If Republicans win the House by a narrow margin...?

[kentuck]

...Will Kevin McCarthy be able to gather enough votes in his caucus to become Speaker of the House?

I seriously doubt that his Party is 100% behind him. A few may see him as someone with no integrity. A few others are part of the extreme wing of their Party and will be inclined to demand something in return for their vote. It will not be an easy task for Kevin McCarthy.

He is a person of little character and no principles. America will get their first look at his leadership skills if the Republicans win the House, which they appear to be on their way to doing.

"Herding cats" will likely become a popular phrase.

[exboyfil]

1. I think they are going with a more red meat Speaker

Whoever promised the most impeachments for Biden.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. As long as it isn't Marjorie Taylor Green.

[kentuck]

4. She may likely put her name up for the position.

She has already made some of her demands public. She expects a lot from Kevin.

[samnsara]

6. the speker needs to be a lot smarted than putin peggy

[Happy Hoosier]

14. No way she gets it, but...

... I'm not sure it would be bad for us.

If the nuttiest Rep gets the gavel, it's a great icon to run against. Every Dem could run against "Jewish Space Lasers."

[samnsara]

3. isnt sclise planning to run as well?

[emulatorloo]

20. Yes.

[inthewind21]

34. Salise

Is looking to take over Kev's majority leader position.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3727731-scalise-announces-bid-for-house-majority-leader/

[EarlG]

5. With a bit of luck

the Republicans will end up in a situation similar to the nightmarish "shambles" which is plaguing the Conservative party in the UK.

[MiHale]

8. +1

[kentuck]

10. I think that is a likely analogy.

I cannot see them getting their stuff together in any manageable way. They will not be able to govern.

They may promise to impeach Biden to get all of their caucus on board?

[EarlG]

12. I think impeaching Biden would be a disastrous own goal in this political environment

If the GOP had achieved their 60+ seat red wave, they would have the wind at their backs and could claim a mandate for whatever nonsense they wanted to pull off over the next two years. But given the red fizzle, it seems the country is absolutely in no mood for further GOP shenanigans.

Ironically, if they'd managed to achieve a large majority in the House, McCarthy would have significantly more control over his caucus and impeachment would be less likely to happen. With a razor-thin majority, I think impeachment actually becomes MORE likely as McCarthy will be held hostage by his extremists. But it will also be much more dangerous politically for the Republican party.

The mid-terms showed that the country by and large is not buying what the MAGA extremists are selling. I think a bullshit, doomed-to-fail impeachment of Biden would generate significant backlash, pump up his approval ratings going into 2024, and position the GOP House as a bunch of do-nothing radicals focused on revenge instead of solutions.

[kentuck]

13. I agree. It would be "dangerous politically".

And McConnell would attempt to dissuade them from such a decision. But McCarthy has no scruples. He may agree to let them "impeach" Biden if they give him their support?

[EarlG]

15. He may not have a choice

Assuming the Repubs take the House, there will still be a leadership election for Speaker. It won't be possible to win that election without getting the support of the extremist wing of the party, and they are going to have some extreme demands.

McCarthy was hoping to come out of this election with control of the House and 40-50 newly-elected GOP Congresspeople, all of whom owed him a debt of gratitude for getting elected via the "red wave." This would have assured him easy succession to the Speakership. Instead, while he likely got control of the House, he's lost political clout and is now presiding over a diminished, infighting party.

If he wants to become Speaker, he's going to have to make serious concessions to the extremists. He'll basically be a puppet Speaker. But we know he's comfortable in that role -- he's spineless. Look how quickly he caved to Trump after the insurrection.

[kentuck]

16. Yep.

The extremists are still calling the shots.

[karynnj]

18. Not just a puppet, but with many diverse people pulling multiple strings

[RedSpartan]

25. Agreed.

Impeaching Clinton turned out to be an electoral disaster for Republicans.

To paraphrase President Obama, please proceed Mr. Speaker.

[mcar]

31. I was thinking that too

What happens if they can't decide on a Speaker?

[Meowmee]

7. They are all fascists

So I am sure they will all fall in line and agree etc.

[Cosmocat]

29. Right

It might be a scrum to see who speaker is, but even if they have one seat advantage, their hatred of the evil liberal boogyman will unify them as it has over the last three decades now.

[snowybirdie]

9. I read yesterday

MATT Gets has vowed to protest McCarthy and wants Gym Jordan for Speaker.

[D_Master81]

35. Good for a laugh

Sometimes I forget about all the crazy in the GOP house. Jordan and Gaetz have kinda fallen on the backburner recently.

[Walleye]

11. Herding honey badgers is more like it.

If they take the house it’s gonna be with a narrow margin. It will be fun to watch them try and make a caucus out of this hot mess. Particularly since it looks like the Democrats are really getting it together

[emulatorloo]

21. +1 and love the herding honeybadgers analogy.

[Marius25]

17. Unlikely, especially if it's a very slim margin

Members of the Freedom Caucus already said he doesn't deserve it and they won't vote for him.

If Republicans only win by something like 1 seat, I wonder if we can pressure a more moderate Republican to support someone like Liz Cheney for Speaker.

[MLAA]

19. Easier to find the Holy Grail than find his integrity and leadership skills.

[lark]

22. Thy will do their utmost best to destroy the working class.

They will hold the budget hostage and refuse to raise the debt limit unless Dems agree to horrendous terms like privatizing Social security and gutting Medicare. They will say they are being responsible when it's totally a heist from the working class by the rich.

[LiveToLurk]

23. I kinda hope the house repubs go all in:

If the repubs get the House with a very small majority - and try to enact their clown show - they will get beat big time in 2024 (even more big time if trump is running). People will be way more tired of their stupid shit by then - they are completely sick of it now.

[Mz Pip]

24. Stefanik

Doesn’t she want it?

[Just A Box Of Rain]

26. It will be a shit-show.

And I trust the American people will not be impressed.

There will be a backlash in 2024.

[Coventina]

36. Time to invest in Orville Redenbacher.

I'm going to enjoy every moment of McCarthy's pain.

Pain that he sold his soul for.

Delicious!!!

[Just A Box Of Rain]

37. I'd prefer to be watching a different movie (which I'm positive is a universal feeling here on DU).

But the dysfunction of a Republican-led House will be quite a spectacle.

I'm sad to believe that Speaker Pelosi may retire, after seeing her comments this week.

I love and admire her. She should be holding the gavel.

*Sigh*

[Coventina]

38. Oh, definitely my preference would be for us to keep the house.

I'd hate to see all the Jan. 6th committee's work go to waste.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

42. Goes without saying.

It will be a travesty.

Pass the popcorn. LOL

[ananda]

27. I read that Steve Scalise would challenge him.

nt

[Johonny]

28. Remember how bitter Ryan and Boehner left congress

The next leader will have a massively harder time than them with this slim a lead. The number of representatives in that party interested in governance is low. The leader will need Democrats to pass budgets, debt ceiling raises, funding for the Ukraine. While the stock market rallies under the faith of divided governance being good. Keep an eye on your stocks for the next debt ceiling battle.

The leadership dogfight will signal how horrible the next congress will be. And by no means will the Speaker be the "winner" of the struggle. Indeed, if past is anything to go on. The winner will soon be leaving congress a bitter chewed up person.

[Cosmocat]

30. They will pull the plug on Ukraine day one

They have to do that given their usual ploy of being seditious toward a D POTUS in matters of international security.

Oh, and because they love, admire and strive to mirror Vlad's style of governing

[Johonny]

40. voted 368-57 for last funding bill

MTG's group will block it, but a lot of GOPers won't take cut and running in Ukraine lightly. It will be just one horrible mess the next Speaker will have to deal with.

Biden will hound them until they pass it. Russia is much hated by many cold war GOP voters.

[maxsolomon]

32. IDGAF

All Republicans are awful.

[inthewind21]

33. Think

John Boehner and Paul Ryan trying to herd their feral cats the Tea Party.

[Johonny]

41. yup

And the amount of social media sound byte with no policy representative have only grown since then.

[Bettie]

39. It will probably be Greene (Or is it Taylor now)?

or Gosar.

Because they do love their nutbags.

She has recently been screeching about how they will shut down the government immediately.

[BlueCheeseAgain]

44. Not a chance.

Congress runs on seniority.

[BlueCheeseAgain]

43. The Republican caucus really chewed up their leaders last time they had the House

Boehner and Ryan basically gave up and retired. I'm imagining something similar this time.

All of which goes to show how masterful Speaker Pelosi is at unifying the Dems, and how Dems are able to work together. You'd never think we only had 220 House members with the way they get things done.