A group of disaffected conservatives had agreed to vote against the Ohio lawmaker if they could get at least 25 members to join the effort. But one member, whose identity could not be verified, rescinded his or her participation the morning of the vote, leaving the group one person short of its self-imposed 25-member threshold. Only 17 votes against Boehner were required to force a second ballot, but the group wanted to have insurance.
Roll Call
Thirty minutes before the vote, the disaffected were ready to vote "no" on Speaker Loompa. And then one caved - why and who, unknown.
Seventeen votes would have been required to publicly humiliate Boehner. Twenty-five was their limit to ensure they wouldn't fall short by having 50% margin.
However, two senior Republicans who the plotters hoped would step forward to lead the coup had already rebuffed their entreaties, sources said, with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia and Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling of Texas saying no the unknown members of the group who approached them. The group’s plan had been to vote for a collection of names rather than a single person to avoid creating the impression that any of those they supported had helped organize the coup attempt.
Vote for a collection of names? I don't know if that's in accordance with caucus rules, but it is interesting that Cantor wanted no part of it ... probably because he didn't think he'd win the ensuing battle royale.
The night of the vote on the fiscal cliff deal, which occurred New Year’s Day, Boehner stopped a vote on Hurricane Sandy aid in part because of fear about the “insurrection” forming against him, former Rep. Steven C. LaTourette of Ohio told The Atlantic.
If you live in NJ or NY, you now know why you got a hearty "Happy New Year and Drop Dead!" from the House. Boehner is not in control, and knows it. He's weak both in terms of loyal votes and as a person.
More below the Orange Squiggle of Power.
In the minutes before the vote, Georgia Rep. Lynn Westmoreland engaged in vigorous conversations with some of the members of the coup attempt who went on to vote against Boehner.
“What I was trying to explain to them [was], if you don’t have a complete plan ... there are other ways to do things. You’ve got to do it the smart way,” Westmoreland said.
Ah, Rep. Westmoreland, you have put your finger on the problem. The House GOP has no complete plan to accomplish anything, on any topic. They don't have policies, they have bumper stickers and t-shirt slogans. Ronald Reagan famously wanted all issues reduced to a single 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper; your colleagues can't handle anything beyond a 3" x 5" index card, using 48 point font.
And, BTW, "vigorous conservations" on the floor of the House, just before the vote for Speaker? The GOP is in chaos. They stand for nothing except low taxes for rich people, and they just lost a battle in that war.
Were it not for a few dozen billionaires willing to spend whatever it takes to keep their own taxes low, the GOP would be going the way of the Whigs.
8:45 AM PT: Jacoby Jonze, in the comments, supplies the information that Michele Bachmann was allowed to submit bill #1 of the 213th Congress and was the 218th vote to elect Boehner Speaker. Jacoby opines, and I tend to concur, that Bachmann was the 25th vote who switched, and these things are her price. Are you ready for a Congress where Michele Bachmann is a major player because Boehner needs her to help control the Tea Brained?