I didn't realize the time-line. And now, I know there is nothing weird about it.
Boehner thought he could "appoint" McCarthy as his heir apparent, and fall on his sword.
McCarthy thought he was going to be Speaker. And when he went into the caucus meeting, he found out he didn't have the votes.
McCarthy withdrew, and Boehner postponed the vote until they could find another GOPe to "assume the position". They couldn't risk letting a real conservative become Speaker of the House.
I dunno. McCarthy had to know the numbers were not there.
He can count. All the Dem votes would go for Pelosi, and the conservative Freedom Caucus were reportedly for Daniel Webster. That’s 45 votes. The difference would go to McCarthy and it didn’t get him to 218, but it got him to supposedly 210, and he had weeks to go to raise the rest of the votes to get to 218.
Hugh Hewitt is reporting on msnbc that Paul Hoskins of Indiana, I believe, is in the running and he has run the Indiana state house, so he does have experience. Rumors of a coalition election are abounding, because of course, the House of Representatives is divided now between conservatives who win elections and the moderates who are the majority of House members.
Conservatives just want someone that will promise them a seat at the table, rather than the top down approach in smokey back rooms, and since they haven’t the numbers to elect one of their own as Speaker of the House.