canyonwalker (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
canyonwalker) wrote2023-01-04 01:35 pm
canyonwalker) wrote2023-01-04 01:35 pm
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McCarthy loses 5— No, 6— rounds of voting for Speaker
I haven't written much about politics in my blog over the past year, but that's not a reflection of my interest (or lack thereof) in following politics. I do stay on top of the new every day and consume it from multiple sources. One odd thing that's been in US political news yesterday and today is the election for Speaker of the House of Representatives. For the first time in over 100 years, no Speaker has been selected even after multiple rounds of balloting.
Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-Ca.) was the presumptive candidate for speakership. He'd been the minority leader for 4 years. With the Republicans gaining a majority in the House after last November's elections, McCarthy was naturally in line for the job. Over the past few weeks, though, a small number of strongly conservative House members have opposed his candidacy. There were 5 of them— just enough to tank his accession in a House where the Republicans hold a slim, 4-seat majority.
It turns out opposition has been wider than just that core bloc of 5 members. In the first round of ballots Tuesday 19 Republican members voted against McCarthy. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries actually won more votes than McCarthy as Democrats were united in voting for him.
As of Wednesday afternoon Congress has now gone throughfive now SIX rounds of votes for Speaker with still no winner. McCarthy had boldly predicted after the first few losses yesterday that he'd wear down his opponents and they'd come over to his side. Instead, on the fourth and fifth ballots today he lost a supporter each time. Talk is growing among Republican circles that it's time for McCarthy to withdraw in favor of a compromise candidate.
On the one hand, regardless of how many rounds of votes it takes, and regardless of whether the winner wins by a single vote or an overwhelming majority, the winner is the winner. The new Speaker has all the powers of the office.
On the other hand, there's been significant horse-trading behind closed doors to woo opponents. Key concessions McCarthy made give more power to far-right members of his party, e.g. in the form of committee assignments. These committee members and leaders could use their investigative powers to tie the federal government up with wasteful, bad-faith investigations of the Biden administration. ...And no, that's not a worst-case hypothetical notion from someone on the other side of the political divide; it's what these members have openly and repeatedly promised to do.
All the same, though, this speakership has been destined to be weak, at least for the next 2 years. That's because there's a Democrat president and Democrat majority in the Senate. The Republican majority in the House can block legislation from going through, but it's a two edged sword. If they overplay their hand and block too many bills or waste too much time on conspiracy theory-driven investigations they'll tarnish their party's reputation in the short term and hamper its performance in the 2024 elections.
Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-Ca.) was the presumptive candidate for speakership. He'd been the minority leader for 4 years. With the Republicans gaining a majority in the House after last November's elections, McCarthy was naturally in line for the job. Over the past few weeks, though, a small number of strongly conservative House members have opposed his candidacy. There were 5 of them— just enough to tank his accession in a House where the Republicans hold a slim, 4-seat majority.
It turns out opposition has been wider than just that core bloc of 5 members. In the first round of ballots Tuesday 19 Republican members voted against McCarthy. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries actually won more votes than McCarthy as Democrats were united in voting for him.
As of Wednesday afternoon Congress has now gone through
What's the Impact?
What does it actually matter how many rounds of balloting it takes? I've heard a lot of politicos and commentators remark that McCarthy's speakership would be weakened if he won after even one failed round of voting. I both agree and disagree with that argument.On the one hand, regardless of how many rounds of votes it takes, and regardless of whether the winner wins by a single vote or an overwhelming majority, the winner is the winner. The new Speaker has all the powers of the office.
On the other hand, there's been significant horse-trading behind closed doors to woo opponents. Key concessions McCarthy made give more power to far-right members of his party, e.g. in the form of committee assignments. These committee members and leaders could use their investigative powers to tie the federal government up with wasteful, bad-faith investigations of the Biden administration. ...And no, that's not a worst-case hypothetical notion from someone on the other side of the political divide; it's what these members have openly and repeatedly promised to do.
All the same, though, this speakership has been destined to be weak, at least for the next 2 years. That's because there's a Democrat president and Democrat majority in the Senate. The Republican majority in the House can block legislation from going through, but it's a two edged sword. If they overplay their hand and block too many bills or waste too much time on conspiracy theory-driven investigations they'll tarnish their party's reputation in the short term and hamper its performance in the 2024 elections.
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