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[Lord Shonus]

First, House not Senate.

Second, it isn't a law. It is an internal procedure regulation forced on Mitch in order for the lunatic fringe to agree to vote for him in the first place, necessary because the margin in the House is so narrow that their seven or so (out of ~430) votes is greater than the GOP's overall edge. It won't last past this Congress under any circumstances other than another razor-thin majority, which is unlikely.

[EuchreJack]

First, House not Senate.

Second, it isn't a law. It is an internal procedure regulation forced on Mitch in order for the lunatic fringe to agree to vote for him in the first place, necessary because the margin in the House is so narrow that their seven or so (out of ~430) votes is greater than the GOP's overall edge. It won't last past this Congress under any circumstances other than another razor-thin majority, which is unlikely.

First, McCarthy not Mitch. 

[Lord Shonus]

Fair, that was a brain fart on my part. I blame the Republicans for having too many similar names.

[EuchreJack]

Fair, that was a brain fart on my part. I blame the Republicans for having too many similar names.

A fair criticism

[Starver]

Well, Abe Lincoln was Republican, but A. Blinken is a Democrat, so it crosses the floor!

(There's a couple of British MPs who are/recently were sitting at the same time with the exact same name, famously, different parties and had to come to an agreement to pass each others' constituency mail and even party correspondence to each other, when it became clear it had landed on the wrong office desks. And there's a current English mayor(/council leader/something like that) who has the same name as her immediate predecesor. Wish I could remember either of their (doubled-up) names!)

[Strongpoint]

I have a strong feeling that Americans got a de facto multi-party system with all the fun stuff like the coalition-forming process. But both the American public and American politicians are in denial of that.

[Lord Shonus]

I have a strong feeling that Americans got a de facto multi-party system with all the fun stuff like the coalition-forming process. But both the American public and American politicians are in denial of that.

That isn't wrong, though it must be emphasized that there was no deliberate effort to create or prevent any party system. What we have grew organically and has nothing but the weight of inertia behind it.

[EuchreJack]

I have a strong feeling that Americans got a de facto multi-party system with all the fun stuff like the coalition-forming process. But both the American public and American politicians are in denial of that.

That isn't wrong, though it must be emphasized that there was no deliberate effort to create or prevent any party system. What we have grew organically and has nothing but the weight of inertia behind it.

Tell that to the Democrats that all voted in unison...

[hector13]

I have a strong feeling that Americans got a de facto multi-party system with all the fun stuff like the coalition-forming process. But both the American public and American politicians are in denial of that.

That isn't wrong, though it must be emphasized that there was no deliberate effort to create or prevent any party system. What we have grew organically and has nothing but the weight of inertia behind it.

Tell that to the Democrats that all voted in unison...

And stretch and stretch and stretch…

[Random_Dragon]

EJ, no one gives a shit about how you insist on going "but the dems" when the other party is a gaggle of fucking fascist wannabes, who decided to oust their ringleader as part of a temper tantrum because the old bastard got tired of letting his party hold the fucking budget hostage.

Give it a fucking rest already.

[hector13]

I think we should rechristen him Richard Simmons.


In other news, McHenry decides that one of his first actions as Speaker Pro Tempore should be to evict Pelosi and former majority leader Hoyer from their offices, giving her a day to vacate the space while she’s in California mourning Dianne Feinstein, because there aren’t more important things to do in unprecedented times and a shutdown looming.

[anewaname]

The rules of the House, from the senate's site. The few paragraphs about the Speaker pro tempore:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Speaker pro tempore
8. (a) The Speaker may appoint a
Member to perform the duties of the
Chair. Except as specified in paragraph
(b), such an appointment may not ex-
tend beyond three legislative days.
(b)(1) In the case of illness, the
Speaker may appoint a Member to per-
form the duties of the Chair for a pe-
riod not exceeding 10 days, subject to
the approval of the House. If the
Speaker is absent and has omitted to
make such an appointment, then the
House shall elect a Speaker pro tem-
pore to act during the absence of the
Speaker.
(2) With the approval of the House,
the Speaker may appoint a Member to
act as Speaker pro tempore only to
sign enrolled bills and joint resolutions
for a specified period of time.
(3)(A) In the case of a vacancy in the
Office of Speaker, the next Member on
the list described in subdivision (B)
shall act as Speaker pro tempore until
the election of a Speaker or a Speaker
pro tempore. Pending such election the
Member acting as Speaker pro tempore
may exercise such authorities of the
Office of Speaker as may be necessary
and appropriate to that end.
(B) As soon as practicable after the
election of the Speaker and whenever
appropriate thereafter, the Speaker
shall deliver to the Clerk a list of
Members in the order in which each
shall act as Speaker pro tempore under
subdivision (A).
(C) For purposes of subdivision (A), a
vacancy in the Office of Speaker may
exist by reason of the physical inabil-
ity of the Speaker to discharge the du-
ties of the office.

There doesn't seem to be a limit on the pro tempore's power in the position and McHenry was first on the "pro tempore" list because McCarthy put him there (the speaker creates the pro tempore list).

The questions might be:
- Did McCarthy put McHenry on the list as part of the backroom deals that first saw him elected as Speaker?
- Was this the plan all along for the Freedom Caucus's funders to get "their guy" into the speaker's seat?

Because, replacing McCarthy will probably take longer than electing McCarthy, and if McHenry's role is to ensure the house stays in a state of chaos, then it will chime with the "we need strongman replacements" messages that will follow the chaos (see the authoritarian 101 battle manual) .

[hector13]

The list is secret, so probably not part of the deal. There would be nothing stopping McCarthy showing the Freedom caucus their approved list and then submitting his own one.

[Folly]

EJ, no one gives a shit about how you insist on going "but the dems"...

I think that roughly half the country give a shit? That's the whole reason we're in this mess?
Or even if they don't particularly buy into the rhetoric, half of the country are at least willing to hear it and use it as an excuse to continue supporting their party simply because they lack better options.

[Micro102]

I have a strong feeling that Americans got a de facto multi-party system with all the fun stuff like the coalition-forming process. But both the American public and American politicians are in denial of that.

That isn't wrong, though it must be emphasized that there was no deliberate effort to create or prevent any party system. What we have grew organically and has nothing but the weight of inertia behind it.

I think it's a bit more than inertia. With our first-past-the-post system, every party outside the two main contenders simply drains votes away from one of the parties. Running 3rd party is the best way to make sure the people most aligned with you in politics lose. Which is probably why you saw Jill Stein from the Green Party meet with Putin and Flynn and then they suicide bombed their campaign into Hillary Clintons by campaigning in swing states, rather than the blue states which would have given them more votes so they could get that 5% for federal funding and help plant roots for their party in the future.