With McCarthy Out, Who's In?
Credit: JamieBooth.com
October 8, 2015

This is what John Boehner gets for being a limp dishrag. He could have shut the idiot "Freedom Caucus" down by forcing a vote on a continuing resolution and debt ceiling increase through 2017. Instead, he decided to let all hell break loose, and so it has.

Kevin McCarthy was too much of a squish (not to mention being dumb to boot) to merit the job. So who will step up now?

There's this guy:

Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) thinks President Obama is "uppity," and isn't afraid to say so. He also loves government shutdowns and has lusted after the Speaker job for awhile.

I'm sure his "prayer" will be one that includes an instant answer in the affirmative.

John Boehner, on the other hand, is reported to be putting heavy pressure on Paul Ryan to assume the position. Ryan is demurring, possibly because he sees a future for himself after the insanity has shaken out -- insanity he has been at least partly responsible for facilitating. Even though his office says he's not interested, he has cancelled all of his fundraisers for the next 48 hours. As one person on Twitter asked, "How many fundraisers does he usually have in a day?"

Presumably, Rep. Jason BENGHAZI! Chaffetz is still in the running. That would make the race one Mormon, one Southern Baptist, and one Ayn Rand disciple. Add to the mix a disgraced former speaker of dubious religious background and a wingnut. Oh hell, they're all wingnuts.

Then there's Newt Gingrich. According to reports, Gingrich is being recruited by a few members of the House who don't really care about governing. His resumé includes a past government shutdown and lessons in how to be completely nasty and unyielding in all areas.

The Freedom Caucus favorite is Daniel Webster, the Congressman who has accomplished the least in his time there.

The power games also sacrifice, Webster said in an interview Tuesday with the Orlando Sentinel, any ability Congress has to actually get difficult business worked out and passed.

On Monday night Webster released a speaker’s race campaign video in which he called for “transformation” of the process. He circulated the video among all 435 members of Congress, and released it on Facebook.

Unlike other members of Congress who want to replace out-going Speaker John Boehner, Webster insisted the problem is not about political ideology, but is about how ideas get heard or ignored.

“It’s how we do business, power," Webster said. "The biggest problem with power is it rests in the hands of a few people. So you can think of all the things the Congress does or a legislature does, and then you kind of overshadow that with the fact that a few people are going to make those decisions.”

Webster may have credibility to offer to speak for the powerless rank-and-file members. He’s a three-term Congressman with a low profile, no powerful committee positions, and no strong identity with the various interest caucuses that roil in Congress. He also has a short list of accomplishments. In August InsideGov, a technology-based Washington consulting firm, listed Webster among the 10 least-effective members of Congress.

Here's what's clear to me. They want to shut down the government and worse, they want to default on the national debt. We've got a really rocky road ahead.

Can you help us out?

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