66 days. That’s how long Didius Julianus lasted as Roman emperor in 193 C.E. As historian Edward Watts notes, he “ran out of things to give his allies.” Here is a taste of his piece at Zocalo: Julianus was so...
Kevin McCarthy
Historians Kevin Kruse and Julian Zelizer on the state of the Republican Party
The Princeton University historians are the editors of Myth America: Historians Take on the Biggest Legends and Lies About our Past. Here is a taste of their recent interview with Vanity Fair: I know both of you are particularly public-facing...
Marjorie Taylor Greene: mainstream Republican
As the Republican members-elect of the 118th Congress tried to select a Speaker of the House last week, Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, an election denier, former QAnon follower, and believer in Jewish space lasers, backed Kevin McCarthy on all...
Historian Joanne Freeman on the near scuffle between Mike Rogers and Matt Gaetz
Here is part of what I wrote last night after the fourteenth ballot for Speaker of the House: Before the end of the vote, McCarthy had to walk up the aisle to talk to Matt Gaetz to try to get...
“Just say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen.” –Donald Trump
Kevin McCarthy, with the help of Donald Trump, is Speaker of the House. Here is what some of the members of the House Select Committee on January 6th are saying: Liz Cheney: Adam Kinzinger: Adam Schiff: Jamie Raskin:...
On January 6, 2021 there was violence on the House floor. Violence almost broke again on January 6, 2023
As I started this post at 11:14pm on Friday night there were still six people standing in the way of Kevin McCarthy’s speakership. They were Andy Biggs (AZ), Lauren Boebert (CO), Eli Crane (AZ), Matt Gaetz (FL), Bob Good (VA),...
Blogging the 12th vote for Speaker of the House
A lot happened in this vote. McCarthy picked-up fourteen votes. There are now seven who oppose him. He needs three of these votes to become Speaker of the House. 12:20pm: I find it shocking that Mike Garcia (R-CA), while nominating...
Nancy Pelosi on the Speaker of the House mess
Not following what is happening in the House of Representatives? Click here and here and here and here to get up to speed. Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi made a few comments to reporters yesterday: Pelosi also said...
A bad day for Kevin McCarthy
After eleven votes, the House of Representatives still does not have a Speaker. A few minutes ago the House of Representatives–the people’s house–decided to adjourn for the night. They apparently got tired and hungry. We saw a lot of crazy...
Song of the Day
Today’s Song of the Day is dedicated to California GOP representative Kevin McCarthy as he seeks to win the speakership of the House of Representatives: Listen to the entire song:...
The fight for Speaker of the House continues
Six ballots and still no Speaker of the House. The House is on break until 8:00pm. The hard-right, anti-McCarthy wing has stayed unified today. CNN is reporting that McCarthy is now meeting with some members of the hard-right group in...
“My offer is nothing”
As we reported yesterday, Kevin McCarthy gave massive concessions to the right-wing of his party. One of those concessions was a rule change that would allow five members of the House to offer a resolution to remove the speaker. This...
Evangelical roundup: Damar Hamlin and Speaker of the House edition
Here is what evangelical Christians are saying about Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin and the drama that took place today in the House of Representatives: On Hamlin: This is becoming a popular position on the MAGA-loving Christian Right: Lance Wallnau:...
The enemy of my enemy is my friend
In November 2021, Arizona representative Paul Gosar was censured and stripped of his committee assignments in the House for posting an anime video that showed him killing New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He did not apologize: Here was Ocasio-Cortez’s response:...
How will the GOP investigate Hunter’s laptop if they can’t even pick a Speaker of the House?
If you haven’t followed this today, get up to speed here. If the GOP members of the House can’t pick a Speaker, how will they advance their agenda? How will they investigate Hunter Biden’s laptop? How will they impeach Joe...
1923 was the last time a vote for Speaker of the House went more than one ballot
The House of Representatives just adjourned for the day. It did not choose a speaker. Hakeem Jeffries won on the first ballot. Jeffries also won on the second ballot and third ballot. Nineteen right-wing Republicans voted against McCarthy on the...
Can the Democrats hold the Senate?
Yes. And it looks like they will. Last night the major networks called the Arizona senate race for Mark Kelly. At this moment, the Democrats and the Republicans each hold 49 seats in the U.S. Senate. Two seats have yet...
Early thoughts on the first January 6th Committee hearing
I am building these comments around the live-tweeting I did last night. I am sure we will all have more to say in the coming weeks. Bill Barr began by calling the idea that Biden stole the election “bullshit”: Later,...
“He rose to prominence as an ambitious plodder — as someone difficult for his colleagues to attack because he never had anything remotely interesting to say”
Read more about what Washington Post columnist and Michael Gerson had to say about House majority leader Kevin McCarthy: Let’s take a moment from the lightning pace of the news cycle to reflect on a disturbing fact of American life:...
Why the McCarthy anti-Trump audio won’t hurt him politically
In case you missed it, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said some negative things about his supreme commander, Donald Trump, in the immediate wake of the January 6, 2022 insurrection. To quote the New Republic e-mail blast I received yesterday,...