General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSemi-serious question: Does the Speaker even have to be a U.S. citizen?
I made an offhand remark about Manny Pacquiao being the "fighter" they're looking for here.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027263398
Then it hit me: Why not? I don't read anything here that would prevent it.
Section. 2....
The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.
So now that we've opened the race up to the rest of the world, who else? Pooty-Poot? Harper, who will likely be unemployed as of next week?
haikugal
(6,476 posts)guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)According to the rules of the House (Rule 4, Section 1), only the following people are actually allowed to enter the hall:
So according to House rules, only an elected member of the House could enter to conduct business. The point could be made that: given that the House under GOP leadership conducts no actual, substantive business, there is no real need for a Speaker to enter the chamber. Most of the deals are conducted in meetings with lobbyists.
TheBlackAdder
(28,073 posts)KamaAina
(78,249 posts)guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)The grandfather of government shutdowns. The perfect choice for a do nothing House that has no idea how to actually govern.
Donald Ian Rankin
(13,598 posts)Newts are aquatic amphibians of the family salamandridae; lizards are reptiles of the order squamata.
(Yes, this is totally pointless pendatry, and I apologize, but I've just watched an episode of Dr Who whose key plot point is that the vikings can use their local population of eels to generate electricity, and I am currently on the zoological inaccuracy warpath; you just got caught in the crossfire).
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)Chan790
(20,176 posts)of their election by the membership to be an officer of the House.
NYC Liberal
(20,132 posts)guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)But I assume that the House can also modify its own rules.
NYC Liberal
(20,132 posts)Reps aren't officers.
But yeah, you're right on that point. So either way, they could ultimately just change it.
Chan790
(20,176 posts)So...it's anybody elected Speaker automatically.
former9thward
(31,802 posts)And is elected by the House. So someone in he OP would qualify. Also House rules can be changed at any time. If the House were going to do something as revolutionary as choosing a non-U.S. citizen they certainly would clarify the rules.
HereSince1628
(36,063 posts)and ramrod resolution, someone who knows how to work from the position of a conservative leadership.
Someone who is respected by the Congress and has already interviewed with Congressional leaders.
That person is Bibi, but they'd have to negotiate to get him to give up his current gig.
Travis_0004
(5,417 posts)The speaker of the house is not required to be a member of congress.
However, every single speaker has been a member of congress, and I doubt that will change any time soon.
You are required to be a citizen to be elected to congress and by precedent (not law) the speaker of the house is very likely to be a current house member.
So I think legally its possible, but I don't think we will ever see it happen.
brooklynite
(93,851 posts)MosheFeingold
(3,051 posts)No birther B.S. please. We're not Freepers.
MosheFeingold
(3,051 posts)I was a staffer for a long time for lots of different Congresscritters or the House itself. And this actually happened a lot (staffers, not necessarily speaker).
You can't get into the pay system without I-9, green card, asylum etc unless stationed overseas or working as a translater. But a lot of staffers would take the job without pay.
I believe it happened with Congresscritters a couple of times. Vaguely recall someone from American Somoa (? it was a territory of some kind) getting elected who was technically not a US citizen, but had the right of residency.
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Basically, they can't vote in U.S. elections. This kind of stuff used to drive our benefits person in Hawai'i nuts!
Humanist_Activist
(7,670 posts)People who were born in Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands and Northern Mariana Islands are natural born citizens, who can even run for U.S. President if they so choose, though, ironically, unlike residents of D.C., there are no electors for their territories, so they couldn't "vote" for president at the same time they can run to be one.
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Even though the two parties down there are not Democratic and Republican, but pro-commonwealth (tied to the Dems) and pro-statehood (tied to the repukes!!)
Humanist_Activist
(7,670 posts)and, as far as I know, have full voting right at party conventions, something even the elected delegates sent to Congress don't have, though I think they can vote in committees.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)Which is a parliamentary contrivance that lets the entire House meet "as a committee" under committee rules to conduct business. So Eleanor Holmes Norton actually has voted on laws before.
MosheFeingold
(3,051 posts)My time spread from the late 1950s to 2013 so I all I am confident about is that the law changed a few times.
PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)it doesn't specify that the Speaker must be a citizen of the United States.
KatyMan
(4,146 posts)become President. Of course, it's happened before...
PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)specified in the Constitution the Speaker wouldn't likely be in line for Presidential
succession.
KatyMan
(4,146 posts)That's a relief, thanks for the return to reality!
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)as a non-natural-born US citizen.
PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)Recursion
(56,582 posts)And that was actually a much more realistic possibility.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)So the Speaker must be either a citizen, a lawful permanent resident ("green card" , or conceivably an H1B or O1 visa holder (and my God that would be awesome...).
This wasn't true for a long time; Congress only forbade itself from hiring undocumented immigrants after the Gingrich takeover.