Next House GOP Leader? UPDATE: Scalise Won't Run if McCarthy Does

[Free Bird]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/12/politics/steve-scalise-kevin-mccarthy-running/index.html

Scalise says he won't run if McCarthy does

It was always going to be McCarthy

I wonder if he implodes like he did in 2015

[Illiniwek]

Maybe Scalise wants McCarthy to be the face of losing this November so he can come back in a few years when the GOP might take back the House.

[Doimper]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/12/politics/steve-scalise-kevin-mccarthy-running/index.html

Scalise says he won't run if McCarthy does

Huh

[Torrain]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/12/politics/steve-scalise-kevin-mccarthy-running/index.html

Scalise says he won't run if McCarthy does

So the question is, is he angling for Majority Leader, and Speaker once McCarthy falls, or Governor in 2019...

[mvd10]

Or he's waiting for McCarthy to fail first. I guess this is one of the situations where you don't want to make the first move. But McCarthy definitely has a better chance than most people think, he's quite close to Trump as far as I know.

[KingSweden]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/12/politics/steve-scalise-kevin-mccarthy-running/index.html

Scalise says he won't run if McCarthy does

For all we know, he may still be recovering from his gunshot wound

[Free Bird]

Maybe Scalise wants McCarthy to be the face of losing this November so he can come back in a few years when the GOP might take back the House.

A +3 Quinipiac generic ballot with a D+15 sample is hardly a sign of sure doom. Competitive, but not sure doom.

[Mr. Morden]

Maybe Scalise wants McCarthy to be the face of losing this November so he can come back in a few years when the GOP might take back the House.

But Ryan will still be Speaker in November.  He just said he's not leaving until his term ends in January.  So how will McCarthy be "the face of losing this November" in that case?

[Mr. Morden]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/12/politics/steve-scalise-kevin-mccarthy-running/index.html

Scalise says he won't run if McCarthy does

So the question is, is he angling for Majority Leader, and Speaker once McCarthy falls, or Governor in 2019...

Most likely the GOP loses the House in November, so McCarthy becomes Minority Leader and Scalise becomes Minority Whip.  In a few years, McCarthy becomes unpopular because every congressional leader becomes unpopular.  At that point, McCarthy gets pushed out and Scalise takes over.

[Torrain]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/12/politics/steve-scalise-kevin-mccarthy-running/index.html

Scalise says he won't run if McCarthy does

So the question is, is he angling for Majority Leader, and Speaker once McCarthy falls, or Governor in 2019...

Most likely the GOP loses the House in November, so McCarthy becomes Minority Leader and Scalise becomes Minority Whip.  In a few years, McCarthy becomes unpopular because every congressional leader becomes unpopular.  At that point, McCarthy gets pushed out and Scalise takes over.

That makes sense, or at least as much as running for Speaker can ever make sense.

[NewYorkExpress]

Jim Jordan exploring a run.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/383003-jim-jordan-considering-a-bid-for-speaker

[Illiniwek]

Maybe Scalise wants McCarthy to be the face of losing this November so he can come back in a few years when the GOP might take back the House.

But Ryan will still be Speaker in November.  He just said he's not leaving until his term ends in January.  So how will McCarthy be "the face of losing this November" in that case?

If November ends up being the bloodbath-tsunami we think it will be, I’m telling you the remaining GOP caucus, which will likely be more conservative on average, will blame Paul Ryan and his crew. By bowing out Scalise makes it clear McCarthy is the Paul Ryan heir apparent, and he will be the face of the purge. Meanwhile Scalise puts a little (fake) distance between himself and Ryan so he can be the chosen one for the new House GOP.

Bottom line, I’d bet good money that McCarthy won’t be the top GOP House member for very long if we have Speaker Pelosi come January.

[The Mikado]

I think it's letting McCarthy have the humiliating job of GOP Minority leader under Trump for two years, with the expectation that he could slide into the Minority Leader/Speaker/whatever position in 2021, in opposition to a Democratic President, without the Trump taint on him.

[Santander]

David Duke without the baggage.

[kyc0705]

Ryan has told NBC that he's endorsing McCarthy.

[President Johnson]

I think McCarthy won't be elected since he's essentially hated by the Freedom Caucus. Whoever it may be, I hope we can call him Minority Leader. If Republicans maintain a house majority, what seems doubtful, McCarthy won't be speaker, that is certain. Especially because he would heavily depend on the Freedom Caucus Votes when the GOP majority gets smaller.

[Mr. Morden]

I think McCarthy won't be elected since he's essentially hated by the Freedom Caucus.

If the GOP is in the minority, then he doesn't need the votes of the Freedom Caucus in order to win, since all he'd need would be a simple majority of the GOP caucus to be elected Minority Leader.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

The House GOP caucus is a mess because the Conservative movement is built around eating is own in a Leninistic fashion. In the USSR, they encouraged people to rat out their family, friends and neighbors to the authorities, which of course is instantly tied to self-benefit, vendetta and all matter of other long standing feuds or disagreements becoming resolve by telling the NKVD they are traitors.

Therefore, whatever you do, there is always a self-promoting legislative terrorist like Jim Jordan who will knife the leadership in the back over ideological purity, and then be made a hero for it on Hannity. Ideology becomes the convenient cover for taking out people they dislike, or people who they believe slighted them in the past.