Irony-- The Far Right Fringe Will Force A Shutdown... And Then Blame McCarthy & Try To Replace Him

Speaker Emmer? Feh!

The Republican Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill was so extreme and over the top that 27 mainstream conservatives voted against it late kast night, causing it to fail 191-237. The Republican NO votes:

• Don Bacon (R-NE)

• Lori Chavez DeRemer (R-OR)

• Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ)

• Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY)

• Monica De La Cruz (R-TX)

• Randy Feenstra (R-IA)

• Brad Finstad (R-MN)

• Michelle Fischbach (R-MN)

• Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)

• Andrew Garbarino (R-NY)

• Ashley Hinson (R-IA)

• Tom Kean (R-NJ)

• Jen Kiggans (R-VA)

• Young Kim (R-CA)

• Nick LaLota (R-NY)

• Mike Lawler (R-NY)

• Frank Lucas (R-OK)

• Nancy Mace (R-SC)

• Tracey Mann (R-KS)

• Max Miller (R-OH)

• Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA)

• Marc Molinaro (R-NY)

• John Moolenaar (R-MI)

• Dan Newhouse (R-WA)

• Zach Nunn (R-IA)

• David Valadao (R-CA)

• Derrick Van Orden (R-WI)

One note, aside from almost all of the electorally-vulnerable Republican incumbents (who were angry because it included a nation-wide ban on mifepristone, the abortion pill), representatives from heavily agricultural districts also voted NO— like all 4 Republicans from Iowa including Feenstra, who represents a red hellhole that Trump won with a 26 point margin, Tracey Mann from Kansas, Frank Lucas from Oklahoma, Dan Newhouse from Washington, John Moolenaar from Michigan and rural Minnesotans Brad Finstad and Michelle Fischbach.

McCarthy got his 3 other appropriations bills passed— Defense, Homeland Security (both of which he can call “bipartisan” because the GOP-lite Blue Dog co-chairs Jared Golden (ME) and Maria Gluesenkamp Perez (WA) voted with the Republicans on both) and State-Foreign Operations. The bills include tens of billions in over-the-top cuts that neither the Senate nor the White House will sign off on— not to mention insane far right “culture war” nonsense. McCarthy used them as “proof” the House is actually working to prevent a government shut down, an absurd contention, part of the smoke and mirrors wold the House Republican Conference exists in. Golden's and Perez's constituents might want to examine them to see what their representatives are willing to support.

Today the House will vote on Byron Donald’s 30-day social program-destroying CR to try to keep the government open— in reality to try to reopen it on Monday since it will shut down, technically, on Sunday morning at a minute after midnight. That will fail and the House will find itself with exactly zero leverage against the Senate, which should be able to overcome (ignore) Rand Paul’s objections by Monday and pass a bipartisan CR. McCarthy plans to keep the House in session over the weekend just so it doesn’t look as horrible as it is when the government shuts down.

And that brings us to Matt Gaetz’s and Andy Biggs’ decision to take away McCarthy’s gavel, presumably punishment for Gaetz’s ethics investigation (the one for trafficking underage girls and other criminal behavior related to that). Gaetz, who was snidely (and correctly) accusing McCarthy of injecting millions of dollars in stolen FXT funds from Sam Bankman Fried into the GOP conference, has decided he wants to give the speakership to Tom Emmer (R-MN), the only Republican more in cahoots with Bankman Fried than McCarthy. Watch… because it’s unlikely Gaetz did:

Leigh Ann Caldwell and Marianna Sotomaymor reported that “The effort to replace McCarthy with one of his top deputies is the latest example of the acrimony and chaos that has upended the Republican conference this year and has Congress on the path to a government shutdown. Many within the GOP conference, including McCarthy allies, have long warned that McCarthy’s leadership would be tested during the fight to fund the government because of promises he made to far-right lawmakers in January to win the speaker’s gavel… It’s unclear if far-right members will move forward with the plan or if the plotting is simply a warning to McCarthy about the seriousness of their displeasure. But some members have emphasized that removing McCarthy is ‘inevitable’ and ‘imminent’ and they are calculating the right time to try to do it. One lawmaker said they want McCarthy to leave the speakership with ‘some grace,’ meaning that a motion would happen if the government shuts down and McCarthy has exhausted all options to keep it open with only Republican votes… The disaffection with McCarthy among hard-liners has grown even as he has consistently placated them, and even as the government heads toward a shutdown. Hard-liners say McCarthy wasted months of valuable time over the summer by refusing to negotiate spending bills that address their demands, even though many of these members have prevented movement on several bills funding the government for the full year.”

Juliegrace Brufke says no so fast because, aside from Emmer, the Freedom Caucus is also considering crowning one of a quartet of other clowns— Kevin Hern (R-OK), Jodey Arrington (R-TX), Tom Cole (R-OK) and Patrick McHenry (R-NC). Cole is an absurd name to bring up, not just because he’s a McCarthy ally but also because he’s a relatively sensible mainstream conservative who has no truck with the fascists like Gaetz and Biggs, let alone Marjorie Traitor Greene and Lauren Boebert, who fancy themselves king-makers now.

Coincidental to the 27 GOP “No” votes on the Agriculture appropriations bill last night were the 27 signatures— all from the GOP’s neo-fascist fringe— on a letter to McCarthy demanding leadership to get them out of the disaster they created— without going the bipartisan route, virtually impossible.

• Scott Perry (R-PA)

• Chip Roy (R-TX)

• Bob Good (R-VA)

• Lauren Boebert (R-CO)

• Dan Bishop (R-NC)

• Josh Brecheen (R-OK)

• Eric Burlison (R-MO)

• Michael Cloud (R-TX)

• Andrew Clyde (R-GA)

• Warren Davidson (R-OH)

• Byron Donalds (R-FL)

• Jeff Duncan (R-SC)

• Paul Gosar (R-AZ)

• Diana Harshbarger (R-TN)

• Andy Harris (R-MD)

• Clay Higgins (R-LA)

• Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL)

• Mary Miller (R-IL)

• Alex Mooney (R-WV)

• Barry Moore (R-AL)

• Troy Nehls (R-TX)

• Ralph Norman (R-SC)

• Andy Ogles (R-TN)

• Bill Posey (R-FL)

• Keith Self (R-TX)

• Tom Tiffany (R-WI)

• Randy Weber (R-TX)

No Matt Gaetz on this one. He must have been too busy courting Democrats to see if he could persuade any of them to help him oust McCarthy. Olivia Beavers reported that he was sneaking around Thursday night to see who would help him with his vacate the chair plan— including progressives Pramila Jayapal, Greg Casar and Jim McGovern. “He’s been talking to everybody about it,” Jayapal told Politico. “I told him in our caucus, in the Progressive Caucus, we’re not planning to save McCarthy— for a whole host of reasons. And so, we really need to get through the shutdown first.” Gaetz, embarrassed he was publicly outed, says it’s fake news.

UPDATE: House Republicans Voted To Shut Down The Government

The tiny chance of averting a government shutdown was dashed today when 21 Republicans defeated McCarthy’s last stand for a CR. It went down 198-232. The Republicans who voted “NO” were primarily from the neo-fascist House “Freedom” Caucus:

• Andy Biggs (R-AZ)

• Dan Bishop (R-NC)

• Lauren Boebert (R-CO)

• Ken Buck (R-CO)

• Tim Burchett (R-TN)

• Eric Burlison (R-MO)

• Michael Cloud (R-TX)

• Eli Crane (R-AZ)

• Matt Gaetz (R-FL)

• Paul Gosar (R-AZ)

• Marjorie Traitor Greene (R-GA)

• Wesley Hunt (R-TX)

• Nancy Mace (R-SC)

• Mary Miller (R-IL)

• Cory Mills (R-FL)

• Alex Mooney (R-WV)

• Barry Moore (R-AL)

• Troy Nehls (R-TX)

• Andy Ogles (R-TN)

• Matt Rosendale (R-MT)

• Keith Self (R-TX)