Day 5 - Part 2 "An incubator for right-wing celebrities"

Mopping up the morning after.

That's fine, except you don't have anything left to feed the crazies.  You "governed" by giving away everything already.

And the public ass-kissing begins...

And Trump will of course be taking credit.  I feel no need to record it here.

He already had the plaque made and ready to go.  Thank goodness he didn't have to move his furniture back out.

Of the last six holdouts, Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) was perhaps the most enigmatic: A newly elected former Navy Seal with no voting record and no clear statement explaining his opposition.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, after McCarthy had survived the defectors' last stand, Crane offered a simple — if nebulous — reason for his defiance.

“I want to establish what a new guy I am here,” he said.

  The Hill

Jesus Christ. Join George Santos. The Republicans really aren't sending their best. All attention whores now taking up residence in the party.

During the contested vote, a picture began to circulate showing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) offering her cell phone to Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.), one of McCarthy's detractors. The ID showing on the phone read “DT,” leading to speculation that former President Trump was actively attempting to whip votes in favor of McCarthy.

Shortly after McCarthy's victory speech, Greene confirmed that it was, indeed, Trump on the other line.

“Absolutely,” she said. “My favorite president.”

Greene declined to say what Trump's message was.

“I think I'm gonna keep that between us,” she said.

  The Hill

While most GOP lawmakers are downplaying the significance of McCarthy’s concessions, the changes — which are designed to empower rank-and-file members at the expense of his own leadership authority — are also raising concerns that they could cripple the governing functions of the lower chamber.

One change in particular — which empowers a single lawmaker to launch the process of ousting the Speaker — is giving heartburn to lawmakers in both parties, who fear a hardline group of conservatives will use it repeatedly to browbeat McCarthy into keeping crucial must-pass bills off the floor.

[...]

“I think it’s a terrible decision,” said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.).

“If one person can push a motion to vacate, we’ll do this again. How would you like to do this every week?” he said, referring to the internal battle that delayed McCarthy’s speakership victory for days. “I think that’s the future with a few of these individuals. … It weakens the speaker, and it strengthens the smallest caucus of all the caucuses.”

  The Hill

The circus is in town for the next two years (at least).

Some of McCarthy’s conservative critics have also demanded that any move to raise the nation’s debt ceiling — which allows the government to borrow money to pay its obligations — must be accompanied by cuts in the nation’s entitlement programs, including Social Security and Medicare.

Do we think that might wake up Republican voters to what they've done?

“If you’re talking about chairmanships and things like that, they’re gonna have to still earn it,” Bacon said. “I call it affirmative action for [the] smallest of the caucuses to put them in leadership roles when they’ve not earned it. We believe in a merit-based system on the GOP side.”

Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), who has served in the House since 2013, also highlighted the “seniority process” for chairmanships.

“Everybody has to work their way through the seniority process and earn positions on both committees and gavels and things of that nature,” she said.

Wake up and smell the coffee, sweetheart.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) downplayed concerns about even the single-member motion to vacate, saying there is little difference between one-person or five-person threshold, which was the minimum in the initial rules package.

“You already agreed to five, what’s the difference between five and one?” he said.

He'll find out the next time he goes to jerk off.

McCarthy himself is also defending the ninth-inning negotiation, assuring that the key concession will not make him a “weaker Speaker.”

“It would only be a weaker Speaker if I was afraid of it,” he told reporters Thursday night. “I won’t be a weaker Speaker.”

He'll be the weakest.

Sure. Why not?  Join the others.

And they cheered.

And the Republicans refuse to applaud anything he says.

"Governing over gaslighting."

We have missed our chance to have the best outcome in this debacle: Hakeem Jeffries as both Speaker of the House and opposition leader.  I hope Biden gets out of the way of this guy.

No, but he WILL advocate for reductions (or elimination) of Social Security and Medicare.

Among other things...

That was from last night, and I think it must be true.  It would explain the blow-up.  People were saying McCarthy was going up to Gaetz to get his vote, but Gaetz had already voted - present - when McCarthy went up the aisle.  The altercation would have been McCarthy confronting him about changing from a vote for McCarthy to present.  There's going to be nothing but trouble for the next two years.

And, sadly, we can't be 100% certain that's a good thing.

Politico's recap and explanations: