Despite all the hemming and hawing by the conservative pundit class and WEF-approved congress members calling the 20 Republican obstructionist “terrorists” (looking at you, Dan Crenshaw), the resistance seems to be serving their purpose, and have reportedly won some desired concessions.

POLITICO’s Playbook dropped that McCarthy was making concessions on committee and rules appointments, as well as agreeing to a vote on congressional term limits. The “biggun” that was a major bone of contention: The motion to vacate the Speakership. McCarthy was resistant to agree to a one-member motion to vacate and was insistent that the number be no less than five. If McCarthy has indeed agreed to this “one-member” rule, this would be huge in keeping McCarthy in line should he try to shift back to the globalist status quo, rather than the will of the people.

Restore Article I, Legislate

Stop Spending Money We Don’t Have

Repeal Executive Overreach

End Reliance on Judicial Policymaking

Defund Woke, Entrenched Bureaucrats

Empower States, Agree to Disagree

“A Republic, If You Can Keep It”

— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) January 5, 2023

It appears that McCarthy may have finally dropped his play at arrogance and fake confidence, and actually performed the work one expects from a Speaker of the House: Negotiate, work to persuade, and allow yourself to be persuaded, in order to reach consensus. Unfortunately for him, this supposed shift was still not enough to turn the tide on this seventh vote for Speaker of the House.

The Clerk gaveled in the third day of the 118th Congress around 9:06 a.m., and the Chaplain opened with a prayer. After the Clerk gave a brief lecture on how members should conduct themselves (thanks, Rep.-elect Kat Cammack!), Congressman-elect John James of Michigan rose and was recognized. For the seventh time, James put McCarthy’s name into the running for Speaker of the House.

James gave another rousing speech that can be accessed here. It’s quite good, and worth the listen. The Democrats trotted out the same tired Rep.-elect from California, Pete Aguilar. Nothing reflects the Democrats’ autocrat, mind-hive mentality better than having the same apparatchik nominate Rep.-elect Hakeem Jeffries Every. Single. Time.

While I have my problem with Republicans and McCarthy, the contrast in having different members submit McCarthy and other nominations, versus the lockstep of the Democrats, could not be more stark.

Rep.-elect Dan Bishop of North Carolina rose to nominate FL Rep.-elect Byron Donalds for Speaker of the House. It was also a powerful speech well worth the listen. The numbers from 433 member-elect votes shook out pretty much the same: Kevin McCarthy, 201, Hakeem Jeffries, 212, and Byron Donalds, 19. Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz cast the one vote for former President Donald J. Trump for Speaker, and Rep.-elect Victoria Spatz once again voted, “Present.”

The 201 Republican members-elect are getting restless over being held “hostage” by the 20 Republicans. On Wednesday, the Veterans Republican Caucus mounted a press conference to express their commitment to “the mission,” and lamented how the lack of a Speaker is stonewalling this. Apparently, this fell on deaf ears, as the numbers have pretty much shaken out in the same fashion as they have in prior votes.

PA Rep.-elect Scott Perry took to Twitter and appeared on Fox News’ America Reports, to debunk that any deal had been made with the 20, and asserted that it was bad faith that McCarthy’s team leaked this information.

A deal is NOT done. When confidences are betrayed and leaks are directed, it’s even more difficult to trust. Totally unsat. I will not yield to the status quo.

— RepScottPerry (@RepScottPerry) January 5, 2023

He spoke with cohosts John Roberts and Sandra Smith,

“There is no agreement at this time, and we’re asking for transformational change not for ourselves, but for the people we were elected to represent.”

Perry sees no issue with taking a few days to change what he considers the wrong track that Congress has been on.

“If we have to spend a couple of days to get it right, it’s worth it.”

And, so it goes. Once the votes were finalized, FL Rep.-elect Brian Mast once again submitted Kevin McCarthy for Speaker of the House. The eighth ballot commences.