The Empty Chair
Link to Quote: Kevin McCarthy on X: "I will not seek to run again for Speaker of the House. I may have lost a vote today, but I fought for what I believe in—and I believe in America. It has been an honor to serve. https://t.co/4EMpOuwtzy" / X (twitter.com)
For the first time in American history there is a vacancy for the Speaker of the House. It is the first federal official position mentioned in the Constitution. The 2022 midterms left Speaker McCarthy with a tiny majority. The election defied conventional wisdom and democrats managed to hold on to more seats than anyone ever expected. I still don't understand it, but time may provide an answer.
Yesterday McCarthy was ousted as Speaker by Trump sword bearer Matt Gaetz. McCarthy and Gaetz were enemies, but there is more to this. McCarthy had made a lot of promises during his Speaker election. One was to return to regular order when considering appropriations. He also went along with one member being able to call for a motion to vacate. After McCarthy was ousted gave a speech which touched on the institution, it's rules and the way Nancy Pelosi has made it more partisan.
We don't know what will happen now. The Republicans still have a miniscule 9 vote majority. To give McCarthy his due, he was able to accomplish quite a bit. The bills the House produced were ideal, they finally got some much-needed investigations going and at the very least they slowed down the radical left's agenda. McCarthy was also great at getting people elected to the House. In the past few elections, he was able to increase the size of the GOP membership.
Oddly enough it was the 18 Republican moderates who stood tall passing Conservative measures. The hard right members voted against them.
Who would want to be Speaker when a single member can call for a motion to vacate?
Steve Scalise is most likely the one.
And then there is this:
GOP Representative Patrick McHenry is acting as interim speaker as the chaos continues to unfold, including an push from Republican Representative Troy Nehls to nominate former President Trump as speaker. The House is in recess until next week.
Kevin McCarthy Bows Out of House Speakership Rerun after Historic Ouster | National Review
Last night Sean Hannity indicated that Donald Trump might be willing to step in and help out temporarily.
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