Here is a list of the concessions Gaetz made McCarthy agree to.
pic.twitter.com/8avY10pyBX
— Electric Beard (@ElectricBeard_) January 7, 2023
Posted on 01/07/2023 3:21:28 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Usually when a writer writes, “it was like a 15-round fight,” they’re engaging in hyperbole—but as RedState’s Nick Arama reported, Friday night’s vote for Speaker of the House did indeed go 15 rounds before Kevin McCarthy finally won after facing a rebellion from 20 Republicans who initially refused to vote for him. It was the longest speaker battle since 1853.
California’s McCarthy finally won the speakership, but Florida congressman Matt Gaetz may have won the war. He was the leader of the pack of holdouts, along with Colorado’s Lauren Boebert and Arizona’s Andy Biggs, and for a brief moment in time, they held the future one of the three branches of government in their hands. All eyes looked to them as their yay or nay could change the course of the future.
In fact, the moment was so tense that a fight almost broke out when Mike Rogers of Alabama seemed to lose his cool, as Arama reported.
It was after the 14th vote that Gaetz apparently had a change of heart, approaching McCarthy and saying something which seemed to invigorate the candidate who immediately started animatedly advocating other members to vote “no” on adjourning for the night.
The subsequent vote nuked the motion to adjourn, and after 14 failures, McCarthy finally inched across the finish line with a vote of 216-212 (the 212 going to NY Democrat Hakeem Jeffries) with five voting present, including Boebert and Gaetz.
He is now the Speaker of the House.
However, his powers have been severely compromised, as he was forced to make concession after concession to get the votes of his peers. Who forced these concessions? Gaetz and the Freedom Caucus, which includes Andy Biggs, AZ, Dan Bishop, NC, Lauren Boebert, CO, Michael Cloud, TX, Andrew Clyde, GA, Matt Gaetz, FL, Bob Good, VA, Paul Gosar, AZ, Andy Harris, MD, Mary Miller, IL, Ralph Norman, SC, Scott Perry, PA, Matt Rosendale, MT, Chip Roy, TX, Byron Donalds, FL, Josh Brecheen, OK, Eli Crane, AZ, Andy Ogles, TN, Anna Paulina Luna, FL, and Keith Self, TX..
Here is a list of the concessions Gaetz made McCarthy agree to.
pic.twitter.com/8avY10pyBX— Electric Beard (@ElectricBeard_) January 7, 2023
It was an action-packed night on C-SPAN, as Nick Arama reported, explaining how the vote to adjourn was pulled back from the brink:
Gaetz and McCarthy seem to have come to some sort of agreement. Gaetz, who had voted to adjourn, pulled that back and voted “no,” so they could continue the vote. It was a sign McCarthy didn’t need more time to whip votes.
So then, in the 15th vote, all of the six holdouts then voted “present,” lowering the count needed to win, securing the vote for McCarthy. Those six were Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), and Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT)
You may or may not like Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, and the Freedom Caucus, but one thing is for sure: they flexed their muscles this week, and they are going to be a force to be reckoned with.
I just watched the movie Rocky recently and yes, regardless of the judges’ split decision, Rocky won the fight just like Rep. Gaetz did.
I was hoping that The Constitution and the Representatives Constituents would be the Real Winners.
Oh Well ...
I think they managed to maneuver an outcome just this side of cane swinging bloodshed. Well done.
thank God for Matt and the other five. i think they did the best they could. the good thing is that they continue to be in a good position to act as a conservative ‘gang of five’ when the establishment votes for something we don’t want (i know: the dems could support them anyway).
Now Kevin is Gaetz’ b**ch.
As has been reported, it will only take a single congressperson, acting in what is known as a Jeffersonian Motion, to move to remove the Speaker if he or she goes back on their word or policy agenda.
A “Church” style committee will be convened to look into the weaponization of the FBI and other government organizations (presumably the CIA, the subject of the original Church Committee) against the American people.
Term limits will be put up for a vote.
Bills presented to Congress will be single subject, not omnibus with all the attendant earmarks, and there will be a 72-hour minimum period to read them.
The Texas Border Plan will be put before Congress. From The Hill: “The four-pronged plan aims to ‘Complete Physical Border Infrastructure,’ ‘Fix Border Enforcement Policies,’ ‘Enforce our Laws in the Interior’ and ‘Target Cartels & Criminal Organizations.'”
COVID mandates will be ended as will all funding for them, including so-called “emergency funding.”
Budget bills would stop the endless increases in the debt ceiling and hold the Senate accountable for the same.
* * *
In response to the outcome, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), one of the holdouts, said in a statement that the anti-McCarthy Reps. "changed the way the government will be funded," and "changed the way committees will be formed."
"We secured votes on term limits, the fair tax, the Texas Border Plan, and so much more."
Bobert goes on to slam President Biden for calling the speakership process 'embarrassing for Republicans.
"How sad is it that us governing as the founders intended looks embarrassing to Democrats?" Bobert asked, adding "I'll tell you what's embarrassing. 40-year high inflation is embarrassing. 5 million illegals crossing our southern border is embarrassing/ Surrendering to ISIS and fleeing Afghanistan is embarrassing. Having a president that cant' finish his sentences is embarrassing."
My statement on the historic victories House conservatives secured. pic.twitter.com/O8rG1VHk0X — Rep. Lauren Boebert (@RepBoebert) January 7, 2023
"It’s safe to say that we believe there ought to be specific, concrete limits on spending attached to a debt ceiling increase," said Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) on Thursday.
"There will be no clean debt ceiling increase, that’s for sure," said Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), another anti-McCarthy lawmaker who was convinced to switch his vote due to the concessions.
Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA)
No word from Ogles on committee assignments or agreements, however there are discussions on positions for members of the Freedom Caucus.
Also no word on whether the House will hold a different kind of Jan. 6 investigation, unless it's going to be part of the new "Church" committee.
Meanwhile, The Hill notes that chairmanships on subcommittees are still going to need to be earned.
Another major concern for centrist Republicans throughout the week’s marathon negotiations was the conservatives’ push to win more subcommittee gavels for themselves — an idea that infuriated those already in line for those seats.
Bacon had called it “a non-starter,” particularly among the more moderate Republicans who have worked their way up the ladder into those seats.
“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. -The Hill
"These concessions have been agreed to by our conference, and ultimately I believe it’s going to lead to a more people-driven legislative process," said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA). "It’s about restoring more power and decision making to the members."
Democrat Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland says McCarthy gave up too much.
"I think he gave away much more than I wish he’d given," he said, adding "I think it does give to a small, willful faction of his caucus, a negative faction of his caucus, a faction of his caucus that has been almost uniformly obstructionist, more authority than they ought to have."
Among the group of my wife and her liberal friends, they are all decrying Gaetz as some kind of Bad Guy Worse than Orange Man Bad.
They were genuinely confused and helpless when I pointed out to them that McCarthy was supported by Trump. “OH NO, Which way do I turn!?! “
The Insanity of exploding heads.
And pretty proud of my neighbor, Miss Lauren; her remaining election cycle posters with her smiling face drive my wife and friends bat dung crazy.
Wunnerful wunnerful.
Toldya he’d win.
For this “Church committee”, not 1 Democrat should be permitted to sit on this committee.
If they hadn’t forced McTurd to concede he would have walked all over them
So all the hand wringers crying about the sky falling were just a bunch of phony reactionaries trying to smash conservatives as usual
This erased any doubts that this was the right way to go!
It was a brilliant play by Gaetz, to set himself up to be the last and deciding vote, AFTER McCarthy had already told the press he had the votes to win the 14th.
So the whole weekend news cycle was going to be a rerun of how Gaetz had outsmarted McCarthy, and everyone trying to ask McCarthy what went wrong.
There’s no telling what Gaetz was able to extract from McCarthy to save him the embarrassment of not winning on Friday night. Hopefully we’ll be able to find out what it was, to keep McCarthy’s feet to the fire.
Bkmk
Gaetz had his mouthpiece and gloves on for the Speaker vote.
Also, this drama would’t have happened if a red wave would’ve materialized in the 2022 midterms.
The Rebels wouldn’t of had the leverage.
But what do the GOPers have to ENSURE that McCarthy (ptooey!) keeps his promises? Because I believe he’ll turn on America the first chance he gets.
yup. where there was none, there’s now some hope in the national GOP, thanks to the courageous action of these conservatives. no doubt they are all hated by the establishment. we’ll have to see now whether Kevin’s ‘come to Jesus’ promises were real, and whether he can keep the leftists and neocons in the GOP in line.
A few things. Off the top of my head...
- McCarthy is bruised and battered, and doesn't need another fight of any kind right now
- McCarthy especially isn't looking forward to his next bout with Gaetz, who just cleaned his clock
- McCarthy gave his word, which is very important for a Speaker to be able to lead
- Most Republicans were just screaming "we need to get to work!" and a delay would stop that
- Republicans also want to show they are now united and able to govern
- ETC
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