Bannon spoke the quiet part out loud today
WHY NOT TRUMP?
He said let's get Trump in as Speaker. Think maybe that was the plan all along? It's what Killary and Co. feared the most. Maybe Trump supported McCarthy knowing he didn't have the votes to be speaker and took advantage of the optics. Would Trump have the votes? If not, he'd sure see who was truly against him in 2024. Imagine if Trump was Speaker and quarterbacked his core MAGA to investigate Biden and Kamala. Enough would be uncovered rather quickly that they would have to step aside and Trump steps into the WH as third in line to Presidency.
All this might sound far fetched but after the last 2 years, nothing would surprise me.
I don't think a person even has to be nominated for Speaker.
It was my understanding that members of the House were free to vote for whoever they wish (as long as that person were legally allowed to be Speaker, of course).
All they have to do is vote for them.
You are correct. When you look at the vote counts, the names include the people nominated, others, and present. Until Trump is actually nominated, he will not show up as an official choice.
The fine line I am seeing is that a formal nomination is just that. It puts the persons name on the ballot. Trump's name being on the ballot is a bigger deal than just being an option in the "other" category.
Can a politician win via "write in" on a ballot, yes. Do they have as good of a chance as a person actually on the ballot? Probably not.
In my personal opinion, if Trump is officially nominated and on the ballot for Speaker of the House, it will put every member of congress on record on whether they voted for Trump or McCarthy.
If McCarthy can't win after 9 tries, and then all of a sudden members have to choose between McCarthy and Trump, and they choose McCarthy, then in my opinion, their political careers are over at the end of the term.
The reason I say this is because in the 2024 primaries, for every single member that is ON RECORD voting for McCarthy over Trump, they will have a giant RINO badge to wear. Trump will know Exactly who is with him and who is against him, and his endorsements will reflect this. With Trump's 87% or higher? endorsement win percentage, the members that vote against him will have signed their political death warrants, much the same way the J6 Committee Republicans were destroyed. Best case scenario, we could see 200 or so RINOs wiped out in one election cycle.
Ok. I understand what you mean now. Thanks for taking the time to explain it for me. And I agree. Having his name on the ballot would give him a much better standing than as a write in.
Any time fren! It's just my personal opinion. It's kind of in the weeds, but I like thinking of the details.