*IF* a coalition of Democrats & a handful of Republicans backing a new Speaker is possible, great

[Silent3]

But that feels like a fantasy of unicorns and rainbows to me.

I totally get not wanting to help McCarthy (especially now, when he has gone out of his way to say he wasn't offering Democrats anything), but what happens next if McCarthy is kicked out?

It's not hard to imagine 15 votes to select a new Speaker soon looking like a fond memory of a fast, efficient process.

We can very well say, "Not my monkeys, not my circus", but the House, like it or not, is everyone's circus. In less than 45 days we face another government shutdown. There has to be someone to pass a budget, or everything goes to hell.

Being able to point at Republicans and blame them for that hell doesn't help pay the unpaid federal workers and doesn't help replace the government services that get cut off.

Might not the price of saying "Fuck you!" to McCarthy turn out to be steeper than we'd hope?

[Bluethroughu]

1. Let them eat cake. The Democratic party can not fix the Republican party.

The Republican party will wreck this country until they have to take responsibility for their actions.

[Silent3]

3. You don't think Democrats should help reduce the pain innocent victims of Republican BS...

...will experience?

Does being able to feel righteous placing blame on Republicans amount to a good reason to make unnecessary pain, like another shutdown, more likely?

As disgusting and untrustworthy as McCarthy is, he did finally, at the last minute each time, work with Democrats in his half-assed way to avert two possible major crises now.

There are even worse Republicans than McCarthy, who might become the next Speaker.

[WhiteTara]

14. They are liars, cheats and thieves

there is no negotiating with that. They are so untrustworthy that we will always be a Charlie Brown. JMHO

[Silent3]

17. What does that have to do with what I've said?

What I'm talking about isn't about trust, it isn't about getting an opportunity to blame Republicans for problems which are clearly their fault.

It's about likely outcomes and our ability to influence likely outcomes.

[Bluethroughu]

19. McCarthy said he will not work with Democrats.

They are going to sink the ship.

If we help elect McCarthy, he will say he told us he will not work with us and sink the ship or give ridiculous cuts to everything and say we knew that when we helped re-elect him.

Let them show the American people who they really are, because they will prove everything Democrats have been saying they will do either cuts or sink the country.

If they agree to elect a Joe Manchin as Speaker, okay,but no Republican.

[Jerry2144]

2. Our side needs to stay strong and together

Every voter all on our side should vote for Jeffries as Speaker. Either the Freedumb Caucasians (oops I meant Caucus) contacts around behind a more normal Republican or enough reps eventually come around and vote present.

It’s not our circus. There are tons of monkeys flinging poop

[Silent3]

8. Remember, the first vote isn't a vote where voting for Jeffries is even possible

The first vote is merely whether McCarthy is kicked out as speaker, with the only options being Yes, No, and Present.

[Jerry2144]

13. Right

I meant on the replacement.


How many rounds will it take before the oligarchs who own the Repugnant Republiklan Party say “ENOUGH”?

[Silent3]

22. For some Republicans there is NO LIMIT, and I only wish I could trust oligarchs to rein them in

Like I said before, we might look back at 15 rounds of voting for a new Speaker as a walk in the park. I think the chaos caucus would gladly leave the Speakership empty for months, and get away with it.

[Bluethroughu]

20. 100%

[Emile]

4. A handful of Republicans will vote for Jeffries?

[Silent3]

6. Didn't you see my "unicorns and rainbows" comment that followed?

I was clearly stating that was highly unlikely.

[Emile]

12. LOL

[blm]

5. Liz Cheney must still have some allies

[onecaliberal]

7. They created the problem. They are the fucking problem.

We should not lift a finger to help them in any way shape or form. The Federal workers know who is shutting down the government. Democrats voted to keep it open.

[Silent3]

10. Didn't I make it clear this isn't about helping Republicans?

It's about whether things get better or worse for everyone in the country. Being able to place blame on Republicans if everything goes to hell still means everything went to hell.

[onecaliberal]

11. And you don't think people in the Federal Government know who the fuck shut the government down?

The republicans need to fix their own mess.

[Torchlight]

9. I don't see a viable means in which the GOP would be publicly open to any Democratic assistance.

I also do not see any pitfalls or traps constructed by Democrats to hobble the appointment of new a speaker.

[Silent3]

15. We don't have to be the ones to lay any "pitfalls or traps"

The appointment of a new Speaker will be self-hobbled by Republicans. But we know that going into this, so we know we could be permitting to a bigger crisis to occur by not averting McCarthy's ouster.

[Aepps22]

21. How So?

If our side helps Kevin his own side would turn on him for accepting our help and he would be out anyway.

[Silent3]

24. We can avert McCarthy's ouster simply by voting "present" on the ouster...

...which isn't outright support.

McCarthy might well be toast when he tries to get reelected to his seat, but he could easily continue to hold the Speakership until the end of his current term. The majority of Republican will vote for him, and won't abandon him simply because many Democrats potentially vote "present" to give McCarthy an indirect helping hand.

The only reason I fear McCarthy's ouster is a fear of a possibly VERY long incapacitation of a Speaker-less House, followed by something even worse than McCarthy as a replacement.

[Torchlight]

26. I simply don't see a viable method of assisting McCarthy.

Any overtures towards him would be rebuffed in its entirety by the GOP, and publicly condemned as a 'Liberal scheme' or some other simplistic label they give to reason of refusing help.

[onecaliberal]

16. THIS!!!

[maxrandb]

18. The American voters voted for this circus when they gave Retrumplicans a majority in the House

If there is pain inflicted on the American people, I will blame my friends, family and neighbors before I blame the Dems.

[Silent3]

25. Some blame always belongs to the last person who could help avert a catastrophe...

...even if they aren't to blame for the the perilous situation to begin with.

[FrankBooth]

23. I'm pretty sure Dem leadership has weighed all the possibilities

And if they're good with it, so am I. And the pressures that forced Kevin to "buckle" on debt ceiling and shutdown will exist regardless of which cretin the GOP nominate (or don't nominate) to herd the GOP rats.

I do agree the coalition for a moderate speaker is a pipe dream, but I also don't think a Gaetz type is going to be able to win the speakership, it'll end up being a 'moderate' like Stefanik - in other words, not really a moderate but one who can claim to be one because they might have once been one.

[lees1975]

27. Worth a try---

for Democrats to identify and then work hard to get about 10 Republicans who know their term will be up in 2024 if they support anything Maga, to form a coalition to get things done and select a more moderate speaker, or to decide that they're going to abandon the Maga cult to its fate, and form a majority with Democrats under Jeffries. Then I'd love to see someone go to Matt Gaetz, after he's been told he is no longer welcome on any congressional committee and ask him, "how's that going for ya?"

Were it not for the looming shutdown, I'd say let it all go, sit back and watch the GOP not be able to provide a leader. But there's that.

It is kind of fun to watch, though. The Republican Party, gift wrapping the 2024 election and handing over control of Congress to the Democrats. I love that.

[Persondem]

28. Think the RWNJs are a pain now? Let them get away with removing McCarthy.

McCarthy is a useless twit, but he is not as bad as say Scalise, Jordan or Gaetz.