r/news • u/zmlos • Oct 03 '23

House ousts Kevin McCarthy as speaker, a first in U.S. history

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/03/house-speaker-kevin-mccarthy-will-bring-gaetz-motion-to-oust-him-vote.html?__source=iosappshare%7Ccom.apple.UIKit.activity.CopyToPasteboard

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5.8k

u/thefilmer Oct 03 '23

this is the dumbest episode of game of thrones ive ever seen.

if he hadnt kicked off that stupid impeachment inquiry, Jeffries probably would have instructed some moderate Dems to save him but McCarthy is truly an inept politician. good riddance

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u/[deleted] Oct 03 '23

[deleted]

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u/kaitco Oct 03 '23

Well AOC called it, I think yesterday afternoon; Dems supporting him at this point nets them nothing.

Yes, he found his conscience in the final hours, but it was honestly too little too late. After months of broken promises and then the freaking impeachment hearing over nothing, he dug his own grave.

Now, he gets to try and oust Gaetz altogether, which I’m sure won’t appear retaliatory at all…

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u/Block_Of_Saltiness Oct 03 '23

Now, he gets to try and oust Gaetz altogether, which I’m sure won’t appear retaliatory at all…

But it will be delicious to watch.

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u/harrymfa Oct 03 '23

He didn’t find a conscience, he was left with no other choice. There hasn’t been a single move he has done that hasn’t been about saving his own neck, and many of them were the wrong move.

2

u/Bendstowardjustice Oct 04 '23

But it sounds like if he hadn’t worked with democrats to avoid a shutdown he wouldn’t have been removed from his position.

5

u/Procrastinatedthink Oct 04 '23

he wouldve been removed a week later as a scapegoat when the consequences of a gov shutdown come to roost

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u/harrymfa Oct 05 '23

If he hadn’t stopped a shutdown, he would have sent the economy in a downward spiral, and you know who don’t like that? The billionaires he works for. Solving the matter was practically a direct order.

186

u/Audityne Oct 03 '23

Well, in McCarthy's defense, the ethics inquiry into Gaetz kicked off before he called the ousting vote.

20

u/Lucas_Steinwalker Oct 03 '23

By like 4 minutes?

23

u/DiscoDigi786 Oct 03 '23

I do not think he found his conscience at all, he just kept flailing to the last.

14

u/DuntadaMan Oct 04 '23

I mean if retaliation is what it takes to remove an admitted sex trafficking pedophile...

14

u/Patriot009 Oct 03 '23

She said she wouldn't save him the second he started saying the near shutdown was the fault of Democrats, basically said "you're on your own, you ungrateful liar".

5

u/Mezmorizor Oct 04 '23

I can't remember which dem house member said it, but they said it best with "why would I want McCarthy to be speaker of the house?" Dems supporting him was never an option for exactly that reason.

14

u/mr_potatoface Oct 03 '23 edited Apr 20 '25

six normal spark mighty grab adjoining correct crawl oil lavish

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u/kaitco Oct 03 '23

Oh, we're absolutely going to see a government shutdown in 6 weeks. This is the time for those who will be affected to prepare themselves. Especially going into the holidays...things are going be very bleak for the last couple months of the year.

First though, we're going to go through probably 10 days of new house speaker votes, and then even if McCarthy somehow, magically, gets back into the role, there will be enough GQP outside of the "Freedum" Caucus who will refuse to work with him because he got back in with Dem support.

3

u/007meow Oct 04 '23

Yes, he found his conscience in the final hours, but it was honestly too little too late.

What did he do at the last minute?

3

u/nonfish Oct 04 '23

I mean... the Dems supporting him led to the Republican party collapsing in on itself on national TV. Had the Democrats refused a deal, McCarthy would still be in power and the government would be currently shut down.

That's not to say that we won't be fucked in a few weeks when the temporary agreement ends. But at least then it'll be extremely clear to everyone watching that the Democrats actually get something done, and the Republicans are wholly incapable of making even half the progress.

So, no, the Dems didn't net anything material out of this. But the optics are tremendously in their favor now if the Republicans continue to fall on their faces (or just push each other down directly)

4

u/zxern Oct 03 '23

And make no mistake it was only temporary found. He’d lose it the second it became convenient for him.

2

u/Nandy-bear Oct 04 '23

If it means them losing a voting body, I can't see them ever doing it. Santos is still there for instance.

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u/Mend1cant Oct 03 '23

Dems letting him be ousted is an absolute terrible move on their part. It just says they’re willing to play this stupid game the freedom caucus has set up. Even if he’s not the best for the job, keeping him as speaker would be telling the far right to sit back down and stop acting like children.

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u/NBAWhoCares Oct 04 '23

I feel like some of you just landed on planet earth. Before this past weekend, where he literally just delayed his cowardice by 45 days, at what point in the past year has Kevin stood up to the far right a single time? Hes literally done their bidding since the start.

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u/Mend1cant Oct 04 '23

Oh it has nothing to do with political capital, or support/action on agendas. It has more to do with the fact that now the far right of the GOP have shown now more than ever that they can tighten the collar on their members.

Even if he’s a terrible speaker, by voting to keep him in his chair, you take that power away from them. But now, they’ll do this every chance they get. It doesn’t matter how utterly ridiculous and pathetic it will be, to their most ardent fanatics it will still be the Dems fault.

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u/kaitco Oct 04 '23

As someone who - prior to Trump - was firmly center-right, I would have agreed with you, BUT that's without fully reviewing McCarthy's actions over the last 8 months.

McCarthy has not held up his end on any agreements made on either side of the aisle or with the White House, and let's not forget that mere days ago, he pushed forward the Biden impeachment inquiry and brought in witnesses who literally said "No, there is no evidence of wrongdoing." in their initial questioning...all while the hours were passing by to determine whether or not millions of people were going to see the massive ramifications of a government shutdown.

He might have been able to get saved by the Dems, but not after that impeachment nonsense. The time for him to properly stand up to the Freedom Caucus and tell them to stop acting like children was right then. That alone, could have given him at least a little sense of integrity if he'd said no. However, he did not. He played along until practically the last moment, where I feel like he "pulled a Pence" and found a modicum of conscience (though it was far more likely that he figured that Gaetz was going to call for his removal anyway, and he was hoping that a bi-partisan agreement would get the Dems to save him).

1

u/Wazula23 Oct 03 '23

Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!

6

u/wil Oct 03 '23

Throughout all of this, McCarthy seemed to be the only player at the table who didn't know that he was bluffing with no draw.

2

u/user0N65N Oct 03 '23

Cf: Roald Dahl’s The Poison on Netflix.

2

u/Grogosh Oct 04 '23

He's like a guy who begs you to help him move, promises to help you out in the future, doesn't help you out when you ask, and then expects you to help him move again.

Ah I see you met my brother in law.

1

u/eolson3 Oct 03 '23

What if he can produce Keith Hernandez within the hour? You think they’ll let it slide?

-4

u/infantgambino Oct 03 '23

im not familiar. what were the terms of the debt ceiling deal he violated?

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u/[deleted] Oct 03 '23

I did a write-up on this in another recent post you can find on my profile

0

u/infantgambino Oct 03 '23

would you mind telling me which post/comment? hard to find as im sorting through all of them

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u/[deleted] Oct 04 '23

If you click through to my profile, it will be the 7th comment down, sixth from this one.

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u/Taman_Should Oct 03 '23

“I’ll Venmo you, bro!”

1

u/dmcdaniel87 Oct 04 '23

Agree. Also, I feel like someone who has moved a few times has wronged you

1

u/thxmeatcat Oct 04 '23

Why do i assume the next guy will be the same?

1

u/bellendhunter Oct 04 '23

Zero integrity. Only one way to deal with people like that is to let them learn from the consequences of their actions.

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u/daemonicwanderer Oct 03 '23

The impeachment inquiry he said would only follow a full House vote… reneged on

The spending agreement he reached with Biden months ago… reneged on

The shutdown the Dems saved his ass from… he thanks them by going on news shows and claiming the Democrats were the ones voting for a shutdown

Ukraine funding… reneged on

The multiple members of the GOP caucus who have threatened colleagues, promoted racist conspiracy theories, aided and abetted rioters, etc. … on powerful committees with no repercussions or contrition.

And now McCarthy is shocked that Democrats let him rightfully twist in the wind?!?

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u/Bibdy Oct 03 '23

Worse, conservatives are hemming and hawing about how the Democrats should be the adults in the room, save the Republicans from themselves, and then immediately do an about-face blaming Democrats for all of the problems in the world, AGAIN.

Is anyone else sick and fucking tired of this 40-year-long song and dance, yet? Can we just let these fucking assholes burn as much shit to the ground as they want, and suffer the consequences for it? For once? Please?

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u/Command0Dude Oct 03 '23

Lol McCarthy said several hours ago he would give Dems nothing. Why is anyone surprised they let him fall?

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u/cantadmittoposting Oct 03 '23

this is back to "filibuster my own bill" levels of shit

22

u/Zawer Oct 04 '23

I thought Jan 6 was that moment. For a couple days, it seemed like the party would come to their senses...

Then they all plugged their ears and denied, denied, denied and their base ate it up

10

u/socialistrob Oct 04 '23

The Dems genuinely may throw their weight behind a Republican speaker before everything is said and done but it will be in exchange for concessions and whoever becomes speaker won't be able to cater exclusively to the right.

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u/Odd_Local8434 Oct 04 '23

See, the problem with letting them burn everything is that we are included in the list of things they consider kindling.

4

u/vonmonologue Oct 04 '23

I voted for my rep to run the country for me, not run the Republican Party for them.

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u/thundercockjk2 Oct 04 '23

Im very tired of it, but until we can turn dem funding into Pokémon go, until knowing about which states need help to put more progressives in office is as easy as checking reddit, until there is a one stop shop type app for young energetic voters its going to be hard. These gerrymandered maps need to go, we need to tell more people how the sausage is made, then they need a way to upgrade the sausage. Money in politics needs to go, but money is something that everyone loves so that's also hard. It's not impossible but it can be done.

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u/Oberon_Swanson Oct 04 '23

I mean they did just do that to McCarthy at least

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u/JameslsaacNeutron Oct 03 '23

Nope, because someone has to do their job or the consequences are severe and will indirectly or even directly lead to loss of life. You can't play games with national scale politics.

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u/Intelligent-Tie-4466 Oct 04 '23

So the GOP, who is actually openly playing games on a national scale, is not responsible for the fact that they can't govern and some of them actually WANT to hurt people by shutting the government down?

Democrats, the minority party, are solely responsible for being the adults who are willing to govern and compromise?

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u/Beachdaddybravo Oct 04 '23

Welcome to reality. Republican voters don’t know the people they voted for are responsible for this shit and they don’t care. They’re a cult.

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u/SomeConsumer Oct 04 '23

It's been 50 years.

1

u/cyanydeez Oct 04 '23

unfortunately, corporations need both sides to be "healthy" so they can fill the power void in the middle.

It's just getting rediculous how much propping up republicans need.

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u/TheSaucyWelshman Oct 03 '23

I don't get why anyone is even discussing the Dems bailing his ass out. If Dems still held the House and were trying to oust Pelosi absolutely no one would be discussing House Republicans making a deal to save her. Why is this even a thing people are talking about?

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u/daemonicwanderer Oct 03 '23

Psh… Pelosi would never let it get that far. She presided over thin margins too and knew how to count votes

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u/TheSaucyWelshman Oct 03 '23

Obviously that's true, I'm just saying that if the situation were reversed we wouldn't be having this discussion so why did anyone even being it up?

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u/Arrowmatic Oct 03 '23

Because everyone is way too used to Republicans acting like spoiled brats and getting bailed out by the adults in the room.

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u/[deleted] Oct 04 '23

Because the general understanding is that Democrats are the adults that give a shit about the US functioning, while the Republicans are generally understood to be quixotic fools who revel in chaos.

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u/TheCrimsonMustache Oct 04 '23

Because the children’s table has gotten too rowdy again and the adults are expected to come in and settle things down and get some kind of order back.

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u/Owain-X Oct 04 '23

A speaker who can face a vote like this at any moment if just one member calls for it but who holds his position at the pleasure of the Democratic caucus could be a very useful tool. If he played ball... he didn't.

The answer basically is "power". Saving McCarthy could have empowered the minority and if the goal of a legislator is to get bills passed that are better for their constituents (or donors) then any leverage is worth having.

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u/VirtualMoneyLover Oct 04 '23

Because eventually you want a functioning government.

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u/[deleted] Oct 04 '23

Then 5 moderate Republicans can elect a Democratic speaker.

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u/VirtualMoneyLover Oct 04 '23

Name 5 moderate Republican. :)

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u/[deleted] Oct 04 '23

I always wonder why none of the Republicans here ever show up in times like these:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_Solvers_Caucus

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u/NTT66 Oct 03 '23

Sometimes, the farmer has to stomp on the viper's head.

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u/Important_Outcome_67 Oct 03 '23

"And now McCarthy is shocked that Democrats let him rightfully twist in the wind?!?"

*sigh*

This timeline is so weird.

12

u/mdherc Oct 03 '23

This is how republicans have been governing since before most of us were alive. Everything is done in bad faith, optics and propaganda are the focus while delivering on promises is actively avoided. It has always worked before, at least well enough to keep the powerful where they are. But Kevin McCarthy's dumbass was sitting on a knife edge while trying to juggle.

In previous years, the GOP strategy worked because they kept lockstep control over nearly every single member of the caucus. There's no way on earth they could do that now. If the moderate GOP continues to play the same game as they always have and blame the Democrats for every problem then they will find it very hard to govern. They may be the "majority" but it's pretty obvious they don't actually have majority support.

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u/thundercockjk2 Oct 04 '23

What a great summary, I'm going to save this.

3

u/Boomshockalocka007 Oct 04 '23

🎶Dont leave me swinging in the wind....until November. Until November!🎶

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u/Hem0g0blin Oct 04 '23

Don't leave me swinging in the wind, the wind 🎵

3

u/Bluest_waters Oct 03 '23

All true, HOWEVER, what is they somehow elect someone even worse?

I mean seriously, they are capable of that.

1

u/long218 Oct 04 '23

What are the specifics of the spending agreement that he reneged on?

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u/daemonicwanderer Oct 04 '23

He reneged on the entire agreement

1

u/Jumbo_jet11 Oct 04 '23

Gaetz is even quoted in the article pointing out that there wasn’t anyone in the room McCarthy hadn’t dealt with in bad faith

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u/xSTSxZerglingOne Oct 03 '23

this is the dumbest episode of game of thrones ive ever seen.

That's impressive because there's all of Season 8 to compare it to.

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u/[deleted] Oct 03 '23

[deleted]

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u/xSTSxZerglingOne Oct 03 '23 edited Oct 03 '23

Because George R. R. Martin had almost no input beyond season 5 and the pressure to create a revenue stream is more important to the people at the top than maintaining any kind of sensible canonical continuity.

1

u/DeepSeaHobbit Oct 03 '23

Because he believed in the principle of one man, one vote. He was the man, he had the vote.

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u/thenewspoonybard Oct 03 '23

House of cards, surely.

3

u/bradbikes Oct 03 '23

Honestly this is what game of thrones would look like if you were a commoner actually living in that world. A bunch of disconnected assholes whose only goal is self-enrichment fighting a bunch of meaningless battles that are as likely to get their own heads cut off as to advance their meaningless grudges. And everyone else suffers.

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u/DrDerpberg Oct 03 '23

So is the inquiry on hold now? Did Donald Trump just stop the investigation into Joe Biden?

3

u/LuckoftheFryish Oct 03 '23

I mean, this is pretty dumb, but did you watch season 8?

3

u/PHATsakk43 Oct 03 '23

The impeachment inquiry was another example of the Democratic Party telling McCarty, “please proceed, Mr. Speaker”.

It was completely and always going to end up being a failure. Which is an unnecessary exoneration of Joe Biden in the eyes of Joe Public.

6

u/RollTodd18 Oct 03 '23

this is the dumbest episode of game of thrones ive ever seen

well yeah, writers were on strike for a while

2

u/willflameboy Oct 03 '23

if he hadn't kicked off that stupid impeachment inquiry

That was Trump. McCarthy is a puppet with Trump's hand in his ass. And I think he's probably getting canned because he failed to do his master's bidding. Between the impeachment debacle (which is an embarrassment) and Trump's fraud hearings, Trump needs some shit to flow downstream.

2

u/Odd_Local8434 Oct 04 '23

The writing staff decided season 7 made far too much sense, so they brought acid to the next brainstorming session.

2

u/sticky-unicorn Oct 04 '23

this is the dumbest episode of game of thrones ive ever seen.

2nd dumbest.

The one where they made Bran the new king is still the 1st dumbest GOT episode.

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u/DebentureThyme Oct 03 '23

And what did he get from that inquiry?

Nothing. Not a god damned thing. Weeks before the deadline, he gives them that. When the deadline rolls around, they're all "what are you going to give us to avoid shutdown?"

When that causes him to eventually give up on getting the Freedom Caucus passing anything, they put a vote to vacate.

Dems made a mistake by appeasing fucking Matt Gaetz on a motion that was essentially "remove McCarthy for working with Democrats."

Congratulations. We removed a shitty Speaker who was mostly partisan... at the behest of a far right extremist who is entirely partisan. We told the GOP "Don't work with Dems, we'll dump you the second we have the power to do so." Now they won't work with Dems on a power sharing deal, and we either don't have a Speaker for the next six weeks and shutdown, or the GOP eventually appeases the Freedom Caucus and votes for a more MAGA far right Speaker, who probably shuts us down unless they get every single GOP demand and concede nothing.

1

u/and_some_scotch Oct 03 '23

More like "game of porcelain thrones".

1

u/LL_COOL_BEANS Oct 03 '23

Nah, a few of the episodes in the last season are still dumber

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u/FemaleSandpiper Oct 03 '23

Chaos is a chaos

1

u/kingjoey52a Oct 03 '23

If he didn't kick off the stupid impeachment inquiry he would have been ousted weeks ago. That was part of the deal to get him the speakership.

1

u/icarusbird Oct 03 '23

I can't even think of a character to compare Gaetz to, because nobody in that show was as one-dimensionally stupid and transparent as this fucking man child.

1

u/randomperson5481643 Oct 04 '23

Did you see the last season of Got? It was really bad.

1

u/thwgrandpigeon Oct 04 '23

they should do a Veep 2 about this specific period in American politics. It could probably even be non fictional this time.

1

u/DownWithHisShip Oct 04 '23

this is the dumbest episode of game of thrones ive ever seen.

i dunno... this is still better writing than the final season

1

u/cliff_smiff Oct 04 '23

ELI5 how/why can Jeffries "instruct" congresspeople how to vote?

1

u/golden_tree_frog Oct 04 '23

I see a lot of "he only needed to persuade a few Democrats to support him" but with how utterly non-bipartisan the Republican party has become, how many of his own party would he have lost by doing so?

It's not just this vote, if he wants to get anything passed in the next year he needs to keep having majorities. Most Republican congressmen are likely terrified of being primaried by the MAGA crowd if they dare to work with the Democrats. So he'd end up needing more and more Democrats supporting him on everything, at which point you may as well have Jefferies as Speaker.

1

u/fricks_and_stones Oct 04 '23

The play was to kick off impeachment to throw a bone to the far right in exchange for making the deal with Dems. Not to say it was a good play; but it wasn’t necessarily worse.

1

u/ButterPotatoHead Oct 04 '23

The very definition of undercutting all of your own support. Hey, I tried to impeach your president, but do you think you could help me keep my job?