Maddow Blog | Dem pushes bill that would prevent Trump from serving as Speaker
No post offices to rename?
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
On the surface, elections for House Speaker are straightforward affairs: the majority party in the chamber votes for their top member, who in turn wields the gavel.
But the system includes a curious quirk: the Constitution does not require House members to choose one of their own for the Speaker's office. It's why, in recent years, we've seen a handful of instances in which lawmakers, reluctant to support their party's choice for one reason or another, cast a vote in support of someone who has nothing to do with Congress. Colin Powell has even received a few votes in the recent past.
As a practical matter, this hasn't made much of a difference. No outsider has ever been elected Speaker, or even come close. But as The Hillreported this week, one House Democrat believes now is the time to fix the glitch.
A new bill introduced on Monday by Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) would allow only an elected House member to serve as Speaker.... Boyle argued that the statute should be made clear, even if electing someone outside of Congress to serve as Speaker remains a long shot. His bill, titled the Mandating That Being an Elected Member Be an Essential Requirement for Speakership Act, would explicitly limit eligibility to current House lawmakers.
There is an element of common sense at play: those who want to serve as Senate majority leader, for example, have to be members of the Senate, so it stands to reason that those in contention for House Speaker should be members of the House.
But Boyle didn't just introduce this proposal out of concern for a hypothetical scenario. On the contrary, it was Donald Trump last month who was asked about the possibility of serving as House Speaker as early as 2023, if Republicans retake the majority. The former president replied, "That's so interesting.... Yeah, you know it's very interesting.... It's very interesting."
Chatter in conservative media soon followed (Steve Bannon, in particular, has talked up the idea.) One of Trump's most sycophantic allies, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), has already vowed to support the former president the next time members vote for Speaker.
With this in mind, Boyle said in a written statement this week, "The Speaker of the U.S. House is second in the United States presidential line of succession. That Donald Trump's name would even be tossed around as a potential speaker in the people's house, should serve as an alarm bell that our current requirements need to be amended in the name of protecting our nation and our democracy."
The Pennsylvania Democrat's bill doesn't yet have any cosponsors, so there's no reason to expect action anytime soon. That said, I have a hunch we haven't heard the last word on this.
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He's STILL living rent free in the hearts and minds of the left side of the aisle. That is power.............or is it fear of the status quo again being threatened? I say a little of both.
It’s a stupid effort as a new GOP majority in Jan. 2023 can simply repeal it as easily as it can be passed now.
SPEAKER TRUMP!
federal inmate #92837423
Trump speaking
As much as I want Trump to just go away, and stay away......
The thought of Democrats' heads exploding everywhere across US might be worth putting up with Trump. Besides he just needs to be Speaker long enough to hit the gavel once; and it will all be over. Trump can then be removed and those of us that remain can get on with our leaves free from the rampant TDS from the last 5 and half years- and still counting even with Trump out of office.
It's not our heads that are exploding.
Right.....
All evidence aside:
Of screaming to the sky.
Pink pussy hat protests
Or just downright going insane
So yes; your (meaning all Democrat's heads) would explode if Trump were name Speaker of the House. There is not enough sky available to scream at; or pink pussy hates around; and definitely not shrinks to stave it off this time.
Why can't partisans just learn to laugh and point when other partisans say something stupid? It's what I did when Gaetz first brought the idea up. It's what everyone should be doing now.
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