MSNBC host Rachel Maddow argued on Thursday that House Speaker John Boehner's (R-OH) "terrible nightmare" might in fact be prophetic, given the collapse of Rep. Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) attempt to succeed him.
McCarthy's announcement earlier in the day that he would not campaign for the position, she said, meant that the most likely scenario for House Republicans right now is to not allow Boehner to quit.
Boehner reportedly told colleagues last week that he had "this terrible nightmare last night that I was trying to get out and I couldn't get out. And a hand came reaching, pulling me."
But with McCarthy out of the running -- likely after realizing he would not be able to gather the 218 votes necessary to become the new Speaker -- Maddow said the GOP now had three options: find someone like Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) who could take the position; find someone from outside Congress like "that guy from Duck Dynasty" or a Chick-fil-A sandwich to do it; or simply allow Boehner to leave and let congressional business grind to a halt.
"Each of those three options right now seems either impossible, or impossibly catastrophic," she said.
Watch Maddow's commentary, as aired on Thursday, below.
