(10-14-2023, 09:10 AM)I mikesez Wrote:

(10-14-2023, 08:32 AM)The Real Marty Wrote: I don't think the Republicans will be able to elect a Speaker by themselves.  They are too split.  I think the path forward will involve a compromise candidate who can get some Democrat votes.  But that would mean some Democrats would have to defy the Democrat leadership and cross over and support a Republican.  I think right now the Democrat leadership is enjoying watching the Republicans struggle to elect a Speaker.  But for the good of the country, some Democrats are going to have to cross over.  And to get them to cross over, the Republican compromise candidate is going to have to give up some things. 

I think we're stuck.  Hard to see a way forward from here.

Yeah, the 60 or so Republicans who want to punish the 8 or 10 that ousted McCarthy have to understand that the 8 or 10 aren't just going to sit back and take it.  The 60 have to try to make a deal with at least some Democrats to replace those 8 or 10 Republicans or they have to give up on punishing their fellow Republicans.  It's up to them.  What's the Democrats' price? If it's low it might be acceptable.  

In principle I think McCarthy was a bad leader and deserved to be ousted. The House needs to use its committee process more and the Speaker needs to defer to the committees more, the House committees need to take advice from Senate leadership (and vice versa) and there should never be a last minute bill to solve a deadline that everyone knew about for months.  And we need to be moving to reduce spending and debt.  However that's not why McCarthy was ousted.  He was ousted because 8 Republicans wanted to punish him for working with Democrats.  He has to work with Democrats because Democrats control the Senate and the White House.  McCarthy was punished for the one thing he did right while he was on the job.