Speaker of the House might be the most important role in Congress if not all of government. This article will unpack the nuances to back this claim.
The Speaker of the House has become a focal point of political contention and conversation so it is imperative that the people understand what is taking place in congress. Those with poor education will have poor opinions and conjectures.
The Process
To be confirmed as Speaker of the House a congressman or congresswoman needs a majority vote; 218 votes are required.
Congress will argue and deliberate then someone will call for a vote. This could happen multiple times a day and continue until there is a majority.
In recent history, the Speaker of the House vote has undergone little or no scrutiny. A speaker has been confirmed with only one round of votes which means congress is in alignment. Which means no arguments have been made. To be clear, this is NOT good.
To put things in perspective congress has not had a multiple-ballot decision since the 68th Congress (1923–1925). The most amount of ballots in a decision was the 34th Congress (1855–1857) with 133! See that list here.
We will return to this point later.
The Power
The Speaker of the House is a powerful position to hold. First, they are third in line to the President. If something should happen to the Commander in Chief, the Vice President would take on that role and then the Speaker of the House is next in line.
When bills are drawn they pass through the hands of the Speaker of the House. The Speaker has the ability to kill or pass along the bill. If they decide to pass it along it will go to a committee. Sometimes the speaker passes the bill to a committee they know will kill it.
For example, the Republicans may pass a bill to the Speaker and if the Speaker does decide to pass it to a committee they may pass it to a Democrat majority committee that is sure to kill it.
This is the power of the Speaker of the House.
For a more thorough education please refer to Glenn Beck's video below.
Passing laws isn't as simple as Schoolhouse Rock made it seem. The Speaker of the House has enormous power over the process, so if he just wants to uphold the status quo, good luck getting anything meaningful passed. This what the Speaker debate is really about. pic.twitter.com/BUAPFcnPKQ
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) January 5, 2023
The Problem
When congress agrees without argument, you should be worried. As mentioned above, nearly a century has passed since congress has not immediately agreed on a Speaker. That should worry you.
With Republicans holding a majority in the House, a few brave representatives have decided to deviate from the norm and create debate. This is good!
We want congress to debate. Without debate, you are left with mediocrity. Debate sharpens the blade of America.
Here's a deep dive with political expert Sonnie Johnson.
