We live in unprecedented times. This is not an attempt to be hyperbolic, but rather the truth; Oct. 3, 2023, was the first time in American history that the Speaker of the House was ousted from their post.
Just a day before the vacation of the chair, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) brought his grievances against Speaker Kevin McCarthy to the House Floor, invoking a ‘Motion to Vacate’ for all members of the chamber to vote on. A Motion to Vacate is an archaic procedural tool wherein one member can decide they have had enough of the current Speaker and the whole of the House can decide their fate. Joining Gaetz were seven other Republicans and the entirety of the House Democratic Caucus, bringing the total to a close, yet resounding 216-210.
What followed the ousting of Speaker McCarthy was nothing short of total chaos. What America witnessed was a power vacuum with the Republican Party in disarray; loyalists of McCarthy vowing revenge against the eight ‘turncoat’ members of the alt-right MAGA caucus who themselves were in pariahs,, leaving the likes of Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Rep. Jim Jordan seeking the elusive Speaker’s gavel for themselves.
The race to 217, the magic number to lift the gavel, is underway. Jim Jordan is currently the favorite to win the Speakership as the Republican nominee, yet anything can conceivably happen.
Jordan is far from assured of the votes that he needs from his colleagues because he is a right-wing ideologue who has alienated moderates at every turn and, as Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO) said, “you know, you could put Jesus Christ up for Speaker of the House, and he still wouldn’t get 217.” All of this is to say it is extremely difficult for this unruly House Republican conference to agree on anything, much less on who will lead them.
Dr. Colin Swearingen, a professor of political science at JCU who focuses on U.S. government and elections, asserts that House Republicans understand the need to remedy the chaos in their caucus.
“Republicans know the blame falls squarely on their shoulders, they have to defend themselves everywhere- this process calls into question their ability to govern,” says Swearingen.
Speaking further on the crossroads of the Republican Party, Swearingen argues that “it is easier to be in the minority than the majority.”
Swearingen continued, “The Republican caucus is very much split on the direction it will be taking based on rhetoric and policy.” He then instructed readers to analyze the direction of the ‘New Right’ and ‘Reagan Republicans’ as an example.
The attempts to elect a new Speaker have, if nothing else, illuminated the state of affairs in current American politics. What does it say about our ‘governing bodies’ when those who lead can not even agree on the leaders they choose? One thing is certain, though; the Speaker election is just one such symptom of the sickness that the Republican Party has been diagnosed with.