John Boehner calling it quits at end of October

[Breccia]

This is pretty horrifying news. Some Tea Party whoever is going to step up and make the election even more of clown show than it already is.

[Matchles]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34478783 to add to this.
The party is tearing itself apart. The only other one running for the spot right now is Utah's Jason Chaffetz.

Yeah and Chaffetz is the one that just got embarrassed on the Planned Parenthood panel for using a chart that looked like it was designed by someone in grade school.



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This likely won't happen but it is possible that the Democrats could choose the next speaker. Pelosi has already mentioned that the Dems won't bail out the Republicans by voting for the moderate choice. There is nothing that says a speaker has to be a member of the house or of the majority party. If the Dems can pull 30 moderate Republicans that are either sick of their party and want to switch caucuses or through certain concessions on areas of disagreement, they could hold the speakership despite being in the minority. Honestly, right now that almost seems like an easier task than convincing enough of the tea party candidates to vote for someone who is actually electable.

[Herecius]

Yeah and Chaffetz is the one that just got embarrassed on the Planned Parenthood panel for using a chart that looked like it was designed by someone in grade school.

Good lord. That's who the only front-runner is for the speaker? It's worse than the chart just being designed by a child (it has no X or Y axis! No relationship at all to any numbers and barely any information to go on except THIS LINE GOES DOWN WHILE THIS LINE GOES UP auuuugh), she straight up slams him down at the very end there because it turns out he'd just ripped the chart from an anti-abortion propaganda group. Holy shit.

This is our Congress. This is our fucking Congress. Throw them all out onto the street. Force sweeping re-elections on every god damn seat, nearly all of them are useless and terrible and I hate our Congress.

[Independent voter]

Boehner might be staying they are saying now. If you're a Democrat we can do a lot worse than Boehner, he's somewhat moderate, he's no Democrat but he isn't the worst Republican either.

[Gorsameth]

Boehner might be staying they are saying now. If you're a Democrat we can do a lot worse than Boehner, he's somewhat moderate, he's no Democrat but he isn't the worst Republican either.

Why on earth would Boehner be staying? He wanted to be away from the crazies who have taken the GOP hostage. Now McCarthy has had a taste of them and he doesnt even want to try the job.
Why exactly would Boehner change his mind lol

[Wells]

Man, GOP is stumbling hard here. There just shouldn't be this much of a leadership vacuum. Unfortunately I think every Representative with aspirations to higher office knows that having to lead that barrel of monkeys is a career death sentence.

[Gorsameth]

Man, GOP is stumbling hard here. There just shouldn't be this much of a leadership vacuum. Unfortunately I think every Representative with aspirations to higher office knows that having to lead that barrel of monkeys is a career death sentence.

Making it all the more likely a Tea Party member gets the job next. And that would be a whole heap of fun.






(fun being relative ofc)

[Matchles]

Making it all the more likely a Tea Party member gets the job next. And that would be a whole heap of fun.






(fun being relative ofc)

Don't know. The tea party has around 40 or so members. They need 218 to get a speaker. They have more than enough to raise hell, they are still quite a ways off from being able to choose who they would like.

[Chrysia]

Boehner has apparently officially acquiesced to delay his retirement until they get around to voting in a replacement.

[Ivanstone]

Now McCarthy has had a taste of them and he doesnt even want to try the job.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...enies-all.html

McCarthy might've had a different reason for leaving. Always love seeing two "Family Values" types getting it on. I wonder if Ellmers "needs her paycheque" to pay for hotel rooms.

[Hooked]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...enies-all.html

McCarthy might've had a different reason for leaving. Always love seeing two "Family Values" types getting it on. I wonder if Ellmers "needs her paycheque" to pay for hotel rooms.

Someone from the dhs added that, that has got to be a high crime.

[McCulloch]

I keep reading that they want Paul Ryan to run for Speaker, but he has absolutely no interest, and I don't blame him. Right now he's the chair of a powerful committee and being a GOP Speaker seems to suck. He'd actually be giving up power and they'll just oust him eventually, anyway.

[Nachturnal]

Yeah and Chaffetz is the one that just got embarrassed on the Planned Parenthood panel for using a chart that looked like it was designed by someone in grade school.



- - - Updated - - -

This likely won't happen but it is possible that the Democrats could choose the next speaker. Pelosi has already mentioned that the Dems won't bail out the Republicans by voting for the moderate choice. There is nothing that says a speaker has to be a member of the house or of the majority party. If the Dems can pull 30 moderate Republicans that are either sick of their party and want to switch caucuses or through certain concessions on areas of disagreement, they could hold the speakership despite being in the minority. Honestly, right now that almost seems like an easier task than convincing enough of the tea party candidates to vote for someone who is actually electable.

Well hot damn. You know how there are a shit ton of videos out there with supped up titles like, "X gets verbally burned by Y!" and then when you watch the video it's mundane as fuck? Well this video's title was on point! Never trust a graph without a Y and X-Axis.

The depressing part about it all is that this is our Congress. These are the men and women who govern our nation.

[Hooked]

I keep reading that they want Paul Ryan to run for Speaker, but he has absolutely no interest, and I don't blame him. Right now he's the chair of a powerful committee and being a GOP Speaker seems to suck. He'd actually be giving up power and they'll just oust him eventually, anyway.

Whos they?, paul ryan has lost all credibility when he pushed hard for the tpp.

[McCulloch]

Whos they?, paul ryan has lost all credibility when he pushed hard for the tpp.

I've read that Boehner, Trey Gowdy, Jeb Hensarling, McCarthy, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers have pushed him into jumping into the race. He has wide respect with both establishment and Tea Party in the House.

[Chrysia]

At this point I suspect that Boehner is just going to have to ride out his term.

[Matchles]

The more I think about it. If Boehner was grooming Eric Cantor for the job and the only reason he didn't step down at the beginning of the year was because Cantor lost his seat. Why not just nominate Cantor? There is nothing in the Constitution saying the Speaker has to be a member of the House. Given the state of the party, the GOP would probably love to have a Speaker who isn't beholden to constituents.

[therayeffect]

I need to buy some popcorn the next time I go grocery shopping, goddamn. This is going to be a show. If the Republicans can't reign in the crazy right, they can't get enough votes. So much for showing capable leadership. The longer this goes on, the weaker and weaker they look. Hopefully we can get some of these loonies kicked out and get people in that actually understand that government is about governing and not screaming about your insane and stupid demands.

It seems that there isn't any favorite people are talking about at all either. This could go on for quite awhile.

[Orbitus]

The more I think about it. If Boehner was grooming Eric Cantor for the job and the only reason he didn't step down at the beginning of the year was because Cantor lost his seat. Why not just nominate Cantor? There is nothing in the Constitution saying the Speaker has to be a member of the House. Given the state of the party, the GOP would probably love to have a Speaker who isn't beholden to constituents.

Don't they have to be part of the congress though? Isn't Cantor a lobbyist now after losing? http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/memberfaq.aspx Is quite vague on what is needed. It doesn't say anything about them being required to be a member of either chambers of congress.

[Masark]

Don't they have to be part of the congress though?

Not constitutionally. Your link states "Although the Constitution does not require the Speaker to be a Member of the House, all Speakers have been Members."

The constitution says nothing more than "The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers.". It sets no qualifications for those positions.