Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Wednesday refused to rule out supporting a possible compromise candidate for speaker of the House as Republican drama showed no sign of dying down.
The progressive leader sounded like she was looking to play Capitol power broker as she floated the prospect of Democrats being given control of some House committees in exchange for backing a Republican to take the speaker’s gavel.
“I mean, hey, if we could get some chairs,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters.
Ocasio-Cortez also said Democrats would demand a prospective compromise speaker agree to raise the debt ceiling to avert a national default along with “a combination of” other issues.
The firebrand third-term lawmaker who represents chunks of Queens and the Bronx emphatically ruled out supporting embattled Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid for speaker.
McCarthy fell far short of winning a needed majority in three votes Tuesday, leaving Republicans to face another humiliating day of drama Wednesday.
The longtime GOP insider insists he won’t pull the plug on his troubled campaign but a small group of far right-wing rebels say they won’t budge either.
All 212 Democrats have voted in lockstep for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who took over the Democratic leadership in a smooth transition from ex-House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)
The first-in-a-century drama on Capitol Hill opens the door to a raft of unprecedented outcomes.
The long shot idea that Ocasio-Cortez floated would involve Democrats joining moderate Republicans to support a compromise candidate in exchange for a package of concessions.
One potential candidate is ex-Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), a moderate who retired before the midterms after being placed in a tricky race by redistricting.
Most insiders believe there is little chance of such a cross-party deal because Democrats have little incentive to bail Republicans out of their damaging intramural feud, which they believe spotlights GOP dysfunction.
Any Republicans who join Democrats would also face intense anger from the party’s right-wing base of supporters, making it even more unlikely.
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O think we have that figured out already, AOC, but thanks.
All 212 woke Democrats have voted in lockstep for the Black Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
Note that the woke Democrat Party has made their gods the members of the Black race and especially the Black female LGBTQ.
But note that woke Democrats are the first ones to accuse their opponents as racists.
If 15-20 Democrats give McCarthy their vote to put him over the top, just what will McCarthy give them to put them and Nancy over the moon? Do a compromising deal with the Democrat Devils and you are half way to hell. These establsiment freaks sell pieces America like hotdogs and beer at the ballpark, so long as they get the winning score in the end.
AND like lemmings, they ALL voted for him, as if he were ordained royalty…
I really couldn’t care LESS about what AOC thinks about anything.