The protracted balloting to choose a new speaker
of the House of Representatives, anticipated by
The Prairie Editor on this website in late December,
has now been resolved after more than three days,
and considerable debate with the election of Rep.
Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to the key post.
Mr. McCarthy had been selected as the new
Republican majority’s choice in a caucus vote by
a wide margin in December, but because the GOP
has only a narrow 222 to 212 lead in the full body,
it was possible for a small group within the majority
caucus to prevent Mr. McCarthy from receiving
the 218 votes necessary to be elected.
Before the January 3 vote, a group of five GOP
members expressed their unhappiness with the
rules that had governed the House under
Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and contended
that Mr. McCarthy as speaker was likely to
perpetuate them. They said they would not vote
for him. Another two dozen GOP members indicated
they might also vote for someone else.
In spite of some concessions by Mr. McCarthy to
this unhappy bloc, he received only 202 votes on
the first ballot, 16 votes short of the necessary
majority. Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi’s
successor, received the vote of every member of
his caucus, 212, and he continued to receive that
number of votes in all the remaining 14 ballots.
Then began a series of negotiations which eventually
brought 14 of the dissidents to vote for McCarthy,
while the five hardliners agreed to vote “present,”
thus enabling Kevin McCarthy to be elected speaker.
Reactions to the three-day spectacle and its
conclusion have been predictably partisan. The
Democrats, now in the minority, boasted of their
unity in the voting — despite having their own
factions, including the five members of the leftist
group known as “The Squad.” Democratic leaders
during the balloting understandably used the occasion
to repeat the liberal mantras of their policy issues.
Some Republicans, after the balloting, reflected some
uncertainty, having put Mr. McCarthy in the
speakership, how the GOP agenda would be able to
proceed, especially with the return to the old rule
of one member being able to challenge the
speaker’s tenure.
This uncertainty was expressed by some in the GOP
establishment, many of whom felt the public display
of discord within their caucus weakened their voter
support. This view was also echoed by the Democrats
and the establishment media which routinely has
supported President Biden and his very liberal
agenda.
Another view, however, suggests that the Republican
House majority, albeit small, will now be able to be
more effective as a check on the Biden administration,
the Democrat Senate majority, and their efforts to
promote and enact legislation and policies which
conservatives oppose.
The reality is that, regardless of any personal motives,
the GOP dissidents have brought back a much more
transparent House of Representatives. In enforcing
Democratic “unity,” former Speaker Pelosi had
concentrated power in her office and her leadership
coterie. Debate on the floor and the ability to offer
amendments to legislation was prohibited. The right
to hold the speaker accountable was effectively
eliminated; the ability of the opposition to participate
in House business was curtailed. Further, Speaker
Pelosi had effectively sealed off the House from
public access under the rubric of security concerns.
Speaker McCarthy will inevitably face disagreements
within his caucus, but he has already given several
of those who are members of the more conservative
Freedom Caucus and others who initially voted against
him more prominent committee roles, thus significantly
reducing incentives for caucus conflict in pursuing their
conservative agenda.
The bottom line appears to be that the Republican
House will more likely be able to be a consistently
conservative opposition as the new political cycle
leading to the presidential election in 2024 now begins
in earnest.
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Copyright (c) 2023 by Barry Casselman. All rights reserved.
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