So all of a sudden the Thing That Must Not Be Named, the thing we've been staring at for two days, is now being discussed by folks.

Kevin McCarthy is not going to be the next Speaker.

It wasn't b/c Democrats did not rescue him. He ain't worth it. It's Republicans.

They wanted his scalp. They are going to get it.

Now, if there is any chance of coming up with a compromise choice, that moment is here. But more likely, it'll be Scalise or McHenry.

More to come tonight, I suppose.

I think the important thing to grasp is that McCarthy was distrusted, seen as the power hungry nothingburger he really was. His troops were not pro Kevin, they were anti nutter.

And those analysts who refused to say it until today know it as well as you and I do. Remember that.

it's easy to take sides in this civil war, but you have to recognize there were three sides and not two.

side 1: the nutcase 20
side 2: everyone else who disliked or feared them for whatever reason, esp. since jan 6
side 3: Kevin

Side 3 had the fewest supporters, so they lost

oh, it may not be official, but they lost. And so the first of several end games is that Kevin needs to acknowledge defeat and withdraw. It's inevitable, but the timing is not. So we will see.

What happens after that? Dunno. because that leaves side 1 and side 2 still at war.

I'd think the armistice comes when the 200 figure out how to not give the 20 a complete win. And/but how long that will take remains to be seen.

And btw, even after the armistice, we gonna have 2 years of this, so buckle up

/fin

@DemFromCT It's time for the extremist right majority to assert themselves over the even more extremist right minority, dammit.
@DemFromCT To paraphrase a song: "The GQP's a man eater, gonna sweat for it, buckle up..."

@DemFromCT

McCarthy is reaping exactly what he sowed
Like a bad parent that always gives in to tantrums & gives kids everything they demand?
Once you give them control?
#MAGARepublicans are monsters & it's very hard to establish any boundaries or rein them in
#MAGABrats

@DemFromCT

I think the important thing here is that in the immediate wake of the January 6 coup, McCarthy chose sides with the coup plotters & insurrectionists, going down to Florida to bend the knee to Donald Trump, the head of the coup.

And he still chooses to ally himself with those who plotted the coup, resting his run for speaker on getting their votes. If the GOP were not the party of violent authoritarian coups, they would get Democratic votes by expelling insurrectionist MOCs.

@DemFromCT

No Democrat should *ever* help this insurrection backer, McCarthy, to become Speaker by voting “present”.

“the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol referred four GOP members of Congress to the House Ethics Committee for sanctions for failing to comply with the select committee's subpoenas.

Those four members are House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Rep. Andy Biggs, Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. Scott Perry, all close allies of Trump.”

don't do it unless you can get something for it... kev might be desperate enough to make concessions to dems.

@chargrille @DemFromCT

@DemFromCT he could be speaker if he was willing to deal with dems for real. But he's too cowardly even for that.