
<p>Tuesday was the day that two events traditionally take place – at least for the past 100 years. ; The party in control of the House elects the new Speaker, and the newly elected members get sworn in – with families in the photo ops. ; Neither took place.</p>



<p>That is because the heir-apparent to the speakership – at least in his own mind – did not get the required number of votes. ;  ; Leading up to the balloting, it was generally reported that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarty may be five votes short of the request number of 218. ; In the final days leading up to the vote, there was a speculated increase in the “no” voters. ; However, no one predicted that 19 House members would vote for Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan instead. ; ;</p>



<p>To be perfectly clear, Jordan is in no way in contention for be Speaker. ; He just represented the protest vote. ; The House took three votes – and McCarthy lost in all three. ; In fact, the “no” vote ominously increased to 20.</p>



<p>McCarthy had wanted to keep voting, but virtually every member of the body yelled “yea” to a motion to adjourn until noon the next day.</p>



<p>To understand what may happen in the future, you need to know two things about the election of the Speaker. ; The Speaker is elected by the ENTIRE body – Republicans, Democrats and independents. And the Speaker does not have to be a member of the House – as long as the person meets the age requirement. ; There was even silly talk about electing Trump as Speaker – or slightly less silly, former Speaker Newt Gingrich.</p>



<p>Traditionally, each party puts up a candidate for Speaker. ; Traditionally, the majority party sticks together and defeats the minority party candidate. ; Not this time. ; In fact, the Democrat candidate – New York Congressman Hakeem Jefferies &#8212; garnered more votes than McCarthy, but not enough to become Speaker.</p>



<p>It is generally reported that McCarthy needs 218 votes to become Speaker – but that is not an absolute. ; If some members do not show up for the vote – or if they only vote “present” – the number needed goes down.</p>



<p>Knowing that they do not have the votes to elect the Speaker, a few Democrats could vote for McCarthy in the belief that he would be a besieged and ineffective Speaker. ; And they would not be wrong.</p>



<p>The problem for the Republicans is … if not McCarthy, then who? ; Who could get the required number of votes? ; If McCarthy continues to fall short, at some point, a viable name will emerge. ; But that could be after several more ballots.</p>



<p>The other option is McCarthy &#8212; realizing he ain’t ever going to get the required votes – withdraws his candidacy. ; For all concerned, I think that would be the best option. ; But then again, I have frequently written my hope that McCarthy would not be the new Speaker. ; My choice was – and it &#8212; Louisiana Congress Steve Scalise.</p>



<p>If McCarthy does get elected Speaker, it may be the result of political skullduggery. ; What if some Democrats vote for him – or if a bunch of Democrats votes “present.” ; McCarthy would achieve his ambition, but he would be arguably the least powerful … the least popular … and the least effective Speaker in American history. ; He could be that anyway.</p>



<p>Facing multiple votes, McCarthy said he would not care if he held the record for the most votes – just as he noted he holds the record for the longest speech in Congress. ; Why he would brag about that is inexplicable. ; If he wants to set the record number of votes, the speakership will be in doubt for a long time. ; That record was set in 1856 with 133 votes over two months.</p>



<p>McCarthy did not wait for the vote. ; He moved all his files and other “stuff” into the Speakers Office. ; Some may see that as optimism, but to me, it is arrogance – and another example of why the GOP can do better than McCarthy.</p>



<p>Some see the situation as chaos – and even a failure of democracy. ; Personally, I see it as democracy in action. ; Those seeing the chaos then to be those on the left who like certainty in choosing powerful leaders and dominating political discourse.  ; (Hmmm. ; Why did the January 6<sup>th</sup> Committee pop into my mind?)  ; We already have too much power-driven policy in Congress. ; It is reassuring to see some good old fashion political mud wrestling.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

McCarthy Strikes Out in the First Inning
