US House of Representatives is Swirling Down the Drain

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

The major political stories this week all seem to be related to the machinations involved with electing the next Speaker of the US House of Representatives.   Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, the current leader of the Republican caucus in the House, was selected in a secret ballot last month to be his party's nominee for the speakership, a post the ambitious McCarthy has long sought and one which he was basically denied a few years back when he could not secure the votes to achieve his goal and the party had to "settle" on Paul Ryan instead.

But now McCarthy, who is still unloved by the extreme right-wing of his extreme right-wing party, appears intent on not giving up.  The problem is that even though the Republicans won control of the House, they did so by a very slim margin and now Kev has no votes to spare (well, he has four actually) when it comes to the all-House vote on Speaker - and the extreme right-wing of the extreme right-wing is is refusing to vote for him - and five GOP House members seem to be saying that they will not vote for McCarthy under any circumstances.

Two days into the process of selecting a Speaker, and McCarthy has lost his first six attempts to secure the post, and his position has even weakened slightly over the course of the voting.  Yesterday's last vote found 19 Republicans voting for someone other than McCarthy and one member voting "present."

Repeated humiliation seems to wash right over Kevin, and today he will again sit and watch as a small group of Republican lunatics endeavor to keep the Speaker's gavel just beyond his grasp.

McCarthy has already moved into the Speaker's office by virtue of being the "Speaker designate," a fact that has Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz blustering and demanding that he be evicted from those digs.

Technically the House currently has no members because the Speaker first has to be selected and sworn in before others can take their oaths.  That has some members concerned because they don't know if they - or their staffs - will be paid if the standoff continues, and some are even concerned that their government-funded health insurance might expire during the interim.   Also, the House is either currently functioning without rules - or on the rules established by the last House.  I have read articles taking both positions on that matter.

All of which leads me to ponder:  without have any official members and without having any rules, or at least any new rules, how did Republicans manage to get the metal detectors removed from the entrances to the House chamber this past Tuesday.  GOP Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado, one of the five most ardent opponents of McCarthy, and a person who is known for her fondness of firearms, said that she metal detectors "need to be removed from the Capitol, (and) filled with Tannerite and blown up."  

(Isn't it a comfort to know that Rep. Boebert has a knowledge of explosives as well as guns!)

The metal detectors were ordered installed by Speaker Pelosi after the attack on the Capitol by domestic terrorists on January 6, 2021.  A few days later, when one of the machines beeped at Boebert, she grabbed some headlines by refusing to let House security search her purse.

So now members of Congress will essentially be free to enter the House Chamber armed.  What could possibly go wrong?  And just how did a political body with no members and no rules manage to get those metal detectors removed?  

Enquiring minds want to know.

Memo to Kevin McCarthy:  Stand firm, Kev.  Never give up.  Every day that you hold the jackals at bay is one less day that they will have to sabotage America!