The American people deserve better

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was elected House Speaker on the 15th vote for the position late last week. The good news is that the 118th Congress can open, with new members sworn in and oriented into their roles. The not-so-good news is the price paid by McCarthy and the Republican Party to gain the necessary votes for him to win the Speakership. 

What began as 21 Republican holdouts eventually trickled down to six. It took a surfeit of concessions to coax these people to vote “present” rather than for another person, effectively making it easier for McCarthy’s 216 votes to be a majority by lowering the threshold. If all 434 members had voted for a person, the threshold would have been 218.

This narrative can be traced back to Election Day, Nov. 8, 2022. There were 15 House seats that were won by a margin of less than 2 percent, with Republicans winning nine of them. A few thousand flipped votes in any of these districts would have produced a different outcome, and a different Speaker election. 

The dysfunction on display during the House Speaker voting spectacle is symptomatic of everything that is wrong with how our government operates. It demonstrated how extremist factions control the mainstream centrist majority, forcing concessions that weaken our democracy.

What are some lessons that can be learned from the past week? 

First, we no longer have two political parties. The Republican Party extremes are so far apart that they are a single entity in name only. The same can be said about the extreme progressive wing of the Democrat Party. Unfortunately for the Republicans, their dysfunction was on full display during the House Speaker election. This will certainly play a role in the 2024 House elections, with Democratic candidates reminding voters of what transpired to elect the House Speaker. 

Democrats stayed united behind Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) throughout the process. Of course, this was easy to do with Republicans exhibiting self-destructive behavior with each ensuing ballot. 

Second, what it took to gain the House Speakership weakens the position and makes McCarthy’s hold on power tenuous. Although a Speaker has never been replaced (John Boehner resigned in 2015 due to schisms within the Republican Party), McCarthy is poised to be the first, given that a Speaker can be removed at the will of the House — a process that can now be set in motion by just one lawmaker.   

Concessions are part of compromise. What is most disturbing is when a single person is offering concessions for what appears to be their own personal gain. 

There are conservative Democrats, known as the Blue Dog Coalition, who may embrace some core Republican values more so than the 21 holdouts. Party loyalty should inform votes, but not dictate them. The top priority should always be the best interests of the American people and our democracy. Compromising with these conservative Democrats to form a coalition and gain their support would have been a more attractive option.

Alternatively, a few left-leaning Republicans could have voted for Jeffries and given him the Speakership. Any such scenario would have been more desirable for the long-term well-being of this Congress. It would have also set a healthier precedent for future compromise based on principles rather than personalities.

Of course, such crossing-the-aisle efforts can never occur in the current environment. For a member of one party to help the other party succeed would be considered traitorous, even if it were good for the country. 

Third, with a split government in place for the next two years, the need for trust is unprecedented. With what it took to elect a House Speaker, typically a rather perfunctory process in recent history, does this foretell of more conflict and infighting within the Republican Party?

The 21 holdouts were not supportive of McCarthy, and most likely remain that way. This places undue pressure on McCarthy and the entire Republican leadership to kowtow to this group. Some of these holdouts will invariably be placed in leadership roles on committees, likely creating chaos when there is a need for calm. The full ramifications and consequences of this situation will unfold in the coming months. 

Simply put, the biggest losers when there are internal party conflicts are the American people. Electing a Speaker took far more energy and political capital than was appropriate and necessary. 

The American people deserve better.

Sheldon H. Jacobson, Ph.D., is a professor in computer science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. A data scientist and operations researcher, he applies his expertise in data-driven risk-based decision-making to evaluate and inform public policy.