I have a question for those with a lot more knowledge of the House of Representatives than I have...

[Enter stage left]

We know the Repuqs are going to take over the house with the majority in early January.

My question is "what happens if the repuqs aren't able to get a majority vote for speaker of the house on that day?
I understand they have to keep voting until ONE person has 218 (majority of the full house) votes to be chosen as "Speaker of the House".

Let's assume (I know, I know) that NONE of the repuqs get 218 votes. My understanding is they keep voting until SOMEBODY gets 218 votes. Because of the huge divisions in the repuq party with the extreme idiots on the far right, what happens if that vote goes on for weeks, or even months? Who controls the house if that scenario should happen?

And to get even more entertaining, what if NO repuq gets 218 votes for the whole term?

In either case, who decides who is on the committees? Who decides what bills to advance to a full vote of the house? Who decides which committees get to subpoena witness's?

Inquisitive minds want to know!

[unblock]

1. They keep voting until someone gets a majority

[Enter stage left]

3. And that was part of my question, what if NOBODY gets a majority?

[unblock]

4. The clerk from the previous congress presides until a speaker is selected

I think officially, committee work doesn't happen until then, but of course, committees can meet informally

[Enter stage left]

5. Thank you, that was at least one of the answers I was looking for.

So on to my next question, let's say, there are 8-15 right wing repuqs that refuse to vote for McCasshole, and Stefanik has control of them, and no repuq can get to 218 votes?

Could the clerk from the previous congress preside until the 2024 election is held, and a new speaker is voted in?

[unblock]

6. The longest it's ever taken was 2 months

In theory a speaker might never get elected for two years, but in practice, at some point the majority party has a massive incentive to just pick one. It would be an electoral disaster for them to go into the next election so unable to govern they couldn't even pick a speaker.


https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1851-1900/The-longest-and-most-contentious-Speaker-election-in-its-history/

At the conclusion of the longest and most contentious Speaker election in House history, the House elected Representative Nathaniel Banks of Massachusetts as its presiding officer for the 34th Congress (1855–1857). Sectional conflict over slavery and a rising anti-immigrant mood in the nation contributed to a poisoned and deteriorating political climate. As a sign of the factionalism then existing in the House, more than 21 individuals initially vied for the Speaker’s post when the Members first gathered in December, 1855. After two months and 133 ballots, the House finally chose Representative Banks by a vote of 103 to 100 over Representative William Aiken of South Carolina. Banks, a member of both the nativist American (or “Know-Nothing”) Party and the Free Soil Party, served a term as Speaker before Democrats won control of the chamber in the 35th Congress (1857–1859). Banks retired from the House to serve as governor of Massachusetts.

[Enter stage left]

7. Thank you, that was a great history lesson. I would hope we could do something to disrupt...

the vote for the repuq leader, but I'm not sure how to do it.

[3Hotdogs]

9. Know-Nothing Party. Now there was a group that was probably the inspiration for todays

White nationalists.

[qazplm135]

8. That just isn't going to happen

Nothing can get done until they do.

It might take a bit and the eventual "winner" is probably on the world's shortest, craziest leash but that scenario is just never going to happen. They will eventually pick someone.

Heck, the Dems could work with moderate Republicans to vote for a moderate who would only need what five or six Republican votes plus all Dem votes?

Of course that probably won't happen, they will eventually cave to their crazies enough to get them on board.

[rubbersole]

10. That way Liz Cheney could be speaker and we could open a popcorn 🍿 stand.

I so wish the dems would do that.

[qazplm135]

11. Better Off having the crazies in charge

So America can see just how bad they can be before 2024 without them having the power to pass anything.

[rubbersole]

13. Except for the bullshit investigations made for faux news.

[qazplm135]

19. Because of them

People will sour quickly

[littlewolf]

20. she lost her seat however if they could make her speaker

seeing as she is not a member any longer ... the crazies
could make tRump speaker ....

[Dorian Gray]

17. If hakeem

managed to make this happen, I would think he was the best thing since sliced bread. But I suspect the Republicans will dig their heels in.

It's funny that McCarthy is kowtowing to the MTG faction when the moderates COULD hold a TON of power here. If they wanted to wield it.

[UTUSN]

2. K&R

[DemocraticPatriot]

12. They will not be able to "organize" the house,

until someone can be elected as the speaker... so everything would be at a standstill



In the biggest fantasy of that scenario, Democrats could determine who the Republican speaker would be--- since they all also get to vote in that election!!

In an even bigger fantasy, there could still even be a Democratic speaker elected-- if for instance, a few "moderate Republicans"-- (those elected in NY swing districts, for instance) voted for a Democratic speaker candidate, but extremely unlikely, of course...


Google the speaker election of 1856--- it took 2 months before anybody won, mostly because of the disputes over slavery...

[mahina]

14. Been thinking the same way.

[jmowreader]

15. I think there's going to be a LOT of backchannel dealing

"Vote yes on McCarthy and we'll give MTG the Judiciary committee chair, Lauren Boebert the Intelligence committee chair, and allow the Freedom Caucus to choose the rest of the committee chairs."

[True Dough]

16. OMG

What a disaster that would be!

[Dorian Gray]

18. Jim Jordan

might have something to say about that. (He's the presumptive Judiciary Chair.)

[littlewolf]

21. lol I am in NC and I can see

"the smoke filled rooms" from here ... lol

[werdna]

22. There is precedent for Speakers being elected on the basis of a plurality.

https://history.house.gov/People/Office/Speakers-Multiple-Ballots/