>

The Democratic caucus looks fun. The GOP is a bunch of ranting, angry loons.
For the first time ever, a African-American has received a plurality of the votes for Speaker of the House. >

First, second & third >

If anyone has a hidden immunity idol, now would be the time to play it. >

Been a while since I’ve seen a survivor reference >

Someone earlier said a Jeff Probst fire-building competition would settle this once and for all >

Is there a reason a lot of people are missing that they had two months plus to sort this out? 
People are acting like Republicans just found out this morning they won the house and will be voting on a speaker. >

They are playing a game of chicken and it doesn't usually work until there are real stakes. A bit like labor feuds won't be solved until there is a strike/lockout really close or already started.
Sure smart people could figure things out, but these are power hungry bozos and many of who want non-functioning government anyway. >

R- Hardliners won't vote for McCarthy
R- Moderates won't vote for Jordan/Biggs.
​
Willy Wonka: "The suspense is terrible. I hope it will last." >

There is a group of "Never-McCarthy" and a group of "Only-McCarthy" ... They absolutely will block eachother with this minimal republican advantage in the house.  
This is probably going to drag on for a while.  Buckle in. >

Funniest shot is that the latter group has buttons that say “OK” as in “only Kevin.” His support is so lackluster I could swear it’s parody >

So you have the OKs and the Not OKs >

NO MEMBER HAS VOTES TO BE ELECTED 
SECOND SPEAKER VOTE EXPECTED
For the first time since 1923, we will have multiple ballots for speaker. >

Exactly 100 years...wow >

Y'know what's great? Not having our president live tweeting about this shit show. >

Biden should just post a pic eating popcorn >


Matt Gaetz rises to nominate Jim Jordan, who just urged his colleagues to vote for Kevin McCarthy. Gaetz says Jordan’s speech nominating McCarthy displayed “more vision than we have ever heard from the alternative.”

lmao, what >

Matt Gaetz is letting an AI trained on 4chan dictate his behavior today. >

Lol Dan Crenshaw called Matt Gaetz + co. RINOs
Let. Them. Fight. >

I just love how anyone who's against their current talking point at this moment suddenly becomes a RINO, no matter how tightly allied they were with them right up until then. 
It's amazing how quickly these people will turn on their own. >

This is what happens when there’s no integrity or principles undergirding the party. No shared popular vision that’s bigger than the differences in personal fealties. Just a cheap cult of grievances and opposition politics that twists in the wind with whoever the momentum and path of least resistance to power seems to be behind in the moment. >

Almost as if every person in the GOP only ran to be self serving. lol >

If Jefferies got the title because he was able to appeal to 4 moderate Republicans, I think I'd die of laughter >

Technically he doesn't need Republican votes...
Running with the assumption that all 212 Democratic Representatives declare for Jefferies that would mean the threshold just needs to get that far down. 
Right now there are 434 representatives so knock 10 off that and you get to 212... but that's an even split and I'm not sure that would count. 
So... if you get 11 Republicans who declare "present" instead of naming someone because they are throwing tantrums and want to be awkward... boom there's Speaker Jefferies.
Don't think he'd want the job with this mess of a House though... >

I think a present vote would count towards the total.
Edit: Incorrect. 

To win the Speakership, a person must secure a simple majority of those present and voting. If all 435 Representatives-elect vote for a particular person, the majority would be 218. For each person who answers present or otherwise does not vote, the threshold to win a majority decreases. In effect, the threshold decreases by a vote for every two people who answer present or do not participate. >

It doesn't ... present counts as absentee and brings down the threshold >

Why the fuck does McCarthy even want this job?
Herding this house of crazies is going to be nearly impossible. There is no way he becomes some stalwart of opposition against Dems in the Senate and White House. 
He's going to be a laughing stock because the promises he has to make to get the votes are fucking insane. >

Power and ambition. Plain and simple. He's been trying to get to this position for years, and finally sees it almost in his grasp. He can't see past that. >

Paul Ryan sends his regards >

Paul Ryan probably fucking hates that guy. Dude was set to retire from politics and he had to take the speaker job because McCarthy fucked up so bad that they couldn't nominate him >

And Ryan actually had a future. He knew what the Speakership would cost him, and it did just that.
I mean, don't get me wrong - fuck Paul Ryan. But I almost kinda feel bad for him. Almost. >

Democrats should be hammering this:
Republicans can't govern. >

Boebert just yelled out “bullshit” in response to McCarthy’s speech saying “I’ve earned this job” >

This may be the only time I agree with Boebert lol >

I think we’re all gonna be weirdly agreeing with some unsavory characters on the hill today. >

Yeah, but only because they're turning on other unsavory characters, not because of anything positive about themselves.
I can live with that. >

Republicans are unironically responsible for so many democrats being educated about how government works the last 6 years, it takes a lot of research and paying attention to understand just how bad they keep fucking the country and themselves >

This is truly what "woke" is and it's why they are afraid of it >

Matt Gaetz and AOC teaming up to screw over Kevin McCarthy is NOT the political event I expected. >

Round 1:
212 (Jeffries) - 203 (McCarthy) - 10 (Biggs) - 9 (Others)
Round 2:
212 (Jeffries) - 203 (McCarthy) - 19 (Jordan)
Round 3:
212 (Jeffries) - 202 (McCarthy) - 20 (Jordan) >

Round 942 jim Jordan wins lol >

Not an expert but things I’ve picked up that I believe accurate
Updated from earlier post
The Secretary is in charge right now. No rep can call for adjournment but they can ask to vote on it. Needs a majority vote also (~218)
Until a Speaker is elected they can not do anything else.
434 reps right now need a majority so 218 to win. Assuming people don’t leave and screw up the math.
Each vote the nominate people can be different and multiple each time.
They can nominate anyone. A rep, Trump, Obama, Oscar the grouch. 
When voting a rep can vote for anyone even if not nominated. They can yell “Howard Stern” and he gets a vote
They keep going until there is a winner by majority of votes at that time.
Dems leave the majority needed goes down.
This is the first time since 1923 that it’s taken more than 1 vote
Longest this has gone is 2months sometime in the 1800s
George Santos invent Jenga 
At the end of the vote they call the names for reps that weren’t there so they can vote
A rep can change their vote if they’d like
There are/were kids and family members there because newly elected reps get sworn in after this >


Oscar the grouch. 

I'm listening. >

is GOP really threatening to release Biden's tax returns? Political Wire is reporting. Didn't they realize Biden released his tax returns voluntarily already? >

They want the "long-form tax records". >

Lmao. Biden would probably just do it if they asked. >

Later, on Tucker

"Should Americans be scared that Joe Biden bought that much ice cream in 2021, or should they be outraged that he wasn't smart enough to claim it as a business loss? We have Tulsi in the studio to --" >

Begun, the clown wars have >

My dream scenario of the day:  
Democrats all vote for Jeffries as Speaker. Enough Republicans vote "Present" to lower the threshold, or troll-vote for Jeffries. Jeffries becomes Speaker. >

That is an intriguing possibility! Do enough Republicans go off in a snit that the Dems have a working majority?
Would that be stable? Could the Republicans force a motion to vacate the chair later if they all work together? >


Kevin McCarthy was taking the path of Nancy Pelosi

Lauren Bobert right now lol >

“I have been working everyday on behalf of the American people to unify the Republican Party”.
Lol, sure sweetheart.  Go nuts. >

Given that this Congress will likely be virtually frozen no matter what, it's refreshing entertainment at least to see the GOP goofballs poison pill their own party. >

lmao

Republicans are hearing from GOP donors and constituents that the party "looks stupid"
A GOP lawmaker who is supporting House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy says members are already hearing from Republican donors and constituents who think the party “looks stupid” for not being able to elect a speaker. 
Another Republican who is backing McCarthy predicted there will be pressure after three or four rounds of votes to either adjourn or start thinking about another strategy. 
As the vote drags on, a third Republican and McCarthy supporter described the frustration with the opposition within the party:
"“They are embarrassing the whole team. We should form a parking lot committee and put them on it.”"
While many Republicans predicted it would go to multiple ballots, many are still in disbelief, and angry over how the drama is overshadowing their new majority. >

McCarthy has lost even if he wins. He's promised so many concessions to the crazies including allowing just 1 house member to call for a new speaker. 
At this juncture the repub establishment has to decide if they will cut out the crazies and make a deal with dems or piss of their moderates and business donors by allowing the crazies to run wild. It's a wonderful lose lose for them and an ever present reminder you reap what you sow. >

Dems in 2021: HR 1 introduced within hours of convening the new session
GOP in 2023: might not have a Speaker for days >

But the two parties are the same... /s >

You know what the best part about all this is? We fucking told yall. We told yall Republicans about this shit. Condemn MTG Gaetz Gosar etc before shit gets out of hand, all yall did was shrug it off and call us woke radical leftists and kiss trumps ass. This is what yall get >

Democrats: 

Takes control of Senate
Flips governorships
Flips some state legislatures they haven't had in a decade
Outperforms midterm history

Republicans:

Flips House
By single digits
In a midterm that was theirs for the taking
Vicious infighting
Can't decide on a speaker
"AMERICANS ARE SO SICK OF DEMOCRATS AND ARE UNIFIED BEHIND REPUBLICANS TO SAVE THIS COUNTRY" >



Flips House
By single digits



By roughly the same amount the maps were gerrymandered by in both Ohio and Florida, indpendently >

this doesn't get mentioned enough. they rigged the map and still barely kept a majority, lol >

The incompetence is worse than it even appears. They've had close to two months to figure this out and get people in line, but instead they're letting this all play out in full public view. Absolute morons. How anyone thinks this party is capable of governing is beyond me. >

I think McCarthy truly believed they would just fall in line during the votes. Neither side was bluffing. >

MTG and Bobo losing committee assignments under both parties would be comical. >

Committee assignments are for people who wanna work, be it for the good of the people or to work their own agendas. 
MTG and Boebert don’t wanna work, they just wanna be blowhards and rabidly drool all over the place. >

Counter to the "Democrats will leave, handing the vote to McCarthy" comments:
@JakeSherman

There are zero signs right now that the opposition is going to let up. In fact, the opposite.
House Democratic leadership sources told me they are working to keep everyone here as long as the House is voting for speaker and believe they won't have a problem doing that. >

Democrats leaving was a rumor some conservative started most likely >

I already love 2023 so much. 
All the GOP nonsense over the past 7 years is finally coming back to haunt them. >

Every single Dem should be on Social Media or talking to journalists right now.  They should be messaging that if you want solutions vote Dem, if you want a clown pie fight vote GOP. >


“It speaks for itself,” says Nancy Pelosi as she leaves with her husband, fielding questions about Kevin McCarthy and his ability to hold his conference together.
- NYT Blog >

Her burns are always so blunt and to the point >

From /r/conservative :

If Hakeem Jeffries wins the fucking speaker of the house I am fucking done with this fucking party. >

From this comment to god’s ears. Let it be that Jeffries becomes the speaker. It will be short lived but gosh I will die of laughter >

MSNBC reported yesterday that McCarthy already moved his stuff into the speaker office.  I really hope he has to pack it all up and move it back out. >

He will after this vote I think >

Yep. For a hundred years it was all ceremonial. Now that its truly contested he has to pack his shit and GTFO >

Jim Jordan: "Don't vote for me please"
​
Matt Geatz: "I'm gonna do what's called a pro-gamer move" >

King made an amusing point on CNN, "when do the Republicans just give up, vote for Jeffries, and admit that they are incapable of governing." >

If they were capable of that kind of introspection, they wouldn't be Republicans. >

I’m tired of all this Santos bashing.  We gotta have more respect for the first Navy Seal to land on Mars. >

Wow it's almost like they are bona fide traitors.
Funny how Dan and his evil-enabling ilk only gather the courage to speak out about them when they threaten the GOP agenda of only directly harming the American People while giving huge corporations more tax breaks. >

So we're already at the point where commenters are coming in to say what the Democrats need to do differently to end this? Really? 
Republicans are the clown show here. Democrats have no reason to interrupt them while they're making themselves look like fools. >

Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. >

i can only realistically hope for the funniest outcome, which is speaker clay higgins >

Speaker George Santos. >

Ah, the first moon man AND challenger deep explorer to be elected speaker. What an incredible leap for progress >

From NYT

Dan Crenshaw, Republican of Texas, says of the holdouts: “We’ve tried, and to a member, they have no idea what they want. It’s actually quite astonishing. They can’t articulate what they want because they’ve already gotten so many of the things they want.” >

And this is why you don't let the crazy people into your party. All they want is to watch the world burn >

“If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed; and we will deserve it.”
Lindsey was right, he was just a few years fast. >

House Speaker elecrion results: 
Hakeem Jeffries (D) 48.8%
Kevin McCarthy (R) 46.8%
With no candidate achieving a majority, the race will now go on to a runoff in Georgia >

And the speaker of the house shall be...Ralph Warnock. >

“Democrats should-“
No. Democrats aren’t responsible for what is happening. Republicans wanted to be extremist wack jobs and this is the price they pay. It’s not Democrats responsibility to save the shameful Republican Party. >

Yupp. So long as they can keep their caucus on the floor, they should remain strong behind Jeffries. If anyone in the GOP wants to cross the aisle to get this done they’re more than welcomed to try. >

Every dem is behind Jeffries, and they will continue to be. The fact that the GOP can’t pull together enough votes when they have the majority is hysterical.