[Here's what we're up against, a Republican party that is terrified to lead! This is surreal!!! TM] ******** October 8, 2015
Republican Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy stunned House colleagues when he announced that he would withdraw from the race to be the next House Speaker. In the immediate aftermath, Rep. Charlie Dent says "anything is possible now."
To get anything done "we might have to assemble a bipartisan coalition, that’s the reality of this place," Dent told CNN moments after McCarthy withdrew from the race.
REP. CHARLIE DENT: The next Speaker should not appease those who make unreasonable demands. There are a number of members of our conference. You cannot get the yes on anything. For them the end will be the good.
In my view it's come time to marginalize those members who doesn't want to be part of the governing majority.
I've said for some time that in order to pass anything out of the House we need to assemble a bipartisan coalition whether it's on the continuing resolution, the debt ceiling, we will have to assemble a bipartisan coalition. That's the reality of this place and I don't think that any of our leaders should make accommodations to those who are going to make unreasonable demands...
I don't know what will happen. Anything is possible now. It's pretty clear to me that a number of us are not going to simply appease or exceed to those who will make unreasonable demands. And so I suspect in order to govern around here we need a bipartisan coalition on all major bills.
If we can't get 218 Republican votes for a Speaker, then we'll have to try other options. I don't know what those options are, but I certainly don't want to put somebody in the Speaker's job who is going to appease those who are making unreasonable demands.