What Did McCarthy Learn?
What Did McCarthy Learn?
Well, We Will Find Out
Update 2: Many want to defend Congressman Don Bacon. Their loyalty is admirable. So let me show just how bad this is going to be in the elections ahead. Tucker Carlson has already provided a glimpse in his coverage of Congressman Dan Crenshaw’s comment about the anti-McCarthy crowd. Trust me, this blundering on selecting Speaker is going to come back to haunt Republicans. https://rumble.com/v23xsdu-tucker-mccarthys-team-using-fear-tactics-calling-those-who-oppose-him-terro.html
Update, you can see new rules at https://rules.house.gov/sites/republicans.rules118.house.gov/files/118-Rules-of-the-House-of-Representatives-SxS-V2.pdf
I have extremely low expectations for the Republican Congress this session. Cheer for them as many will, but House Speaker Kevin McCarthy simply insists on learning things the hard way.
Let me make it simple. If you are going to vote on anything, it helps to line up the votes ahead of time and find out who is really on board. McCarthy made many grand assumptions including those who supported him. This is why the debacle unfolded.
Many think this fight over the McCarthy nomination was all about nothing. Not true. It was over rules. In fact, half of the problems with the Federal Government are the rules made by the House which is why the US has a 31 trillion dollar debt exceeding the US GDP of nearly 26 trillion (https://www.usdebtclock.org/).
My advice, if you are going to make a point of holding leadership in any organization, get to know the rules and know them well, and observe how those rules are followed. Also, it helps to read up on the Constitution and its details (https://www.heritage.org/constitution) and also know Roberts Rules of Order (https://robertsrules.com/). Trust me, if you don’t, your opponents will.
Republicans were not alone in failing to understand the rules. Democrat Minority Leader Congressman Jeffries should have realized the dangers to his rule. After McCarthy failed to get the necessary votes on the second and third times, Jeffries should have told his colleagues to vote “present” which would have made McCarthy House Speaker much sooner but he did not. (Voting “present” takes the vote out of the total votes needed.) Instead, Jeffries pushed his colleagues to stand their ground in voting for him to the tune of 212 votes. This ultimately gave Congressmen Gaitz and Roy the ability to push harder for reforms: the reforms many, many conservatives wanted including Club for Growth (https://www.clubforgrowth.org/icymi-fox-politico-newsmax-more-report-on-club-for-growth-house-speaker-key-vote-alert/).
However, many Republicans were just as bad if not worse. The Main Street Caucus (https://bacon.house.gov/mainstreetcaucus/ and https://www.republicanmainstreet.org/) could not shut their mouths. They are only interested in supporting their own lobbyists and when controversy arises, they join Democrats and defame Republicans. Both Congressmen Don Bacon, Dan Crenshaw engaged in hyperbolic attacks on conservatives over the McCarthy votes and called them “cowboys” and “terrorists”. Instead of consulting with other Congressional members or their constituents, they made a bee-line to the media to whine. This sort of behavior shows you they really don’t care how high the Federal debt goes as long as their friends are taken care of.
Unless Bacon, Crenshaw, and the Main Street Caucus apologize and does a brilliant Mea Culpa act, they really need to be pushed off the political stage and into the wood shredder! This is not an argument over McCarthy but an argument over competency. How can these congressmen be so inept in not understanding the situation and fail to merely shut up and let the voting process work itself out? Why did they not help McCarthy gather the votes he needed to be Speaker? This level of ineptitude leaves me skeptical as to what any good is going to come out of this Congress. I am not happy with it
If you think I am mistaken, and it was a small dispute, just watch to see how vindictive McCarthy and his supporters will be. Keep an eye on what happens to Congressmen Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaitz as they never voted “yes” for McCarthy but “present” and keep an eye on Congressman Chip Roy as well.
Oh, and Bill Whittle takes it further.
I understand your observations. Having served there and have an understanding of House Rules, much more detailed and complex than Robert’s Rules, would give you insight into the brillant strategic maneuver Don Bacon engineered that fired the shot that broke up the Coation of 20 who had demands but not plan to govern. Note they did not nominate a competitor against McCarthy 5i demonstrate that they knew they would ultimately lose. That being said, that group of Members were able to exact some meaningful cha CWS to House Rules that are constructive. This has ended well and no time has been lost. McCarthy will be more conservative and has the strategic leverage with the Senate of better compromise deals. The Freedom Coalation has succeeded to a notable degree so they now have to be supportive of the deal they made. Progress indeed. Hal
One of the big reasons for this debacle in the first place was that McCarthy had already been vindictive. Leaders--can't afford to be like that. It always comes back to bite them.