“It was a stunning moment for McCarthy & a punishment fueled by growing grievances (by a few Republicans on the Far Right); which was finally sparked by his weekend decision to work with Democrats to keep the federal government open rather than risk a shutdown. The House then opened a floor debate unseen in modern times, and Republicans argued publicly among themselves for more than an hour.
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“It’s a sad day,” Republican Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma said as debate got underway, urging his colleagues not to plunge the House Republican majority “into chaos.”
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“Rep. Garret Graves, R-La., waved his cellphone, saying it was “disgusting” that hard-right colleagues were fundraising off the move in text messages seeking donations.”
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For more on this story: https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2023/10/03/speaker-mccarthy-ousted-in-historic-house-vote-as-scramble-begins-for-a-republican-leader/

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“It’s the end of the political line for McCarthy, who has said repeatedly that he never gives up, but found himself with almost no options remaining. Neither the right-flank Republicans who engineered his ouster nor the Democrats who piled on seem open to negotiating.

“McCarthy told lawmakers in the evening he would not run again for speaker, putting the gavel up for grabs. Next steps are highly uncertain with no obvious successor to lead the House Republican majority. Action is halted in the House until next week, when Republicans try to elect a new speaker.

“Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) announced is the first in history to be removed by a motion to vacate. Why it matters: The California Republican's initial speaker election took 15 ballots, the most since before the Civil War. Eight of his fellow Republicans voted for his removal on Tuesday, a group that could have blocked his return to leadership. McCarthy's announcement comes in the wake of a group of conservative hardliners (led by Florida’s Mat Gatz) arguing he failed to live up to the agreement he struck with conservative lawmakers in order to get the gavel in January.

“Gaetz and his allies will probably demand significant concessions in exchange for supporting a new Republican speaker. Democrats could also attempt to extract concessions in exchange for supporting a consensus speaker, though such a deal is unprecedented in modern U.S. history.”

“The big picture: Republicans face a razor-thin majority, creating difficulties for his successor.
The acting speaker is now Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), a close McCarthy ally who is chair of the Financial Services Committee. Republicans will be tasked with tapping a new speaker, with an array of names being floated, but it remains unclear if they want or can obtain the votes needed to secure the position without the help of Democrats.

For more on the story: https://www.axios.com/2023/10/04/house-republicans-kevin-mccarthy-removal-speaker
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“The ousting of McCarthy represented the first time in US history that a speaker of the House has been removed from office, marking an ignominious end to a short and fraught tenure for the California Republican. It comes as Americans’ approval ratings of Congress and the federal government remain near historic lows, with a majority saying they have little or no confidence in the future of the US political system. The infighting between Republicans effectively puts a halt to all business in the House of Representatives until the House, which has only a narrow Republican majority, elects a new speaker.

“Former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich dubbed Gaetz (who called for McCarthy’s ousting) an 'anti-Republican' and called him 'actively destructive to the conservative movement', urging Republicans to vote to expel Gaetz from the House Republican conference.”

“Progress towards a long-term budget to stave off a federal government shutdown has been set back by the Republican infighting. There is now a very high chance of uS Government shutdown. Though Congress ironed out a last-minute interim budget, the U.S. government is only funded through Nov. 17.”

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The Gallery: https://pbase.com/britestar/first_time_in_american_history