Texas Rep. Gohmert to challenge Boehner for House speaker post

[Norm dePlume]

Go - mer!! Go - mer!! Go - mer!!

Texas Rep. Gohmert to challenge Boehner for House speaker post

Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert said Sunday that he will challenge House Speaker John Boehner for his post when Congress returns this week to Washington.

Gohmert, among the House Republican caucus’ most conservative members, made the announcement on “Fox and Friends,” saying he decided to run after Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., said Saturday that he would challenge Boehner for the chamber’s top post.

“We have heard from a lot of Republicans that said, ‘I would vote for somebody besides speaker Boehner.’ But nobody will put their name out there,” Gohmert said. “That changed yesterday with Ted Yoho.”

On a related note, WND's Jane Chastain lays out a playing chicken strategy for the Tea Partiers to do to the Speaker election what they did to the 2013 budget fight.

In the new 114th Congress, the House of Representatives will be comprised of 247 Republicans and 188 Democrats.

All 188 Democrats will vote for Nancy Pelosi, which means that Boehner must get at least 189 Republican votes to win because the speaker must get a majority of all votes cast, not a majority of the 435 members of the House. If Boehner fails to get a majority, balloting will continue until members coalesce behind someone else.

Therefore, if just 59 Republicans were to vote “present” instead of casting their vote for Boehner, Pelosi would be elected speaker if none of those who voted “present” amend their votes.

A Republican will be the acting chairman for this election. During the roll call, if 59 Republicans simply answer “present,” the chairman will temporarily suspend the vote. At that point the deal-making would begin. Conservatives, who were not even consulted on the “cromnibus” bill, would then be in the driver’s seat. Boehner would have to agree to step down in favor of a replacement. If not, he would hand the speakership to Pelosi.

[Adam]

Good. More should do so. And I wish we could do the same in the Senate.

Something north of 60% of Republicans (Republican voters) want Boehner out, and that's probably a very charitable poll. As I've said, I wanted Allison Grimes to win for the specific purpose of denying McConnell the Majority Leader position. I would have been delighted if Boehner had lost, too.

We have a shit-ton of fresh faces, especially fresh, young, conservative faces in this Congress. This country voted for a shakeup in Congress. That includes a shakeup in leadership.


I believe in competition. Other conservatives believe in the same. So shake up the battle: we should have a challenging competition for who should be Speaker. If I had my 'druthers, same for Majority Leader.

[Norm dePlume]

I don't think Gomer's gonna be able to get a majority behind him, so the only option for the Tea Partiers is to force a negotiation by threatening to throw the election to Pelosi.

[scott]

I don't think Gomer's gonna be able to get a majority behind him, so the only option for the Tea Partiers is to force a negotiation by threatening to throw the election to Pelosi.

If you actually believe that then you've learned nothing in the 10 years I've known you online. Are you that insulated from people not as far left as you?

[Norm dePlume]

If you actually believe that then you've learned nothing in the 10 years I've known you online. Are you that insulated from people not as far left as you?

Because I don't see Gomer getting a majority? Does that mean you do think he will?

[scott]

Because I don't see Gomer getting a majority? Does that mean you do think he will?

No, the other part.

" so the only option for the Tea Partiers is to force a negotiation by threatening to throw the election to Pelosi."

[Norm dePlume]

No, the other part.

" so the only option for the Tea Partiers is to force a negotiation by threatening to throw the election to Pelosi."

I got that from Jane Chastain. It's all explained in the first post of the thread. Although I should have said the only option aside from going ahead and electing Boehner. If you see some other options, feel free to share. Or just lay out some personal insults. Your call.

[80zephyr]

Good. More should do so. And I wish we could do the same in the Senate.

Something north of 60% of Republicans (Republican voters) want Boehner out, and that's probably a very charitable poll. As I've said, I wanted Allison Grimes to win for the specific purpose of denying McConnell the Majority Leader position. I would have been delighted if Boehner had lost, too.

We have a shit-ton of fresh faces, especially fresh, young, conservative faces in this Congress. This country voted for a shakeup in Congress. That includes a shakeup in leadership.


I believe in competition. Other conservatives believe in the same. So shake up the battle: we should have a challenging competition for who should be Speaker. If I had my 'druthers, same for Majority Leader.

Agreed. Funny, ennit, how the left always accused the right of "marching in lockstep", and when we don't, they get pissed at us.

Frankly, it is the left who marches in lockstep.

Mark

[scott]

I got that from Jane Chastain. It's all explained in the first post of the thread. Although I should have said the only option aside from going ahead and electing Boehner. If you see some other options, feel free to share. Or just lay out some personal insults. Your call.

They can threaten to stall pet projects in committees. They can threaten grassroots campaigns against Boehner's supporters. They can threaten their favorite tactic, primary challenges.

[Adam]

I don't think Gomer's gonna be able to get a majority behind him, so the only option for the Tea Partiers is to force a negotiation by threatening to throw the election to Pelosi.

That's not the point. Gohmert's goal here is not to get himself elected speaker; it's to get Boehner not elected speaker.

[Norm dePlume]

That's not the point. Gohmert's goal here is not to get himself elected speaker; it's to get Boehner not elected speaker.

So explain how that works and how Gohmert announcing a candidacy helps it work. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that whatever non-Boehner person would get elected would have to have a majority of votes. That's kinda how elections work.

[Norm dePlume]

They can threaten to stall pet projects in committees. They can threaten grassroots campaigns against Boehner's supporters. They can threaten their favorite tactic, primary challenges.

Committee assignments come after the Speaker's election. Fucking brilliant move, there. And the election just finished, and primaries in 2016 are a given. Leave it to you to suggest threatening to do what they constantly do. Might as well suggest they threaten to look stupid on TV and to have snake flag rallies on the mall.

[Adam]

So explain how that works and how Gohmert announcing a candidacy helps it work. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that whatever non-Boehner person would get elected would have to have a majority of votes. That's kinda how elections work.

It's a procedural matter.

If Gohmert can peel 29 votes off of confirmation of Boehner for Speaker, then what happens is that it goes to a second ballot. That's because NO ONE will have gotten a majority. On the second ballot, people may change their votes (in fact, it's rather likely, because someone will want to back a "winning horse"). Boehner is then severely weakened, and he's going to have to campaign like a banshee around the House republicans in order to get voted back in as Speaker. In reality, what would happen is that Boehner would save face and step aside, and then someone else would be able to campaign. That person does not need to be Gohmert. The balloting turns into something akin to a wild-and-wooly presidential convention: lots of horse-trading and back-room deals to get someone that people can agree on as Speaker.

There is no threat of Pelosi or any other Democrat becoming Speaker because the GOP holds a pretty huge majority in the House; it would take a MASSIVE number of crossover votes from the GOP in order to elect a Democrat as Speaker.



Here's an interesting tidbit: there's no requirement that the Speaker actually be an elected Representative. I'm not certain if it's ever happened before, but it's certainly possible that in some horse-trade, the House ultimately decides to elect, say, Herman Cain as Speaker. The Speaker does not cast a vote (in the sense of the Vice President in the Senate, for example); all the Speaker does, officially, is maintain the order in the House and enforce the House rules. So there isn't even a requirement to be a citizen or twenty-five years old, for example. The only requirement is that the House must "'chuse' their Speaker and other Officers." Theoretically, they could elect Angela Merkel as Speaker if they could get the votes to happen.

[Norm dePlume]

It's a procedural matter.

If Gohmert can peel 29 votes off of confirmation of Boehner for Speaker, then what happens is that it goes to a second ballot. That's because NO ONE will have gotten a majority. On the second ballot, people may change their votes (in fact, it's rather likely, because someone will want to back a "winning horse"). Boehner is then severely weakened, and he's going to have to campaign like a banshee around the House republicans in order to get voted back in as Speaker. In reality, what would happen is that Boehner would save face and step aside, and then someone else would be able to campaign. That person does not need to be Gohmert. The balloting turns into something akin to a wild-and-wooly presidential convention: lots of horse-trading and back-room deals to get someone that people can agree on as Speaker.

There is no threat of Pelosi or any other Democrat becoming Speaker because the GOP holds a pretty huge majority in the House; it would take a MASSIVE number of crossover votes from the GOP in order to elect a Democrat as Speaker.



Here's an interesting tidbit: there's no requirement that the Speaker actually be an elected Representative. I'm not certain if it's ever happened before, but it's certainly possible that in some horse-trade, the House ultimately decides to elect, say, Herman Cain as Speaker. The Speaker does not cast a vote (in the sense of the Vice President in the Senate, for example); all the Speaker does, officially, is maintain the order in the House and enforce the House rules. So there isn't even a requirement to be a citizen or twenty-five years old, for example. The only requirement is that the House must "'chuse' their Speaker and other Officers." Theoretically, they could elect Angela Merkel as Speaker if they could get the votes to happen.

I understand that. But it doesn't matter if Gomer says he's running or not. It doesn't take 29 votes for Gomer (or for any particular person), it just takes 29 votes for anyone other than Boehner or Pelosi, and there is no requirement that the person voted for has declared a candidacy. So the "how Gohmert announcing a candidacy helps it work" answer is: it doesn't. Also, if Boehner is one or two votes shy of winning and no other candidate is close, it's far from given that Boehner would step aside. Also also, the winner only needs a majority of the votes cast for a candidate. Which is why, in the Chastain scenario, 59 Republicans voting "present" would make it possible for Pelosi to be elected on a straight Democratic vote.

[Adam]

I understand that. But it doesn't matter if Gomer says he's running or not. It doesn't take 29 votes for Gomer (or for any particular person), it just takes 29 votes for anyone other than Boehner or Pelosi, and there is no requirement that the person voted for has declared a candidacy. So the "how Gohmert announcing a candidacy helps it work" answer is: it doesn't.

Sure it does. It means someone is breaking the ice on this.

Also, if Boehner is one or two votes shy of winning and no other candidate is close, it's far from given that Boehner would step aside. Also also, the winner only needs a majority of the votes cast for a candidate. Which is why, in the Chastain scenario, 59 Republicans voting "present" would make it possible for Pelosi to be elected on a straight Democratic vote.

That's just never going to happen.