Following the historical removal of Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House in our U.S. congress just several weeks ago, which was the first time anyone has ever been removed from the role before, several other politicians are already racing to claim the seat left by McCarthy in his absence. Initially, Steve Scalise from Louisiana seemed like a likely bid for the position, however he abandoned running when several hard right republicans refused to “ever” vote for him. Now, Republican Jim Jordan from Ohio has been selected to run for the position, but is also likely to face difficulties because of similar issues as Steve Scalise. (NBC News)
One important thing to consider is that without a speaker, the House is unable to “consider any legislation to aid Israel in its war against Hamas,” or pass any bills to avoid a looming government shutdown in November (Washington Post). These circumstances have led to calls from bi-partisan groups to expand the powers of the temporary speaker in order to both avoid a government shutdown but also hopefully have the ability to pass or deliberate any bills.
This being said, even with efforts to empower the sitting speaker of the house, much of the house seems set on finding a new speaker as soon as possible. However, as mentioned earlier, this intent to find a speaker is incredibly difficult as even the front runner, Jim Jordan, who was endorsed by Trump saying “He will be a GREAT SPEAKER of the House,” is still heavily criticized by democrats and is struggling to win his caucus from far right hold out (Time.)
Personally, I believe that although we need a speaker much sooner rather than later, our congress should still do their best to ensure the speaker of the House is a fit candidate, as otherwise they could potentially heavily influence parliamentary agenda and floor debate to prioritize one caucuses legislative priority over another. (PBS). Ultimately, I think all we can hope as citizens is that whoever the speaker is, they do their best to actually serve the American people.
-Luke Phillips
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/10/13/house-speaker-vote/
https://time.com/6322160/house-speaker-candidates-jordan-scalise/
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/heres-what-the-speaker-of-the-house-actually-does
5 comments:
I agree that it is important to select a fit candidate for Speaker of the House. However, I am worried that between conflicts choosing a new speaker and determining the budget, the political gridlock in the national government in becoming increasingly troublesome.
Some representatives, like Rep. Mike Turner according to CBS News, believe that this struggle to elect a new speaker is a ploy to enact a government shutdown in a different way. Either way, I feel like this conflict represents the growing issue of polarization, with both sides blaming the other and entrenching themselves in their decisions without hope for compromise.
I feel like political parties are playing a significant role in this polarization. With only two major parties and both parties oftentimes voting along party lines, compromise seems to be becoming increasingly unattainable in Congress. While political gridlock discourages drastic changes in government, it also prevents necessary government efficiency.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mike-turner-republican-house-speaker-race-face-the-nation-2023-10-15/
I agree that a qualified Speaker of the House is needed as soon as possible. Luke mentions the lack of a speaker blocks the House's ability to make important decisions. I see this as a support for the criticism of federalism. When all of ONE individual is displaced, the House is rendered essentially incapable, and with it much of the government. Not just that, but I feel that the intense two-party system and recent polarization of the last couple decades has weakened the government even more. With so much conflict, as depicted by selecting a new speaker, it seems our government is struggling.
Personally, I believe that the right flank members (the far-right members of the house) won't budge, they have realized that even though they are a minority, without some members crossing party lines, a majority can never happen without them. I think there are ways a new speaker is elected: either a republican speaker makes a promise to satisfy the right flank (like former Speaker Mccarthey) or a few moderate republicans cross party lines after weeks of failed elections to elect a democratic speaker. The first option was shown to be unsustainable since it's near impossible to get anything bipartisan done while meeting the right flank's demands. Just personal speculation, but I believe that if a speaker is not elected in the coming weeks, a few moderate republicans will become impatient and cross party lines to elect a democratic speaker. No matter what happens, it will leave at least half of the house unhappy and just increase political polarization.
I believe that this task of finding a new speaker for the House should either be rushed so the government can get back to governing, especially in this time of conflicts, or a Temporary Presiding Officer should take the place. If a new Speaker is Rushed, it may not be the best for the government or the citizens in the long run, but the sooner someone gets back into this position the better. If a temporary Presiding Officer takes this role it could be the better solution because it can still make decision that would help us now and a better Speaker of the house can be elected later.
While it may seem incredibly necessary to choose a new Speaker of the House given current events, I feel that this decision should not be rushed and given to a candidate that isn't entirely qualified. The Speaker plays a massive role in the House's debates, and therefore what policies will make it through. If a Speaker is chosen who will possibly abuse this power, it can lead to a greater polarization of the House through partisan interest and will crush any minority viewpoints. For these reasons, I think that the implementation of a temporary speaker is the best solution, not giving anyone the Speaker's full power without deliberating them as the best possible choice. I am interested to see how Patrick McHenry's time as the temporary Speaker plays out, especially considering that he was chosen as a replacement by McCarthy himself.
(https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67161430)
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