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House Speaker Update

By Mike Huckabee

January 5, 2023
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After six votes Wednesday, holdouts were still refusing to back Rep. Kevin McCarthy, and the House voted to adjourn and reconvene later today. Reports are that negotiations continued last night with some possible progress. The New York Times, citing confidential sources, claims that McCarthy “privately agreed to more demands from the right-wing rebels that he had previously refused to countenance, including allowing a single lawmaker to force a snap vote at any time to oust him from the speakership.”

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/01/05/us/house-speaker-vote?campaign_id=190&emc=edit_ufn_20230105&instance_id=81893&nl=from-the-times&regi_id=185440375&segment_id=121640&te=1&user_id=e72989d1d346165df7b3f4d8aabe2fdd

McCarthy has offered an astounding number of concessions, listed here by Victoria Taft at PJ Media.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/victoria-taft/2023/01/05/here-are-the-latest-deals-kevin-mccarthy-has-made-to-become-speaker-n1658804

The Club For Growth has also reportedly cut a deal with a super PAC associated with McCarthy that could result in them endorsing him as Speaker.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/01/04/speaker-race-breakthrough-mccarthy-pac-agrees-conservatives-no-spending-safe-open-seat-primaries/

Fox News has comments from Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, the latest alternative proposed for McCarthy.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-speaker-race-rep-elect-byron-donalds-responds-retribution-running-against-kevin-mccarthy

As noted in the article, until there’s a Speaker, the new House can’t even be sworn in, so this is preventing necessary action from being taken on many fronts. 

McCarthy’s detractors still have no alternative candidate who is more conservative and can attract enough votes to win. They keep pointing to the last time conservatives forced McCarthy to withdraw in 2015, but back then, a dark horse “unity” candidate stepped forward and won. Considering that was Paul Ryan, whom they now vilify as a squishy, Trump-hating RINO, it’s not exactly a ringing endorsement for this strategy.

This is a continuing (and continuing!) story, so keep checking the regularly updated Fox News feed for the latest developments.

https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/house-speaker-vote

One thing to note:  While the 10% wants to rule over the 90% (who has ever allowed that or thought it was the way elections work?), it’s revealing that some of the holdouts have said in interviews that what they are “demanding” of Kevin McCarthy is that they get choice committee assignments and a promise they won’t be punished for their attempted coup.  That’s not only delusional, but very telling.  If a person is objecting by sheer principle, one is willing to suffer whatever the consequences for the rebellion.  When a person says, “Hey, this is about ME…protecting MY position, MY role in leadership, and MY being able to take any shot I want at 90% of my colleagues and have no consequence other than being rewarded.”  THAT my friend is NOT acting on “principle.”  It’s a selfish act of a power grab and publicity stunt.  Reward THAT behavior and you’ll keep getting more of it in the future.

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Comments 61-70 of 110

  • John M Doudna

    01/05/2023 02:30 PM

    Republicans are as inept at leadership as the next politician. Who is even competent to evaluate this sorry lot who are unable to negotiate within the Party, let alone exercise intelligence in articulating problems and arriving at solutions which matter in the real world? Democrats are worse in that they have demonstrated tyranny as their preferred elitist power mode. Republicans need to get beyond ‘activist whining’ and demonstrate leadership. Too many ‘activist’ mindsets in the world already.

  • Robert Kling

    01/05/2023 02:23 PM

    Governor this is one time I disagree with you. The house members holding out are not doing it for their self interest. There is no guarantee McCarthy will keep to his word. I see him as giving in to the leftist pressure when we don’t have control over both houses. He is bound to over compromise. We need someone who will stay on track.

  • ANN R SCOTT

    01/05/2023 02:20 PM

    My Opinion is that they ALL stop acting like 5 year olds and what they want for themselves !!! They should consider what is " BEST" for our Nation... !!!
    Good Grief People !!

  • Manuel Junco

    01/05/2023 02:19 PM

    Gov. Huckabee,
    I am sure that a majority of voting Republicans support the Conservative Caucus for what they are doing. All Republicans in leadership position have taking the voters for granted, but many of them behave no better than the democrats. Maybe it is all for show, but the average voter is sick and tired of being taken for granted. This is one case that I do not agree with you (that everyone should line up and support the same candidate that has allowed the liberal agenda to go through and was in leadership with McConnell while we added $20 Trillion to our debt). I live in Texas and see the same behavior with John Cornyn, he would run as a democrat if Texas was not a Red State and they know we don’t have a choice, since we will not vote for Beto O’Rourke….

  • DANIEL Passer

    01/05/2023 02:16 PM

    It's time for public shaming of the hold-outs - to their faces - by supporters of Kevin McCarthy! Mike, the supporters of Kevin should use your convincing verbiage as expressed in your column(s). Make the hold-outs publicly rebuke all of your perfectly legitimate points. Push this public argument to happen on the floor of the House with all the force that can be mustered!

  • jack G macdonald

    01/05/2023 02:06 PM

    These RINO phonies are coming across as petty, vindictive, juveniles. Putting whatever grievances they have personally ahead of the nation's good shows us again what kinds of people are running for office. If they have any principles or integrity when they run for office, they shed them after they swim in the swamp. What a bunch of misifits unsuited for any position of trust and authority.

  • Robert Marshall

    01/05/2023 01:59 PM

    What is wrong with our so called leaders, the democrats couldn't find anyone better than Joe Biden to run for president and the republicans can't find a better speaker of the house because of his superior qualifications of he is a very good fund raiser. Really, that is all it takes to be qualified to run the whole house of representatives? I guess that explains why an alcoholic like pelosi could keep getting elected to that position.

  • Rosemarie Weleski

    01/05/2023 01:57 PM

    I realize that the topic of House Speaker voting seems to be dividing the Republicans, yet I am encouraged that many stood up for their beliefs and their own constituents wishes. Many do not want the "politics as usual" feel that McCarthy would be giving. Many feel he is not on the every day American's page all of the time and makes "deals" to appease the D's. People simply wanted him to represent the "Make America Great Again" motto. Anyone NOT wanting to make America great, simply should not be in the House or the Senate (or in any office in government - even the custodians and maids!) We need to be vetting those who will represent us and I believe this will be a wake up call for people in government. On the other hand, if it comes down to having another D take over the gavel, having no other recourse, they need to accept McCarthy and unite in working on the MANY problems that we see need remedied.

  • Marie Sosebee

    01/05/2023 01:47 PM

    Why are we believing anything that is coming from the New York Times?! It's all a LIE. Things are not as they appear. And we will all see it very soon. Truth is GOLD.

  • Peter Hansen

    01/05/2023 01:44 PM

    Normally, I agree with you. But in this case, I do not trust Kevin McCarthy to stand strong and do the things that conservative populists want done.

    I’ve heard too many negative things about Kevin McCarthy‘s connections with Chinese money (for example, “Sequoia“), and his connections with big tech. He’s too much a part of the swamp in order to investigate the swamp. I think it’s worth holding up the government until we get someone we can actually trust in there to do the right thing – and it’s NOT Kevin McCarthy from what I’ve seen and heard about him. He may have given in because he’s desperate, but that doesn’t mean that when the chips are down, he will follow through on his promises.

    I am proud of the 20 who are holding up the Kevin McCarthy speakership!

    If they are asking for committee assignments so that they can follow through on their conservative populist agenda and make sure it gets done then I support them in that —who else can they trust but themselves in this situation?

    I respect the 20 brave people who are fighting against Kevin McCarthy and I do not think they should be punished for doing so. I think they should be lauded and praised and elevated.

    I realize it may look like they only care about themselves, given that they are trying to secure good, strong, powerful committee positions. But these are the kind of people who SHOULD be in charge of these committees, the ones who have the guts to stand up against the swamp, and against the RINOS. And they definitely should not be punished or threatened with having some mediocre RINO republican supported to primary them— so I also see why they would wish to secure protections given that they are the ones who are trustworthy and we want to keep them in office so they need to fight for themselves in order to keep the people who are trustworthy (in other words, the 20 who are fighting against Kevin McCarthy) in power and in office. Who else will fight for them if they don’t fight for themselves? I think they should be the ones in power. although they are only 10% of the Republican caucus, I bet they represent much more than 10% of us out here among conservative populist Republicans. I bet it’s well over 50% of us do not want Kevin McCarthy to be speaker of the house.

    I have called my Wisconsin congressman, and I am ashamed that he has not thrown in with the 20 who are opposing Kevin McCarthy.

    I am curious what the results of your poll yesterday are —do most of us want Kevin McCarthy or are most of us opposed to him?

Mike Huckabee

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