Category House Speaker still up for Grabs

Oct 25 2023

Representative Mike Johnson Wins Tuesday Night Secret Ballot for GOP House Speaker


Posted originally on the CTH on October 24, 2023 | Sundance 

If Mike Johnson (R-LA) cannot carry the conference, look for the professionally Republican Kevin McCarthy wing to reassemble and attempt reinstallation.

WASHINGTON DC – Rep. Mike Johnson won a closed-door contest on Tuesday night to become his party’s fourth speaker nominee.

Now, the Louisiana lawmaker faces the much tougher task of securing the 217 votes he needs to win on the House floor. Earlier Tuesday, Johnson came in second to Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who then withdrew after former President Donald Trump publicly came out against him.

So, Republicans went back to the drawing board, and made Johnson the latest aspirant to a position the fractured and exhausted conference can’t seem to fill. He beat out a field of four other candidates, including Byron Donalds in the final ballot by a 128 to 29 vote. Some 44 other Republicans didn’t vote for either of the two men.

After winning the nomination, Johnson said he was “very confident” that he could get 217 votes and said “the intention is to go to the floor” for a vote on Wednesday. (more)

Oct 25 2023

OK, This Is Funny – Tom Emmer Wins GOP Secret Ballot, Then Promptly Drops Out When President Trump Swings Atomic Truth Hammer


Posted originally on the CTH on October 24, 2023 

Yes, smiling is in order.  You see folks, even when the professionally Republican do not want to admit it, MAGA, We The People, now control the Republican Party.

As forecast, GOP House Whip Tom Emmer won the secret ballot for House Speaker.  Carrying a coalition of the entrenched right-wing of the DC UniParty, that was not a surprise.  However, as fast as Rep Emmer’s hopes surfaced, they were quickly obliterated by President Trump and the atomic hammer of truth.

“I have many wonderful friends wanting to be Speaker of the House, and some are truly great Warriors,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social app. “RINO Tom Emmer, who I do not know well, is not one of them.”

…. And just like that, Tom Emmer drops out.

Everything President Trump said in that statement about Emmer was exactly correct.

[…] “House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) dropped out of the Speaker’s race Tuesday, just hours after the conference nominated the Minnesota Republican for the top job”… {link}

Go Trump! 

Oct 24 2023

Ha! Rep Tom Emmer Called President Trump Yesterday for a House Speaker Endorsement


Posted originally on the CTH on October 23, 2023 | Sundance 

As noted by Politico in 2021, when asked about Donald Trump getting involved in midterm primaries, head of the National Republic Congressional Committee Tom Emmer told reporter Jacob Rubaskin, “He’s a private citizen, and he’s entitled to his own opinion.”  “I would tell him that it’s probably better for us that we keep these people and we make sure that we have a majority that can be sustained going forward.”

Emmer followed later in March saying Trump getting involved in the GOP congressional primaries was “not gonna be helpful.”

Fast forward to 2023, Emmer is now the House Republican Whip and wants to be Speaker of the House.  Apparently, Emmer called President Trump this weekend seeking an endorsement.  WATCH:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=XWZyLuhADL8%3Ffeature%3Doembed

.

President Trump says, “I’m trying to stay out of that as much as possible.”   Meanwhile, all the Republicans who threw their name in the hat to become Speaker of the House want his endorsement.  lol

I’m sure President Trump will leverage the “optimal solution.”

Oct 23 2023

The Slate Set – 9 Republicans Meet Deadline to Register for House Speaker Role


Posted originally on the CTH on October 22, 2023 | Sundance 

The slate is set for a Monday evening conference in the Republican House of Representatives as nine GOP politicians have registered by the deadline today to put their names in the nomination process.   After the conference meets on Monday night, there will be a secret ballot vote on Tuesday.

The absolute worst-case scenario is Tom Emmer (R-MN) who has just received the endorsement of Kevin McCarthy.  Emmer wants to abolish the electoral college for presidential races in favor of a national popular vote. Unfortunately, Emmer likely carries around 70 automatic votes from the professionally Republican caucus.

On the opposite side of that spectrum is Byron Donalds (R-FL) who is pure MAGA and also running for the job.

WASHINGTON DC – The House GOP’s enormous speaker field is officially set, with nine Republicans seeking to somehow unify their splintered party after almost three weeks without a leader.

It’s the most crowded field since former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s fall 19 days ago. The latest round of candidates includes current GOP leaders — like Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and Vice Chair Mike Johnson (R-La.) — as well as more surprising rank and file members like Reps. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.). Another last-minute addition, Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Ala.), who serves as GOP policy chair, raised eyebrows on Sunday.

“Any one of those, I think, could get very close to 217. But the question is which one of those can actually cross the finish line,” Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) told POLITICO, referring to candidates like Reps. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) and Johnson. (read more) 

Byron Donalds and Mike Johnson appear to be the best options of this field.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=eHWnjuA6X4g%3Ffeature%3Doembed