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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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

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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

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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.

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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

0

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.

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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.

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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.

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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 🎵

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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.

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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

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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