Seeing that he couldn't muster the 217 votes he needed from his own Republican caucus, Rep. Steve "DDWTB" Scalise (KKK-LA) took his name out of consideration for Speaker late yesterday:
Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) dropped out of the race for House speaker Thursday night, further throwing the House into chaos as Republicans openly ponder whether their fractured conference is capable of electing anyone as speaker. [snip]
It was another stunning development in what has been a weeks-long devolution of the House Republican Conference that started with a brutal fight over spending. Republicans narrowly avoided a catastrophic government shutdown, but Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s reliance on Democratic votes to pass a short-term spending bill led to his ouster as House speaker days later — a historic first. The House has been without a leader for the ensuing nine days. Scalise made it as the speaker nominee for less than 36 hours.
When he bowed out, Scalise did not back another candidate for speaker...
The underlying problem (other than they're mostly a caucus of feral crackpots) is that, with the House rule they passed as a sop to the ultra MAGAts allowing any one member to call for a "motion to vacate" vote, the Republican candidate can't lose 5 Republican votes in a floor vote (presuming all Democrats vote for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries). So far, there have been more than enough professional nihilists willing to sabotage the process to gain concessions or to even scores. If it weren't for the damaging gridlock it produces at a critical time (aid to Israel and Ukraine, expiring CR, military positions going unfilled, etc.), it would be the best schadenfreude in town.
Speaking of military positions going unfilled, Coach/Sen. Tommy Tuberville (a.k.a., the "Dixie Dolt") might understand this reference:
Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) likened his colleagues to a football team that lines up but never snaps the ball because nobody listened to the quarterback’s play call in the huddle.
“This is the worst team I’ve ever been on,” Kelly said.
Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Saks (sic)) floated an option unlikely to make him any friends with the ultra MAGAts:
Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, left a Republican conference meeting upset on Thursday, calling the eight Republicans who helped oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy “traitors” who “paralyzed” the House, according to a report.
The Alabama congressman said it appears no Republican contender for speaker will be able to amass the 217 votes needed to be elected, reported Sahil Kapur of NBC News.
Rogers also said it appears Republicans will need Democratic votes to elect the next speaker, suggesting neither House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., nor House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, can make it to 217 votes...
