Successful Government Does Not Tolerate Stubbornness

 The party that gets things done….is turning out not to be today’s Republicans.  At least not those elected to the House of Representatives.

They have had since mid-November when all election results were in to decide how they would move forward with their small House majority come January 1.  The people elected them to DO things.  Amend and pass legislation that would curb Biden’s unlimited and destructive spending, deal with the illegal immigrant crisis and the crisis at our borders, stand up for the American values of the people who elected them.  Others hoped also that they would objectively and fairly investigate some things that need investigating – not for political gain or retribution, but because Americans need those activities that are contrary to the interests of America and its people to be dealt with. 

The Republicans could have started working on these tasks on day one.  But instead, what did they do?  They created a veritable circus over their inability to elect a House Speaker.

Contrast this with typical behavior of the Democrat party.  While I adamantly disagree with and oppose many of the positions and policies of the progressive Left, I have to admit that not only do they have a clear agenda, they also effectively implement it.  They work like a well-oiled machine that understands that they agree on an end goal and that they will work in unison toward that goal even when one at times has to agree to something to which they may personally be opposed.   They are willing to make personal concessions, overlook personal preferences, to achieve the greater goal of implementing their agenda – the agenda that Democrat voters put them in place to effectuate.

Not so the Republicans.  With no viable alternative to Kevin McCarthy as candidate for Speaker, a small handful of Republicans who have personal gripes against McCarthy decided to hold hostage the Speakership, making it impossible for McCarthy to be elected while presenting no candidate who could garner more than a score or so of votes. 

In the first vote, a variety of other Republicans siphoned 19 votes off of the other Republican votes for McCarthy.   In the second round of voting Rep. Gaetz nominated Jim Jordon while Jordon re-nominated McCarthy.  In that round Jordan received all of the 19 Republican non-McCarthy votes.  In round 3, Jordan’s vote count increased to 20.

218 votes are required to elect a Speaker.  There are 222 Republicans in the House and 212 Democrats.  All 212 Democrats have voted for their candidate for Speaker,  Rep. Jeffries.  At one point during today’s voting it was reported that some of the Republicans who opposed McCarthy stated they would rather have Democrat Jeffries than McCarthy as Speaker notwithstanding that Jeffries would likely further a Democrat rather than Republican agenda.

After 3 votes the House adjourned.  Voting will continue until a Speaker is elected and until such time no work can go forward – no committees, no bills brought to the floor, no other votes.  None of the business that we the people elected our representatives to conduct.

Yes, a Speaker is important.  He or she leads the House, determines what bills will come to the floor for vote, oversees House procedures and rules, etc.  And there will obviously be a different focus depending on whether the Speaker is a Republican or Democrat.  But this display by the Republicans is ridiculous.

The handful who seem to have a personal dislike for McCarthy had plenty of time to develop support for an alternate candidate.  But all they did during that time was to badmouth McCarthy and assert he should not be Speaker.  They may have gotten their anger off their chest and they may have thought they were acting bold by being so negatively assertive, but what they did was not constructive and has resulted in a debacle that not only reflects poorly on the entire Republican party but also means that the bold agenda and action that the Republican party promised the voters will be stalled and delayed. 

I believe that the people of this country want their elected representatives to work for them; I know that is what I want.  I don’t know if McCarthy is or is not the best candidate for Speaker (and actually I quite like Jim Jordan) but I do know that McCarthy is the only Republican candidate that currently has any possibility to be elected.  And we need a Speaker before the House can do anything.

Working for the people means that sometimes you have to compromise.  One has to wonder if these folks who will not vote for the one currently viable Republican Speaker are going to stall every piece of legislation put forward if there is one word or phrase they do not like.  One wonders if they are going to essentially sink their own party’s agenda simply to prove some selfish point or believe that never ever giving an inch is really a constructive way to conduct the people’s business.  (Republicans could learn something here from the Democrats.)  One has to pick one’s battles; fighting everyone just to prove you are a fighter does not impress me and I doubt that it impresses most Americans.

Perhaps the adjournment today was a good thing.  Perhaps a good night’s sleep will cause this handful of selfish rebels to realize that they are doing nothing but hurting those who elected them and believed in them.  Tomorrow is another day and we can always hope.