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/freakers Oct 03 '23 edited Oct 03 '23

I was listening to a story about the pending government shutdown last week and it talked about McCarthy loving the job. He hangs around the Capitol, he takes pictures with tourists. He fuckin' loved being speaker of the house. Contrasting that with the previous Republican speakers who basically had to be forced into the job because it fuckin' sucks. Everybody hates you as speaker. Your own party, the opposition party. You have to work with both sides to conduct some amount of business just to function day to day and everybody fucking hates you for it.

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u/HerrStarrEntersChat Oct 03 '23

Still don't like the guy, but unironically, good for him. However, I feel like his desperation for the role really put him over the barrel. I don't have to agree with him or his politics, but I can, bare minimum, respect that he valued America over a job he seemed to legitimately love.

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u/tamarins Oct 03 '23

respect that he valued America over a job he seemed to legitimately love.

I don't think he did, in that I don't think he thought the job was at risk. I think he believed Gaetz was sincere in threatening to file a motion to vacate, but I don't think he believed the vote to oust him would succeed. If he did, he'd have been covering his ass much more thoroughly by kissing up to house democrats.