Kevin McCarthy is fighting off a republican mutiny and may end up walking the plank. Vocally hardcore conservatives like Florida’s Matt Gaetz are seriously plotting to yank his precious Speaker of the House gavel right from his hand. While no clear front-runner has emerged from the dust to hand the hammer to, the name of McCarthy’s deputy, Tom Emmer of Minnesota, has been floating in the wind.
McCarthy about to lose it
If Kevin McCarthy had bothered to follow through on the promises he made to gain his Speaker of the House title, he wouldn’t be in the jam he faces now. His selection was as full of palace intrigue as the selection of a Pope. He made a whole lot of promises and it turns out he can’t keep all of them. The far-right conservative wing warned him clearly that they had no intention of passing another unbalanced budget.
He swore up and down he would hold the line on spending and cut the pork fat down to the bone. It didn’t happen and now he’s looking at full shutdown. McCarthy’s attempts to blame the ones insisting on fiscal responsibility who gave him his gavel aren’t going over real well with the voters at home.
The contingent of “far-right House Republicans is plotting an attempt to remove Kevin McCarthy as House speaker as early as next week,” Washington Post writes on September 28.
Matt Gaetz on Newsmax floats Tom Emmer as the possible next speaker if McCarthy is ousted pic.twitter.com/xKxvFohr2i
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 22, 2023
Such a move, they note, “would throw the chamber into further disarray in the middle of a potential government shutdown.” They got all the inside dirt from “four people familiar with the effort who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private talks.”
The insiders are the ones behind rumors that “some members of the far-right faction of the party are coalescing around nominating a member of McCarthy’s leadership team, Representative Tom Emmer, to be the next speaker if they can successfully oust McCarthy.”
The deplorables believe “Emmer is more attuned to their concerns and will better deliver conservative results.” In the last round, there was a huge effort to draft Jim Jordan into the role but he wanted no part of it. He’s much happier with his appointment as head of the Judiciary Committee. As well as the subcommittee on weaponization. This way, he can preside over Joe Biden’s impeachment.
A majority of Republicans
All the way back in April, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer went on TV to declare that “a majority of House Republicans would be necessary to pass spending bills.” While he’s all for fiscal responsibility, he’s also loyal as a lion to Kevin. He insists that he doesn’t want the job and won’t help throw his boss under the bus.
Beltway pundits see “the effort to replace McCarthy with one of his top deputies” as nothing but “the latest example of the acrimony and chaos that has upended the Republican conference this year and has Congress on the path to a government shutdown.”
Even Kevin’s friends have been warning him that the conservative hard liners are serious.
BREAKING: Freedom Caucus members are plotting to remove Kevin McCarthy as House speaker as early as next week.
The WaPo reports that they are coalescing around nominating Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) as the next speaker if they can successfully oust McCarthy.
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/SAM0tkkPLc
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) September 29, 2023
“Many within the GOP conference, including McCarthy allies, have long warned that McCarthy’s leadership would be tested during the fight to fund the government because of promises he made to far-right lawmakers in January to win the speaker’s gavel.” I told you so, they remind him now, when he asks for their extended support.
Emmer is telling everyone to keep him out of it. “According to two people who have spoken to him, has not indicated whether he would want to pursue the speakership or support a measure to oust McCarthy.”
In his own words, Emmer told the Washington Post that “I fully support Speaker McCarthy. He knows that and I know that. I have zero interest in palace intrigue. End of discussion.” They’ll probably be swearing him in by the end of next week.
