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Why Republican struggle over speakership is no laughing matter
Linda Feldmann
It鈥檚 easy for Democrats to indulge in schadenfreude as House Republicans struggle to perform the first task of their new, narrow majority 鈥� electing a speaker. Early this week, a House Democrat mocked Republicans by聽聽a picture of himself holding a bag of popcorn.
But this is no laughing matter. At press time, after 13 rounds of voting, the House still had no speaker, and thus no ability to conduct business 鈥� no seated members, no right to pass legislation, no classified national security briefings, no government oversight.
On the plus side for the top House Republican, Kevin McCarthy of California: In Friday鈥檚 first vote, he came close to the majority needed to become speaker after making concessions to hard-liners, including allowing any single member to force a vote on ousting the speaker. But he still fell short.
That Friday鈥檚 fraught proceedings took place on the of the Jan. 6 siege of the Capitol was lost on no one. That day of infamy became a violent scene that gripped the nation, as supporters of then-President Donald Trump attempted to prevent the counting of electoral votes confirming Joe Biden鈥檚 presidential victory.
Two articles in today鈥檚 Monitor Daily explore the continuing aftermath of the riot: one on the Capitol Police, the other on the trials of Jan. 6 participants.
Meanwhile, the next House speaker could be heading for the mother of all challenges: preventing a default on the national debt as the United States聽聽of its borrowing authority. The ideological clashes in today鈥檚 House drama will inform that process. Republicans are expected to try to force spending cuts before agreeing to raise the debt ceiling. The next speaker will have little room for maneuver, amid profound implications for the global economy.
Already, the days of Democrat Nancy Pelosi鈥檚 speakership 鈥� and her ability to 鈥渉erd cats鈥� 鈥� feel distant.
鈥淚鈥檓 not sure Republicans are the same breed of cats as Democrats,鈥� observes Gail Russell Chaddock, retired Monitor congressional correspondent. 鈥淭rump made feral popular in GOP ranks.鈥�
Still, hope for bipartisanship is not lost. President Biden鈥檚 appearance with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky on Wednesday, touting infrastructure spending, made that evident.
