Fifteen votes. That’s how many attempts it took Kevin McCarthy to attain his longtime goal of becoming the Speaker of the House of Representatives. It is the eighth most ballots cast in American history, and the most since before the Civil War.
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McCarthy’s victory came only after he bargained away a great deal of the power that a Speaker traditionally has held. The beneficiaries of that desperate deal-making were the fringiest of the Republican Party’s right wing, who will now try to hold the House – and the nation – hostage to their uber-conservative commands.
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With that, McCarthy will be a weaker Speaker than any in modern times. One who only managed to squeak through with less than a majority of member votes due to the peculiarities of the process wherein those voting “present” aren’t counted. That lowers the threshold for a majority to only those who voted for someone by name.
Following the fifteenth vote, McCarthy spoke to reporters in the Capitol that was the scene of a violent insurrection two years ago to the day. He didn’t bother to mention that. However, he did give thanks to the person most responsible for those anti-America riots, the twice-impeached, former reality TV game show host, Donald Trump. McCarthy gushed…
“I do want to especially thank [former] president Trump. I don’t think anyone should doubt his influence. He was with me from the beginning. Somebody wrote the doubt of whether he was there, and he was all in. He would call me and he would call others. And he really was – I was just talking to him tonight – helping get those final votes. What he’s really saying really for the party and the country is we have to come together.”
McCarthy: “I do want to especially thank Pres Trump. I don’t think anyone should doubt his influence. He was with me from the beginning. He was all in. What he’s really saying for the party and the country is we have to come together.” pic.twitter.com/KWEFQQAHkn
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) January 7, 2023
McCarthy is demonstrating his best qualification for leadership of the Republican Party: Shameless sycophancy. It’s reminiscent of his trip to Mar-a-Lago shortly after the January 6th insurrection to bow to Trump and kiss his… let’s say ring. That was only a few days after he had made a speech on the House floor condemning Trump’s responsibility for inciting the assault.
UPDATE: Trump humbly took all the credit for McCarthy’s eventual victory.
However, McCarthy is either lying or delusional. The truth is that Trump ignored the Speaker’s race for the first couple of days as McCarthy was floundering. He eventually posted a rather mild comment on his pitifully failing Twitter ripoff, Truth Social, begging Republicans to vote for McCarthy, not because he’s deserving, but in order to “WATCH CRAZY NANCY PELOSI FLY BACK HOME!” Which, of course, wouldn’t happen because she remains a respected member of Congress.
As for whether “anyone should doubt Trump’s influence,” the votes immediately following Trump’s appeal had zero effect on the GOP House members who have been voting against McCarthy. He didn’t sway a single vote. And the last six holdouts still didn’t vote for McCarthy, instead just voting “present.” This is more evidence that Trump’s influence as a Republican leader and wannabe kingmaker has devolved into his being an impotent figurehead to whom no one is listening.
RELATED: Fellow Losers: Trump’s Belated Support Proves Impotent as McCarthy Still Loses Votes for Speaker
For his part, Trump bragged that the “The Republican Party really came together last night. It was, in so many ways, a beautiful thing to see. HISTORIC!” And he’s right, if by “coming together” he meant doing the least possible to squeak out a win, and by “historic” he meant historically awful and humiliating.
Trump also posted that the prolonged and incompetently managed ordeal may have seemed crazy (it was), but that it really “made it all much bigger and more important.” Kind of like the way slipping on a banana peel makes walking down the street bigger and more important. And if that weren’t enough, the Beast of Mar-All-Ego posted eight (8!) nearly identical articles about McCarthy thanking him.
It isn’t surprising that McCarthy went out of his way to fluff Trump. That’s what political parasites and bootlickers are best at. Likewise, it’s completely in character for Trump to boast about victories that never took place, or for which he had no role. This speaker vote debacle should put to rest whether Trump has any lingering influence. And if you want further evidence…
SEE THIS: LOL: Trump Starts 2023 with a New Year’s Eve Press Conference at Mar-a-Lago but Nobody Came
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How sick. McCarthy praising Trump for his Speakership. I’ll never forget his quoting Trump exactly: It’s time to send crazy Nancy back home. Proof that the man can’t think for himself. Further proof is that he had to make so many concessions with other Republicans (insurrectionists, those wanting personal riches and fame, those wanting revenge against Biden and other Democrats only, and those who are rightfully called crazy by those who do have a brain-MTG. Oh, and the just plain Trumpists. To me, his Speaker of the House gavel, through all that he had to go through to get it, is very weak as a result. Come on Nancy. Straighten up this chaotic House!
Your last sentence is the very best, i could only dream Ms Nancy could come back and clean this festering mess up. The thing that gives me hope is that the Senate and Pres. Biden WON’T go along with their crazy BS bills that they propose. I got on the Commons web site tonight and read over 300 comments by dedicated Democrats and some of them were depressing , but a lot of them were very encouraging. I do think those MAGA members of the house are really going to cause a lot of problems. That debt ceiling thing is the one that concerns me the most by holding the Dems hostage in exchange for cuts to Social Security, Voting rights, Climate actions, cuts to Medicare and much more. The Rethugs have said they will let the United States default on the national debt if concessions are not made. I wonder if the Senate will have any say so in that? All of this sounds like extortion or blackmail to me, but i do not know if i am correct in saying this. I wish our Federal Government was the same as Canada’s is. They don’t have a Rethuglican party like we do to cause chaos and extremism. I think they have a Parliamentary type government. If i could, i would move there right now to Nova Scotia, but i would have to talk my daughter and grandson into moving with me. They do have rather strict immigration laws and requirements to get around though. It is very beautiful there and their citizens do speak our language too. The best thing is, most of the people i have talked to on comment sites HATE Donald TUMP as much, or more than i do even though they are Canadian citizens… TUMP has did so much damage to the United States. I watched several TV programs about Hitler yesterday, and the narrator proclaimed at the beginning of the programs, ” This is a detailed guide of the most hated man in history” That statement isn’t true any longer for me, Donald TUMP is the most hated man in history for me personally.
Great, John. You’re leaving me with very little to add. I wouldn’t rule out Nancy and her efforts to help Democracy. Although she is no longer Speaker, she works in the House for Democrats. Re’ McCarthy, have you seen photos of MTG and her Cheshire Cat smile clawing all over him? He has indeed sold his soul to the devil.
Yes, i just saw a photo a few minutes ago with MTG and McCarthy together with their butt ugly faces squashed up cheek to cheek. This makes me wonder if they have even had some bedroom activities together too. I would not be surprised if they have.. I don’t even want to think of what a bedroom would smell like after they have did unmentionable activities with each other. YUK!!!! These people disgust me to no end with their dishonest and criminal things they do. They are making a mockery of what is supposed to be the Congress of the United States. They are going against everything the United States is supposed to be about. You are so right by saying he has sold his wretched soul to the devil…
I thought the same thing about McCarthy and Greene but was afraid to mention it. How about Gaetz and Boebert? In many issues, all four are disgusting. It’s sick and disgusting that so many House Republicans took part in Trump’s evil insurrection and pat themselves on the back over it. We now have an immoral and corrupt House.
That’s right, they are immoral and very corrupt, and in their twisted, deranged minds they think they are doing good things.. What they have done is tearing down and destroying our once great nation. What is even more disturbing is it doesn’t seem than anyone is trying to stop these criminals from finishing the USA off. Gaetz and Boebert are both sleaze bags and there is no telling what is going on between those two. I really don’t even want to think about that….. really nasty stuff…. One more thing, i honestly don’t know how TUMP keeps going at all, there is probably enough cholesterol in his body to kill an elephant. And all of the poisons in that orange makeup should have already did him in… and the bleach he drinks to keep Covid 19 away….I am beginning to think he is some horrific creature from the supernatural.. That is very scary…we could be doomed if that statement is true…/s