Opinions expressed in the Op/Ed section of The Knight Crier are not necessarily reflective of the views of the entire staff of the KC.
As Jim Jordan failed to secure speakership for the third time on Friday, Republicans have been scrambling to find a new speaker nominee. In the chaos, their failure of leadership is unveiled. Republicans need to find a moderate candidate to fix their leadership immediately.
Since the January 6th event, the Republican party has been in a downward spiral. Conservative viewpoints now appear more polarized than ever before and the villainization of Trump didn’t help. Republicans are split on whether Trump should even be their presidential nominee.
This schism in the Republican party carries over to the house where just three weeks ago, Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) filed a motion to vacillate speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) where 8 ultra-conservative Republicans voted with the Democrat Party to oust McCarthy. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C) was placed as pro tempore and banged the gravel for an eight-day recess for the house.
In a time where we face two ongoing global conflicts and tight tensions with China, the one thing we want at home is stability, but the ultra-conservative wing of the Republican party has made it clear that it’s the last thing we’ll see.
Actions like this have led to the failure of leadership in the House. If Republicans want any work done, it’s time they stop blaming the Democrats and work together to nominate a moderate conservative. Democrats haven’t shut down the idea of supporting Patrick McHenry, a moderate Republican, for the speakership.
There is no perfect speaker, there is no perfect person — Rep. Ralph Norman
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the Democratic candidate for speaker, called Friday for moderate Republicans to abandon Jordan and work on a bipartisan solution to end the impasse. But we know that the 8 ultra-conservatives will shut down any attempt to make this happen.
When opportunities arise but are put aside for an agenda, it results in a stalemate.
Republicans and Democrats alike must find a candidate that can represent both parties in the House. It’s time agendas are put aside for once, and finding solutions is prioritized once more. As the second shutdown deadline of November 17th approaches rapidly, it falls to the Republicans to choose a speaker that will get passed and lead a bipartisan house.
“There is no perfect speaker, there is no perfect person,” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) said before Monday’s forum.