US Congress paralyzed by latest election embarrassment

Historic electoral breakdowns in the United States continue to multiply: For the first time in 100 years Congress has failed to immediately elect a Speaker for the House of Representatives, which is the nation’s number 3 post, following the vice-president.

After two days and more than a handful of votes, a group of around 20 so-called “Trumpist” lawmakers continue to reject the mainstream Republican Kevin McCarthy. An irony is that Donald Trump urged Republicans to unite behind McCarthy, a reflection of the deep divisions in a politically-reconfigured nation.

The failure to choose a Speaker reduces Congress to a total standstill, with legislation impossible. The only legal solution is for someone to finally win a majority - in 1855 that took 2 months and 133 rounds of voting.

The Republican “Red Wave” of 2022 only produced such a narrow midterm victory that even a small group of their lawmakers can exert a huge amount of influence. The hard-line stance of the dissenting Republicans is actually what many Democrat supporters expected out of the so-called “Squad” of alleged progressives after their party’s even narrower “Blue Wave” win in 2020.

The caucus of dissenters is often described as “far-right”, while others note that their nominee for Speaker is an African-American and that their demands include more transparency in legislation and less power for Congressional leaders.

Many expected a divided Congress would produce squabbling and political stagnation, but perhaps not this quickly. The dysfunction at the federal level continues to embarrass - and possibly discredit - democracy with American characteristics.

ME