CONCESSION STAND: You’ll never believe what McCarthy’s buying behind closed doors
After six failed attempts to grab the brass ring, Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is now desperate and looking to make a deal, it seems.
All-night negotiations have produced some hope for the California rep, but he’s had to make some major concessions.
The biggest is that he’s now willing to appoint two Freedom Caucus members to the powerful Rules Committee, which can set the terms for the debate of a bill, direct how it will be presented, decide whether amendments will be allowed, or even amend or rewrite the bill itself.
There are usually just thirteen members, so putting two Freedom Caucus people on would be significant.
There are rumors, too, that a third seat could be given to another staunch right-winger, even if not one who is explicitly in the FC.
McCarthy has also been reportedly willing to cede on another major concern of his intra-party opposition: avoidance of large omnibus bills.
The Caucus folks want appropriations bills to be presented individually, and they want the chance to amend them.
They’ve also argued for more time to consider the bills – no waivers of the traditional 72-hour period.
The last one is certainly a reasonable request and McCarthy has already agreed to it, though there’s some question about the means of enforcement.
The former Minority Leader has also said he’ll lower the threshold to bring a no-confidence vote to the floor from five (which he previously agreed to) to one, meaning that any sitting member of Congress could force a vote of no-confidence onto the floor.
This would probably accomplish little other than to occasionally waste time and allow for some showmanship, which might just be what some of them want.
I hear that in order to get the votes he needs to become Speaker, Kevin McCarthy has made some concessions to members of the “Freedom Caucus”. Don’t know exactly what they are, but I hear one of them involves dropping his pants and bending over on demand.
— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) January 5, 2023
Another concession point that seems likely to be granted is Ralph Norman’s (R-SC) motion for a Constitutional amendment on House term limits.
Norman wants to limit House members to three terms – though he is now starting on his fourth since winning a special election in 2017.
It has about zero chance of succeeding, so McCarthy probably figures it’s an easy request to grant.
Appears #McCarthy's agreed to new concessions incl motion to vacate requiring only 1 member to force a vote; allowing MAGAs to choose 1/3 of #GOP members on the Rules Comm; potential bill-killing debate on spending bills.
A shameless coward. Being Speaker is his only vision
— Andy Ostroy (@AndyOstroy) January 5, 2023
As we enter into day 3 of voting, it’ll be interesting to see how far these concessions have gotten McCarthy so far.
He still faces significant opposition. The real question is how far he’s willing to go – including what loons he’s willing to work with – to get what he wants.
Ross will continue to make poor Kevin feel very, very bad by saying things that make it harder for the job he was promising by his mommy, his daddy, and Donald Trump. And you can watch him do it by following him on Twitter! Just click here: @RossRosenfeld
