US Midterms 2022 - Read OP before posting

everlast75 · 05-01-2023 11:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120071670#Comment_120071670

I think the insurrectionists want to embarrass him until he caves into what they want

Quin_Dub · 05-01-2023 11:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120071676#Comment_120071676

I get that, but who actually calls for the vote each time?

Sparko · 06-01-2023 12:22am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120071727#Comment_120071727

I think they have only two options right now, either nominate speaker candidates and have a vote, or vote to adjourn for the day. His opponents may be inclined not to vote to adjourn because they want to keep embarrassing him so until they have the numbers to adjourn, like when people get tired and bored enough, they just keep doing the speaker vote over and over.

PropJoe10 · 06-01-2023 1:22am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120071727#Comment_120071727

It seems that there's no process in place for anything other than either a vote for speaker, or adjournment - as the last person said. It seems utterly ridiculous for this to be going on. Because there's no speaker, they can't do anything whatsoever - they can't even swear in the new sitting of Congress until the speaker is chosen. It's an absolute clown show.

Frank Bullitt · 06-01-2023 3:38am

Looking at this "great democracy" make a holy show of itself is the entertainment I need to start the year.

Honest question, what the hell will happen though? They are just going round and round...

pixelburp · 06-01-2023 7:46am

The MAGA faction are getting exactly what they want; empty tub thumping pantomime. These are the ones who refused to accept the 2020 election, sided with the insurrectionists, and constantly insist that DC is a "swamp". Throttling Congress is exactly what these anti-democratic buffoons want. Just venal disruptive idiots who have no intention to actually lead or represent their constituents.

It just highlights that while it can seem a very codified democracy, many corners of their processes are deeply flawed, with serious deficiencies and gaps.

Also highlights that you can't have a 2 party system while embracing increasingly extreme edges under one church. Clearly the whip system only works to a point, and I'm shocked that "hey, maybe we need more parties" isn't a topic floating into political discourse over there. Let MAGA become its own party; but then they'd not have their snouts in the GOP trough anymore ...

VinLieger · 06-01-2023 9:56am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120072232#Comment_120072232

I think most of them they are unfortunately smart enough to know or have at least had it explained with crayons that FPtP means allowing calls for more parties would be the death of conservative politics for at least the next decade.

TheIrishGrover · 06-01-2023 10:14am

Vote for clowns, get a circus

Vicxas · 06-01-2023 10:20am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120072159#Comment_120072159

Looks that way, what an absolute farce the GOP have made themselves

pixelburp · 06-01-2023 10:49am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120072412#Comment_120072412

I'd question whether the likes of Gaetz, Boebert et al care about the broad direction of conservative politics, as against their own personal success and wealth. That the GOP teat is just the current convenience that suits them best. There's clearly a number of middling millionaires (like Mike Lindell) and foolish ordinary folk willing to hand money into this weird quasi-fundamentalist movement. Coupled with wealthier donors who'd latch onto these spoofers purely for the same self-enrichment and yeah: you could have a MAGA party ready to go. Same point WRT the left-wing rump of the Democrats; it's bizarre Ocasio-Cortez and Pelosi both sit on the same party (though noteworthy they seem much more capable of forming a bloc ATM).

I think their blind belief in "America" as this immovable, perfect monolith - see some of the blather about how wonderful this deadlock is compared with other countries - is at odds with their own ambition. Not that I want MAGA to take off or aything, but better it being over there in the corner being the lunatic fringe than part of the GOP machine.

MadYaker · 06-01-2023 10:53am

McCarthy is never going to get it so they need to stop nominating him. At this stage it might be best to adjourn until sometime next week and take a few days to try and sort it out behind the scenes.

ohnonotgmail · 06-01-2023 10:53am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120072622#Comment_120072622

I find it funny to see Ocasio-Cortez described as "left-wing". in most normal countries she would be a centrist. the gap between her and the likes of Pelosi is much smaller than the gap between the maga crowd and the center of the GOP.

pixelburp · 06-01-2023 11:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120072638#Comment_120072638

Undoubtedly; as is Bernie Sanders. Crazed socialist in America, boilerplate centrist in the EU. But I'd tend to try & speak from the point of view of the American perspective WRT left-right perceptions.

By all accounts, there's a much larger ideological gap between the poles in the Democrats than the GOP - but that's arguably because the GOP fringe has exited the realm of simple social or political difference, entering into genuine Cultish fundamentalism (or something close to it). It's not about healthcare or taxes anymore with these people.

PropJoe10 · 06-01-2023 11:48am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120072638#Comment_120072638

Indeed, it's become a nice buzz-phrase for Trump and his band of uneducated idiots to call the likes of AOC and Sanders "communists" without even really knowing what that word means. It's about time that moderate Republicans and moderate Democrats started working together to resolve this Speaker problem. If they don't, this could go on for weeks.

everlast75 · 06-01-2023 11:57am

Communist... Radical left... Woke... Etc etc

Boogeyman nonsense to keep their base angry and afraid.

Easier than trying to engage in a debate and defend your position.

Igotadose · 06-01-2023 11:59am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120072924#Comment_120072924

McCarthy's rolled over so hard for the GQP wing, though, this won't be easy. Democrats will want committee chairmanships, an end to the nonsense about the budget resolutions and a focus on legislating. The GQP won't agree to that. Their plan is Hunter Biden investigations, disable the Jan 6 data report to the LOC (or Congressional Record, I forget which but they're trying to put the kibosh on the data as I suspect a fair few are implicated in it.) Legistlating about borders, budgets, inflation reductinon, medical care, none of that makes the bar in today's GQP.

This is a a long way from resolving.

Igotadose · 06-01-2023 2:33pm

Interesting read (paywalled, so archive.ph) about some of the proposals from the GQP contingent. Seems like weakening the power of the Speaker would have a lot of upsides:

"The Right-Wing Nuts Upending the House Are Right About One ThingAmidst the insanity, the GOP defectors have identified a very real problem with the concentration of power in Congress."

archive.ph Ly4QZ. Boards link previewer barfing on it

duploelabs · 06-01-2023 6:11pm

he must be a masochist

06-01-2023 6:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120072019#Comment_120072019

The NY Times covers the reasons for the repeated votes quite well here: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/06/us/politics/speaker-voting-house.html. McCarthy would be quite happy to vote to adjourn for a week to allow him to regroup. But if he could get the votes for that, he could get the votes to elect him.

If the Republicans were a functioning party, they would have the option of reaching out to centrist Democrats and putting together a deal that would result in about 20 Dems abstaining, which would give McCarthy a majority. In return, the Dems might get a couple of committee chairs, maybe some loosening of the speaker's powers, and some movement on potential bipartisan legislation. It's likely that the Dems would have substantially less demands than what Boebert, Gaetz et. al. are calling for.

However, the GOP have spent so long demonising anyone that's seen as slightly to the left of Nixon, that they don't have that option anymore. Any Republican seen as even having a negotiation with a Democrat is in immediate danger of losing their seat; either due to a MAGA/QAnon challenger in the primary, or because their hardcore base will abandon them in the general. The "moderate" Republicans have no choice now: they have to pander to the hard right crazies.

They went for a short term gain when they rowed in behind Trump. This is the inevitable consequence of that choice, and they deserve every bit of it

Timberrrrrrrr · 06-01-2023 6:53pm

I see a couple of them have flipped to McCarthy now, Gaetz and Boebert nominating Jordan and Hern respectively, people walk out and neither get any applause afterwards.

Foxtrol · 06-01-2023 6:53pm

Looks like the Republicans are cheering another lost vote

Igotadose · 06-01-2023 7:05pm

Two GOP types might not be around for votes. One back to Tx due to be with spouse and the 4 week premature baby. Another out Saturday to attend a funeral. So, total number of votes, in theory, will be down to 432, 217 for the win.

I thought there were a couple of silent abstentions in the 12th round as well.