In a historic embarrassment for a major political party, the House Republicans have officially failed to choose a Speaker of the House. The failure, which occurred earlier this Tuesday, saw the most likely choice, Kevin McCarthy (R-California), bringing a vote to the floor for the speakership only to lose the vote three times.
The historic nature of this moment can’t be understated. The last time a party’s chosen candidate lost was a hundred years ago. The rarity of a party rejecting their most likely candidate is so extreme that it suggests a fundamentally weak party leadership.
While most of the GOP supported McCarthy, 19 Republicans voted against the California Republicans in the first two rounds, and 20 voted against him during the third round, demonstrating just how ineffective McCarthy is at organizing his base. Say what you will about former Speaker Pelosi, but she has never demonstrated the pathetic lack of control that McCarthy demonstrated today.
While it is extremely unlikely that Democrats will be able to make much of the current Republican dysfunction if the current state of affairs is indicative of how House Republicans will govern for the next several years, Americans can look forward to a petty and ineffective Congress.
Progressive American 