Dick Cheney For Speaker?

by JASmius



Sure, what the hell, why not?:

If House representatives decide to bring an outsider in to replace outgoing Speaker John Boehner, Senator Tom Cotton says he has the perfect candidate: former Vice President Dick Cheney.

"Look, these are trying times for our nation," the Arkansas Republican told Politico for its Huddle newsletter. "It's important to have a steady hand on the helm during times like this."

Further, Cotton said that he thinks experience "really counts in a matter like this. I think House leadership experience really matters. And as you know the Speaker doesn't have to be a member of the House: So therefore, Vice President Cheney for Speaker.”

Here's what I've learned from this clusterfark so far: Nothing more effectively makes me lose interest in who the next House Speaker is going to be than Tea Partiers making it impossible to select one.  So, again, why not Big Time?

On the plus side, he does have House experience, including as GOP whip, plus his time as Secretary of Defense and veep; the Left hates his guts reflexively; and a Tea Party senator is recommending him.

On the down side, Cheney is a member of the Republican "establishment," is "big business-friendly" (Halliburton, remember?) and had already endorsed Kevin McCarthy for the Big Gavel.  Any one of those factors would make him the devil to the House TPers; all three of them combined?  They'd probably accept keeping John Boehner first.

The only issue I would have with that choice is that bringing in somebody from outside the House to just sit in that chair and twiddle his/her thumbs all day would itself be the biggest and most egregious manifestation of GOP "Failure Theater" yet.  True, the Speaker isn't required to come from the House membership, but it's supposed to.  And what does it communicate about the House majority that they cannot even chose their caucus leader without outside - even Democrat - help?

I would say just elevate Paul Ryan by unanimous acclimation except that that is the only circumstance under which the Ways & Means Committee Chairman will accept the job, and Tea Partiers will never give it to him.

And so, here we are: the so-called House "Freedom" Caucus won't accept anybody but one of their own as Speaker, but Daniel Webster will never, ever get 218 votes, and their fratricidal obstructionism guarantees that nobody else can get to 218 votes either - without Democrat votes.  And if you were Nancy Pelosi, would you supply them?  Or would you let the House GOP sit there, floundering, helpless, and leaderless?

How that's advancing the Tea Party legislative agenda is anybody's guess, but I'm sure TPers will come up with something.