Just as I’m about to extricate myself from the recliner and do the washing up of the popcorn bowl (well, if the Republicans are going to accuse people of eating the popcorn as they watch the show… 😉 ) before heading upstairs for an exceptionally early bedtime for me, I can hear a commotion coming from the TV that’s still tuned to C-SPAN.
The motion to adjourn has been proceeding quickly to an expected 218-216 YEA result when the camera catches Matt Gaetz flying down the aisle to the well to grab a red slip of paper meaning he’s intending to switch his vote on the adjournment to to NAY by having the tellers override his electronic vote.
The camera then sees a steady stream of Republicans also moving to the tellers situated round the well with red slips in hand indicating that they also are looking to change their votes on adjournment.
Could this possibly mean that there is a deal with the devils in the works for a fifteenth bite of the apple?
The vote tally starts heading in reverse and really picks up steam as the poor tellers are positively mobbed in their positions in the well of the house like the bookies at the race track! The vote count is changing so quickly (now 247-187 NAY) that one wonders if the big vote board will crash with a TILT message.
A “one more time” chant echoes across the floor as Clerk Johnson announces that the near certain passage of the motion to adjourn has now failed 279-155 and that means we’re off to the 15th vote for Speaker.
Representative Westerman of Arkansas does a great job of reading the room with his nominating speech:
Madam Clerk, the eyes of the world and eyes of America are on this body right now. What America needs and what this body needs is a lot less talk and a lot more action.
Nominating speech, 15th vote for Speaker
Yep…that was basically it with comments either side of those two sentences nominating Kevin McCarthy for Speaker.
And now here is Representative Fran Phillips of Minnesota one-upping the distinguished gentleman from Arkansas to nominate Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York:
Madam Clerk, I rise to say wow.
Nominating speech, 15th vote for Speaker
Short and to the point. And I’ve spoken too quickly because Representative Phillips launches into a broadside of his own into the GOP by invoking President George Washington and it quickly goes downhill from there:
But 234 years later, and after 14 rounds of balloting and a ridiculous war for personal power across the aisle, we the people still find ourselves without a constituted government, our security neglected and the advancement of anything impossible.
Nominating speech, 15th vote for Speaker
Ouch!
Mercifully, he does get a few laughs as it’s clear his speech is winding down when he invites six Republicans to come across the aisle and elect Jeffries as Speaker. Yeah, good luck with that one!
Now all eyes are on Gaetz and Boebert as the Reading Clerk (the same one who ran the 14th vote with the smallest operable pencil we’d ever seen and the pencil cannot even be seen now on camera as it’s too short!) starts calling the roll and her reading speed has picked up noticeably.
I’m thinking she’s ready to be done with this and call it a night and the audience is so with her on that one! 🙂
- Representative Bice votes McCarthy with a sarcastic if not caustic “for the 15th and *HOPEFULLY* final time!”
- Representative Biggs votes present and gets an ovation
- Representative Boebert votes present
- Representative Crane votes present, gets his ovation and then promptly buggers off through the exit door!
- There’s a shot of Lunatics Row: Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz, and Lauren Boebert sitting together!
- The Reading Clerk’s microscopic pencil has finally given way to a regular sized pen for the duration of the vote!
- Representative Gaetz votes present
- Representative Good votes present and gets a half-hearted ovation
- Representative Green of Texas gives his customary long-winded vote for Jeffries which allows the Reading Clerk to get a sip of water. Somehow I think she knew she’d have enough time…
- Representative McCarthy is looking far more relaxed and happy now.
- Representative Jeffries has left the floor after having a brief conversation with a lady in green sitting along the aisle.
- Representative McCarthy appears to be reviewing a speech in a fancy binder as the roll approaches his name. He’s actually caught by surprise when his name is called but gets it right on the second time of asking!
- Representative Rosendale doesn’t answer to the first call of the roll but it doesn’t matter as McCarthy has unofficially made it across the finish line with 216 votes and only 215 required with the six that had voted present.
The tellers go off to confirm their tallies which allows us to be treated to several camera angles of a visibly relieved and happy Kevin McCarthy laughing and joking with his neighbours at the table. Someone makes a somewhat off-colour comment and when called on it responds with “there are no rules yet, baby!”
The vote counts jive and ultimately ends up 216 for McCarthy, 212 for Jeffries, and 6 voting present.
Oratorem habemus!
We have a Speaker!
McCarthy rises to an ovation from the Republicans and ominous silence from the Democrats at 0038 as the Speaker-elect. The ovation then morphs into a “USA!” chant on the GOP side of the aisle.
House Clerk Cheryl Johnson now has some housekeeping duties before she officially turns the gavel over to the Speaker-elect which includes appointing a committee to act as an honour guard to escort McCarthy through the doors behind the well and round to the back entrances where you’d normally see the President enter during the State of the Union address. This rather large committee includes former Speaker Pelosi and the rest of the California delegation as well as other senior members from both sides of the aisle.
Whilst all this is going on, McCarthy’s notebook has already arrived at the Speaker’s desk along with assorted other paperwork for the pro-forma motions that will be acted upon once the gavel is officially in his hands.
Whilst we’re waiting for the procession, C-SPAN is making the most of their extra cameras that are in the chamber which will disappear by Monday:
- Representative Santos of New York (or whatever name or personality he’s sporting today) is spotted sitting next to Matt Gaetz who completely ignores him in favour of his phone. I suspect this will be a long two years for Santos the pariah if he even lasts that long. I would not be surprised at a by-election in New York sooner than later.
- Newly elected Representative Jeff Jackson of North Carolina’s newest 14th district is sighted rocking a Carolina Blue tie and having two of his kids in tow. The former Senator Jackson of the General Admission in downtown Raleigh is an amazing legislator and I wouldn’t be surprised to find him eventually in the Senate or the White House. He’s rather a unicorn amongst the politicians…he’s actually a decent person pretty much all round and is far more bipartisan than anyone else I’ve ever known. I predict he will do very well indeed… 🙂
Speaker-elect McCarthy enters the chamber from the rear with his entourage and makes his way near the podium where Representative Hakeem Jeffries is waiting. Before McCarthy is sworn in, they both give speeches from the Speaker’s chair. McCarthy’s speech hits the usual Republican talking points and is a good speech but doesn’t hold a candle to the Minority Leader’s fiery speech that preceded it that takes the Republicans to the proverbial whipping post and gives them a right sound thrashing!
Read both speeches at the end of the Congressional Record and decide for yourself who was more inspirational.
Speaker-elect McCarthy finally takes the oath of office and then turns round and administers the oath to the rest of the House en-masse. A few more housekeeping motions such as appointing party leaders and whips as well as notifying the White House that there is now a constituted Congress (how functional it turns out to be remains to be seen given all of the deals McCarthy had to cut to be elected and a Senate that will shoot down any of the more insane legislation that comes their way) and it’s time for a motion to adjourn that finally succeeds and the House will reconvene on Monday at 1700 for the first fly-in Monday of the 118th Congress.
And with that, I’ll close this coverage of the tortured opening of the 118th Congress with this benediction from one of my favourite comedians of all time, Dave Allen (a proud Irishman who had a regular show on the BBC!):
