beatrice_otter | (Reply)

I'm shocked that he didn't step back after the first two votes or so. Most Speakers only last two years, and many don't even make it that long. He's not playing the long game. This is not like the Presidency where if you miss your shot you're done. And if you can't get enough of your party to support you up front, how the heck are you going to get anything done if you actually get the office? You're not! You'd be a lame duck! It would be open season on you! Much better to step back, let someone else have it, mend fences with the people in your party who don't like you, and try again next time. That would have been the smart option, but now he's The Guy Who Can't Get Elected And Won't Step Aside, which makes him much less likely to be elected Speaker in the future.

Also, the problem with McCarthy keeping promises is that he apparently has a reputation in his own party for not keeping promises to his own people. If they were going to believe his promises, they would have already done so and switched to voting for him. I'm pretty sure the next step is him stepping aside and some other Republican getting the job and the 20 holdouts going back to their districts bragging about the whole thing.

But it was funny to see the Democrats bringing in popcorn.