Rachel Maddow explained that if Kevin McCarthy or someone else is not elected Speaker of the House, a new Congress will not start.
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Rachel Maddow explained that there is more to Kevin McCarthy than embarrassment.
Maybe that’s not the only problem beyond that, oh this is an embarrassment for Kevin McCarthy and this is going to be a waste of time for Kevin McCarthy and the Republican Party, oh this is a bad view, no he is not elected chairman unless someone is elected chairman. In other words, there is no parliament.
The Speaker of the House is the official who presides over the House of Commons. There is no presiding official until someone is elected presiding, which means nothing else happens, including the oath of new members of parliament. So, on the calendar, technically all new members of Congress are to be sworn in tomorrow at noon when the old ones expire.
But if there are not enough votes to elect someone as chairman, no one can take the oath unless by then there are 218 votes to elect Kevin McCarthy or someone else as chairman. . A new parliament will not start. No House proceedings, no votes, no committees, nothing until a speaker is chosen. If they didn’t get 218 votes when they voted for it, the only thing they can keep doing in Congress when they have their first vote tomorrow is someone finally votes Keep getting that vote over and over and over again until you succeed.
The idea that Republicans have screwed up and that their dysfunction has led to no new Congress is astonishing. If they can’t put together enough collective action to start Congress, gerrymander’s midterm elections, which won a slim majority, look like an even bigger black eye.
Kevin McCarthy currently has no votes to be elected chairman. He may never be elected chairman, but parliament cannot meet unless someone is chairman.
It all could turn out to be a fascinating and historic day in American politics, as House Republicans may be in the process of sinking to new lows.
Jason is the editor-in-chief. He is also a White House press pool and a congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a BA in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy with a specialization in the social reform movement.
Awards and Professional Membership
Member of the Association of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association
