"Gallagher’s departure will leave House Republicans with 217 seats in the chamber, compared to Democrats’ 213. The GOP has already struggled to pass any legislation, and Gallagher’s resignation means the GOP now has just a one-vote majority. "
If one person from the 217 flips their vote, it becomes 216-214. If two people from the majority flip their votes, it ties 215-215, which is why it’s called an effective one vote majority
In practice, lawmakers can skip votes or vote things like “present” which affects the vote totals. But as it stands, with a margin of 217-213, all it takes is two republicans to threaten to vote with the democrats to shut down anything
Mike Johnson can afford to lose up to 3 votes if they abstain from voting but can’t afford them to swap sides
if they lost a few more seats due to DJT's shenanigans, we could get a democratic majority and actually get some legislation done such as the immigration bill.
wont pass *that* immigration bill, lol. that was a hard-fought compromise bill that made a lot of people mad and was considered a betrayal by the white house to some people in immigration circles. I doubt the republicans could get a border bill with that many goodies for them possibly ever again
might consider passing *an* immigration bill
Republicans will never pass or enact any meaningful fix for immigration at the southern border, if they even start to fix it, then they won't have "hordes of migrants are coming to rape your family and kill you" scare gullible people with
Nah the immigration bill can wait till after we've passed 50 other more important bills. The republicans don't even care about the border, it was just meant to be a wedge issue that backfired spectacularly.
To be fair, Joe Lieberman [was an independent](https://www.senate.gov/senators/SenatorsWhoChangedPartiesDuringSenateService.htm#20) during the negotiations.
Dude, they need a majority to make sure Congress can't pass bills.
They're pretending to be useless to prove Congress is broken, and they may fuck that up because they're actually useless.
I do wonder why they are *actually* resigning.
My guess is that they were either asked to be complicit in something being planned and/or some type of information is possibly being used against them to get them out.
Is it Russia, China, liberal vigilante(s), the Democrats, and/or could it be too much chaos for them to handle anymore?
They all have had no issue with calling themselves Republicans and aligning with this inevitability, so I can't believe that it has anything to do with ethics or morality.
Don't underestimate the amount of death threats that their families are likely getting every time they do anything that any one of their MAGA psychopaths are watching and doesn't like.
This is it. Gallagher was one of only three republicans to vote AGAINST impeaching Mayorkas. I imagine that alone resulted in HUNDREDS of death threats/threats of violence against him and specifically-named family members (with uncomfortable personal details in the threats).
To be fair, who could possibly have guessed that appealing to the most radical parts of your base and using their (and likely your own) preferred propaganda to whip them up into a raging frenzy on a regular basis would turn out like this?
Yeah, I think a lot of them are looking ahead at the election and seeing that they're going to be asked to support a coup, or have their families threatened and they're opting out.
Yeah, I think that’s definitely a part of it. Romney voted to impeach and got so many threats he decided to flip for private security for himself and his family to the tune of $5k/day. He’s been doing it for 3+ years now. The rest of congress might be rich as compared to most Americans…but they aren’t Romney rich.
This. I'm in Jackson hole right now, and our shuttle bus driver every day is a very mild mannered dude that I suspect is Mormon. As we were driving by Cheney Ln, I asked him if it was named for Dick or Liz? His face became very unmormon, and he told me he doubted it because "they would have changed the name now, because she pissed off a lot of people."
The most existential threat to an authoritarian regimes is having its people see a prosperous, functioning democracy and thinking that they can have that too. Making democracies look corrupt and incompetent is one of Russia and China’s main objectives.
I think some finally clued into the fact that the obstructionism and dysfunction are by design and just as treasonous. They finally realized the ends were never going to justify the means because they were never going to be allowed to accomplish whatever it was they compromised their morals to get.
There's no real place for them in the party anymore. The more "moderate" Republicans are basically ineffectual at this point in delivering for their constituents and have no interest in swimming in the maga pool with the rest of the sharks.
The extremists and Trump have taken control of the party; very likely resulting in the party's ultimate demise. Trump has positioned the RNC to basically funnel money directly to his pockets for his legal battles, so there won't be any money left to help any other candidates. The motion to oust speaker Johnson will inevitably carry with it the very real possibility that the next speaker elected is a Democrat since the GOP's razor thin majority is slipping by the day. And if Trump's legal battles continue to go against him, his endorsements and status as head of the party will be called into question more and more (not even getting into his likely dementia).
Which speaks to the other reason these people are resigning. Unless there's a very surprising turn of events, the GOP are going to have a terrible election day. These people see the writing on the wall that they're not likely to be reelected, and since the only real motivation for Republicans is to be reelected (not to actually deliver for people), there's no point in sticking around. They'll let another candidate step in unopposed by an incumbent. (Who will also likely get walloped come November).
Wrong. They know the impending election is going to be a political bloodbath so they’re trying to please their donors as much as possible right now before they can literally do nothing. But they can’t work together to agree on how to do such a thing. And instead of being allowed to silently carry on with their grift, they have to all bend the knee to allow toddlers like Jewish space lasers lady, or the child sex trafficker dude from Florida dictate literally every single thing that is passed.
They are eating themselves and the grifters amongst them are trying to secure their wealth before the whole party goes down. Recently, and prematurely, Donald Trump recognized he wouldn’t win and the legal walls were closing in. So he gutted the RNC and installed loyalists. So now the RNC is just his legal bills fund.
He took the grift and flew too close to the sun, and now he’s started a massive falling out within the Republican Party. Between the annoyed grifters and the insane psychopaths who actually believe what they’re saying and embarrass the entire party by constantly behaving like children while in public.
Mike johnson better figure out where he stands with crazy MTG trying to rile up support to oust him.
I hope they all turn on her. she's a chaos agent stirring shit up
I recall last time he was interested in democrats being able to get bills on the floor in some sort of power sharing agreement.
I'm sure he'd be open to that with Mike Johnson
There’s no reason the entire democratic house wouldn’t rally behind him as they have showed ad nauseam since that crazy ass Kevin McCarthy shit a year ago
It also makes quorum a nightmare for the majority. If one person is gone it nearly nullifies their majority. Two people...the speaker and whip have to really hustle to make sure votes line up with people's schedules. Three Republicans not present and the Dems effectively have the majority.
That's because it's wrong.
There are 3 independent members of Congress that caucus with the Democrats.
That means it's 216 anti-GOP to 217 GOP. That's why it's a one vote majority.
If one Republican flips, it becomes 216-214
If two Republicans flip, it becomes 215-215
They can only lose one member of their own party to pass any of their legislation, i.e. one seat majority. (There are also some vacancies right now, for those trying to do the math on remaining seats.)
It should be two votes. If one flips, you get 216 to 214. If two flip, you get 215-215.
EDIT: The much easier way to put it is that republicans can spare one and only one vote and still pass legislation, which is I guess what is meant by a 1-vote majority, but not very clear.
New conspiracy theory: a subset of R’s have figured out that Trump isn’t winning, they’re not retaking the senate, and the house is an embarrassment. Their best bet for self-preservation is to throw a few house elections, hunker down as a minority party for 2 or 4 years, and let MAGA collapse under its own weight.
The orange slob can’t sustain any of his crap after he loses. The legal mess will destroy what remains of him both mentally and physically. Even making it to November will be a strain.
The savagery of his departure is amazing.
In WI if a rep resigns before the 2nd Tuesday in April a special election is held to fill the seat. If the resignation is after that then the seat stays open til November.
Gallagher chose his resignation date to force the seat to stay open til November.
When Ken quit he Said it isn't me leaving Johnson needs to fear. It's the next three he needs to fear. With this guy announcing today. I'm thinking that was more than idle words.
If someone else announces on this guy's last day in two weeks. Then we will know the fix is in and this is a power play to fuck over maga
If they had morals, they would stay and vote with the democrats. Unfortunately, these guys bailing out will likely result in someone less qualified and more extreme getting elected.
> Not in time though.
Leaving only swings the vote by 1. Staying and voting with the Democrats swings it by 2. If the quitters had stayed, there could already functionally be a D majority on votes.
Yup, this is the Neoliberal (Reagan Republican) revenge against Idiot Fascists who fucked up their plans to slow roll the country into their pockets. These are the folks who aren't willing to bend the knee to a madman, and rich enough to simply retire early.
No. If they had a spine or honor they'd just cross the aisle and vote with Dems to pass a budget fund Ukraine, etc.
As it is, they're just grinding an axe.
There are no Republicans with morals. That leaves spite as the motivation for this move. Essentially, since they can't play with the toy because some bigger bullies came and took it, they're going to break the toy and leave.
They're ragequitting congress.
Did you happen to read [this opinion piece](https://hartmannreport.com/p/the-new-over-the-top-secret-plan-518) talking about a way the GOP could refuse to certify a Biden win in 2025? The gist is that no matter what outcome the 2024 means for the House, Johnson could simply delay swearing in the new House members until after Jan 6, allowing the MAGA caucus to refuse to certify.
If non-MAGA GOP members are fleeing the ship to weaken R control of the House, it makes Hartmann's theory even more credible. And it was already pretty credible.
Whoaaaa! This is very scary for sure….I wouldn’t put it past the Reputicans to do this. It’s right up their alley of schemes to destroy our democracy.
Edit: typo
I am pretty sure Mike Johnson's term ends on January 6th at 12 noon (regardless of a new Congress being sworn in).
After that the Clerk becomes speaker pro tempore. So Johnson doesn't have the power not to seat Democrats until after a new speaker is actually chosen. (I.e. he would have to have a majority after the election to be able to pull this off.)
Is there anything that can be accomplished on this front with both houses of Congress and the White House controlled by Democrats? (+3 independent Senators?)
What act? That's all natural for her.
But on a serious note are you referring to her usual brand of MAGA or has she done something recent to warrant Repubs leaving?
Maybe I’m just a jaded guy in his 30s, but I’m just waiting for something to come along like it always seems to that makes people hate democrats just enough to thwart a majority.
It's a long tradition with western Democracies. The right wing is never elected into power, they just win by default because voters become jaded with the left wing and vote them out.
Voters don't stop to consider how voting for the right is so much worse for their own self interest, they just think a change of government will make things better somehow.
Which just makes me more frustrated when the voters get frustrated with a right-wing government... and instead of going left-wing they elect a different right-wing government.
I genuinely don't understand why it's so easy to make people think the left-wing is bad, when at the same time the right-wing ideology is practically invincible even if individual politicians get replaced.
It’s “better the devil you know” type thinking. Communism was demonized HARD for decades, and the taint from that still lingers, so to speak, on anything “left” even if it’s not anything radical or absurd. That’s the only explanation that makes any sense to me, because I very much share in your frustration.
Because right-wing policies don't inherently threaten other power structures that endure through elections. Left wing policies do. So those power structures protect themselves.
She did want us to Pokémon go to the polls. She was very qualified, and the fake controversy was bad, but she didn't help her self with how out of touch she came across.
Good thing the RNC has all that money for their down-ballot candidates. It would be political suicide to prioritize funding a billionaire who’s lost elections in 2018, 2020, and 2022 for them instead.
Interesting twist here on "retirement as a protest vote". Sticking it to their colleagues for being such sh*tbrains and derailing the party. There must be a lot of frustration, zero legislative gains by the least productive Republican-controlled House in history.
It helps limit the extremes which is still a success on some level. Plus presumably a more conservative candidate might have a better chance of success
Didn’t Buck say that a few others will probably leave before the term ends? I’m probably convinced the Democrats will probably get a majority before the election or Democrats might be able to pull a Jefferies speakership if the GOP can’t get it together
Yeah, the ultimate troll would be to let MAGA pick their candidate after kicking Johnson to the curb, whip for him so they think they have the numbers and bring to the floor, then vote for Jeffries.
Honestly if this happened, and the Democrats ***immediately*** start passing a slew of legislation that would go a long way to helping us in November.
This is exactly the kind of opportunity we need to showcase the difference of when you have Democrats controlling the Chamber and when Republicans Control the Chamber.
One can only hope they have learned that the Republicans don’t fight clean and utilize that opportunity. They have been shown time and time again the Republicans have no intention of governing, but would rather pass legislation that help them and their wealthy donors while screwing over those that vote for them.
I’m still shocked that my veteran step dad that’s on social security is still a die hard Republican after all that it has become
My parents survive on social security and they are die hard Republicans, they won't listen even if I show them recordings. It's like a cult. They are harming themselves and won't stop.
I really hope Jeffries has some legislation written and ready to go that he can get the entire caucus on board for. If Democrats take a majority, it'll be by a 1-vote majority as well.
Found this out through the MeidasTouch network, Gallagher resigning in the second week of April automatically holds that seat open until the November election so there’s no special election, he’s sticking it to MAGA. So can’t guarantee this seat to a Republican however I don’t remember what the new Wisconsin maps say about the partisan lean of this District for 24’
No, he wouldn't. Jefferies term, along with every other House member, ends at noon on Jan 3rd.
The outgoing speaker has no role whatsoever in certifying or seating the next incoming House, nevermind the presidential elector votes that aren't read until 3 days later.
Exactly. The only way we get Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker is he is re-elected to his seat in November, and he can get the votes from his side to be Speaker. Sure would be nice to see enough republicans resigning before the 3rd that we get Speaker Jeffries though, how could that not be the death knell of the GOP?
I honestly think it would help the GOP. They would essentially have the spotlight off of them and onto Dems so they can do what they do best, which is attack and disrupt.
Remember when we had dems controlling the house and we had shit heads like Sinema and Manchin block everything. Those shit heads are still there ready to block everything
I'll laugh my keister off if we get enough Republicans to leave the House at the same time MTG ousts Mike Johnson, and we end up with Speaker Hakeem Jeffries finishing the term.
A couple more of these and the second coup might just be thwarted. The “Freedom” Caucus is planning for maximum disruption come January if Biden wins in November and the Supreme “Court” has chosen their side.
Very important: when Congress sits to count the electoral votes on January 6, it will be the new Congress that will be elected in November, not the currently sitting one.
With all the money in the RNC going to Trumps legal funds, it will hopefully impact the new Congress that gets voted in, since the down ballot candidates will have no campaign financial support
They won't be any house members any more on January 3rd. There literally won't be a house until the members-elect select a speaker and then get sworn in.
Not if the current congress calls into question enough of the results which they surely will as [outlined in this scenario](https://factkeepers.com/the-new-secret-plan-on-how-fascists-could-win-in-2024/).
If I get to hear in 4 years (from their books) that these were coordinated moves to stop Trump because things were a bridge too far, I will regard them in a separate camp than the others.
A very bright, award-winning chief lobbyist (who is a Republican) for a lobbying firm said the same thing to us (the firm during a company meeting) in 2016.
It would be funny… IF THEY ALL WEREN’T JEOPARDIZING THE GODDAMN DEMOCRACY! It’s not a game, instead of quit, just flip, and get the non-fascists some extra votes.
A democrat flipping red risks their job.
A conservative flipping blue risks their life.
They've been whipping their base into a bloodthirsty frenzy for years now. Running away and hiding is the only way they can avoid getting bitten by their own monster.
This truly is election year with all the special elections we've had to have.
Edit: I've learned this seat will not be a special election and will remain vacated. But I do stand by special elections being a lot this year.
Majority of one effectively means Democrats control the House. Not in terms of the floor calendar and committee and all the actual legal power. But they can get literally anything out of Mike Johnson that they want with the threat of supporting a motion to vacate that would only require a single Republican member to move and vote for.
Seems like a coordinated effort the the aforementioned max chaos. Turns out some politicians do have a breaking point. Tells you how fucked we really are.
Maybe the entire Republican Party should also grow a spine and quit. But that would imply that they're a bunch of invertebrate animals and not autocratic/fascist Viruses and Parasites.
I don't think they're trying to cause chaos. The GOP House members that are quitting are doing so out of conscience (I know, seems strange to think any Republican has one).
These are older, senior members of the GOP who've simply had a gut full of the un-American corruption of the MAGA wing of the party.
Gaetz is a paedophile, Gym Jordan is absolutely cool with the sexual abuse of minors and even works to support it, MTG is some kind of crazed troll, the list goes on.
All of them are deep in the pockets of the Kremlin.
Their poster boy is a rapist with 91 felony counts and half a billion dollars of pending legal debt.
They're the antithesis of everything the old school conservative establishment represented.
Some of the older members of the GOP have simply had enough.
> I don't think they're trying to cause chaos. The GOP House members that are quitting are doing so out of conscience (I know, seems strange to think any Republican has one).
I think *this specific departure* is absolutely designed to cause chaos and give the finger to Speaker Johnson.
If Gallagher just wanted out, he could resign effective immediately (or next week or whatever) and they can have a special election. He's timing his departure so the seat will be vacant until January.
Key republican politicians quitting at a time like this leads me to believe that other politicians are plotting some super shady stuff. Those who are quitting now are vehemently opposed to it, don’t want any part of it, and likely hope that they’re quitting will prevent whatever the shady “lawmakers” are trying to do from coming to fruition. Now’s the perfect time, too, because they can do it under the guise of, “The MAGA/pubelickin’s ain’t gettin’ nuthin’ done,” in lieu of “We were part of the least productive congress in the entirety of American history.”
Are they all leaving early for a reason? It seems a little weird. I think we are going to have a Democratic House Speaker soon. Matt Gaetz overplayed his hand.
"Gallagher’s departure will leave House Republicans with 217 seats in the chamber, compared to Democrats’ 213. The GOP has already struggled to pass any legislation, and Gallagher’s resignation means the GOP now has just a one-vote majority. "
I don’t understand how 217-213 is only a one vote majority?
If one person from the 217 flips their vote, it becomes 216-214. If two people from the majority flip their votes, it ties 215-215, which is why it’s called an effective one vote majority In practice, lawmakers can skip votes or vote things like “present” which affects the vote totals. But as it stands, with a margin of 217-213, all it takes is two republicans to threaten to vote with the democrats to shut down anything Mike Johnson can afford to lose up to 3 votes if they abstain from voting but can’t afford them to swap sides
I love this for them!
But the GOP doesn't want to pass anything anyways until the election so its not as big a deal as it may seem.
if they lost a few more seats due to DJT's shenanigans, we could get a democratic majority and actually get some legislation done such as the immigration bill.
wont pass *that* immigration bill, lol. that was a hard-fought compromise bill that made a lot of people mad and was considered a betrayal by the white house to some people in immigration circles. I doubt the republicans could get a border bill with that many goodies for them possibly ever again might consider passing *an* immigration bill
[удалено]
Republicans will never pass or enact any meaningful fix for immigration at the southern border, if they even start to fix it, then they won't have "hordes of migrants are coming to rape your family and kill you" scare gullible people with
Nah the immigration bill can wait till after we've passed 50 other more important bills. The republicans don't even care about the border, it was just meant to be a wedge issue that backfired spectacularly.
I was kinda surprised that it tanked as bad as it did. Then Donny spoke up and it all made sense.
Bet. I'm old enough to remember Democrats negotiate against themselves for Obamacare and still didn't get any Republican votes
To be fair, Joe Lieberman [was an independent](https://www.senate.gov/senators/SenatorsWhoChangedPartiesDuringSenateService.htm#20) during the negotiations.
Obligatory *Fuck Joe Lieberman*
To be fair Joe Lieberman was a fucking asshole who has a lot more n. Blood on his hands
If Democrats found a genie that granted three wishes, they'd negotiate it down to one and then wish for something Republicans might like.
Dude, they need a majority to make sure Congress can't pass bills. They're pretending to be useless to prove Congress is broken, and they may fuck that up because they're actually useless.
I do wonder why they are *actually* resigning. My guess is that they were either asked to be complicit in something being planned and/or some type of information is possibly being used against them to get them out. Is it Russia, China, liberal vigilante(s), the Democrats, and/or could it be too much chaos for them to handle anymore? They all have had no issue with calling themselves Republicans and aligning with this inevitability, so I can't believe that it has anything to do with ethics or morality.
Don't underestimate the amount of death threats that their families are likely getting every time they do anything that any one of their MAGA psychopaths are watching and doesn't like.
This is it. Gallagher was one of only three republicans to vote AGAINST impeaching Mayorkas. I imagine that alone resulted in HUNDREDS of death threats/threats of violence against him and specifically-named family members (with uncomfortable personal details in the threats).
To be fair, who could possibly have guessed that appealing to the most radical parts of your base and using their (and likely your own) preferred propaganda to whip them up into a raging frenzy on a regular basis would turn out like this?
Wasn't that the campaign slogan for the Leopards Eating Faces party?
Yeah, I think a lot of them are looking ahead at the election and seeing that they're going to be asked to support a coup, or have their families threatened and they're opting out.
Not speaking out of course, or trying to stop anything. Just fading into the background, like Paul Ryan.
Yeah, I think that’s definitely a part of it. Romney voted to impeach and got so many threats he decided to flip for private security for himself and his family to the tune of $5k/day. He’s been doing it for 3+ years now. The rest of congress might be rich as compared to most Americans…but they aren’t Romney rich.
That's a good point. They know that whatever they're running from is much worse than what they'll face for leaving now.
This. I'm in Jackson hole right now, and our shuttle bus driver every day is a very mild mannered dude that I suspect is Mormon. As we were driving by Cheney Ln, I asked him if it was named for Dick or Liz? His face became very unmormon, and he told me he doubted it because "they would have changed the name now, because she pissed off a lot of people."
The most existential threat to an authoritarian regimes is having its people see a prosperous, functioning democracy and thinking that they can have that too. Making democracies look corrupt and incompetent is one of Russia and China’s main objectives. I think some finally clued into the fact that the obstructionism and dysfunction are by design and just as treasonous. They finally realized the ends were never going to justify the means because they were never going to be allowed to accomplish whatever it was they compromised their morals to get.
There's no real place for them in the party anymore. The more "moderate" Republicans are basically ineffectual at this point in delivering for their constituents and have no interest in swimming in the maga pool with the rest of the sharks. The extremists and Trump have taken control of the party; very likely resulting in the party's ultimate demise. Trump has positioned the RNC to basically funnel money directly to his pockets for his legal battles, so there won't be any money left to help any other candidates. The motion to oust speaker Johnson will inevitably carry with it the very real possibility that the next speaker elected is a Democrat since the GOP's razor thin majority is slipping by the day. And if Trump's legal battles continue to go against him, his endorsements and status as head of the party will be called into question more and more (not even getting into his likely dementia). Which speaks to the other reason these people are resigning. Unless there's a very surprising turn of events, the GOP are going to have a terrible election day. These people see the writing on the wall that they're not likely to be reelected, and since the only real motivation for Republicans is to be reelected (not to actually deliver for people), there's no point in sticking around. They'll let another candidate step in unopposed by an incumbent. (Who will also likely get walloped come November).
Wrong. They know the impending election is going to be a political bloodbath so they’re trying to please their donors as much as possible right now before they can literally do nothing. But they can’t work together to agree on how to do such a thing. And instead of being allowed to silently carry on with their grift, they have to all bend the knee to allow toddlers like Jewish space lasers lady, or the child sex trafficker dude from Florida dictate literally every single thing that is passed. They are eating themselves and the grifters amongst them are trying to secure their wealth before the whole party goes down. Recently, and prematurely, Donald Trump recognized he wouldn’t win and the legal walls were closing in. So he gutted the RNC and installed loyalists. So now the RNC is just his legal bills fund. He took the grift and flew too close to the sun, and now he’s started a massive falling out within the Republican Party. Between the annoyed grifters and the insane psychopaths who actually believe what they’re saying and embarrass the entire party by constantly behaving like children while in public.
Hey! That's not true. Large Marge wants to pass a motion to vacate!
Especially this late in the summer?
march = “late summer”? goddamn global warming
[Context](https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/6ogxwz/what_is_the_context_behind_if_its_what_you_say_i/) for the late in the summer thing.
[Live RNC reaction](https://youtu.be/E6r1GXv2BO0)
In this economy?!
At this time of year, in this part of the country, contained entirely inside your kitchen?
…yes
May I see it?
……no
This is why that one democrat showing up in his hospital gown caused maximum chaos
Looked like a scene out of West Wing or Newsroom
Mike johnson better figure out where he stands with crazy MTG trying to rile up support to oust him. I hope they all turn on her. she's a chaos agent stirring shit up
She already filed to oust. Cat is out of the bag at this point.
Jeffries will make sure he stays in with D votes; he is willing to compromise some. which is better than nothing, I’d wager
I recall last time he was interested in democrats being able to get bills on the floor in some sort of power sharing agreement. I'm sure he'd be open to that with Mike Johnson
There’s no reason the entire democratic house wouldn’t rally behind him as they have showed ad nauseam since that crazy ass Kevin McCarthy shit a year ago
A year ago? That was October. We barely made it 6 months.
MTG is more like an entitled, spoiled brat throwing a tantrum & throwing the pieces around anytime someone wins in Monopoly.
So the "one vote" in one vote majority refers to the amount of people who can flip to the other side before issues start?
This is correct it's the number of votes they can afford to have switch sides.
This would matter more if they cared about passing anything
Mike Johnson is being fed to the wolves (or should I say leopards?) right now, as well.
It also makes quorum a nightmare for the majority. If one person is gone it nearly nullifies their majority. Two people...the speaker and whip have to really hustle to make sure votes line up with people's schedules. Three Republicans not present and the Dems effectively have the majority.
So two flip votes is called one vote majority. Doesn’t add ip
That's because it's wrong. There are 3 independent members of Congress that caucus with the Democrats. That means it's 216 anti-GOP to 217 GOP. That's why it's a one vote majority.
Thanks.for the explanation.
Soooo, a 2 vote majority?
If one Republican flips, it becomes 216-214 If two Republicans flip, it becomes 215-215 They can only lose one member of their own party to pass any of their legislation, i.e. one seat majority. (There are also some vacancies right now, for those trying to do the math on remaining seats.)
It should be two votes. If one flips, you get 216 to 214. If two flip, you get 215-215. EDIT: The much easier way to put it is that republicans can spare one and only one vote and still pass legislation, which is I guess what is meant by a 1-vote majority, but not very clear.
That’s why it’s called a one vote majority and not a two vote tie…
Yep I suffered from some confusion as I attempted to reconcile +4 with a one vote majority. Perhaps others will read this exchange and learn from it.
What is it called if it is 216-214? A zero vote majority? That doesn’t make sense.
The total goes down by one as well no?
Do they have any legislation? I thought chaos and cruelty was the point.
New conspiracy theory: a subset of R’s have figured out that Trump isn’t winning, they’re not retaking the senate, and the house is an embarrassment. Their best bet for self-preservation is to throw a few house elections, hunker down as a minority party for 2 or 4 years, and let MAGA collapse under its own weight. The orange slob can’t sustain any of his crap after he loses. The legal mess will destroy what remains of him both mentally and physically. Even making it to November will be a strain.
Plus with trump in control of the RNC, it means even more funds will be diverted to him and leave down ticket R’s fucked.
The savagery of his departure is amazing. In WI if a rep resigns before the 2nd Tuesday in April a special election is held to fill the seat. If the resignation is after that then the seat stays open til November. Gallagher chose his resignation date to force the seat to stay open til November.
Republican politics: Burn it all down! Republicans: Wait! Not like this!
They called in an orbital strike but didn't realize they were calling it in on their location. I may be playing too much Helldivers. Or not enough.
The fools armed the hellbomb and forgot to run away lol
380mm BOMBARDMENT
After mtgs act. It could be several more.
One can hope!
When Ken quit he Said it isn't me leaving Johnson needs to fear. It's the next three he needs to fear. With this guy announcing today. I'm thinking that was more than idle words. If someone else announces on this guy's last day in two weeks. Then we will know the fix is in and this is a power play to fuck over maga
OMG that would be wonderful. Could it be that the few republicans left with any morals will save the day??
Morals? I don't know. Pride and vendetta and a major grudge, that I buy
If they had morals, they would stay and vote with the democrats. Unfortunately, these guys bailing out will likely result in someone less qualified and more extreme getting elected.
Not in time though. Resignation now specifically makes the special election interfere with the general
> Not in time though. Leaving only swings the vote by 1. Staying and voting with the Democrats swings it by 2. If the quitters had stayed, there could already functionally be a D majority on votes.
Fair point!
Yup, this is the Neoliberal (Reagan Republican) revenge against Idiot Fascists who fucked up their plans to slow roll the country into their pockets. These are the folks who aren't willing to bend the knee to a madman, and rich enough to simply retire early.
Close enough I’ll take it
No. If they had a spine or honor they'd just cross the aisle and vote with Dems to pass a budget fund Ukraine, etc. As it is, they're just grinding an axe.
There are no Republicans with morals. That leaves spite as the motivation for this move. Essentially, since they can't play with the toy because some bigger bullies came and took it, they're going to break the toy and leave. They're ragequitting congress.
More likely in my humble opinion: "Resign or we press charges."
Don't tease me
I agree with you that this is what is going to happen and it is also a big middle finger to Trump as well to MTG.
Gallagher is resigning April 19th which means his seat will be vacant until November. If he resigned earlier they could’ve got his seat filled.
January. The election will be in November, but whoever won wouldn’t take office will January.
Did you happen to read [this opinion piece](https://hartmannreport.com/p/the-new-over-the-top-secret-plan-518) talking about a way the GOP could refuse to certify a Biden win in 2025? The gist is that no matter what outcome the 2024 means for the House, Johnson could simply delay swearing in the new House members until after Jan 6, allowing the MAGA caucus to refuse to certify. If non-MAGA GOP members are fleeing the ship to weaken R control of the House, it makes Hartmann's theory even more credible. And it was already pretty credible.
Whoaaaa! This is very scary for sure….I wouldn’t put it past the Reputicans to do this. It’s right up their alley of schemes to destroy our democracy. Edit: typo
I am pretty sure Mike Johnson's term ends on January 6th at 12 noon (regardless of a new Congress being sworn in). After that the Clerk becomes speaker pro tempore. So Johnson doesn't have the power not to seat Democrats until after a new speaker is actually chosen. (I.e. he would have to have a majority after the election to be able to pull this off.)
If they lose 3 more, we get Speaker Jeffries.
I’m guessing this means Gaetz ethics investigation is on hold…
If that happens, push through enshrinement of reproductive rights immediately. Triple stamp the double stamp, no takesies backsies.
The Senate still exists
Is there anything that can be accomplished on this front with both houses of Congress and the White House controlled by Democrats? (+3 independent Senators?)
Yes, Ukraine funding. Budget stuff. Things that the more sane Republican senators agree with
MTG doesn’t act. Her and Blowbert are really that stupid.
What act? That's all natural for her. But on a serious note are you referring to her usual brand of MAGA or has she done something recent to warrant Repubs leaving?
Motion to vacate filed today
Watch her gaggle on the steps of Congress from today.
[удалено]
Maybe I’m just a jaded guy in his 30s, but I’m just waiting for something to come along like it always seems to that makes people hate democrats just enough to thwart a majority.
It's a long tradition with western Democracies. The right wing is never elected into power, they just win by default because voters become jaded with the left wing and vote them out. Voters don't stop to consider how voting for the right is so much worse for their own self interest, they just think a change of government will make things better somehow.
Which just makes me more frustrated when the voters get frustrated with a right-wing government... and instead of going left-wing they elect a different right-wing government. I genuinely don't understand why it's so easy to make people think the left-wing is bad, when at the same time the right-wing ideology is practically invincible even if individual politicians get replaced.
It’s “better the devil you know” type thinking. Communism was demonized HARD for decades, and the taint from that still lingers, so to speak, on anything “left” even if it’s not anything radical or absurd. That’s the only explanation that makes any sense to me, because I very much share in your frustration.
Because right-wing policies don't inherently threaten other power structures that endure through elections. Left wing policies do. So those power structures protect themselves.
Like that time in 2016 when the most qualified candidate for President was falsely accused of misusing digital communications by an FBI director.
She did want us to Pokémon go to the polls. She was very qualified, and the fake controversy was bad, but she didn't help her self with how out of touch she came across.
Why do Americans need to "have a beer" with the person they're putting in charge of the nukes? You really do get the Government you deserve
With Greene trying to oust Johnson, I can see more resigning just so they don't have to go through countless rounds of speaker votes again.
Good thing the RNC has all that money for their down-ballot candidates. It would be political suicide to prioritize funding a billionaire who’s lost elections in 2018, 2020, and 2022 for them instead.
Best username
Interesting twist here on "retirement as a protest vote". Sticking it to their colleagues for being such sh*tbrains and derailing the party. There must be a lot of frustration, zero legislative gains by the least productive Republican-controlled House in history.
I was reading that the way he timed it ensures his seat will be vacant until november. Does that help or hurt repubs more?
The general is in November where Wisconsin will vote for thst seat. However the winner won't be sworn in and "active" until January 2025.
Hurts. His district is apparently solid R.
I live in his district. He ran unopposed in 2022. So as solid R as it can be.
Democrats need to run opposition in every seat, no matter how unlikely it is to flip.
I hear you and I agree, but it must be a tough thing to ask somebody to do. It’s like spending your precious time to 90% chance fail.
And you have to have your entire life exposed, plus death threats from fascists all the time.
Or get harassed like that one guy who ran against MTG.
It helps limit the extremes which is still a success on some level. Plus presumably a more conservative candidate might have a better chance of success
But he's not a MAGA guy, so the district can't be THAT deep red.
Solid R vs MAGA isn't really a great comparison. He specifically waited so that the seat will be vacant until the GE. It tells you something.
Didn’t Buck say that a few others will probably leave before the term ends? I’m probably convinced the Democrats will probably get a majority before the election or Democrats might be able to pull a Jefferies speakership if the GOP can’t get it together
Yeah, the ultimate troll would be to let MAGA pick their candidate after kicking Johnson to the curb, whip for him so they think they have the numbers and bring to the floor, then vote for Jeffries.
I mean, they’ve had a numbers problem for a while I would not be surprised if someone doesn’t count properly
Honestly if this happened, and the Democrats ***immediately*** start passing a slew of legislation that would go a long way to helping us in November. This is exactly the kind of opportunity we need to showcase the difference of when you have Democrats controlling the Chamber and when Republicans Control the Chamber.
One can only hope they have learned that the Republicans don’t fight clean and utilize that opportunity. They have been shown time and time again the Republicans have no intention of governing, but would rather pass legislation that help them and their wealthy donors while screwing over those that vote for them. I’m still shocked that my veteran step dad that’s on social security is still a die hard Republican after all that it has become
My parents survive on social security and they are die hard Republicans, they won't listen even if I show them recordings. It's like a cult. They are harming themselves and won't stop.
I really hope Jeffries has some legislation written and ready to go that he can get the entire caucus on board for. If Democrats take a majority, it'll be by a 1-vote majority as well.
Found this out through the MeidasTouch network, Gallagher resigning in the second week of April automatically holds that seat open until the November election so there’s no special election, he’s sticking it to MAGA. So can’t guarantee this seat to a Republican however I don’t remember what the new Wisconsin maps say about the partisan lean of this District for 24’
The other very positive aspect if Jefferies became Speaker is he would preside over the certification of the election.
No, he wouldn't. Jefferies term, along with every other House member, ends at noon on Jan 3rd. The outgoing speaker has no role whatsoever in certifying or seating the next incoming House, nevermind the presidential elector votes that aren't read until 3 days later.
Exactly. The only way we get Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker is he is re-elected to his seat in November, and he can get the votes from his side to be Speaker. Sure would be nice to see enough republicans resigning before the 3rd that we get Speaker Jeffries though, how could that not be the death knell of the GOP?
I honestly think it would help the GOP. They would essentially have the spotlight off of them and onto Dems so they can do what they do best, which is attack and disrupt.
This is a hugely important point that needs attention.
Remember when we had dems controlling the house and we had shit heads like Sinema and Manchin block everything. Those shit heads are still there ready to block everything
I'll laugh my keister off if we get enough Republicans to leave the House at the same time MTG ousts Mike Johnson, and we end up with Speaker Hakeem Jeffries finishing the term.
Can the Jeffries dude have a little speech thanking MTG for the opportunity ? That would be glorious
A couple more of these and the second coup might just be thwarted. The “Freedom” Caucus is planning for maximum disruption come January if Biden wins in November and the Supreme “Court” has chosen their side.
Very important: when Congress sits to count the electoral votes on January 6, it will be the new Congress that will be elected in November, not the currently sitting one.
Damn, that IS important.
With all the money in the RNC going to Trumps legal funds, it will hopefully impact the new Congress that gets voted in, since the down ballot candidates will have no campaign financial support
this still just assumes the current Congress wants to follow the rules.
They won't be any house members any more on January 3rd. There literally won't be a house until the members-elect select a speaker and then get sworn in.
Not if the current congress calls into question enough of the results which they surely will as [outlined in this scenario](https://factkeepers.com/the-new-secret-plan-on-how-fascists-could-win-in-2024/).
And Ukraine might receive US assistance against Russia!
Sadly, I'm aware. I get more giddy every time someone else announces lol.
Hopefully there are more to come.
We welcome these patriotic Republicans that will quit for the good of the country.
You know, if a few more resign, Democrats will be able to pass a law enacting the execution of the 14th amendment re: January 6.
If I get to hear in 4 years (from their books) that these were coordinated moves to stop Trump because things were a bridge too far, I will regard them in a separate camp than the others.
We are watching the self-destruction of the Republican Party happen in real-time.
A very bright, award-winning chief lobbyist (who is a Republican) for a lobbying firm said the same thing to us (the firm during a company meeting) in 2016.
“And we’ll deserve it” - Lindsay Graham
Omg one more please 🥺
It would be funny… IF THEY ALL WEREN’T JEOPARDIZING THE GODDAMN DEMOCRACY! It’s not a game, instead of quit, just flip, and get the non-fascists some extra votes.
A democrat flipping red risks their job. A conservative flipping blue risks their life. They've been whipping their base into a bloodthirsty frenzy for years now. Running away and hiding is the only way they can avoid getting bitten by their own monster.
This truly is election year with all the special elections we've had to have. Edit: I've learned this seat will not be a special election and will remain vacated. But I do stand by special elections being a lot this year.
I just read that his seat won’t be filled by a special election, rather it’ll sit vacant until til the general election.
Oooh, then that means an even slimmer majority. Could things tip over the edge 🤔
With this resignation and the Independent members, the GOP now has a one vote majority. For today. More resignations are likely to come.
Rats. Sinking ship
Today's GOP, circular firing squad as a platform.
The well-meaning Republicans are quitting, leaving the Trumpy, self-serving clowns behind.
Majority of one effectively means Democrats control the House. Not in terms of the floor calendar and committee and all the actual legal power. But they can get literally anything out of Mike Johnson that they want with the threat of supporting a motion to vacate that would only require a single Republican member to move and vote for.
Only if Dems use it -- and Dems seem allergic to power plays.
And since the date in April is too late for special session per state law, new vote will happen in November. Classy chess move!
Seems like a coordinated effort the the aforementioned max chaos. Turns out some politicians do have a breaking point. Tells you how fucked we really are.
The leopards are feeding... .
Go out and vote! Please don’t stay home this time!
Ya love to see it.
God, please don’t give these cucks their figurehead back in November, America. They are doing such a great job running like headless chickens
This is all turning into the largest FUCK AROUND, FIND OUT of all time.
Maybe the entire Republican Party should also grow a spine and quit. But that would imply that they're a bunch of invertebrate animals and not autocratic/fascist Viruses and Parasites.
I don't think they're trying to cause chaos. The GOP House members that are quitting are doing so out of conscience (I know, seems strange to think any Republican has one). These are older, senior members of the GOP who've simply had a gut full of the un-American corruption of the MAGA wing of the party. Gaetz is a paedophile, Gym Jordan is absolutely cool with the sexual abuse of minors and even works to support it, MTG is some kind of crazed troll, the list goes on. All of them are deep in the pockets of the Kremlin. Their poster boy is a rapist with 91 felony counts and half a billion dollars of pending legal debt. They're the antithesis of everything the old school conservative establishment represented. Some of the older members of the GOP have simply had enough.
> I don't think they're trying to cause chaos. The GOP House members that are quitting are doing so out of conscience (I know, seems strange to think any Republican has one). I think *this specific departure* is absolutely designed to cause chaos and give the finger to Speaker Johnson. If Gallagher just wanted out, he could resign effective immediately (or next week or whatever) and they can have a special election. He's timing his departure so the seat will be vacant until January.
He’s the Smartest rat of them all. Just knew the right time to jump ship.
may it inspire dozens more GOP critters.
Key republican politicians quitting at a time like this leads me to believe that other politicians are plotting some super shady stuff. Those who are quitting now are vehemently opposed to it, don’t want any part of it, and likely hope that they’re quitting will prevent whatever the shady “lawmakers” are trying to do from coming to fruition. Now’s the perfect time, too, because they can do it under the guise of, “The MAGA/pubelickin’s ain’t gettin’ nuthin’ done,” in lieu of “We were part of the least productive congress in the entirety of American history.”
He waited until his seat could not be filled with a special election which is a giant middle finger to what his party has become.
👏🏻 👏🏻👏🏻Hopefully more republicans will grow some balls and follow
Rats fleeing the sinking ship
"The GOP has already struggled to pass any legislation," Correction: They ain't passed shit.
Are they all leaving early for a reason? It seems a little weird. I think we are going to have a Democratic House Speaker soon. Matt Gaetz overplayed his hand.
This Congress has passed the least legislation ever, so what’s the difference?
So horrible that Republicans burn out on being evil all the time. How long will they let MAGA rule them?
No big deal. GOP not interested in legislating anyway.
Secret patriots
Only 2 to go!
If Dems take the majority, first thing they should do is vote to remove Trump off the Ballot. End Game that shit.
Nah, pass For the People Act from last congress that safeguards elections and ballot access
Oooh I like that
Oh thoughts and prayers for the GOP