McCarthy turns to Democratic leaders for support as Gaetz crusade threatens his future

[mystery-ak]

McCarthy turns to Democratic leaders for support as Gaetz crusade threatens his future
by Julia Johnson, Politics Reporter
October 03, 2023 08:10 AM

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is in a position in which he must turn to House Democrats for help, or he could lose his role leading the legislative body.

On Monday, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) filed a motion to vacate, which he has been threatening to do for months, claiming McCarthy has violated promises he made to get the speaker role.

Now, the California Republican must schedule a vote on Gaetz's motion sometime Tuesday or Wednesday.

McCarthy made a Monday evening phone call to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who might be his best chance at keeping the speakership, according to Punchbowl News. But getting Democratic support won't be an easy feat, and the optics for Republican voters may cause further problems.

To defeat the motion, McCarthy needs a majority of votes, and the Republicans already have a razor-thin majority. On top of that, Gaetz represents a faction of Republican members who are displeased with the speaker, and enough have committed to join Gaetz — such as Reps. Bob Good (R-VA), Tim Burchett (R-TN), and Eli Crane (R-AZ) — putting McCarthy in direct danger unless he enlists the help of Democrats.

This is something Democrats are taking seriously. Jeffries and his leadership team reportedly met Monday night to discuss the possibility. But the Democratic leaders are of the belief that they shouldn't bail McCarthy out. It is up to Jeffries, though.

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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/mccarthy-turns-jeffries-democrats-support-gaetz-speakership

[Kamaji]

This is not going to turn out well.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

McCarthy shouldn't make a deal with Democrats.  But there's nothing wrong with him contacting Jeffries and seeing if he can find out what they intend to do in the absence of a deal.

The bottom line is that if the Democrats plan on joining Gaetz' Motion, then McCarthy is almost certainly sunk.  But if they decide to abstain and let Republicans hash this out internally, he almost certainly wins.

[bilo]

We wouldn't be at this point if McCarthy just kept his word.

I am with those brave souls who are fighting for fiscal restrain, transparency and accountability.

Odds are the Establishment Loyalists will save McCarthy and dutifully serve their oligarch masters. The Republic is being destroyed right before our eyes and most of the DC politicians are playing their part in it.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

We wouldn't be at this point if McCarthy just kept his word.

I am with those brave souls who are fighting for fiscal restrain, transparency and accountability.

Odds are the Establishment Loyalists will save McCarthy and dutifully serve their oligarch masters. The Republic is being destroyed right before our eyes and most of the DC politicians are playing their part in it.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

I don't judge politicians just on their intentions.  I judge them on the logical, most probable consequences of the decisions they make, and the actions they take.  They may be dedicated to the right cause, but if the actions they take are poorly thought out, and more likely to lead to a worse result, then they are at fault regardless of their overall goal/intent.

Rigidly adhering to hardline demands isn't a virtue even if the demands themselves would be good policy.  If the end result of a refusal to compromise is an even worse result, then those refusing to compromise deserve a large share of the blame.