Six ballots. About 3000 names read aloud. Two election days. And yet the US House of Representatives still has no new leader. The political chaos in the United States is perfect. The Republicans, actually winners of last year’s general election, seem to be tearing each other apart.
That it takes more than one round of voting is historic. In the last 100 years, the election of the speaker was considered a formality and approved on the first ballot. Until now. Favorite for the role as majority leader is Kevin McCarthy (57). But 20 MPs from the right-wing Republican wing refuse to support him. McCarthy can only allow four deviations.
Blick shows who the deviants are and what role Donald Trump (76) plays in the chaos.
Who are the hardliners?
Research by the “New York Times” shows that the dissidents are far-right politicians. Some of them have also attracted attention with conspiracy theories in the past. Politicians are so right-wing that during Donald Trump’s term some refused to support his laws because they felt they weren’t radical enough.
Among the radical politicians is Lauren Boebert (36). The Colorado MP is known as a gun fanatic. In Advent 2021 she posed with her children in front of the Christmas tree. All four children had heavy weapons in their hands.
Another familiar face is Matt Gaetz (40). He is also known for his provocations. During the investigation into Trump after the storming of the Capitol, he and other Republicans stormed a meeting of the investigative committee.
The man from Florida also questioned the corona measures of the US government. He also showed it openly. At the start of the pandemic, he appeared in parliament wearing a gas mask.
The ‘Freedom Caucus’, as the right-wing Republican faction calls itself, is led by Scott Perry (60). The Pennsylvania MP wrote for Tuesday’s first round of voting that he was “determined to change the status quo, no matter how many rounds of voting are needed.” On Wednesday, he spoke again about a failure of the US Congress. “The Americans are fed up.”
Perry herself is no stranger. According to the “FAZ”, his name appeared 22 times in the final report on the storming of the Capitol. Together with Trump, he tried to reverse the result of the 2020 election. Like Trump, Perry was adamant that the presidential election was rigged.
What role does Donald Trump play?
Surprisingly, many of the rebellious Republicans are staunch supporters of Donald Trump. In the past, they supported the ex-president and publicly defended him, for example during debates on American television channels. This is remarkable because Trump himself is actually standing up for Kevin McCarthy as the new spokesman and recommending him for election.
An analysis of “Spiegel” now shows: The right-wing, radical part of the Trump movement has apparently become independent. While MPs remain Trump fans, they do not want an established politician to speak.
Younger MPs like Boebert and Gaetz would try to present themselves as “anti-establishment politicians”. With maximum resistance to “the broken Washington”, the politicians try to gain sympathy points from the population. This also includes a battle against veteran politicians – such as Kevin McCarthy. He has been part of the Republican leadership team since 2009.
Trump, once an “anti-establishment politician” himself, is trying to get the dissenters back on track and vote for McCarthy. But there is no success. That also raises questions. About how much power Trump still has with these renegade Republicans. The fact that the 20 hardliners have so far not been intimidated by him suggests that they no longer expect Trump to make a political comeback. Ironically, Trump’s hardliners could ensure their hero’s end.
What are the Democrats saying?
A solution does not seem in sight. Despite political deals and concessions, a majority of the 20 MPs do not want to vote for the Californian. It is a Republican debacle that continues at 6 p.m. Swiss time on Thursday. The Democrats are enjoying the debacle of their counterpart. In recent days, several MPs have appeared in the House of Representatives with popcorn – a cynical allusion to the cinematic entertainment of the Republican opposition.
Democratic MP Sara Jacobs, 33, posted a photo with a baby and said, “Today it feels like little kids are running the house.”
One thing is clear: until a new speaker is found, nothing will happen in the House of Representatives. No laws can be passed and no debates can be had. Congressman Matt Glassman pointed out that at this point, at least officially, not even rules of conduct can be enforced. Theoretically, MPs could appear in T-shirts and slippers.
It is unclear how long the power struggle between the parties in the US will last. The longest speaker elections to date date from the years 1855 and 1856. At that time, it took 133 votes over a two-month period before a new majority leader could be determined.