(RightWing.org) – Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) must now refer to himself as the “former Speaker of the House.” In a historic vote taken in the United States House of Representatives on October 3, the chamber voted 216-210 (with seven members not voting) to approve Representative Matt Gaetz’s (R-FL) motion to declare the speakership vacant.
Don’t Let the Doorknob Hit You…
After months of frustration, the final straw for Gaetz came when McCarthy engineered the stop-gap 45-day measure to avoid a government shutdown on September 30. Gaetz and seven other Republicans joined with the Democrats who voted to create the razor-thin majority that was needed to kick the now ex-Speaker out the door.
After the 2022 midterm elections returned control of the House to the Republicans, McCarthy’s bid to become Speaker stretched out over nearly a week and went through 15 votes before it became a reality. It wasn’t until he made a series of concessions to roughly 20 Congressmen and women who were elected by campaigning as advocates of former President Donald Trump’s MAGA agenda, that he secured the required number of votes.
According to a press release on Gaetz’s official webpage, McCarthy failed, or only partially succeeded at several of the promises that he made, including, among others:
- An agreement to present only single-subject spending bills.
- A promise for the “full release of the January 6th tapes.”
- And a commitment not to use “Democrat votes to pass legislation [advancing] the priorities of Joe Biden.”
McCarthy did keep one promise (now proven politically fatal) which was changing a House rule that said the number of people who could file a motion to vacate the speakership down to one. He’s not gotten any sympathy from the Democrats like Islamist and controversial Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) who commented before the vote that he “made a deal with the devil,” leaving unsaid the second half of that proverb which says the king of demons always collects.
After having the gavel removed from his hands, McCarthy made another promise that Gaetz and the other pro-Trump Republicans sincerely hope he keeps. Posting on X (formerly Twitter), he said he will not be seeking another shot at the Speaker’s chair.
I will not seek to run again for Speaker of the House. I may have lost a vote today, but I fought for what I believe in—and I believe in America. It has been an honor to serve. https://t.co/4EMpOuwtzy
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) October 3, 2023
McCarthy’s decision leaves the field wide open, and a new interim Speaker has been chosen – GOP Rep. Patrick McHenry will fill the slot until a new election for Speaker takes place.
Two people have already announced their intentions to make a bid, current House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio. Some pundits are speculating that Representatives Earl Emmer (R-MN) and Kevin Hern (R-OK) are also among the front runners for the position.
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