

Democrats actually want to GOVERN. In the sense of "take legislative actions that will improve the status of the broadest numbers of American people."

That sometimes means compromising. Even making deals with devils. And yes, sometimes they can be mistakes.

But Democrats, aspiring by and large to be GROWN UPS, are not fixated on schadenfreude-generation as a tool for proving our superiority, maintaining control, etc.

Which isn't to say we don't revel in it on occasion, yep.

And hopefully we DO avoid the worst kinds of collaboration with evil in the name of compromise.

You may in fact be correct that "helping Kevvie fail" is a great strategy to assure the desired outcome in 2024. But I'm not so sure of that. I think there are still plenty of people who can see the contrast between "Democrats will try to minimize damage to the people they represent EVEN IF it denies them a chance to demonstrate how horrible/incompetent/etc. Republicans are" and "Democrats can play tit for tat, too, maybe even better than the GOP and they'll put rubbing everyone's nose in the pain of GOP incompetence even before sparing their constituents pain."

helpfully,
Bright

[Recycle_Guru]

38. kick