For the full version of each column on the race for House Speaker (which really should have gone to Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana), follow the link embedded in each headline. These below are in the chronological order in which they originally ran.
There’s a logical progression to break the House impasse (Oct. 14): With Americans hostage in Gaza, the Middle East aflame, and time running out on government funding, the House has a duty to get back to work. Some people may need to compromise, but there is a good way to do it. …
Option two: Under traditional practice, the next in line for Speaker after the House Majority Leader would be Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota. Let him run for the GOP Speaker nomination unopposed and see if he can garner the requisite 217 Republican votes to win on the House floor. If he can, make him Speaker.
If that doesn’t work, here’s where the House should adopt what should be capitalized as The Grand Bargain….
Why Minnesota’s Tom Emmer makes sense for Speaker (Oct. 16): It is baffling to see so many Republicans cave in to pressure to support Ohio’s Jim Jordan for speaker of the House. A far better candidate, Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota, is waiting in the wings. ….Unlike Jordan, Emmer carries neither the baggage of a riot nor the same extremist reputation. Emmer is a team player, an effective coalition builder within the Republican caucus, a trustworthy man of good judgment, and, as far as I can tell, is one of the few top Republicans with no major enemies. …
Why the Jordan-McHenry deal was not wise (Oct. 19): The reported deal to temporarily break the impasse for House Speaker is a terrible idea that wise House Republicans and Democrats alike should reject.
The deal would provide more operating powers to temporary speaker-fill-in Patrick McHenry (R-NC) until January, but it would keep Jim Jordan (R-OH) as speaker-designate as long as he wants until he can call a vote at a time of his choosing to put him formally in charge….
Jordan should drop out of the race (Official Washington Examiner editorial Oct. 20): (This was published about 45 minutes before the Republican Conference voted by a wide majority to withdraw Jordan’s nomination to be Speaker.)
