Well, well. McCarthy actually acted for the good of the country

I was wrong in my wishful thinking about Speaker McCarthy will survive removal attempt.

Eight House Republicans joined House Democrats in removing Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from his post as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday,

 

On the right there is a stupid lie being repeated that Democrats share in the blame somehow. It seems you may believe that lie? This is silly. McCarthy had just finished telling a public lie that the near shut down should be blamed on Democrats. After that stupid lie and then McCarthy refusing to offer even an olive branch to Democrats to save him. McCarthy lies to Republicans but he lied even more to and about Democrats. There is no way that Democrats should bother trying to save him from his own caucus.

Anyone making any bets on whether or not a Speaker get the gavel before next term? I think that there's a chance that Pro Tem Speaker remains in place until the next term.

 

Their caucus is ungovernable. Paul Ryan learned this. John Boehner learned this.

McCarthy was done the day he started. It was just a matter of time. But he could have chosen to be a statesman and worked out a compromise with Democrats to run out this term. But perhaps not. There's talk that the Democrats refused him, simply not trusting him anymore since he'd reneged on other agreements with them. (As one said, "Not our clown, not our circus.")

Instead of going out on his shield, he'll go out on his knees. What a way to wrap up a political career. (Because he's done. You don't go anywhere after being Speaker, and you don't give up the gavel like this.) Can he remain as a backbencher? Perhaps. But who cares?

Now, Republicans have locked up the House again. They can't do any other business until they elect a new speaker. Will they cut a deal with Democrats to either vote "for" or vote "present"? Or will they struggle to get 218 votes from their caucus alone? No matter what, they've bowed out of governing YET AGAIN. Just do your stupid jobs!

 

It's my understanding that they cannot do any other business until they have a Speaker. It's not a rule; it's a Constitutional requirement. The Speaker's position is described in Article I and the requirements for the House to select one is spelled out there.

I don't think they can rename a bridge--much less actually govern--until they do that.

I think we're going to watch this circus play out for awhile, and I simply do not know how it ends.

 

Dang! The Democrats made common cause with the ultra Right nutcases! Far and away most of the GOP voted against removal. Well, I hope they know what they're doing. Slimy as McCarthy certainly is, the Dems could have owned him.

 

Personally, I'm against owning ANYTHING slimy. Unhygienic and bad optics. People will talk.

 

Even if he's Mayor of Toronto?

 

I hadn't heard that McCarthy had even proposed any deal with Democrats. The only two things I heard about closed door activities is that the Democrat caucus all watched a video of McCarthy telling the lie on a Sunday show where he said the Democrats were to blame for the government almost being shut down. The other thing I heard was that McCarthy explicitly stated he did not want Democrat help.

 

They didn't trust him. And he's proven just how unworthy he would be of that trust.

But there's good news: some House Republicans are talking about nominating Donald Trump as Speaker.

Please do this, Republicans. We know you aren't serious about governing. We know you hate America. We know you like performance politics over real politics. We know you don't have any standards, morals, ethics, or expectations.

Who could be more perfect? I mean, if you're not going to legislate anyway, might as well be as entertaining as possible, and no one slings more excrement than Trump.

 

Not really. The opted out of saving him. Big difference.

"It’s not our circus, he is not our clown and it’s not our responsibility to bail out the GOP on their own internal dysfunction.” -- Melanie Stansbury, D-New Mexico

 

Thinking about it...the next Speaker will be just as own-able by the Dems as McCarthy was and for the same reasons.

 

Fair enough, the Dems voted the way they did for their own reasons. But the result was to allow a handful of extremists to plunge the House into chaos. Is that good for the country?

 

It's not good for the country. Depending on what happens in the next few weeks it may turn out to not be very bad for the country. What seems more clear to me is that it will likely be bad for the Republican party.

 

Toronto is one hour away. I haven't been there in 35 years. I've disowned three Toronto Mayors, at least. Yeah - Mel Lastman, Rob Ford and now, John Tory. Our city has been ruined by crazy Toronto people who pay mad prices, driving our property prices through the roof, but still leaving them cheaper than Toronto. Torontonians are the only people who can buy houses here - and they have an advantage. They sell their Toronto properties for a huge profit, buy something here for less and invest the surplus. Unlike US, there is usually no income tax on profit from the sale of your principal residence, provided you've had it for a reasonable time. I think that's one year.

Our downtown is infested with 35-40 floor condo buildings -- most units unsold, due to stratospheric prices and lack of demand. Built by Toronto companies for one sole reason. Land was cheaper here. At ground level, downtown, we have many homeless, tents etc., more than ANY of us have seen in our lives. City parks are pretty ugly.

Toronto developers are putting up new buildings on our turf with shoe-box sized apartments that are priced almost like New York City. There's no rent control on buildings completed after 1995 and rents on apartments in such buildings can double - and even triple - quickly. That's thanks to the laws enacted by the Mike Harris Provincial Conservatives, who held sway in the 1990s.

This is a bedroom community for Toronto people who have very well-paid jobs there, but can only afford to live here. I think some of them would commute from Mars, or the wilds of Saskatchewan, to save a nickel. Toronto? БЛЯТЬ! You can look it up. (Russian). Spoiler alert - the most common English translation starts with "F." It's pronounced "Blyat!"

 

One thing I forgot - incumbent Conservative Premier, Doug Ford (brother of the late Toronto Mayor, Rob Ford) said he was going to dismantle Rent Control completely. Even his own Party made him walk THAT one back!

Example of Rent Control. My 1-bedroom apartment rented for $550 / mo. when I got here 19 years ago. Rent control has kept rent to a reasonable $680 now. If I leave, rent control on the unit is suspended. The landlord can raise the price as he sees fit. Right now, the rent for a new tenant would be $1,400 - and rent control would resume, based on that price. If you live in a rent-controlled apartment around here, and you're on a fixed income, you'll probably have to live there the rest of your life... like it or not.

Some unscrupulous landlords will do practically anything to dislodge a long-term tenant who's protected by rent control. And they mostly get away with it. Fortunately, I'm not facing that, so far -- but who knows when my current landlord might decide to sell?

 

Oh, yeah. They dynamics haven't changed a bit.

 

If McCarthy didn't want Democrats' help, if Democrats felt he was untrustworthy, then yes, it's better for the country that this get hashed out.

What is better for the country, given the ungovernable "majority" in the House, is a power-sharing deal. But McCarthy didn't want it and Democrats weren't just going to hand it over on a whim.

I agree that there is no upside for the Republicans, unless they can truly coalesce around a Speaker.

 

It is often the case in the U.S., too.

The dynamic you're describing is a common complaint in both Las Vegas and Phoenix, both of which I've head first-hand for many years.

 

Thanks for understanding, Steve. So what do I do about it? I have a good-sized bank account (but not big enough to buy a house outright) and of course NOBODY will grant a mortgage to a guy who's 80 - for obvious reasons.

I supposed I could move to somewhere half-decent (which this place is NOT any more), pay an exorbitant rent - and hope I don't outlive my money... but that doesn't have much appeal... any ideas?