- McCarthy quits House speaker race, ... Republicans are in "complete disarray," said Representative Tim Huelskamp of ... The confusion raises the prospects for ...
- Republican Party in disarray as Boehner quits ... Speaker of the House John ... Even if Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California wins the speaker’s gavel ...
- McCarthy Quits House Speaker Race, ... Republicans are in "complete disarray,” said Representative . ... The confusion raises the prospects for Webster, ...
- ... GOP Budget Chairman Tom Price and House Republicans rolled ... Republicans frantically called quits on a late ... House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy ...
McCarthy quits House speaker race, leaving GOP in disarray
"Over the last week it has become clear to me that our conference is deeply divided and needs to unite behind one leader." Jacquelyn Martin by Billy House and Erik Wasson House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy dropped out of the race for US House speaker on the day his party was poised to nominate him to replace John Boehner, as an internal Republican feud erupted into open warfare on Capitol Hill.
McCarthy told members at a closed-door meeting Thursday that he wasn't the right person to unite the caucus, Representative Peter King of New York told reporters. The announcement left everyone "absolutely stunned," King said.Republicans are in "complete disarray," said Representative Tim Huelskamp of Kansas.McCarthy was expected to win the race to succeed Boehner and his withdrawal left no clear favourite. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan and Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers immediately afterward said they wouldn't run. Two others who were already running for speaker, Dan Webster of Florida and Jason Chaffetz of Utah, said they will continue to seek the position.Some lawmakers suggested that an interim speaker may emerge from the ranks of members who aren't seeking re-election next year.
A Republican vote to nominate a new speaker that was scheduled for Thursday afternoon was postponed by Boehner at McCarthy's suggestion. The full House was scheduled to vote for speaker Oct. 29.
"Over the last week it has become clear to me that our conference is deeply divided and needs to unite behind one leader," McCarthy of California said in a statement."The look of shock across the room was amazing" when McCarthy made his announcement to the private meeting, said Frank Lucas of Oklahoma.The confusion raises the prospects for Webster, a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus who was also running for speaker, said Representative Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina. The conservative bloc of almost 40 Republicans endorsed Webster on Wednesday.McCarthy had been opposed by members of the Freedom Caucus who want stronger opposition to President Barack Obama's policies. Their opposition threatened to deny him a majority on the House floor during the Oct. 29 vote. The group's chairman, Jim Jordan of Ohio, said he won't run for speaker.
Representative Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania told CNN that while McCarthy could have won the nomination within the conference he probably wouldn't have been able to get the 218 votes he needed in the full House.Dent suggested the Republican caucus is so split, "We may need a bipartisan coalition to elect the next speaker." He said some members of the conference have concluded the party can no longer "appease or accede to those who make unreasonable demands," he said referring to the hardline conservatives in the caucus."It's clear there's a lot of factionalism," said Dent. He said Republicans will hold another meeting Thursday to discuss the way forward.The rancor in the conference room spilled out into the hallway as lawmakers filed out. Representative Trent Franks of Arizona, asked about Dent's comments about "unreasonable" members, called his colleague "far removed" from the party's principles.
Representative Darrell Issa of California said McCarthy pulled out of the race because he couldn't get the 218 votes needed on the House floor to win. Boehner will remain speaker for a short, indefinite period until his replacement is picked, Issa told reporters.
Boehner's stunning Sept. 25 announcement that he would leave Congress at the end of October came after repeated clashes with conservative Republicans who??threatened to shut down the government over matters such as their effort to defund Planned Parenthood. More fights are immediately ahead -- highway spending money runs out Oct. 29, Congress needs to raise the federal debt limit by about Nov. 5 and government funding expires Dec. 11.Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said in a statement that Republicans shouldn't let their "utter chaos" threaten US borrowing authority, and he urged Republican leaders to bring a debt-limit increase to the floor and let it pass with Democratic support.White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, "somebody among the House Republicans will have to step forward and demonstrate an ability to either tame the forces of that small but vocal group of ideologues or buck up the more mainstream" part of the caucus.??Dent and Freedom Caucus member Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina were among a number of lawmakers who suggested that a caretaker speaker could emerge to lead the House."Now it's going to be a much more open process and you're going to find more people stepping up with interest to run," said Representative John Fleming of Louisiana, a member of the Freedom Caucus.
Opposition to McCarthy gained some momentum from his admitted gaffe in remarks last month about House Republicans' investigation into Hillary Clinton and Benghazi. McCarthy sought again Wednesday to walk back his boast that the probe had served to harm her standing in polls, which gave Democrats an opening to argue that the inquiry is politically motivated.
The flap raised questions not only about McCarthy's political ability and instincts, but also his communication skills, key aspects of a party leader's job.Dent suggested Ryan of Wisconsin as a possible speaker candidate, though the lawmaker rejected the idea."Kevin McCarthy is best person to lead the House, and so I'm disappointed in this decision," Ryan said in a statement. He said Republicans need to "take time to deliberate and seek new candidates for the speakership."Pete Sessions of Texas said he had no idea when an election will take place. He said he was surprised Boehner postponed the vote because there were two other candidates.??"I don't know what is behind it, but I do know that our conference finding its equilibrium has been hard for us," Sessions said.end quote from:
Thursday, October 8, 2015
McCarthy quits: House Republicans in Dissarray and confusion
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment