Quick: Who would you rather see as Speaker of the House, current Speaker Rep Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) or … Rep and member of the extremist Freedom Caucus Matt Gaetz (R-FL)?
Yeah, the latter is worse than the former, and, while Steve Benen doesn’t mention Gaetz by name, it’s implied in this reminder:
But let’s also not forget that McCarthy, while begging his own members for their support during his protracted fight for the speaker’s gavel, agreed to tweak the motion-to-vacate-the-chair rules, which at least in theory, would make it easier for angry House Republicans to try to oust McCarthy from his leadership position.
This isn’t a prediction, per se, and I’m not saying the House speaker will necessarily be ousted by a relatively moderate bipartisan deal, should one come together. But if the scope of the Freedom Caucus’ discontent reaches a fever pitch, a hypothetical deal clears thanks to significant Democratic support, don’t be surprised if we all start hearing the phrase “vacate the chair” a lot more frequently.
A slippery question indeed.
So, suppose such a motion occurs, and it’s known that a Freedom Caucus member will at least try to replace McCarthy should the motion be sustained. Then some unnamed Republican contacts the Democrats and states that, while the Republicans won’t vote for a Democrat, many will vote to return McCarthy to the Speaker’s chair – and asks the Democrats to support McCarthy.
What do the Democrats do?
