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Whether that’s enough to pass the bill is still unclear. Only sheer numbers are against McCarthy; he can only afford to lose four votes. No Democrat will vote for the package that combines deep spending cuts with lifting the debt ceiling. a republican the member is absent all week, and another will be absent on Thursday. This makes the timing of the vote tricky, i.e. if it is to take place this week.
Technically, the bill could be ready for debate on Wednesday, now that the Rules Committee has passed it. That doesn’t mean it will, because there’s still a handful of members who say they lean no, like Nancy Mace from South Carolina who has multiple problems. Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida said he is still undecided. Some first-year members of the swing district – Reps. John James of Michigan, Marcus Molinaro of New York and Jen Kiggans of Virginia are not saying how they will vote.
In meetings throughout the day and evening on Tuesday, McCarthy said members that he would not make any changes to the bill. He probably thought he didn’t have to because he had co-opted Chip Roy, the problematic Freedom Caucus maniac, by basically giving him everything the group wanted. He also put Roy and his bomb-throwing friend, Rep. Tom Massie, on the rules committee — two of the loudest screamers on “regular order” and the drafting of bills behind closed doors by the leaders. Now they are part of the leadership, so it doesn’t matter anymore. They were instrumental in the middle of the night closed-door proceedings that changed the bill.
Could the bill be tabled before the end of Wednesday? Technically: Yes. Will it pass by the end of Wednesday (or Thursday or Friday?) is a better question. McCarthy could face a fight that rivals his own offer of five days and 15 votes to be the speaker on this one.
America could learn a lot from how other countries elect their leaders! Political science professor Matthew Shugart joins us on this week’s episode of “The Downballot” to discuss how various electoral systems work around the world, as well as his thoughts on what might work well here and really improve our democracy. . Shugart goes into detail about proportional voting, single transferable vote, “decoy lists” and much more. If these terms are new to you, you will definitely want to listen to them!
