A house divided  

A house divided against itself cannot stand. There has never been a more appropriate adage to describe this present situation in the US House of Representatives. While writing this column for today, I was simultaneously watching the proceedings of the House as its members elect their new speaker.

This is now the 14th time that a vote is taken, in what is supposed to be a historic moment but is marred by infighting within the Republican Party. In what is supposed to be an easy win for Mr. Kevin McCarthy for the speakership role as having been the highest ranking leader for the Republicans turned out to be the toughest fight of his political career. What hurts him the most is not that the Democrats are not electing him, which was totally expected, but the members from his own party who do not want him to be the next speaker.

No matter how much concessions, trade-offs, and bargaining he has given to the hardliners, there seems to be no other way that he can garner their support. As of this writing, the House is still in session and there seems to be no end in sight when this contentious fight is going to end.

What is on display here is a democracy in action live before national television. Even after the last vote was counted and McCarthy still has not secured the position, you can see members of the Republican Party still trying to dissuade the hold-outs. I was asking myself why they can’t do it like the politicians in the Philippines, where term sharing seems to be the easiest way to solve this kind of standoff. Apparently, there are principles and issues more important than just personality or party affiliation.

There is a lot at stake here. The longer this stalemate goes, the more it gets uglier not only for the House as a whole but for the Republican Party in particular. The GOP which is now the majority party after the November 2022 elections was tasked by the American people to work and carry out the conservative mandate. What is happening now only reinforces the prevailing perception that politicians cannot be trusted and that the government is broken. As long as the House is divided, the business of governing is at a standstill and the people’s agenda is held hostage.

If there is any indication of what this incoming House is going to work in the next year or so, the dysfunction that is happening right now is such an obvious sign. There are real consequences of this inability to constitute the House such as hiring staff, opening local offices, assisting constituents, national security, and other congressional constitutional duties.

The search for the next speaker of the US House of Representatives is still underway and this may go well into the deep of a cold January night.