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| Here's How a Republican Could End up Speaker of the House Instead of Nancy Pelosi |
| 2020-12-28 |
| A fun hypothetical. Key date is the January 3rd floor vote for which the Representatives must be present in person for their vote to count. [PJMedia] While House members can vote by proxy due to emergency rules adopted in May to protect members from getting and spreading COVID-19, but, as The Hill reports, "the proxy-voting rule expires with the new Congress, requiring politicians to be in the Capitol in person if they want to participate in the Jan. 3 floor vote for Speaker." New rules governing the 117th Congress happen after the vote for speaker. House Democrats have been taking advantage of this proxy-voting rule in significant numbers. On December 18, nearly 90 Democrats voted by proxy. This means that candidates for speaker of the House must receive a majority of the votes cast in person to be elected speaker. Democrats already have a thin majority of 222 seats following the 2020 election, and three moderate Democrats say they don’t intend to vote for Pelosi when the vote takes place on January 3. In addition, several Democrats have health conditions that have kept them from the Capitol in 2020. It would only take a small number of Democrats being exposed to COVID-19 prior to the vote for Pelosi to potentially be in trouble. Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) believes it’s a real possibility that Republicans could outnumber Democrats for the vote, and the top Republican in the House, Kevin McCarthy ...the GOP house majority whip. He replaces Eric Cantor, who got whupped because his politix are like Kevin McCarthy's... , could be elected speaker. "Let’s say, just theoretically, we had six or eight people out with COVID and the Republicans have none. They probably could elect McCarthy," Yarmuth told The Hill. Another anonymous House Democrat believes Pelosi losing reelection due to absent Democrats is a real possibility. "Obviously, the concern is that with 435 people going all over the country, it’s hard to imagine that not one of us will have the virus on January 3." |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #9 /\ Perhaps we'll just forego the man-hug as well :-) |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2020-12-28 14:20 |
| #8 Re:#5: I appreciate the thought, B., but a) Home Depot is on my she-it list for incompetence and b) I left San Francisco to get away from that she-it. |
| Posted by: Mercutio 2020-12-28 14:16 |
| #7 Lindsey G is so wobbly he makes jello look like granite.by comparison. |
| Posted by: Greater the Anonymous5721 2020-12-28 11:44 |
| #6 Lot of "Ifs" would have to be satisfied, but fun to think about. McCarthy seems far less wobbly than Lindsey G. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2020-12-28 10:30 |
| #5 /\ Merc, if that happens, you win my new Christmas $25. Home Depot gift card and a tearful man-hug. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2020-12-28 08:54 |
| #4 OK for step 1. Then when Trump/Spence term expires but The Biden Pretendership is not certified by the Electoral College, you have Acting President As one meme has it: "Wait until 2020 turns 21 and starts to drink" |
| Posted by: Mercutio 2020-12-28 08:50 |
| #3 Pure fantasy and click bait. Procedural rules do not apply to Democrats and Republicans seem to accept that notion. |
| Posted by: Airandee 2020-12-28 07:09 |
| #2 McCarty's better than the alternative and has been squeaking correctly lately |
| Posted by: Frank G 2020-12-28 07:01 |
| #1 Isn't McCarthy thought of as some kind of RINO? Would it be just an illusion of balance? |
| Posted by: Dron66046 2020-12-28 03:52 |