There have been six votes in two days. 218 is the majority needed with all members of the House of Representatives voting. The Republican party has 222 members, the Democratic party has 212 members. Five dissident Republicans could, and have, denied the Speakership to their party's leader. Why? Who knows? Who cares? That number is currently 20 dissidents: 9.5% of Republicans.
Results of vote number six:
Republican Kevin McCarthy 201 (90.5% of Republicans)
Democrat Hakeem Jeffries 212 (100% of Democrats)
Republican Byron Donalds 20 (9.5% of Republicans).
Donalds is the most recent fill-in-the-blank NOT McCarthy.
The Speaker does not need to be a member of the House of Representatives. Strange but true.
In round one, one dissident Republican vote went to Lee Zeldin, 42 year old House member since 2015 who lost the November election for governor of New York State. Zeldin did not also run for his House seat, so he is not a member. His running for governor of a large state suggests that Zeldin would consider an executive position. Also:
https://pressgallery.house.gov/member-data/salaries
Salaries
Executive, Legislative, and Judicial
January 2015
Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Officers |
| 114/1 |
President……………………………………... |
| $400,000 |
Vice President……………………………….. |
| $230,700 |
Speaker of the House………………………... |
| $223,500 |
House Majority & Minority Leaders………... |
| $193,400 |
House/Senate Members & Delegates……….. |
| $174,000 |
Chief Justice, Supreme Court……………….. |
| $258,100 |
Associate Justices, Supreme Court………….. |
| $246,800 |
_____________________________
Zeldin might like the $223,500. But this got me thinking about other non members as compromise alternatives.
Paul Ryan is the most recent Republican Speaker: Oct. 29, 2015 - Jan. 3 2017. Ryan was vice presidential running mate for Mitt Romney in 2012. Ryan is 52 years old.
The Democrats have been having fun voting 100% for their recently appointed young leader Jeffries but it must be getting tedious and reality must be setting in: Democrats will only do a lot worse than Kevin McCarthy if the nut cases get their way. They have even rejected an appeal for them to knock it off from their favorite former president Donald Trump.
Hey, they could nominate Trump. What would Democrats do then other than become apoplectic? If the Republicans suddenly rally around Trump for Speaker, it would be too late for Democrats to take action.
Presumably options were discussed last night by Republicans and maybe even Democrats are considering a resolution.
Democrats could tank the election by not showing up. It's my understanding that the winner needs a majority of those members who vote. This would likely be in exchange for concessions that McCarthy made to Jeffries.
But consider this: six Republicans retaliate against the dissidents and threaten to vote for Jeffries. That's all Jeffries would need to reach 218. Another death wish group of Republicans who resent the original dissidents and blow up the Republican majority. Depending on their alphabetical order, imagine the tension as the roll is called. If one dissident does not vote for McCarthy, it triggers the doomsday six who start voting for Democrat Jeffries.
Now that's entertainment.
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