Posted on 12/06/2022 10:12:40 PM PST by RandFan
The opposition to Mr. McCarthy’s ascent to speaker is driven by a group of five Republican lawmakers. Despite the absence of a viable alternative, they are determined to use their leverage in a bare Republican majority to make it difficult, if not impossible, for Mr. McCarthy to win the 218 votes needed to secure the speaker’s gavel on the opening day of the 118th Congress.
Republicans are poised to govern with a five-seat majority, which means just a handful of rank-and-file lawmakers could thwart Mr. McCarthy’s election.
Rep. Andy Biggs, Arizona Republican, is leading the effort to depose Mr. McCarthy, 57, who has headed the Republican conference since 2019 and before that served five years as majority leader.
Mr. Biggs, a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, told The Times that Republicans need “a change agent.” He is throwing his name into the mix as a candidate for speaker when Congress convenes on Jan. 3 despite losing overwhelmingly to Mr. McCarthy in a closed-door vote last month.
“Kevin doesn’t have the votes,” Mr. Biggs said in an interview. “I know he doesn’t have the votes. I know he knows he doesn’t have the votes. The reality is the pressure is on Kevin. It’s not on me.”
On Tuesday, Mr. McCarthy was not sweating about winning the 218.
“We’ll get to it,” he told The Times as he walked through a Capitol hallway.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
How does he win? He does not have the votes.
He’s a loser. He needs to resign
A joke of an election (well, third in a row), why not a joke of a Speaker ?
Don’t forget FTX.
They’re memory hiling that because it could bring down the DNC, which is broke without it.
He wants you to think it’s inevitable/
He’s been all over the media saying with his bravado saying he will be speaker etc.
But I repeat he does not have the votes.
The Gang of Five don’t give a sh*t they burned their bridges long ago and it’s a slim majority so they hold sway.
He’s got to go or it’s going to be a circus.
And I read that McCarthy took money from him as well.
And the more he plays hardball the more they dig in and gain sympathy from other members....
Yea.
Smart kid. Making sure to spread the vig around.
Nope. What history are you reading? 100 years go it took several ballots to get a Speaker and at least once it took a two to three months to settle on a Speaker. It's been awhile but we've been down this road before.
Any "compromise" candidate is surely to be more mushy middle than even McCarthy.
Hopefully he’s gone by Jan 3. otherwise it will be a circus.
Surely he will be told to just resign by the GOP bigwigs.
Even the RINOs understand this.
Once he is gone they can hold a new election behind closed doors and try and find a consensus but Kevin has to go first.
I predict he will unless something changes like new rules being adopted or whatever.
Why do you keep claiming it's unprecedented that a Speaker might struggle to get the votes? Look at 1923.
There is no way the GOP will want a circus on Jan 3. if the 5 stay strong I reckon he is done for and has to resign before then.
We will see won’t we.....
It says it in the article
Wasn’t that suggested by Clyburn, I believe, the other day?
The democrats will elect him. If they do and he takes the position he truly is more of a POS than I could ever imagine
McCarthy will be the same as Boehner and Ryan and McConnell. I don’t know why Mark Levin is excited about him.
That will just lead to a lot of strife if he relies on Dem votes.
It might happen I dont know.... Hard to predict.
I just think he’s done for and all his bravado in the media is making it worse. Listen to Biggs.
McCarthy is delusional at this point!
Unless he wants to be the first leader in history to lose the speaker vote should 5 stay strong.
Yes, A loser. Perhaps a fitting epitaph...
That is factually incorrect.
There have been any number of disputed votes for Speaker.
They keep voting till someone gets the votes, often with disastrous results.
I hope you’re right.
I want complete and total chaos for the next two years. With the right folks, even with a slim majority, they can make life hell for the democrats. Of course, that depends on the House RINOs and who’ll they’ll vote with.
Hard to believe how some of them were elected after hearing some of the things they say.
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