The Republicans were busy behind the scenes, Thursday, January 5, to finally appoint a “speaker” in the American House of Representatives and put an end to the paralysis generated by the rebellion of a handful of elected members of the party’s right wing.
Favorite to replace Nancy Pelosi, Republican Kevin McCarthy has reached out to the twenty elected Trumpists playing spoilsports, offering them sizeable concessions. In vain. The group still refused to fall into line after an eleventh vote, an unprecedented scenario in one hundred and sixty years.
This blockage has very concrete repercussions: without a President of the Chamber, elected officials cannot take the oath or therefore pass a bill.
“I have hope today that Republicans will stop the bickering, the backbiting, and the backstabbing, so that we can work in service to the American people”called the leader of the democrats, Hakeem Jeffries.
” Wrong way “
Members of the most conservative fringe of the party, these elected Trumpists fundamentally do not trust Mr. McCarthy and take advantage of the very small Republican majority won in the November mid-term elections to set their conditions.
The Republican, who cannot be elected without their support, notably agreed to one of their requests aimed at facilitating the ousting of the “speaker”. But opposition to his candidacy seemed to crystallize. “We need to fix this broken system”estimated Montana elected official Matt Rosendale, urging other Republicans to join their revolt.
133 towers in 1856
The election of “speaker”, the third most important figure in American politics after the president and vice president, requires a majority of 218 votes. Kevin McCarthy capped Thursday evening at 200. The elected representative of California does not have a credible competitor. Only the name of the leader of the Republican majority in the House, Steve Scalise, circulates as a possible alternative.
The House will continue to vote until a Speaker is elected. What is generally only a matter of a few hours, could extend over several weeks: in 1856, the elected representatives of Congress had agreed only after two months and 133 turns.
“There is no doubt that the problems which divide us today are far less serious than those which we had in 1856”launched the elected Republican of Michigan John James, calling on his colleagues to immediately side with Kevin McCarthy.
Democratic President Joe Biden on Wednesday called the situation a“embarrassing”ensuring that ” the rest of the world “ closely followed the mess in Congress.