Who Even Wants to Be House Speaker?

Townhall.com ^ | October 10, 2015 | Debra J. Saunders

[Jim Noble]

I didn’t say anything about you personally.

I did say that there’s a problem getting what you want, which is that the votes aren’t there.

[celmak]

So? *shrug*

So - would you trust a voter guide by them if they mailed it to you too?

[celmak]

So? *shrug*

So-do you also believe all the thing that factcheck.org writes up as well?

[celmak]

So? *shrug*

So - let’s say we just go by votesmart.org, have even looked at the ratings between the two on vote the site? Trey Gowdy either ties or beats Tom McClintock in just about EVERY category.

http://votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/9715/tom-mcclintock

http://votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/121782/trey-gowdy-iii

[gogeo]

It’s not about personalities but principles. Are they willing to commit to a program? If not, that’s an election issue...

[pepsionice]

There’s been this questionnaire that is sent to any guy claiming to have interest in the job....drawn up by the Tea Party enthusiasts of the Republican Party. It asks several questions and leads to the blanket statement of the group...will they reverse the trend and go back to the leadership role of the Speaker being just a referee of the rules set....what they had prior to 1964. So far, no one has agreed to the questions asked (including Paul Ryan) and because of this....there’s virtually no enthusiasm for present list of replacement characters.

Even Newt....would not agree to reverse the trend and make the Speaker just a referee.

My prediction is that forty-to-fifty Republicans will end up forcing Boehner to stay around til the end of 2016 and the next election. A whole new crew will have to sort it out....without Boehner around, and it’ll be a bigger mess than the idea of Trump becoming President.

The New York Times had a good article over this forty-year transformation episode this morning....where both parties have turned the Speaker into some power-based ‘thug’ and it’s more of the problem now, than the solution.

[mission9]

McCarthy, is a Californian. McClintlock losing that opportunity, is reason enough to oppose Dan Webster.
Dan Webster is a good man. Stick with him and the principles, not bullying, will return.

[DoodleDawg]

I would like to see Newt come back to straighten out this mess. He has the experience, the intelligence and the balls to get things done.

Everything but a seat in the House of Representatives. I know, I know, nothing in the Constitution requires a Speaker to be a member but there has never been a Speaker who wasn't and there never will be.

[HotHunt]

And there's never been a marxist, communist, gay muslim elected president either and there never will be.

Oops.... there's already been one in the White House for 7 years now. My bad.

[ConservativeDude]

I think this is an important point, and I would sure like to hear more commentary.

Let’s pretend a different fact pattern...ie, that trucons had the majority of the GOP caucus, and the 30 mods or so were “holding the majority hostage”....we would all be screaming (rightly) to kick them out.

And maybe that is ok. Maybe we not need be consistent in that regard, but about the article above and your post, I can say that it seems to me to raise good points that need reflection.

McClintock is a serious conservative. It’s not like he’s a squish. So I think we should think through this, and I hope a good, rational and persuasive discussion follows.

[Kickass Conservative]

Let me know the Salary and the Perks and I’ll consider it.