Republicans Are “Crying in the Cloakroom” And Begging Democrats For Help In Speaker Mess

Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:44 pm

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Republicans are so upset by their own party’s dysfunction that another one is turning a hopeful eye to Democrats for help.

Republican whisperer Robert Costa tweeted yesterday that Rep. Peter King (R-NY) told him members were crying in the cloakroom, unable to handle the unrest and confusion:

And then today, Talking Points Memo reported that Rep. Pete King “joined Democrats” in trying to get Speaker Boehner to put raising the debt ceiling up for a vote before he hightails it out of dodge. But he did more than join Democrats on that pesky issue of the nation’s economy, which has Wall Street in a total meltdown of disbelief.

King also suggested a willingness to work with Democrats to elect a new speaker.
“Whatever we have to do to elect a speaker, we have to do,” King said. “Whatever we have to do to get it done.”

Moderate Republicans (that’s a relative term to the 2010 nutters in the House, not to be taken literally as if they are moderates) are getting desperate to shut down the nihilistic “rejectionists”.

Just yesterday, Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) suggested that House Republicans could silence the extremists in their party by giving Democrats more power, forming a coalition to elect a bipartisan Speaker of the House.

This notion of Republicans turning to Democrats for help started when they had to turn to Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi any time they wanted to pass even the most benign legislation, but it did seem a bit far-fetched and unlikely yesterday that they would work with Democrats to elect a bipartisan Speaker.

It is still unlikely, but the very idea that they are desperate to cut the nutters out and work around them enough to work with Democrats is heartening for the country.

Sarah Jones

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