But They Had No Plan! Yes, Actually, They Did!

By Rich Kozlovich

My mind boggles at the stupidity of politicians who claim to be conservatives, and leaders.  It's been obvious to me for more years than I can remember those in leadership positions are not really leaders.  They're managers who are go along get along people who merely organize things in the direction everyone wants to go.  NO matter how stupid that direction may be.  True leaders are prepared to stand against the tide, and they are few in number. 

Representative James Comer Republican from Kentucky appeared yesterday on Fox Business Channel’s “Kudlow” telling him he was ashamed of House Republicans saying:

“We’ve wasted three weeks. And, you know, this was a dumb move by those eight members of Congress. Many of them are on my committee. I like, you know, at least six of the eight. But at the end of the day, they had no plan. They had no plan, and Larry, this could stretch out another two or three weeks. And it’s limited the ability of committees, not only to meet, but my committee, to do subpoenas and things like that.”

 

So, he isn't ashamed of the entire Republicans in the House.  No, he's only ashamed of the Heroic Eight who voted to get McCarthy kicked out.  However, from the entire Republican House they were only eight members who voted to kick McCarthy out.  The rest were Democrats.  Is he ashamed of the traitors who voted against Jim Jordan?  Apparently not, and why not?   Those "twenty-five members of the House GOP revealed themselves to be petty, sniveling, chumps who decided that the people should not have a say."

 

Unlike the vote against Jim Jordan, when the Heroic Eight stood against McCarthy there was more than enough valid reason.  He broke his word with the conservative caucus, and he worked back room deals with the Democrats to increase spending, and borrowing, leaving the rest of the House members, especially the conservative caucus, out of the picture. 

Well, I really tire of hearing this meme about "they didn't have a plan", because it appears the Heroic Eight did have a plan.   Force a vote on McCarthy and make the House Republicans go on record for where they stand on out of control spending, out of control borrowing, and out of control criminal activity by the Biden administration, and hopefully, force the House to choose a Speaker that wasn't a back room dealer with Democrats, and a fellow traveler with the Biden administration who deliberately cut out the rest of the House, especially the conservatives. 

 

The fact that he actually was removed, in spite of the back room deal he made with Pelosi that she and the Democrats would support him, was a bonus. It's not their fault the House failed to do their job!

 

The fact is, now the Republican House members have been exposed for who and what they are, and many have been shown as stupid and foolish.  That is in fact, a second bonus to their plan, since the 2024 primaries will be coming up for many of these nitwits, and I think many of them will be allowed to go back home to their families, permanently.  So, explain exactly to me why that isn't a plan, and a good plan? 

Which brings me to this question. Did those who voted against Jim Jordan have a plan?  No, they didn't!  So why isn't he ashamed of them?  Any failure of "the plan" falls directly on the CINO's (Conservative in name only) members.  They've now been exposed as petty, weak, unintelligent, and I think corrupt self serving dunderheads. But he's not ashamed of them.  

Imagine that!

McCarthy is Done and Now, the Real Story Begins, Part VII

By Rich Kozlovich 

 Derek Hunter, is a writer for Townhall.com for whom I have little respect. He's a snot, and I think his analyses are at best shallow.  He wrote this piece, The Party Of Idiots, outlining just what a disaster Biden has been to the nation, then went on to criticize those who wanted to do something about it saying:

The “geniuses” behind ousting the Speaker of the House didn’t think anything beyond their personal fundraising and cable news appearances, and even that might be giving them too much credit.  

If you want something to happen, you should have a plan to make it happen.........Not Matt Gaetz, Nancy Mace, and the other morons who saw an opportunity but didn’t have the cognitive skills to decide whether they should take it.............. Does anyone believe either of those people have thought through the consequences of their actions at any point in their lives, or do they strike you as the “I don’t care, I want to do it anyway” type? If you’ve heard the stories, you know the answer.

 

"Gaetz, Mace, and the other morons who saw an opportunity but didn’t have the cognitive skills to decide whether they should take it.......... Does anyone believe either of those people have thought through the consequences of their actions at any point in their lives, or do they strike you as the “I don’t care, I want to do it anyway” type? If you’ve heard the stories, you know the answer."

 

He went on to further insult Gaetz and the Heroic Eight, and he's not the only one.  I picked Hunter because I think he ranks among the most shallow and obnoxious, and consistently so.   But I see this pattern over and over again by seemingly conservative writers on seemingly conservative news sites, including Michael Barone who in this article, The Gathering Storm, outlines what a disaster Joe Biden and his administration has been to the nation, including this Israel/Hamas War (which will be far reaching down the road) but just can't help himself and slams the Heroic Eight saying:

 

America is bitterly split on partisan lines, with a narrowly Republican House (which nonsensically ousted its speaker).....

 

It was nonsense? Really?  Well, that's part of the problem with intelligent people who made a career of being a Washington insider.  Loss of perspective, with an inability to be the rock in the current against the conventional wisdom, which unlike traditional wisdom, has yet to stand the test of time.  

 

"Now isn't the right time", is an unendingly and irritating meme I've heard forever dealing with every controversial issue that surfaces.  Well, I keep asking: If not now, when?   For those who spout that, the right time is never.  And, since I didn't see a lot of people jumping into the boat that's rowing against the tide, so, I think it wise to ask:  If not Gaetz, who?  For these detractors, just as there is no right time, there is no right person.   And finally, was it necessary?  

 

The answers are as follows: Now is the time, Gaetz was the only one with the courage and willingness to take the beating and do it, and yes, it was necessary!

 

The detractors claim the Heroic Eight didn't have a plan.  Is that true?   No!  Their plan was to force McCarthy out and force the House Republicans to do something about the Republican leadership that can only be called less than stellar in their performance in stopping this spending, borrowing, regulatory insanity Biden, the Democrats, and the CINO's (Conservative in Name Only) in the Senate and the House have permitted to go on.  All of whom were more than willing to allow all that to get worse. Chaos?  No!  National bankruptcy is chaos, not fiscal restraint and the willingness to get rid of those who fail the nation. 

 

Did they have a planned conclusion? No, but they did have a hope this would set the stage for a positive conclusion.  There are always unintended consequences in any effort no one can plan for, so a solution was going to have to be up to the Republican caucus, and attributing false motives to them is nothing more than a cheap shot.   

 

The fact is, if you can't, or won't define things properly, you can't have understanding. If you don't have understanding, you cannot have a common vision.  Without a common vision, you have chaos, and chaos wasn't created by ousting McCarthy.  Ousting McCarthy is what exposed the chaos that already exists.

 

The Heroic Eight created a crisis, and crises force evaluations.  Evaluations force conclusions, conclusions force action.   With that in mind, let's do just a little history here as to who really is responsible for all this starting with the fact McCarthy betrayed the deals he made with conservative members by wanting to pass a Continuing Resolution that would continue to fund an outrageous and massively bloated 2023 budget.  

The Freedom Caucus kept warning they were in opposition to that, and he had nine months to work at passing legislation to avoid another last minute CR to avoid shutdown.  He didn't do that because he was far more comfortable making backroom deals with the Democrats than he was with his own party.  Make no mistake about it, as we've seen by their reaction to his ouster, a large number of Republican CINO's were more than happy to go along with that.  All more than willing to carry the water for the White House, and the Democrats, and in most cases in violation of what they promised their constituents.  There outrage is contemptible. As Bob Maistros states: 

 

This is not moderation, it's venality, duplicity, and corruption......Because even the hopeless libs at Brookings admit our budgetary trajectory is “unsustainable” – a fiscal IED with mid-century interest payments projected to exceed even the unfunded megatrillions for soon-to-be-insolvent Social Security and Medicare.

But just as important, reclaiming the power of the purse at any cost is vital to confronting straight-on the radical progressive and elitist cabal and avoiding the endless series of train wrecks toward which it has set America barreling...........To advance this overthrow of democratic norms, the ruling cabal has blockaded every conceivable political, economic, social, cultural, and judicial avenue for reform. Including, yes, elections. After the certifiably unlawful tactics employed in the 2020 contest and the equally suspicious sputtering of the anticipated 2022 “Red Wave,” can anyone count on the 2024 vote to turn the tide?

Resistance must start someplace – and a good place to start is Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz’s maneuver to unceremoniously force McCarthy from power via a motion to vacate, rinsing and repeating if necessary until the desired effect is achieved.

I was heavily involved in my industry's trade associations, and over the years I've been a bit confrontational.  I prided myself in always being unfailingly polite, but never unwilling to be the rock in the current.  I was often told I needed to be reasonable.  And my response has always been; "When have I ever not been reasonable?"  The problem with that?  Definition!  The dictionary defines reasonable as having sound judgement based on facts, reason, and logic.  Detractors defined it as the willingness to go along to get along.  Then, if that's the accepted definition, name one time when being "reasonable" ever overcame monolithic corruption.

So again, I ask:  If not now, when?  If not Gaetz, who?  Answer?  Now was the time, and Gaetz was the man needed. Liked or disliked, he did what needed to be done, and he's paid a heavy price.  But, as in all things, there are surprises.   

It appears McCarthy blames his ousting as Speaker on Democrats and if there's chaos, it's the Democrats who caused it. Surprise!  And furthermore ...... surprise again....... McCarthy is supporting Jim Jordan and says he'll do an excellent job and is "working........to get it done, " saying he is confident the Ohio congressman will secure enough votes to win in a floor vote."

He also told reporters that a new House Speaker will be elected “shortly” and that things are “going well.”  “They tried to make a motion in there to bring me back, and I just told them, ‘No, let’s not do that. Let’s walk through this and have an election,'” McCarthy said. “And I think Jim Jordan would do an excellent job.”

Okay, now, I think I've properly defended the action to dump McCarthy, but this is Washington, and nothing is ever as it appears, and no one can be trusted.  We seem to have a fly in the butter, actually two flies.  Surprise! 

While a couple of days ago I thought it was hilarious when House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries offered to "help" the Republicans by creating a "bipartisanship" leadership, all for the good of the nation to prevent "extremists from dictating the agenda".  Remarkable!  A radical extremist calling someone extreme, and I'm not laughing now, because it seems that's actually being discussed with Republicans, and according to him, today they're going to "formalize" those discussions.  With whom?  

Well first of all, we do understand, a discussion isn't someone mumbling to themself.  There has to be more than one party to a "discussion", and political discussions follow outlines of logic, reasoning, and setting standards of one kind or another.  It's also clear there are sufficient CINO's in the Republican party, and the House of Representatives, who would be willing to entertain anything the Democrats offer in order to make that happen.  

In point of fact, there are sufficient CINO's in the House to actually elect a Democrat, which is what Jeffries really wants.  It's a mess, and make no mistake, if the Republicans agree to this the 2024 Republican primaries will be filled with people who will be joining Liz Chaney and Adam Kinzinger in retirement.  Unless they decide to run Chaney or Kinzinger for Speaker of the House, and that might not be all that far-fetched.   I think the Democrats would vote for either of them en-masse.  

To get elected the Speaker needs 218 votes, and there are 212 Democrats.  How hard would it be to get six Republican CINO's to roll over and betray their party, their constituents, and the nation?  Even changing party affiliations and becoming Democrats?  I'm betting it wouldn't be that hard at all!   

If you're wondering how that would turn out take a look at what's going on in the Texas legislature, where a Republican legislature has been totally unmanned by a corrupt Republican Speaker of the House who gave chairmanships to Democrats and undermines every conservative effort by the legislature.  It's not a pretty sight.  

As Jim Hoft states:

If this happens it will be the end of the Republican party.  The conservative base of the party have put up with neglect and abuse from lawmakers for years. If the elites nix Jim Jordan’s vote for Speaker – that will confirm the party’s disgust for its conservative voting base.  

Surprise!!!

• McCarthy is Done and Now, the Real Story Begins, Part I
• McCarthy is Done and Now, the Real Story Begins, Part II
• McCarthy is Done and Now, the Real Story Begins, Part III
• McCarthy is Done and Now, the Real Story Begins, Part IV
• McCarthy is Done and Now, the Real Story Begins, Part V
• McCarthy is Done and Now, the Real Story Begins, Part VI

McCarthy is Done and Now, the Real Story Begins, Part VI

By Rich Kozlovich

Well, here we are, Part VI, and I thought this was all done by Part IV.  At this point Steve Scalise has dropped out entirely and Jim Jordan has been chosen as the Republican nominee.  There were news reports there was a big blow up between Scalise and Jordan, which appears to have been false, and my guess that was an effort to smear Jordan.  

Now Jordan has to consolidate his nomination with 217 votes.   House Majority Whip Tom Emmer wants to consolidate support for Jordan, but would consider running only if Jordan can't get the necessary votes, and and it's looking like another battle. 

There are interesting side bars playing out here.   

McCarthy is now working to "clear the way for Jordan since he won the nomination on Friday, too, formally endorsing him and making calls on his behalf for the Judiciary Committee chairman to take his old gig."   McCarthy has predicted confidently that Jordan will be able to consolidate the requisite 217 votes after members cool down over the weekend and spend time with their constituents and family members."

On the other hand,  according to J.D Rucker, "RINOs Like John Rutherford Will Go Against Trump and the American People to Spite Matt Gaetz" quoting Rutherford aying:

"I'm a no on allowing Matt Gaetz and the other seven to win by putting their individual in as speaker."

His ilk all hate Gaetz and are still wanting McCarthy to be returned to the Speaker's chair.  So, since they're a minority in the party, are they now rebels who need to be kicked out of the caucus and primaried?  That's what was said about the Heroic Eight who voted against McCarthy.  Well, Rucker surely thinks so saying:

Any GOP member of Congress who is against Jim Jordan, Donald Trump, and the American people must be censured by their district’s party and primaried next year. Their allegiance is to McCarthy and the Swamp, not America.

The emerging speculations over all this are amazing.  What if the Republican can't get together?  Is it possible the McCarthy wing can rig a deal with the Democrats and get him re-elected as Speaker.  I don't think so because that would make the Democrats look like fools, after all, they initially, via Nancy Pelosi, swore they'd support him, and then stabbed him in the back. And McCarthy was shocked, shocked I tell you.  Imagine that.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries offered " to enter into a bipartisan coalition to run the House of Representatives", which I thought was hilarious yesterday.  I'm not so sure it's all that funny today.

The fact is, they want one of their own as Speaker,  and if Republicans can't get their act together,  America may get a Democrat Speaker, with a Republican House majority. If that happened, all Chairmen of all the House Committees would be taken over by Democrats, and all those investigations would disappear like the morning fog in sunlight.  If you doubt that could happen, take this issue in the Texas legislature as an example of what happens where the Speaker works against the majority. 

Real conservatives despise Democrat rule, but one thing everyone has to acknowledge, they know how to rule, and they rule with an iron fist allowing no dissension in the ranks.  For Democrats, that's not hard because they're all leftist lunatics who all have the same totalitarian vision of high taxes, big spending, big government and massive and intrusive regulations allowing them to control every aspect of our lives.

The Republican party has no shared vision.  While legitimate conservatives have a shared vision, the so-called moderates by their fence sitting nature can't define a vision, and the leftist might as well be Democrats for their vision of high taxes, big spending and big government.  The party is incapable of property defining what it stands for.  As a result they lack clarity, and without clarity they are incapable of a uniform vision in any form.

Again, there's reason Republicans are called the "stupid party" and the "useless party".  They earned it. 

• Part I,  Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V 

The World as I See It: The McCarthy Saga

By Rich Kozlovich 

Over the years I've published articles entitled:  The World as I See It:....followed by the subject matter, and in this piece about McCarthy's mission to become Speaker of the House, I will start with these two quotes, which I will come back to.

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” — Seneca, the Elder

“Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard.— H.L.Mencken

First, we need to answer three questions.  

• Should McCarthy have been challenged? Yes!
  
• Should he have been challenged  as hard as he was? Yes!
  
• Was it done properly? No! 

First, the Republicans in the Congress are made up of three factions.  The swamp dwelling RINO's, the conservative Constitutionalists, and the average go along to get along crowd, who aren't nearly as well informed or as bright as we, or they, think they are, nor as well informed or as bright as they should be, and they all have a problem with thinking they're special.  They're not.

McCarthy and the RINO swamp dwellers were arrogant and dismissive of the conservatives in the Congress, and the nation, right from the very beginning, and McCarthy moving into the Speaker's office without being chosen as Speaker is in my view an example of that arrogant and dismissive attitude.

Which brings me to the negotiations by both.  

McCarthy didn't negotiate in good faith because he and his supporters didn't think he had to negotiate at all, and didn't want to negotiate, in the first place.  Negotiating at the 11th hour wasn't negotiation, it was desperation, and finally capitulation.

The Conservatives didn't negotiate in good faith because they really didn't want McCarthy as Speaker no matter what was negotiated, although, if he'd agreed to half of what he's now agreed to, I believe all this might not have occurred.  His arrogance cost him, because it welded the "anyone but McCarthy" mentality firmly in that groups mind, and emotions, yet they continued to negotiate as if they would vote for him if he capitulated on some important issues.  And while they eventually had to vote him in, their actions demonstrated they weren't  acting in good faith, but were now trapped by their folly, and since that became clear, at least to me, it diminished them.

While he ultimately did get chosen, and it appears a call from Trump to Gaetz was what it took to push Gaetz and the remaining holdouts over the line.  Now, we need to ask:  What really occurred in the end, and what will be the long term results?  First, now everyone knows Trump is the leader of the party, not Mitch McConnell.  Outside of the gutless Republicans and RINO's in the Senate, no one cares one whit for what McConnell thinks.  The conservatives are willing to bend for Trump, and McCarthy is now totally indebted to  him.  Will that make him a better Speaker?  As an example, "will he commit to not raising the debt ceiling without a concrete plan to cap spending and operate under a budget that balances in 10 years....to force deep cuts in the federal budget.....?" We'll see! 

McCarthy has been publicly humiliated beyond anything I've seen.  He's never going to forget or forgive this humiliation, and that's understandable, and that shouldn't have been done.  He's been so weakened he'll be walking on a frozen pond with thin ice from now on.  I almost feel sorry for him, and whether he deserved it or not, that was bad politics, bad strategy, and bad manners that will haunt the conservatives in the future, and one has to wonder if that it will come back to haunt Gaetz, except, there's a caveat to that.

While I think the conservative caucus gave up the high ground on integrity during all this, and I think in the short run it will impact their ability to get things done, in the long haul it's not going to matter.  In point of fact, their actions may be a major factor in getting things done.  The swamp, on both sides of the aisle, is now scared. 

McCarthy's supporters in the House, and the RINO's in the Senate, along with Republican state leaders have been given an unpleasant wake up call.  They're in for a fight, as these "rebels" are activists and activists with a cause don't care what anyone thinks, or says, including the media.  They're not going to be intimidated and they're not going to be suppressed or impressed by the "leaderships" threats or pronouncements, and their base, which is turning activist, is supportive of these "rebels", and that base is getting larger by the day, and they're going to push their positions as far as they can as hard as they can.

So, that leaves us with what?  

The House cannot pass legislation without agreement from the Senate and the President.  No bill revoking all this spending insanity or impeachment actions will ever be brought up in the Senate while Schumer has the majority, making legislation or impeachments passed by the House toothless.....sort of......because that doesn't mean they're helpless.  There are a number of things the House can do no matter what the Senate or the President does or doesn't do.

• First, the House controls the purse strings.  They can shut down the government over spending, and if the nation is caught between government shut downs and gridlock versus passage of all these insane initiatives by Biden and the Democrats, the nation will be far better off with gridlock and shutdown. They just have to possess the backbone to defend that position.
  
• Second, no legislation passed by the Senate can become law without consent of the House, so they can stop any insane laws being pushed by treasonous leftists controlling the Senate and the administration.  

These first two initiatives, along with passing legislation they know won't be taken up by the Senate, can be used as an impetus for a RINO hunt in the Republican party.

• Third, they can honestly investigate all the criminal activity by the agencies and departments of the federal government, along with the Democrats controlling them over the last 16 years and demand prosecution.

The Congress really doesn't have the Constitutional authority to do that. Except the Democrats have done it already with Trump, and now in order to fight such an action they'll have to publicly state they've been corrupt.  Even though they can't make the administration take up prosecution on criminal activity there's value to these actions. 

By impeaching those who have failed to live up to their oaths of office, whether the Senate takes up those impeachments or not, and investigating the criminal activity of elected and appointed officials along with their bureaucratic myrmidons, they will establish the facts regarding their failure to perform sworn duties, and their clearly criminal activity for future use and historical posterity.

• Fourth, they can, and should, publicize their findings constantly, and attack the media for their collusion and corruption with the Democrat party, and even personally attack the integrity of media personalities when they lie, distort, or misrepresent the facts, and that includes these nitwit celebrities.  
• Fifth, they need to create a coalition to start a massive grass roots effort to overturn the Republican leadership in each and every state, and that should start with the parents who've been fighting the arrogance and tyranny of school boards across the nation that are condemning America's children to leftist insanity. 

These parents are now motivated, and that motivation needs to be fanned into flames of conservative passion, and do that by creating and funding a national organization under the name:  Fixing Education in America is Job One.

• Sixth, they need to have the guts to do all that, because to take that stand means embracing conservative values and principles and having the courage to demand the nation re-implement and reaffirm those foundational Judaic/Christian values on which America was founded and flourished.

Which bring me back to the two quotes at the beginning of this piece.  I think this beginning is the end to the absolute control of the Republican party by the RINO's, and Americans asked for all this and has been  getting it good and hard, and at some point they're going to do something about it.

One of my heroes in business was Chuck Steinmetz.  I was so impressed with him thirty years ago, after I started my own pest control company, I went to hear him speak at the University of Kentucky Pest Control Short course.  After he spoke I went up to him and introduced myself telling him I'd come to the Short Course because after ten years in the industry I just started my own business and wanted to hear what he had to say.   I find what he said to me over thirty years ago is timeless, and is applicable to a great many things, including good government.  

He said there were only two things needed to be successful in business, brains and guts, and you can hire brains.  That applies to getting good government also.

 

There's a Disturbance in the Force! Oh My!

By Rich Kozlovich

 

On January 8, 2023 Steven Hayward posted this piece, House GOP Causing Panic on the Left, noting  how the media and the Democrats really enjoyed themselves watching the Republicans battle over the Speaker of the House nomination.  

 

Smirking joyfully and even breaking out the popcorn to watch "The Speaker Show".  But now.....it turns out there's a disturbance in the force.....Imagine that! Now those who can only be quantified as "factose intolerant" are getting a wake up call from the arrogance and self-righteous echo chamber head nodding they've so unendingly lavished in.....and they're really getting ....wellll....scared, imagine that, because it appears they're going to have real investigations:

With the rules agreement we negotiated, we will have a powerful Church-style committee to go after the weaponization of the federal government – the FBI, DOJ, DHS, and all the rest. This is a victory for the Constitutional rights of all Americans.

Imagine that, they're actually going after the left's henchmen in the federal bureaucracy!  Who knows who's door this will lead to, including elected members of Congress!  And they're scared.  Life is good!

It turns out McCarthy wanted to be Speaker of the House so badly he was willing to suffer unending humiliation and fully capitulated to the most conservative members of the House, and that's going to change things, for the better for America, but not for these leftist misfits, and now they're becoming aware of that, and they're ......shocked.  Maybe all this wasn't so funny after all?

As I keep seeing what's developing, I'm liking this deal more and more, after all, if something panics these leftist nitwits, how bad can it be for the nation? 

In the meanwhile, maybe we need to thank McCarthy, because I don't think the conservative caucus could have gotten anywhere near as good a deal if McCarthy had held on to his dignity, walked away, and told everyone to shove where the sun doesn't shine.   

But....as the reporter in Charlie Wilson's War said:  We'll see, until then: Thanks Kevin, you may become a great American yet!

McCarthy's Freaky Friday

By Rich Kozlovich

Okay, here we go, and I'm going to run this post as a time sequenced journal because I think it will all be over today......Maybe!

1:13 PM: 

We now know McCarthy lost the eleventh vote but picked up eight votes from the conservative caucus in the 12th vote, Clyde, Bishop, Donalds, Cloud Luna, Miller, Norman, Perry, and I think this is the end....finally.  If I'm calculating this correctly, based on the last count, that gives him 209 votes, he needs nine more and the remaining holdouts are going to find it hard to keep pushing against him, and Jim Jordan does not want to be Speaker, and the nation shouldn't want him to be Speaker.  

The nation needs him to attack the Biden administration as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee.  He's the ultimate attack dog, unrelenting, courteous, stunningly logical, intelligent and above all, factual to a fault.  At some point all this vile rhetoric has to stop, especially by the media, but make no mistake, this will haunt them for years to come.  Some things just can't be taken back.  It's like driving a nail into a fine piece of furniture. No matter how well it's repaired, the scar remains forever. 

3:30 PM:

There has now been 13 votes and 15 of the Republican holdouts, have voted for McCarthy and the reason why is there has been an agreement and it's clear McCarthy has given them just about everything they've wanted, and based on the fact his maximum support reached 201 votes, I'm going to conclude that gives him 216, leaving six holdouts, and I can't see that lasting much longer.  At some point their colleagues will turn on them asking what I've been asking:  Is it about the mission, or is it about you? 

But, as the article points out, there are still problems with that agreement even if they vote him in as Speaker.  There are those who are proclaiming since there has been zero wins and 13 losses — it’s time to replace DC swamp rat Kevin McCarthy, claiming:

I can guarantee you that somebody in the House of Representatives could get to 218 votes. It’s time to find that person.

Really?  Impressive rhetoric, but does anyone really want the job now? And if McCarthy withdraws does anyone think his supporters, which is a large majority, won't do what the conservative caucus is doing now?

It's really turning ugly, and truthfully, I have no idea why McCarthy wants the job now, and one Republican has threatened to support the Democrats if this continues, and he may not be alone.   

The holdouts negotiated fraudulently.  It's now clear they never intended to vote for McCarthy no matter what he agreed to, and they should have fearlessly, openly and honestly said so.  They didn't, and now it's time to pay the piper.  No matter what happens, they've lost credibility for their lack of integrity, and and normally integrity thrown away is integrity lost forever.  Except for one thing.  They are a representation of the base of the Republican party now, and that base is getting huge, the elite despise them and they despise the elite.....passionately.  

Their number is going to grow, and they're going to organize at the grass roots in order to fix the problems with education by eliminating tyrannical arrogant school board members with conservatives.   That will become the foundation for an activist movement adhering to the Constitution and conservative principles and values dedicated to the preservation of America's freedoms.  

4:33 PM:

I've waited to publish P&D Today in order to finalize this story.  Apparently it may even have to wait for a Sad Saturday rendition, and I'm publishing this piece now, and P&D Today and sending it out.

Best wishes to us all! 

Rich 

McCarthy's Turbulent Thursday (Update II)

  By Rich Kozlovich

Now, I'm a firm believer heterodoxy, I practiced it for most of my life whenever I was in a leadership position, with the phrase, "You're all wrong and I'm gonna tell ya why!" And I said it because I believed it. But I also was willing to acknowledge the good things done by adversaries because it was never about me.  It was always about the mission.  

I hated the military, and I despised the officers, and I still do, but my years in the military molded me in ways I never realized at the time.  I've often said this, and I think only those who served can understand this fully, "You couldn't pay me a million dollars to repeat those years, but you couldn't pay me a million to have missed them."   And one of the things I unconsciously embraced from my military years, without even realizing it, was mission orientation.  

We now have had ten votes and an eleventh nomination for Speaker of the House, and McCarthy has given in on just about everything they've demanded, including giving one member instead of five the power to make a motion to vacate the chair and remove the Speaker.  That was, in my opinion, the big one, and he's accepted that. It's time to move on.  Even those who applauded their stand must be asking:  What do they want? Is this about the mission, or is it about them?  Nothing is ever as it seems....ever!

Let's review.  

Here's Jordan Schachtel's take on Kevin McCarthy.

Kevin McCarthy is arguably the most compromised man in Congress, having spent the last 16 years selling himself, his voting authority, and his leadership position in the House, in exchange for the accumulation of raw power. From the moment he finished college, McCarthy, the two-time Davos attendee, who has never held a real job, has committed himself to the Uniparty machine in Washington.

McCarthy is entirely compromised by both foreign actors and domestic lobbyists. He is a tool for the establishment, an instrument of the elites. A McCarthy-led House GOP will not conduct serious investigations of wrongdoing. It will not roll back the efforts of the Biden Administration and the unaccountable administrative state. It will not restore fiscal sanity. It will not oppose the slava slush fund to Ukraine. Kevin McCarthy has a long track record in Congress, and his track record is certified trash.

Also, we've seen vicious personal attacks against the "freedom fighters" in Congress and I think these vicious personal attacks by McCarthy supporters against the "freedom fighters", or as the McCarthyites call them, "rebels" plays into all this.  They're really angry and resentful.  

It was claimed they had psychological problems, they were stupid, they were traitors, they were terrorists, and worse.  That's not a good strategic plan for those you wish to negotiate with.  But it's clear, the McCarthyites never intended to negotiate or would have done so weeks ago, instead of this 11th hour capitulation.  I think it's clear they never believed anyone could stand against them this long and take as much heat as they've done.  It seems to me these people never understood, or cared, once you have publicly humiliated someone, they will never forgive you.  

Is that a reason for they're continuing to hold out?  I think it's part of it, but I also believe they've been negotiating in bad faith.  What they really want is just about anyone except McCarthy as Speaker of the House, if that's true, and I think it is, they should have stated that openly and defiantly from the very beginning.  They didn't. 

There now seems to be only two options left, McCarthy must give up in his quest to be Speaker, and if that happens we go through all this again, because I think the McCarthyites, who are a large majority, are so outraged they will become the resistance to anyone the conservative resistance offers.  At this point I think the only effective answer is the conservative resistance must now act in good faith based on their publicly stated positions, demands and negotiations and give him the Chair.  

Character and integrity counts.  Both of which have history that will never be forgotten.  The conservative caucus had the high ground and threw it away.  That seeming lack of integrity will undermine everything they do or push from now on.   Now, no matter how this turns out, he's toast, the freedom caucus' values are in question diminishing them, the entire Republican House is seriously weakened and there is no agreed upon mission orientation. 

What could possibly go wrong?   

McCarthy's Turbulent Thursday (Update)

  By Rich Kozlovich

Definition leads to clarity, clarity leads to understanding, and understanding leads to good decision making, unless of course no one cares about any of that and embraces irrationality.  

Well, this thing is becoming more and more clear as yesterday McCarthy said more voting was useless but today's vote will be different, and now we know why.  Kevin McCarthy Gives 4 More Concessions Before Thursday’s Speakership Vote.  It appears he's just about capitulated to their demands, and if he'd done that weeks ago, this would have probably been avoided. But now we have much more clarity, because now everyone's positions are being openly defined.  So, what exactly do we absolutely know now? 

 First, "The concessions McCarthy made are significant. Axios and Politico Playbook reported:"

• One member motion threshold needed to force a vote ousting a speaker, instead of five.
• More House Freedom Caucus members on the House Rules Committee (two seats).
• Pledges to hold votes on lawmaker term limit and border security bills.
• Major changes to the appropriations process to prevent another omnibus bill by allowing floor amendments to be offered by any lawmaker.

In addition, the McCarthy-aligned super PAC, Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), pledged it would not spend money in Republican primary races against GOP candidates in open races, as its affiliates had done in several races in the 2022 midterm elections. The concessions are in addition to ten more concessions previously negotiated between the GOP factions.

Well, that sounds like a win for the conservatives to me, and for McCarthy as well, so what's the problem? 

Critics of the concessions have stated leadership has not always followed through on its promises. House rules have often been suspended in times of political urgency. Others argued the CLF’s promise is unenforceable because other mechanisms exist to funnel money to preferred candidates.

So if they believed right along he can't be trusted to adhere to his concessions, why were they demanding concessions for their votes, and still holding out that concessions would get him their votes?  So, if that's the case, and it seems to me that it is, what exactly is it they really want?  Answer:  Someone other than McCarthy, and that's being fundamentally dishonest, as they should have stated that from the onset.  

If that was the case, and it seems that it is, now they've trapped themselves as they need to either move on this and vote for him, or adamantly state they will not vote for McCarthy no matter what he agrees to, and that would be detrimental to their cause as they would appear to be radically dishonest and thoroughly unreasonable, whether their concerns are valid or not.

The other thing we absolutely know is McCarthy wants to be Speaker of the House so badly he will give in to whatever it takes to get the job, once again showing what a weak leader he is.  A strong leader of character would have withdrawn from the race, but not McCarthy.   For McCarthy, it's all about him, it's not about the mission, it's not about the party, it's not about the nation.   It's all about McCarthy.

But as of right now, if the holdouts don't back down and vote for him now, no one wins, and I think I'm going to break out in hives for saying that. 

McCarthy's Turbulent Thursday

  By Rich Kozlovich

I could go on blathering about the details on how McCarthy has now gone on for six votes and lost all of them, and how Trump still supports him, and how he's agreed to concessions, none of which are the big ones they really want regarding spending and the ability to dump his as Speaker when he reneges on his concessions.  I've dubbed him with a new royal title.  Count Caveat, since every deal he agrees to is ambiguous and filled with caveats that make it possible to renege on agreements.  

I've pointed out the only way he can win is if he stabs the entire Republican party in the back and cuts a deal with the Democrats, and there's apparently been rumors that's what he's doing, and Democrats like Ocasio-Cortez, Marcy Kaptur and others are touting such a deal.  A deal with big concessions about creating a "unity" government, that would give them control of the House and McCarthy as their puppet. 

All the while showing just how little class these juvenile Democrats have by breaking out popcorn as the speaker battle unfolds.  Karl Rove, who just about has a monopoly on being wrong, claims this is an 'unmitigated disaster' for Republicans, which of course means his brand of Republican, and none of them are conservatives.   

McCarthy Wins More Time With House Adjournment:

Chamber will reconvene at noon Thursday, allowing speaker candidates to cut deals On a two-vote margin, the House decided Wednesday night to adjourn until noon Thursday after six votes so far this week have failed to choose the next speaker. This already is the most protracted election for speaker the House has seen in a century—and it's far from clear that another night of negotiations among Republicans will be able to resolve their differences. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who has fallen short in every vote, sought the adjournment to give him more time to lobby for support among GOP members opposed to his candidacy. "I don't think a vote tonight will make a difference," McCarthy said, per the Washington Post, "but a vote in the future will.

"I don't think a vote tonight will make a difference, but a vote in the future will?"  Really?  Interesting statement. What's he know no one else knows?  Then there are these pieces worth viewing: 

• Can we tolerate a Speaker McCarthy?
• The bid for House Speaker is looking more and more like a soap opera
• RINO Neocon Dan “Eyepatch McCain” Crenshaw Smears Conservatives Not Voting for Kevin McCarthy as “Terrorists”
• RINO Rep. Mike Rogers Repeats Smear
• The Anti-McCarthy Plan Is Working Properly Which Is Why Uniparty Swamp Shill Sean Hannity Is Lashing Out so Aggressively
•  RINO Turncoat Mike Pence Tells All Republicans to Vote for His Friend Kevin McCarthy
• Disappointing: Conservative Rep. Ken Buck Votes for McCarthy After Previously Stating Otherwise

And then there's this post:

• A Significant Majority of Republican Voters Agree With the Conservative Rebels

However, there are two things that are under discussed.  First, Jim Jordan should not be chosen as Speaker, he doesn't want it and the nation needs him to be the Chairman of the Judiciary committee in order to go after the Democrats and the Deep State corruption and crime that's being swept under the rug.  That's his strength and his desire. Even with the restrictions place on him by the Democrats, he humiliated and exposed those he questioned.  What will happen when he's Chairman?

Secondly, demanding the Speaker push certain legislation is a red herring, since no conservative legislation passed by the house will be accepted by Schumer in the Senate, the best the House can do is block spending, even if it means shutting down the government, and as for Biden's claim, "For the first time in 100 years, we can't move", I think we need to ask:  That's a bad thing why? 

Given the current "movement" of the Biden Administration, being caught between gridlock and passing legislation Biden approves of,  gridlock is a good thing. And for the argument this embarrasses the nation:  How can this possibly be more embarrassing to America than watching a drooling moron and a laughing nitwit babble on and becoming the laughing stock on the national and international world stage?  

So, I'm thinking, maybe it doesn't matter if McCarthy becomes speaker.  Since the new Republican Speaker will be toothless anyway.  If they can get him to agree to a "firm" unbending position on no more spending, and appointing committee chairmen who will go after Biden and his corrupt and incompetent myrmidons, that might be the best the nation can hope for, at least from Congress.    The real solution lies in local initiatives, starting with fixing education, ending voter fraud, and that starts with choosing new leadership in each state, and throwing out all the go along to get along crowd. 

Everything is the basics!

McCarthy's Worrisome Wednesday

  By Rich Kozlovich 

Well, yesterday I posted McCarthy's Terrible Tuesday outlining this issue over his desire to become Speaker of the House noting the number of Republicans who absolutely will not vote for him, and the amount of CO2 expelled over this.  Well, there's no less CO2 being expelled now with McCarthy claiming in a meeting with Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. that Gaetz would not care if this stalemate got Democrat Hakeem Jeffries the Speakership, as they would fight him.  

Which I thought was strange he would say something like that for three reasons.  No conservative would ever accept that.  He would have to know they would lose that fight.  And it would take six Republicans to cross over and vote for Hakeem, and no one believes that can happen.  However, that 11th hour bit of CO2 by McCarthy played into the narrative that conservatives working against him had psychological problems.    Gaetz responded saying "As is typical for Kevin McCarthy's career, he is lying."  And that may be the crux of the matter, character.  

• Proof Kevin McCarthy Is the Wrong Guy: MSNBC Hack Joe Scarborough Smears Conservative Opponents as ‘Weirdos and Freaks’

One thing is for sure.  Some things done or said cannot be forgotten or forgiven, and McCarthy has a problem with that as we've seen with his shifting positions with Liz Chaney and Donald Trump.  Is he really trusted?  Character counts, and we'll come back to that.

Paul E. Scates on January 3, 2023 posted this article,  The House Speaker Vote -- Embarrassment, Indeed, which is a bit lengthy but I think this piece is indicative of what may really be playing out in the background with McCarthy, and truth isn't the gold standard, and the health of the nation does not rest on making McCarthy Speaker, irrespective of the inflammatory rhetorical fallacies.  I do wish logic was a study course started in Junior High School.  Of course that would require the schools to start teaching them to read first.

McCarthy lost on the first ballot, then on the second ballot and then on the third ballot.  I had predicted if he lost on the first ballot he would lose support, and would lose more after each successive vote, but that didn't happen until the third ballot.  

Rep. Elise Stefanik from New York, and the chair of the Republican Caucus, nominated McCarthy claiming he had taken the battle against the efforts by the Democrats to create a "one party" nation in behalf of the America people, and was a “proud conservative with a tireless work ethic, Kevin McCarthy has earned this speakership of the people’s house”, and apparently the House Republicans loudly applauded.   Remarkable, but applause isn't votes, and according to Representative Biggs, what conservatives want is  to "change the paradigm and the status quo.”   After all, he didn't seem to be winning any fights with the Democrats.  

Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, who has openly challenged McCarthy has been quoted saying:

“Minority Leader McCarthy does not have the votes needed to become the next speaker of the House and his speakership should not be a foregone conclusion,” “There are reforms that must be made in the House in order to facilitate representation of our constituents...." 

Pennsylvania GOP Rep. Scott Perry has stated:

"nothing changes when nothing changes." He cited the letter, which states "the times call for a radical departure of the status quo — not a continuation of the past, and ongoing Republican failures."

McCarthy's response was a pledge to “work with everyone in our party to build conservative consensus,” .............“It’s time for our new Republican majority to embrace these bold reforms and move forward as one... [and] stand ready to be judged not by my words, but by my actions as Speaker.”"   Okay, yeah, I like it.  Embracing bold reforms.  Yeah, right, that's what the base wants to hear!  Okay.......and what are they?  I'll tell you what, we'll come back to that. 

However, whether it's by his words or actions he's to be judged, "in his 14 years in Republican Leadership, McCarthy has repeatedly failed to demonstrate any desire to meaningfully change the status quo in Washington."  History counts.

On the first ballot McCarthy received 203 votes, Biggs received 10 votes, Jordan received six votes and others received the rest.  Out of 222 voters he didn't get 17, and he didn't get 17 on the second ballot, and then he lost ground on the third ballot only receiving 202 votes, out of 222 Republicans. 

Jordan is a big favorite among conservatives and received more votes on the third ballot but says he supports McCarthy because:

"The differences we may have ... pale in comparison to us and the left, which now unfortunately controls the other party," "So, we had better come together ... That's what the people want us to do, and I think Kevin McCarthy is the right guy to lead us, I really do, or else I wouldn't be up here giving this speech."

I really like Jordan and don't understand his position, but it seems to me Jordan really doesn't want to be Speaker for two reasons.  First, the Speaker's job is like herding cats, and we saw how Pelosi had to grovel before the far left nitwits who now control her party, and secondly, I think Jordan wants to chair committees that will be investigating the crimes committed by Democrats, especially Biden and his family, the FBI, and others.  That's his real strength, and he just wants to get on with it. 

So, what are the reforms?  Rep. Matt Gaetz: McCarthy ‘Refused’ on ‘Term Limits,’ Balanced Budget, and ‘Border Plan’, and one thing about McCarthy, any agreement with him comes with vagueness and caveats that will allow him to renege on those agreements.  Character counts, history counts, and trust is based on both.

Rep. Crenshaw claims all this infighting 'makes us look foolish, and the Democrats are cheering.  Well, Rep. Crenshaw, there's a reason the Republican Party is called the stupid party, and the Democrats have been laughing at the Republicans for decades, and that "stupid party" moniker was thrown at the Republican Party a long time ago with people just like McCarthy in leadership, and there was good reason for it.  They got that moniker the old fashioned way.  They earned it.   

Once again, no matter what they're saying publicly, I think there's still a chance Democrats will cross over and vote for him because they know he's "Cav-in McCarthy", and since they can't have a Democrat speaker, having Cav-in McCarthy as Speaker is good politics.

Of course he could show character and withdraw and let another have the Speaker's chair, but McCarthy insists he's earned this job’, and he's not giving up no matter how many votes it takes.  

 Well this drama will pick up again today, and I think that brings us to this question.  Is it about him, or is it about the nation?  Character counts, and character has history, and no matter how this plays out, McCarthy loses, even if he's chosen as Speaker. 

McCarthy's Terrible Tuesday

By Rich Kozlovich

 Well, today's the day of McCarthy's reckoning, and the amount of CO2 emitted over who will be, or should be, the Speaker of the House has been amazing, and this piece outlines just how amazing that rhetoric is.  Will McCarthy get chosen? Will he get chosen on the first ballot?  He failed to get the votes needed in the Republican's closed session, but what will happen when the entire House votes? 

The Speaker of the House is a Constitutionally mandated position, so the entire House votes for the Speaker, unlike the Senate, where they make their own rules for leadership positions, and the rhetoric over this has been interesting, from doom and gloom to claims of mental illness of those who refuse to vote for McCarthy.  We even have good Ole Newt Gingrich wading in on this claiming  ‘Never McCarthy’ House Republicans have a psychological problem.  Wow!  Really?  

So those who stand firm for the conservative values they ran on have psychological problems but those who want to keep doing what's failed over and over again are sane?  Did I get that right?  Did I miss something? 

So that's what happened when Good Ole Newtie got on that couch with Nancy Pelosi and promoted global warming initiatives?  Did he had a mental breakdown? A psychological problem?  Or maybe, just maybe, he had a values problem?  I go for the latter.  Now, the man is a smooth talker giving the impression of great intelligence.  However, perhaps this is an illusion, because, believe it or not, he is a greenie!  Which makes him irrational and misanthropic and morally defective, and we already know he has the moral fiber of a goat. 

The fact is, Ole Newtie can tell you the sun is shining on Tuesday, and then claim on Wednesday it didn't shine at all. And do it with equally convincing zeal.  I wouldn't trust him to tell me day was light and night was dark.

It's being claimed chaos awaits a party that can’t unify itself, and I agree, but the Republicans are unlike the Democrats.  They're not unified, and this vote merely shows what everyone already knows to be true.  The Democrats are totally committed leftists who are working to destroy America, and vote in unity, and a frighteningly large number of Republicans are willing to help them, and all of those RINO's are voting for McCarthy.  

For weeks he's refused to make concessions to the conservatives in the House.   But now in the eleventh hour he's bending and now agreeing....sort of..... to some rule changes, such as making it easier to have a no-confidence vote to remove him from the Speakership, which has been limited to members of the leadership only.  

Normally there's no do overs for the Speakership, but while the position is Constitutionally mandated, the person isn't, and conservatives want to open that up to all the membership.   He's now willing to look at longer periods of time to read bills, not like this last minute vote for this 4000 page omnibus spending bill of 1.7 trillion dollars.  They also want "rules forbidding House GOP leadership from getting involved in primaries, and greater limitations on spending."   

If he'd agreed to these things before this would probably have been resolved by now, but he didn't and there must be a reason why.  And that reason is he's the weak leader conservatives fear he is and if he'd agreed to all this his days as Speaker would be numbered, or he'd have to grow a backbone and fight the good fight.  Not his cup of tea. 

At this point there are five members who claim they will absolutely not vote for McCarthy, Congressmen Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Bob Good (R-Va.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), and Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.), who has been striving to be Speaker of the House since John Boehner was ousted, and he wasn't chosen by the Republicans then.  It went to Paul Ryan, who turned out to be a disaster, he even raved about the intellect, character and integrity of Ketanji Brown Jackson, which showed  just how flawed Paul Ryan is. 

Until there's a Speaker in place nothing can be done in the House.  No rules nor any business can be adopted or acted upon.  And he wants to be Speaker, and he wants it badly.  But even if he wins, he's already damaged goods as a leader, and if it goes to a second ballot, or more, he's no leader at all, and with each successive vote he'll most likely lose votes, and as I see it, there are four things that play into this. 

One, as I've stated, the Speaker of the House is a Constitutionally mandated position and the entire House votes for the Speaker.  

Two, hard line conservatives in the House will absolutely not vote for McCarthy because they know he will cave in on important issues, which is clear that's what he wants to do or he wouldn't have been so adamant about the changes conservatives wanted. 

Three, he will not remove himself from contention for the good of the party or the nation because that takes character he doesn't possess in my opinion, which I outline in my article, You Can't Handle the Truth!  

And fourth, it seems clear McCarthy will be elected because, no matter what they're saying publicly, I think Democrats will cross over and vote for him because they know he's "Cav-in McCarthy", and that's good politics, and if I was the Democrat leader, that's what I would do.  And the reason for that is conservatives are urging Jim Jordan to challenge McCarthy and the last person they would want in the Speaker's Chair is Jordan, or someone like Jordan, versus Cav-in McCarthy.   

No matter how this plays out, McCarthy loses, even if he's chosen as Speaker. 

You Can't Handle the Truth: Part III

By Rich Kozlovich 

On November 23, 2022 Sarah Arnold published this piece, More Republicans Oppose Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker: 'No', saying:

Republicans are facing mixed emotions when it comes to supporting House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as the next House Speaker.  On Tuesday, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) didn’t have to think twice about whether he would vote for McCarthy to be the speaker of the House. “No,” Norman said when asked about his thoughts on the matter.  “There are a growing number of us who have just lost faith that McCarthy can do the job, and the speaker is the most important position at this point in this country,” Norman said while appearing on CNN.

Now, my view of McCarthy is that at best he's a leaky vessel.  Take for example how he initially supported Liz Chaney when it was obvious who and what she was, and then later "had an epiphany" .....an epiphany mind you......and turned on her. Does anyone doubt McCarthy is a leaky vessel as an ally?  If the wind changes, so will McCarthy.  

Remember, this is the guy who didn't want Liz Chaney removed from her position as a Republican leader in the house, and later condemned Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz. for speaking at the America First Political Action Conference, or AFPAC, calling it "appalling and wrong", and his despicable actions regarding  driving Trump out of politics, was followed by another "epiphany", and ran down to Mar-a-Lago, genuflected and kissed Trump's ring seeking forgiveness "because on reflection he realized just how wrong he was".   

• In case everyone has forgotten: Now Kevin McCarthy calls January 6 a 'violent insurrection': GOP war deepens after Trump attacked Mitch McConnell for calling it an 'insurrection'

You mean he needed time to see what was obvious to the most casual observer?  Wow!  I never knew the words epiphany and polls were interchangeable?  If that's so, and his "epiphany" is called a "poll", then it's a clear demonstration of his "leadership" qualities. That being somewhere between weak to non existent, with no stable moral foundation, especially given the cozy relationship he has with swamp creatures.

His "promises [to] Republicans [that] he shares their values, [and that] he’s on their side......that he will fight for them against permanent Washington, the forces that would like to destroy their lives", runs somewhere between questionable to highly dubious.

So, what does he really believe in?  We can only know after he reads the polls for his next "epiphany".  After all, being a California Republican is an exercise in capitulation and compromise in order to get elected, which I'm told by one of my e-mail correspondents involved in Californian Republican politics, is a major failing in California's Republican leadership.   

It's clear the Republicans will have to come together and pick someone soon if they hope to accomplish anything, and for that reason I've said I thought McCarthy would be Speaker, but I'm not so sure now as this is unfolding.  He absolutely needs the Freedom Caucus, which is now a group of substantial size with 44 members (membership by invitation only) in the House, and they are hot to deal with these outrageous budgets Biden and the Democrats have imposed on the nation.  I'll tell you what.  We'll come back to that. 

As it turns out McCarthy's not willing to give in to them, even on their budget plan, and the "proposed rules changes from the House Freedom Caucus have already been rejected by GOP leadership, creating more tension between conservatives and GOP leaders."  This isn't just a war between McCarthy and the Freedom Caucus, it's a war with the Freedom Caucus and the entire Republican leadership, and the new members coming in who are now more conservative.  

McCarthy has been vindictive in the past to the Freedom Caucus for daring to vote against him as leader,  and now he can't become Speaker without the Freedom Caucus, at least with his current stand on things, and I'm sure there are bad memories and hard feelings in that conservative group regarding McCarthy that are not going to go away.....ever. 

So unless he appeals to the Democrats it seems he can't win.  Remember, the Speaker of the House is mandated by the Constitution, so all members of the House vote for the Speaker's position.  There are no do-overs, and it's beginning to look as if he can't get elected without the Democrats.

Is that possible?   According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS) things have been changing over the last 25 years:

"In 11 of the 14 elections since 1997............some members s have voted for candidates other than the official nominees of their parties. Only in the initial election in 2015, however, were any such candidates formally placed in nomination. Usually, the additional candidates receiving votes have been other Members of the voter’s own party, but in one instance, in 2001, a Member voted for the official nominee of the other party............."

However, if he appeals to the Democrats he could probably win, but then what would he have to agree to and capitulated on to appease them?  Now, if he's elected by Democrats without appealing to them, but they act in his favor because they see a false conservative and a weak leader who can be manipulated by public criticism, can he possibly believe there won't be a massive revolt from the Republican members? 

Jim Hoft posted this article, Kevin McCarthy currently does not have enough votes for Speaker. This is a very good thing, saying:

While Biden, Pelosi and Schumer are destroying the country like never before Kevin McCarthy is way too weak to stand up against this destruction of the USA.  This is because McCarthy has never shown strength.  He’s Paul Ryan’s puppet in the House.... after two years Kevin McCarthy there is no indication that McCarthy will suddenly stand up against the Biden regime............looking at the 220 members of Congress based on their merits, their skills, their qualities, their leadership demonstration that you would settle on Kevin McCarthy at the expense of the other 219 or so Republicans....

After reading this piece, Stopping a Clean Debt Limit Hike Is an Early Test for Republican Leadership, one can reasonably ask: Is McCarthy the man to lead that charge? 

What happens when, or if, it becomes obvious most of the members of the Freedom Caucus will absolutely not vote for McCarthy and he can't get 218 votes, which seems that's the the position of the Freedom Caucus?  Now we're finding the, House GOP leadership rejects 6 of 8 rules changes sought by conservatives, with more pending.  Well, that certainly gives the impression the leadership's position is:  We're in charge, you're all whacko birds, so shove it.   

Does anyone besides me think that's not a good sign they'll convince the Freedom Caucus members to vote for McCarthy?   Just a thought.   

However, what happens if other members start to defect in their support of McCarthy?  What if that starts as a trend and becomes an avalanche? 

In 2018 Jim Jordan said, he was willing to run for U.S. House speaker, but this time he said he's not running against McCarthy, but what happens if they keep voting and McCarthy can't get 218 votes?   Will Jordan change his mind?   Will members decide to support Rep. Andy Biggs, who has openly challenged McCarthy?

But this presents a dilemma.  What about the new members?  It's the Speaker of the House who swears in the new members.  Does it have to be an elected Speaker?  As far as I can find out, yes, it does.  If that's the case, and it appears that it is, they must have a Speaker in place on January 3rd who is sworn in by the Dean of the United States House of Representatives, followed by the Speaker of the House swearing in the new members.

How about this.  McCarthy realizes his position is untenable, and removes himself from the running?  Since it certainly seems clear he can't be elected, at least by the Republicans, and he can't be their leader even if he gets the Democrats to vote for him, and if he's truly concerned about what's good for the nation isn't that what you would expect?  

Ya gotta admit, this is really getting down to the nitty gritty, and this is the test that will expose the character of McCarthy.  Is this all about him, or is it about the mission? We'll see!