It appears as if those conservative “wacko birds” in the U.S. House of Representatives really do have a lot of sway up in Washington, D.C.
Led by Rep. Jim Jordan and his House Freedom Caucus, House conservatives pushed out Speaker John Boehner, and after Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy made that Benghazi gaffe on Hannity the other night, the caucus endorsed Rep. Dan Webster (R-FL), essentially knocking McCarthy out of the race for Speaker.
McCarthy conceded what many Republicans on Capitol Hill knew, in that he was “not the right guy” for the job.
Reps. Jason “Jason in the House” Chaffetz and the aforementioned Dan Webster are in the race, but who else will jump in?
Florida Congressman Curt Clawson, who ran as an outsider, and has not been all that happy with his party’s leadership, is rumored to be considering the Speaker job, as is former prosecutor Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC).
Dan Webster’s chances to win the speakership will be mired by the probability that, if elected Speaker, he may only be able to serve through 2016.
Because of the new congressional redistricting that is expected to take place this year after the Republican-led Florida legislature rigged the redistricting maps in 2012, Dan Webster’s central Florida congressional district could fall into the hands of Democrats.
The district is expected to turn blue, leaving Webster out to bake in the hot Florida political sun.