tv Alex Wagner Tonight MSNBC January 3, 2023 9:00pm-10:00pm PST
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deliberative body. house leadership was in chaos today, the senate started getting to work. vice president kamala harris became the first woman to preside over opening day in the senate, swearing in 35 new elected or reelected senators. senator patty murray of washington also made history when she became the first female senate -- it is the second highest ranking job in the chamber, not to mention it makes her third in line to the presidency. when marie was first elected to the senate in 1992, there are only two women in the chamber. but many had their eyes today on the incoming suit junior senator, john fetterman. would he wear his signature hoodie in shorts? he ended speculation earlier today, tweeting this. for those are you asking, yes there will be a fetterman in shorts today but it is not me. included a picture of his oldest son sporting some khaki shorts. what was on the menu for today's ceremony? fetterman's communications
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director tweeted this. yes there is -- at the fetterman eggnog ration. was it a food tray or a veggie tray? on that note, i wish you all very good night. four of all of our colleagues across the networks of nbc news, thank you for staying up late. i will see you tomorrow. omorrow. if you took a high school history class in united states, you probably spent at least today discussing this image. this is the iconic political cartoon of the campaigning of senator charles -- in may of 1866, a pro slavery congressman name preston brooks entered the senate and he entered the chamber carrying a metal tipped again and then he walked over to the anti slavery senator charles sumner, he beat senator sumner unconscious and then he walked out without
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anybody stopping him. it is one of the most famous instances of political violence in the country's history, by one member of congress against the other. but it was not unique. in the lead up to the still war, there are at least 70 instances of political violence by elected representatives against elected representatives. what you might not have learned in history class is that the very same year that pro slavery congressman preston brooks beat anti slavery congressman sumner on the floor, the same year the house of representatives was already in an unprecedented amount of disarray. the house was so violently divided over the hitch issue of slavery, it could not elect a speaker the normally ceremonial vote to pick a leader for the majority party in the house, a decision that typically takes one vote and a matter of minutes, in 1856 that decision took 133 rounds of votes. 133 rounds of votes over the course of two months -- and when a massachusetts
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congressman named nathaniel banks finally won that election for speaker, he did not sugarcoat his prospects or that of the legislature. in a speech on the house floor, banks said, it would afford me far greater pleasure in taking the chair of the house, who are supported even by the self assurance that it could bring to the discharge of its duties -- always arduous and delicate, and now environed with unusual difficulties -- any capacity commensurate with their responsibility and dignity. in other words here, given how hard it was to get this congress to decide on who should lead it, the unusual difficulty of 133 separate votes to elect the speaker, given all that chaos, representative banks did not have much faith that this congress would get much of anything done. and now tonight, 167 years later, republicans in the house of representatives find themselves similarly unable to elect a speaker. the republican front runner, congressman kevin mccarthy, has already had three failed votes
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just today. the latest featuring 20 republicans voting against him -- as a reminder, mccarthy can only afford to lose for members of his own party. all of this is highly unusual. it almost never happens. this is almost a proforma exercise, in typical. years failing to elect a speaker after one round of voting has happened only 14 times in our nation's history. and 13 of those times were before the civil war. those leadership elections were in a period of american history that was so violent and so divided that members of congress literally fought each other. and needless to say, very little actual productive legislating got done after those, shall we say, unusual difficulties. now anything is possible here. but it seems incredibly unlikely that this leadership election is going to last anywhere near as long as the one in 1856 did.
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for all of our sakes, let's hope it does not. but just the mere fact that republicans cannot decide on a leader is a massive omen for the kind of legislative session we have in front of us. if republicans are in this kind of disarray on day one, imagine what happens when there is actual legislation to pass and they need to turn to the actual business of governing, when they need to come together as a majority party in the house and decide on actual things. even if kevin mccarthy is elected as speaker tomorrow, it will be in an incredibly weak and state. the far-right maga wing of the gop has already proven that it is willing to sabotage its own party in a very public fashion to get its way. forget legislation or a governing agenda, how do you even pass a budget with a congress like this? the maga caucus has enough members to hold hostage any vote at once. and today was proof that these representatives are willing to actually do just that.
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so what does this republican breakdown mean for congress going forward? is it governable? are we governable? joining us now is democratic congressman from new york alexandria ocasio-cortez. congressman ocasio-cortez, thank you so much for being here on, well, a day that will go down in the history books. >> thank you for having me. >> let's start with what it was like to bear witness to this republican fracture firsthand on the floor of congress. how did you leave the chamber today? >> i was honestly surprised. i did not think that kevin mccarthy was going to have the votes on the first round. but i did not think that it was going to be as catastrophic for him as it actually was. i think one of the things that we saw was -- we saw that there were reports of there being up to 20 holdouts on the republican side, except usually, in the 24 to 48 hours before a vote, there are a lot of negotiations that happen. and kevin mccarthy was engaging in some of those negotiations
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in order to bring that number down. now i did not think he was going to have the vote at all. but we at least thought that that number would be less. but to get into the high teens, nearly 18 or 19 members refusing to support his speakership, is an astonishingly high number. and i think it very much speaks to the lack of faith among elected republicans that they have in kevin mccarthy's speakership. and for him to have several months since the november elections and still not be able to clinch it, i think, is very much a testament to a lack of leadership. and it is very surprising to see that. but in the contrast, on the democratic side, we did not have a single defection. and that unity is very going to much going to help us in hopefully being able to secure some procedural wins and take advantage of certain moments. >> and i definitely want to
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return to that topic in terms of the democratic unity and the conversations that have been happening inside the caucus. but it did not go unnoticed, shall we say, on the internet and elsewhere, that you are on the floor having some conversations with republicans, including matt gaetz and paul gosar. can you enlighten us at all on what those conversations were like? and is there any hope that you guys would work together to get hakeem jeffries elected as speaker of the house? >> i think, in chaos, anything is possible, especially in this era. it is unlikely but there is always a possibility. i do think that in terms of some of those conversations, listen, some of us in the house of representatives are independent in certain ways from our party. and i do believe that in some of those conversations, there are things that are happening on the floor, these machinations are happening on the floor. and sometimes the leadership of your party -- in this case, the republican party -- would be making claims in order
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to try to twist arms and get people in line. and a lot of times, information and truth his currency. and so, sometimes, to be able to fact check some of the claims that mccarthy is making, whether democrats are going to defect or not, et cetera, is important in order to keep him honest and to keep people honest in general. and so i think what was important today was to send the message that we were united behind hakeem jeffries as the now minority leader or as leader of the democrats and that there would be no defections, that democrats are here, we are not going anywhere -- and if they want to play ball, we are open to that. >> that is going to make a lot of people, i think, on one side of the aisle very happy, and a lot of people on the other side of the aisle, very concerned. is it your sense that there is a plan that the freedom caucus has? there is a real question about
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who is driving, who is running the operation here, who is driving the bus. is it kevin mccarthy? or is it andy biggs and paul gosar and matt gaetz? >> i think one of the central challenges here is that, in kevin mccarthy speaker run, within the republican caucus, there was no number two. the republican caucus did not really have a full-throated race for speaker. there was no challenger in the last two months that has emerged. and i do believe that that is a central republican problem. whether mccarthy closes through or not, the core concern here is, who would ascend to that seat? i do not believe that kevin mccarthy has the votes. i believe that a lot of the opposition to him is very personal. i believe his leadership style is incompatible with a lot of republican members and certainly the democratic caucus. and so i think that is the central question.
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if not him, then who? you have certain members of the freedom caucus who have, of course, nominated other people. but the rest of the republican party will not rally, i believe, will not coalesce under jim jordan. jim jordan himself does not want it. they will not coalesce under someone like andy biggs. and so the question is, is there anyone in their caucus that can build that consensus? if there is not, mccarthy's team may have to come to the democratic party. and if that is the case, then what would that even look like? it is rather unprecedented. could it result in a potential coalition government? could we get democratic chairs of committees as a result? we don't know. but ultimately, what we saw here today is that, in the last two months and now, kevin mccarthy failed to unite his caucus and failed to even -- i think he failed to respect the power of the freedom caucus
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enough as well. they are members of his party -- in order to build that coalition together. he failed as a coalition builder, not once, not twice, but three times. and we reconvene tomorrow morning. and i am not quite sure what he could or would do that would change the calculus between today and tomorrow. >> and that is a huge question. we know that approximately 7000 boxes of pizza were delivered to mccarthy's office, we suggest it's going to be a long night of negotiating. he suggested that democrats are open to any overtures from mccarthy's office. have there been any? are you at liberty to say whether there are even preemptive conversations going on? >> i think open is a generous term. i'm not saying necessarily that our party is signaling an openness just yet. but really, it's about the cards that are in mccarthy's
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hands. and if he chooses to approach the democratic caucus, then that would be a negotiation in and of itself for a potential coalition government. but again, this is very much unprecedented time. in your opening, you discussed what happened in 1855. the last time this happened was in 1923. and so we really have not seen many times in american history. and it is not a coincidence that there are times of division, times of extraordinary strife, disenfranchisement and inequality. and i think that these are things that the republican caucus is very much contending with. i also want to note that some of the requests made by these republican holdouts are also small d democratic nature in terms of the rules of the house. over a very long period of time, the concentration of power in the house of representatives has concentrated to an extraordinary amount in party
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leadership of both parties. and what we see from the house freedom caucus is their attempt, however guided, misguided, destructive, constructive -- whatever your perspective is, they are making attempts to reform the rules of the house in a way that would dilute mccarthy or the speaker's power. and elevate the power of individual members in the house -- and that, i think, is an essential crux that is part of the rub here in their inability to create an agreement. so if mccarthy really wants this, he really needs to look at how he can get to the 218 that he needs. and you have got to find that math somewhere. if you cannot get those votes from the house freedom caucus -- and he has provided many, many, many concessions. and it is just not working out. >> i've got to ask you -- getting concessions from leadership can be done in many ways. and the house republican freedom caucus has chosen a
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pretty fractious way to get concessions. what happened on the democratic side of the aisle in terms of this unbelievable unity in a very big tent party? what was the conversation like between parts of the democratic party that are much for the left, much more progressive, than some of the more centrist leadership and, in particular, hakeem jeffries the new leader? can you talk a bit about that? >> yeah. i think there are a couple of things that are happening right now. one is that, in order for us to take advantage of the fracturing on the republican side, we have to operate as a full, entire block. this margin is extraordinarily slim. we are talking about a margin of four votes. and so if they get to a point where they lose four or five votes, and we stay 100% united, then there are possibilities where, if it is not this vote, it could be other votes.
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there are procedural moments in the house where you can prevent, in their case, catastrophic legislation from coming to the floor, if we remain united. i think some of these conversations coming forward is an acknowledgment of the severity of this point in history. we are talking about a very real danger in a republican -controlled house. and that could mean that a very narrow slim margin of 4 to 5 votes could have implications on whether we can raise the debt ceiling. it could have implications even on the 2024 election. january 6th was all about the refusal to certify every states election results. and it is no secret that republicans have indicated that there are several who are willing to do it again.
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they are willing to reject certification of a presidential election if they do not like the results. and i believe that, on the democratic side, the acknowledgment of how fragile our democracy is in this moment is a critical part to that unity. we absolutely have differences. but i think -- in order to -- some of these major moments to advance really, the issues of working people, protect health care, and really defend a lot of the gains that we have made in the last 2 to 3 years, it's going to be very critical. >> yeah, it's so important under score the fact that the last time it happened beyond 1923 is the eve of this of a war, i really dislike an inflection point in terms of major, major social issues raised identity, a whole lot. no one knows what's going to happen. we are so deeply grateful for your time, congresswoman alexandria ocasio-cortez, of course integrated in new york, thank you time tonight, we really appreciate it. >> of course, thank you very much. >> and we will have much more on this history making a first day of congress coming up,
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including signs that this long days journey is stretching into a very long night. that's a giant pizza delivery going to kevin mccarthy's office. plus, a look at what mccarthy's already given up to get that gavel even as hard-liners in his conference want that much more. all that is ahead, stay with us! ♪ ♪ ♪ at booking.com, finding perfect isn't rocket science. kitchen? sorted. hot tub, why not? and of course, puppy-friendly. we don't like to say perfect, but it's pretty perfect. booking.com, booking.yeah. ♪ ...i'm over 45. ♪ but it's♪ i realize i'm prettyno spring chicken. ♪ ♪ i know what's right for me. ♪ ♪ i've got a plan to which i'm sticking. ♪
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>> what a day it has been for the almost 118th congress! no longer at that. they won has not gone as planned for the republican caucus because for the first time in 100 years, as you know very well by now, the current congress failed to elect a speaker on the first ballot. or the second. or the third. after several hours and three failed rounds of votes, the de facto leader of house republicans kevin mccarthy failed to get the 218 votes needed for the speakership after facing increasing death from hard-liners in his party. and while the narrowly republican dwelled congress has adjourned for the day, not everyone has gone home, nbc reporter holly pelvic received this video tonight of boxes and boxes, and boxes of pizza being wheeled into representative mccarthy's are this. this haley knows quite athlete piece at this hour is never a good sign for congress. it is going to be a late night. joining us now are former rnc chair michael steele, and mark
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leibovich, staff writer at the atlantic and author of "thank you for your servitude or donald trump's washington and the price of submission." chairman, what is happening here and what is going to happen? this kevin mccarthy still stand a chance? i mean how do you read the tea leaves on this? >> yeah, you know you always stand a chance until you don't. i mean that's -- that's how it works in washington. i mean seriously! it sounds crazy, but that's true! if he thinks he's in the game it's going to work the angles which is what that piece of represents. now, is he having a conversation with senior leadership? yes. is a meeting with key allies? absolutely! is he talking with those 20 members who are against him? he's trying his best. but the question that boils down to this -- what more can you offer that you haven't already offered that they are going to be willing to accept that will not lose you parts of the 203 votes
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you already have? because that's the other side of this equation. you have 203 votes! so, you -- would think you would have some negotiating leverage within the caucus itself using other caucus numbers to get that pressure to bare minimum 20. it's because something that i learned a very early in my tenure at the rnc with the emergence of the tea party. it's that for them and for a lot of the remnants of what is left inside the freedom caucus, jim jordan was part of that original class, uhm -- it's a two-pronged approach. one is respect, right? because they don't ever feel that they have been respected in the process by the process. and two, leverage. they've never had leverage going into going into these efforts as we have seen the two times before with boehner and ryan. now they've got both. they have gotten the attention of the establishment, right? [laughter]
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they built respect with the base, right? there are base voters out there screaming for them not to do what they are doing right now. no one is asking -- no one is talking about that. you don't hear the base rising saying, can you guys just really give kevin the -- give kevin the gavel? that's not happening! all right? that's one. >> [laughter] >> second pieces that they got out leverage not to extract more pounds off like that just don't see kevin has on his height at his moment. >> yeah! short of giving him his first form and i'm not -- an auction of kevin mccarthy has children, but mark little bit, part of the reason that they have been able to extract this much elaborate is because there is a vacuum in terms of leadership inside the republican party. there are no republican heavy at the moment that can move people. that can really whip in the way that you need to. at least it seems! look no further than donald trump who endorsed kevin mccarthy and today is telling nbc news, i got a call --
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i got everybody calling wanting my support. let's see what happens. well, i got everyone calling wanting my support. that's all i can say, but we'll see what happens. we'll see how it all works out. i mean he endorsed the dude who is the number one seed for this and now walking it back because -- mccarthy's weaknesses to -- is ultimately trump weakness. where hundred rapidly in the republican party right now, in your opinion? >> i think it's with the pizza! [laughter] >> yes! >> u.s. according to what kevin mccarthy have for people at this point to get. he has pizza. no, what you are seeing here is a party with no center of gravity. it's a party of chaos engines. one of the things that struck me in watching the interview with the representative cozumel cortez before was the initiative she seems to be enjoying and the conversations with matt gates and -- mutually assured mischief i mean's everybody sort of knows that they're all kind of torturing paul --
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kevin mccarthy in their own sort of way. and -- and look, this is what happens when you have no leadership in what is a very slim majority party. i wouldn't be surprised if donald trump himself now is not whipping up chaos because he's enjoying it, because he loves a spectacle like this or because it feels elevates him. in some ways he can look like he was supportive of kevin mccarthy, but on the other hand i think that the vacuum in the house only helps him. you probably things. and you know, instead of what republicans wanting fits in the kevin mccarthy's office. i think democrats should wheel like a big vat of popcorn under the floor tomorrow because it does seem to be enjoying the so much. >> i mean it must be pretty
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incredible, pizza that's what he's bringing out at this hour. michael steele, i think mark leibovich is right, as a man who has constantly misstep in his -- on is the horizon. >> here's our. do >> you see that! yes >> it did seem like aoc was kind of entertaining this idea of a coalition government. giving i think some credence to the criticisms of the freedom caucus and so far as they feel power is too concentrated at the top of the republican conference. if you're in a leadership position, are you talking to democrats right now if you are kevin mccarthy? >> no... there is no upside for kevin mccarthy to have a conversation with democrats. what's hakeem gonna say to him? what is he going to say to the team? lend me 18 votes. i mean how does that work? it's just not -- know. i got a lot of the noise that you hear today, folks talking about coalition governments and the democrats helping out the republican. democrats, get your popcorn baby like mark said! sit back, put your feet up on the desk, and look across the aisle and a smile! because that's all you need to do here! they'll work it out, eventually, they will work it out. but the reality for kevin --
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kevin has two choices at this point. push this thing to the point where he starts us -- off everybody, right? or two, take his name out of the pot. and that's what the pizza is about tonight. that's where the pizza is about. >> [laughter] >> and so the reality for him is very stark, it's very real. in the conversation, is just washington -- you know mid -- mid winter fun at kevin's expense, because there is no political upside for democrats to extend an olive branch to create a coalition government with him. there is no political upside for kevin mccarthy to seek their help to get him this position. there is no political upside for any other person who becomes speaker who tries to craft a deal that sort of serves the process the way it's playing out right now.
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in other words, those 218 votes are going to come to 222 republicans. not democrats. >> it does bear mentioning though, mark, how far we have come from the cover of the young guns book, which featured eric kent paul ryan and kevin mccarthy. yeah, there it is! the new generation of conservative leaders. and just how a weekend that kind of conservative leadership has gotten and at me not remind you that cancer was dismissed by david brat in 2010, paul ryan retired in 2018, and here's kevin mccarthy having a terrible no good very horrible very bad day. i mean the implications for the gop, at large, at a moment like this, what's your expectation about what happened after they actually picked the speaker? can they govern? >> no. no, i don't think so at all. i think part of the issue is that the democrats, in a, way
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have ideal scenario here. obviously they prefer to still have the majority, still have the speakership, but you know they have the white house, they have the senate, and i have a completely dysfunctional opposition at a time where it seems, i mean if you are hakeem jeffries, someone to be in the minority because you have -- you know you the fall to the other side, but also there's a lot of the tension that was sort of built up around the pelosi leadership over many many years, it's public release to some degree. i think a lot of the also generational things -- the release is probably a little bit at hand lately. i don't know, i think it is really -- in some ways this is all very predictable, right? the republican party just giving itself to trump has basically reduced any sort of hint of a spine or any kind of governing underpinning at all. this is what happens when you just have no organizing principle at all, no ideological principle at all. i mean, who knows? i think maybe they'll figure it out, but maybe not. this could go on for weeks! so we'll see. >> oh! [laughter]
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that's a lot of pizza, you know you have all place when all you can offer speeds. a former chair, michael steele and mark leibovich, thank you for joining me tonight friends. >> thanks alex. >> take care. >> we've a lot more to come tonight. when 18 congress is not yet and such about how's that markets have something to celebrate on their side of the aisle this evening. stick around to find out what it is. but first, as house leader republican kevin mccarthy plays let's make a deal to shore up more votes for speaker. what has already given up to appease the fringes of his caucus? we'll bring you those details coming up next! ♪ ♪ ♪
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>> after three failed about, congress has endured until tomorrow and republican leader kevin mccarthy's a bid for speaker of the house is in peril. heading into today's votes or votes, as it turned, out there's been a lot of speculation about whether mccarthy would give in to demands by house conservatives who adopt new rules for governing the house. since mccarthy hasn't actually won anything at this point, this all remains tbd. but what has already happened, and gotten far less attention is a new house world that house
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mccarthy has already agreed to, was i would go into effect if and when republicans actually settle on a speaker. those new rules include dismantling the january six committee and replacing it with the new committee to investigate the, weaponization of the federal government. the new rules what got the office of congressional ethics which is a key watchdog group who oversees members of congress. two years after an armed mob stormed the capitol, house republicans are new rules would remove magnetometer's that are used to scan for dangerous weapons when entering the house floor. they would end the rights of congressional workers to unionize and would remove the world labor of the house education and labor committee. they would allow members to introduce amendments that cut funding for specific federal workers and federal programs down to just $1. a provision some people believe is meant to appease republicans who want to defund the fbi. so conservatives managed to get all of that from kevin mccarthy and it was still not enough. joining us now is jake sherman, founder of punchbowl news and an msnbc contributor. jake! you are our eyes and ears on
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the hill here. what do you know is happening behind closed doors right now? and what is the speculation about mccarthy's chances tomorrow when there is another set of votes? >> so, alex, these are very tired eyes and ears at this moment. but they are -- kevin mccarthy is basically dispatched some and necessary to try to figure out if and what deal, if there is a deal possible, and what that possible deal it might look like to get people on board. here's the way mccarthy sees it: there are 200 people, 202 people who voted for him for speaker -- that is 90% of house republicans. he does not feel like he needs to cave in to the 10% of house republicans who are not supportive of him. so unfortunately for mccarthy, the game is not winning 90% of the house republican conference, or of the house --
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or you know he needs to have 218 votes. he doesn't need 203 votes. so he is going to try to spend the next day or so working to see if it's possible to turn some of those no votes to yes votes for him. or to present votes. so if you vote present on the house floor, you are able to lower, basically the number of total votes cast in the contest, so there by lowering the total you need to become speaker. so, a lot of horse trading going on. the house is going to come in at noon tomorrow to try to take another round at this. if they don't have any progress to show, i would imagine they would try to adjourn once again. i don't think mccarthy can afford quite frankly another 20 person dissent on the house floor. >> well, okay so you are saying that mccarthy because he has the vote that he does have, not in significant, 90% of the caucus.
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it doesn't feel like he needs to cave, but then what is he offering if there is horse trading going on? like what is his trade if he doesn't feel like he needs the cave? i mean it's already given up so much and feels like he's in a position of semi-strength, so what's the conversation? >> there are some things that he has not given up and these are very inside baseball things. basically the right wants more seats on the steering committee, the steering committee help select members of a standing committee. so the committee that populate the house appropriations, armed services, things of that nature, conservatives want more representation on those panels. that is something that they are trying to get, that is something that they have been socialized across the house republican conference. there is demands for certain votes and certain procedures in the house, so there are still things to be horse traded. now keep in mind, alex, there is -- mccarthy has given up a lot. he's basically giving conservatives all of these concessions so far which leads everybody in the house, and close house postures like
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myself, reason to believe that there is actually nothing that the conservatives want besides mccarthy not being speaker. like they keep saying this isn't personal. this is personal! these people who are voting against mccarthy time and time again, by and large don't like mccarthy. i'm not saying that i'm guessing, i'm saying because i know these people and i've watched them for the past 13 years or so years, and i know they have issues for mccarthy. so this is personal, again a lot of these people are not the bubble. matt gates, not going to vote for kevin mccarthy almost under any circumstance. so it's just a really complicated, it's a really complicate dynamic right. now i personally don't know if he can turn it around. i think he could. i'm not sure that he will. i'm not sure that he has that ability at this point to turn it around. >> do you think -- i mean there is no house. the house has no members. >> right, right. >> the work of congress needs to get done at some point!
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the longer that this goes on, the more we cancel mccarthy's, or the stronger he is? whor the stronger he is? what is your assessment? >> he probably -- i mean i put a decent amount of thought into this... he'll be one of the weaker speakers going to the speakership just by dent of having this happened. the multiple balance for the speakership hasn't happened in 110 years, so by dint of that, he is a relatively weak speaker should he get there. now... all of that said, maybe there is a case to be made that he is strengthened, and i'm not making that case, but some people are. on top of that, the house of vastly different instituion was even ten or 15 years ago. it's a completely war zone! it has been a partisan war zone since the early 2010s, since the later part of the obama administration, the early part of the obama administration, rather. it is tough to judge a
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historical context how weak he will be, but listen -- if he wins, there's gonna be a mechanism to remove him. that is for sure! >> yeah. >> that is something conservatives have won. so, you know, we lost the entire congress if he gets there? i don't know! i think that's a point of debate and that's something that a lot of people in the house are talking about. >> and then we get to do this all over again. rinse, repeat. jake sherman, founder and writer of punchbowl news. and i spending a lot of time over the next couple of. dave thank you for your time my friend! [laughter] >> thanks alex. >> we'll be right back! baru and our retailers have donated over two hundred and fifty million dollars to charity. in fact, subaru is the largest corporate donor to the aspca... ...and the national park foundation. and the largest automotive donor to meals on wheels... ...and make-a-wish. get a new subaru during the share the love event and
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the direction of the house democratic caucus to place into nomination for election to the position of speaker of the house of representatives the pride of brooklyn, hakeem jeffries out for new york. >> [applause] >> caravao -- >> hakeem jeffries. >> -- >> jeffries. >> -- >> for the first speaker of the house of representatives of color, jeffries. >> jeffries -- >> that is how it went today and house floor, at least on one side of the aisle. 212 votes for hakeem jeffries to become the next speaker of the house. every single democrat in the 118 congress picks jeffries a
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speaker, just a month after they elected hakeem jeffries to lead their caucus. the last time a democratic leader won the support of every single member of the caucus was in 2007, when nancy pelosi became the first woman speaker of the house. and today, the entire caucus coalesced behind its first black leader, earning him more votes than kevin mccarthy, the man for whom becoming this next speaker is still very much a long shot. but jeffries is the one who, so far, has come the closest to coming the simple majority needed to. and the congressman has represented served five terms, representing sections of queens and brooklyn, it's hometown. he serves on the house judiciary committee and budget committee but he's perhaps best remembered for his work as one of the impeachment managers speaker pelosi handpicked to handle donald trump's first impeachment. as usual, pelosi's calculus was on the news. jeffries and his peers succeeded in impeaching trump, though the senate did not convict him. during that trial, jeffrey submitted his reputation as a sort of messaging guru in the caucus. and he is the political leader
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that democrats are all rallying around, as the republican caucus splits at the seams. outgoing speaker of the house nancy pelosi, the one who expertly lead her increasingly diverse caucus for years, she was there today, standing next to her successor. for a moment that will be enshrined in history for, well, a lot of reasons. joining us now is colorado congressman joe neguse, who was elected to the number five rule in leadership and will head up the communications on for the house democrats in the new congress. congressman thank you for joining us. i feel a lot of democrats feel like the job of communication was pretty easy today given the actual implosion on the other side of the aisle. but i have to, ask, given the phenomenal amount of unity when the house democratic caucus, what is your expectation for how democrats can use that unity to make any kind of legislative difference in the next congress when they are in the minority. >> good evening, alex it's good
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to be with you. i think you articulated well the historic unity that was on full display in the house democratic caucus and under the strong leadership of our colleague and our leader, democratic leader hakeem jeffries. the house democratic caucus is unified, united and focused on delivering results for the american people. and i can think of near no clearer juxtaposition then the chaos that was on full display in the republican caucus today, given today's unprecedented and historic proceedings, which you described so well. i think it is important for your viewers to just consider, again, the unprecedented nature of today's proceedings and the reality that because of the republican dysfunction, for the first time in over 100 years, the house, literally, was not organized on the first day of the session of congress. i think that is a sad day for the american public and it's a sad day for the house of representatives as an institution. ultimately, house democrats are ready to govern, we are prepared to govern, but we need a partner to do so. and unfortunately, it's clear that the republican parties disinclined and incapable of governing. and the american who watched
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today's proceedings would reach the same conclusion. so, look, we are going to try to continue to find ways to forge consensus. of course, we will see what happens tomorrow. i suspect it is going to be a few interesting days ahead. >> that unity is born not just as a study of contrast, right? it's not just to show republicans what a functioning party looks like. it is also leverage. if you can keep the democratic caucus together with 212 votes, there is a chance that you peel away some moderate republicans and can actually get something done. is that a case that congressman leader jeffries has made to the caucus in terms of staying together in terms of the next days and weeks? >> i certainly -- agree. i think the unity is born from the talent of the leadership team, of course, led by later jeffries. but it's also borne from the shared values that we have as
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democrats which, ultimately, are shared by the american people, the priority priorities that we have pursued since for the better part of four years, since i was sworn into congress. -- defending democracy. these are priorities that are shared, by and large, by the vast majority of the american people. it is what unites us as a caucus. it is why we outperformed historic norms in the last midterm election. it is why i believe that the republican majority will be a temporary one. look, i think we are more unified than ever. and we are prepared to do the work and the work on behalf of the american people. i would like to think that the republicans would be able to get their affairs in order so that we can get to doing the work that the american public expects us to do. >> yeah, and i think clermont casket call this day like christmas for democrats, given, again, the show of force, the absolute chaos on the other side of the aisle. whether is the reality that the republicans are going to take over the majority in the house, presumably that will actually elect a speaker. and then we have to all sit there and watch as they try to figure out how to govern. i imagine that there is a certain amount of sadness and democratic hearts today as well, given the reality of what is
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ahead of us. how have you been thinking about both the highs of what you have accomplished as a democrat and the lows of what is happening, as someone who is presumably interested in governance? >> i think, alex, there is a heavy dose of sadness and disappointment, but not just in terms of how democrats perceive today's proceedings. the american public, when you think about, again, this institution and the congress as an institution, the sort of democracy writ large and the notion that the republican dysfunction and chaos and crisis is hasn't golf this institution in the way that it has over the course of the last 24 hours, clearly is a worrying sign, a dispiriting, sign, i think for our republic -- and so i certainly -- as i said, democrats are united in trying to get things done for the american people. we want to govern. we are prepared to govern. as we have done in the past -- and i am just hopeful that the republicans will ultimately learn to do the same. but unfortunately, it doesn't
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appear as though that is going to be in the cards in the 118th congress. >> colorado congressman, joe neguse, then you very time tonight. good luck at, there we will be right back. ♪ ...i'm over 45. ♪ ♪ i realize i'm no spring chicken. ♪ ♪ i know what's right for me. ♪ ♪ i've got a plan to which i'm sticking. ♪ ♪ my doc wrote me the script. ♪ ♪ box came by mail. ♪ ♪ showed up on friday. ♪ ♪ i screened with cologuard and did it my way! ♪ cologuard is a one-of-a kind way to screen for colon cancer that's effective and non-invasive. it's for people 45 plus at average risk, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your provider for cologuard. ♪ (group) i did it my way! ♪
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