9 Republicans voted with Democrats for proxy voting

Speaker Johnson furious at 9 Republicans who voted with Dems, hijacked Trump’s agenda

Top House Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, are furious that nine of their colleagues voted with Democrats on Tuesday in favor of proxy voting.

At issue is whether new parents should be allowed to vote remotely from home during the first few months after their child’s birth.

Leading the charge on the right has been Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who staunchly supports proxy voting — so much so that she resigned from the House Freedom Caucus this week in protest of their opposition to it.

Speaker Johnson basically shut down the House for the remainder of the week on the basis that it’d somehow be impossible to continue working with the procedural rule gone.

This legislation would allow new parents to vote by proxy for 12 weeks around the birth of a new child. Congress is typically in session for about 160 to 170 days each year. Think about that for a second. Mike Johnson and MTG are right.

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The message was, "Don't fu*k with moms."

Mike Johnson Re-elected Speaker

Speaker Johnson Reelected to Serve as Speaker of the House

Yesterday, on the first day of the 119th Congress, the House of Representatives voted to reelect Speaker Mike Johnson on the first ballot (218 to 215) to continue serving as the 56th Speaker of the House. Following his election, Speaker Johnson delivered remarks on the House floor.

“But in recent months, we have witnessed something happening, something that’s really remarkable. A political moment in modern history. A groundswell of Americans from every state, race, and religion who now demand that we put the interests of Americans first again. And we will,” Speaker Johnson said.

“This is a powerful new coalition of our country. It’s a coalition that insists that we purge the policies of ‘America last,’ and we bury them in the graveyard of history’s mistakes. To that end, this Congress will renounce the status quo, and we will listen to the voices of the people. We will act quickly, and we will start by defending our nation’s borders. That’s the number one priority.”

The House Vote on Vacating the Speaker

The House on Wednesday rejected a motion calling for Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s ouster, rebuffing an effort by one of the GOP leader’s most-vocal critics, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

The 359-43 vote on a motion to table Greene’s measure required the help of Democrats, given the speaker’s narrow majority. The vote could quiet calls for Johnson’s removal among conservative hardliners, who have been angry about his support of a $95 billion foreign aid package that passed last month.

Johnson’s divided conference was evident on Wednesday as 10 Republicans sided with Greene, while 196 opposed her effort. Additionally, 163 Democrats voted to table Greene’s motion, effectively protecting the speaker. Twenty-eight members from both parties either didn’t vote or voted present. [CNN]

New House Speaker, Mike Johnson

Matt Gaetz, the most unpopular Congressman right now

House Republicans reportedly cancelled a major hearing scheduled next week

It would have featured key material witnesses to Biden family corruption due to the ongoing turmoil over House Speaker

The House of Representatives has been without a Speaker for more than 2 weeks after Matt Gaetz filed a motion to vacate the chair. Kevin McCarthy was ousted as House Speaker earlier this month in a 216-210 vote. 8 Republicans voted to oust McCarthy: Biggs, Buck, Burchett, Crane, Gaetz, Good, Mace, and Rosendale.

On Thursday, the Republican closed-door conference on the House Speaker vote devolved into chaos after McCarthy and Gaetz had a heated exchange.

“I was at the mic and I was speaking and Matt Gaetz tried to interrupt and I told him to sit down and he sat down,” McCarthy said blasting Gaetz and the ‘crazy eights’ who voted to oust him.

McCarthy continued, “No, I told him to sit down. I think the entire conference screamed at him.”

According to reports, Rep. Mike Bost “almost lunged at” Gaetz after McCarthy screamed at the Florida lawmaker to sit down.

Three votes now and NO speaker.

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The most sensible thing right now is to get Kevin McCarthy back in as Speaker and get those 8 original Republicans who voted against him to now support him.

Newt Gingrich as Speaker?

Newsmax Poll chooses Newt Gingrich as next Speaker

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who served between 1995 and 1999, appeared in a recent poll to be Republican voters’ choice for the Speakership following McCarthy’s removal from his office.

As reported by Newsmax, an InsiderAdvantage survey found that 53 percent of the 850 respondents asked were supportive of Gingrich becoming the House Speaker. Not only that, the former Speaker was leading by 42 percentage points against the second-place option, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. The Ohio lawmaker has already announced that he’s launching a bid for the Speaker’s office.

While Gingrich is no longer serving in public office, he continues to be eligible to become the House Speaker. This is because according to the House rules, it is not a requirement for the Speaker to be an elected House Representative.

Read how the other possibilities fared

Republican Congressional Rule Changes

Last week, we witnessed something that hasn’t happened in American history for the past 100 years - the House of Representatives did not elect a Speaker on the first vote. Over the course of the week, Americans witnessed what happens far too rarely in Congress – other members of the Republican Freedom Caucus held Kevin McCarthy hostage, insisting that various polices and procedures be changed and made a part of the rules.

I must admit, I was really ticked off at the personal attacks against Kevin McCarthy who had 90% of the vote while 10% of Republicans stopped him from becoming Speaker until their demands were met. In my mind, this was not democracy in action. and I agreed with Dan Crenshaw that these activists were "domestic terrorists."

A few of the rules changes are--

• At least 72 hours to review bills: Too often must-pass bills have been introduced just hours before they are voted on, allowing members no time to read or debate the legislation—especially when it comes to spending bills. This new rule requires that bills be introduced at least 72 hours before they are voted on, allowing you the opportunity to contact your member for support or opposition.

• “Chairman Wednesday”: This rule allows committee chairmen to bring bills to the floor for a vote outside the typical process of having bills passed by the Rules Committee before they receive a vote on the floor.

With conservatives now leading key committees, these rules will give them greater influence in bringing conservative legislation to the floor.

Read the rest of the rules...

I will also admit now, that the rule changes they enacted and what McCarthy capitulated to, for the most part, are good. However, McCarthy has a gun to his head to produce or get voted out by a “motion to vacate the chair,” meaning any member of the majority party could force a vote to remove the House speaker.

The Agreements

Kevin McCarthy

Trump helped get McCarthy over the Finish Line

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Thanks Trump for His Support in Speaker’s Race

Newly elected Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) thanked former President Donald Trump for his ardent support in the speaker’s race moments after he secured the post in the fifteenth vote.

“I do want to especially thank President Trump,” McCarthy told reporters. “I don’t think anybody should doubt his influence. He was with me from the beginning”

McCarthy mentioned that Trump made multiple calls to other members in support. I'm sure one was to Matt Gaetz, a big admirer of Trump and MAGA.

“Somebody wrote the doubt of whether he was there, and he was all in. He would call me, and he would call others. And he really was. I was just talking to him tonight, helping get those final votes,” McCarthy said.

“What he’s really saying, really for the party and the country: that we have to come together. We have to focus on the economy. We got to focus to make our border secure,” McCarthy concluded. “We got to do so much work to do [sic] and he was a great influence to make that all happen. So thank you, President Trump.”

Read about it...

Kevin McCarthy elected Speaker of the House

Kevin McCarthy is now Speaker of the House

It wasn’t until Friday that votes began flipping in favor of McCarthy from his much-opposed coworkers in the freedom caucus.

In the first vote of Friday, the twelfth vote, McCarthy was able to flip fourteen votes and in the second vote of Friday he was able to flip an additional vote. After an adjournment, until 10 p.m. Friday, the fourteenth vote took place but left McCarthy only one vote shy of a majority.

After what was expected to be a vote to adjourn, House Republicans walked their votes back and voted to vote again. At this time, around midnight Friday/Saturday morning votes were turned around and thrown to McCarthy giving him the necessary number and the Speakership. Those who opposed McCarthy changed their votes to Present, lowering the threshold he needed. [AmericanActionNews]

20 Activists blocking McCarthy from Speakership

Conservative revolt against McCarthy poised to spread to others in GOP establishment

Activists also set sights on RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Senate leader Mitch McConnell

A decade in the making, the conservative-led revolt that thwarted Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid to be Speaker on three consecutive votes Tuesday (now 10) isn’t likely to stop in the House as those eager to disrupt the GOP’s status quo also have set their sights on Republican Party chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Some of the 20 House members who helped deprive McCarthy of the Speaker’s gavel on Tuesday said the votes should serve as a wakeup call to GOP leaders everywhere that the party needs to return to its roots of fiscal conservatism after two decades of reckless spending in Washington.

“In our mind, and so many people's minds, spending is out of control,” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told the Just the News, No Noise television show Tuesday night. “[Either] we'll face it now, or just sit here until we come up with some type of solution and a leader that will fight.”

So the show goes on...

Read about it...

Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) slammed GOP lawmakers who said they plan to oppose Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in his bid for Speaker, calling the conservatives holding out against McCarthy “kamikazes” trying to “sink the whole Republican Party.”

Eight is not enough for Kevin McCarthy

Kevin McCarthy, leader for past 4 years, fails on 8th speaker of the House ballot despite concessions

So, it is evident--this is personal towards Kevin McCarthy. These 20 just don't like nor trust him.

The eighth ballot saw a slight alteration in the voting pattern, with 17 Republican rebels voting for Donalds, Gaetz supporting Trump, and Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma voting for Rep.-elect Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) — who backed McCarthy for the leadership post.

Read about it...

10% should not be holding the 90% hostage. And McCarthy has given them about every concession they have asked.

Republicans--Get your act together!

House to make changes

Inspiring changes at U.S. Capitol as Nancy Pelosi's reign comes to end

'Republicans will start every day of Congress with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance'

What will Democrats think of that?

Opening the Capitol to the public would be “one of the first orders of business,” McCarthy wrote on Twitter. Members of the public may gain access to the galleries through normal procedures as well as obtain tickets from members, a measure that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suspended following the storming of the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021.

McCarthy’s changes have been announced in addition to statements he will remove several Democrats from top standing committees, following House Democrats’ vote to strip Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia of her committee assignments in 2021. The Democrats to be removed are Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell of California from the Intelligence Committee and Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota from the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Read about the changes... to beginning on January 3. A new Congress begins at noon January 3 of each odd-numbered year following a general election.

Omari Hardy to Speak at a PB County Bar Association Committee on Friday

 

Scuba Diver to speak at St. Andrews' Church in Lake Worth

On Saturday, November 14, St. Andrews' Episcopal Church, 100 North Palmway, will be hosting an informal talk by Barbara Dudley DeClerque who is a scuba diver and diving instructor. If you are interested in scuba, she will be telling you where the best diving and sea life can be found right here in Palm Beach County.

It is a potluck supper beginning at 6:45 followed by her program. Bring a dish.

House Reform

Allowing bills to go through committee first, voting separately on the 12 appropriations bills instead of using stopgap measures, and allowing an open amendment process is known as “regular order.” Freedom Caucus members want must-pass bills to come up for a vote well in advance of deadlines and allow lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, the chance to debate and amend legislation.

Read about it here...