Rep. Steve Scalise is dropping out of the speaker’s race after House Republicans failed to coalesce behind him in the aftermath of Kevin McCarthy’s historic ouster.

House Republicans met behind closed-doors for more than two hours Thursday afternoon, where the Majority leader urged his detractors to explain their opposition to him in front of the conference. After the meeting ended, Scalise huddled with those opposed to him in his office. And Republicans scheduled a second members-only conference meeting for Thursday evening.

But the opposition to Scalise as the next speaker only grew Thursday, with roughly 20 Republicans publicly opposing him. Scalise needs a majority of the House to be elected speaker, meaning he can only afford to lose four votes.

  • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Put another way, dems only need 4 to get minority control of the speakership….

    … why the hell they’re not negotiating, I dunno….

      • LEDZeppelin@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        “Americans can always be trusted to do the right thing, once all other possibilities have been exhausted” -Winston Churchill

      • Neato@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        There’s no way the Republican party allows a minority speaker. There’s no clearer sign that they’ve lost control and power than that. The party of Falling In Line can’t pick a speaker with a majority is so pathetic.

        • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Once it becomes clear that the party is being held hostage by a handful of zealots hellbent on fucking over america, the not-exactly-moderates might be persuaded to peel off. at that point, they’re goint to get pushed to call the session to order and dems get to put their candidate forward.

          at that point, they don’t really have a choice. Remember, the dems only need 4 votes to get that done.

          and if ethics can’t win out, the Dems can always bribe people. Republicans never met a bribe they didn’t like.

        • assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          I mean what makes them look more out of control and powerless? Still being unable to decide months later, or compromising with Democrats?

          From what I can tell from polling, the general public is really tired of partisanship. This may be a golden opportunity for Democrats.

    • DocMcStuffin@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      House minority leader Jeffries has said they are open to negotiating, but the republicans aren’t going to allow a democrat as leader when they have the majority. As dysfunctional of a majority it is. Maybe in 3 weeks as time starts running out we’ll get closer to across the aisle talks. But things are so partisan now that the rep base will eat their own people alive if they dare gasp compromise.

    • Silverseren@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      They likely are, but they’re not going to do it out in the open when it would allow other Republicans to put pressure on the ones they’re courting.

      • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I meant pubies courting dems-as-a-block. The pubies are divided, the democrats aren’t (so much). if 20 or so are refusing to tow the party line… and they are… they’re gonna have to go to the dems and beg… and it’s going to be painful (from the pubie perspective) because McDumface already reneged on a deal with the dems to get the stop gap done.