Help Wanted
Imagine if you saw this ad in the “help wanted” section:
“Wanted—experienced individual to manage team of 220 others. Job includes resolving disputes, working to find creative solutions, finding common ground among those with widely diverse viewpoints, and formulating policy. Must be willing to handle defeat, as your department is only one part of a co-equal pair within this division of the company. Office suite comes with a balcony. Job security depends upon pleasing all members of the team at all times. Salary set by law and is not related to job performance.”
That’s as positive a spin as I can place on the job of the next Speaker of the U.S. House. As I wrote this yesterday afternoon, the latest great plan to elevate the majority whip failed in a stunning four hours from vote of the caucus to withdrawal without a floor vote.
Someone joked on Twitter/X—at least I think it was a joke—that each Republican should rank order the members of the House caucus from most favorite to least favorite…and figure out who scored the highest and give that person the job.
Pretty soon, the list of who has not been considered for Speaker will be shorter than the list of those who have.
I completely respect that people have viewpoints, convictions, and honestly-held ideals. But there also comes a point where the role of the United States on the world stage…and the confidence of the American public…overrides much of that.
No, I don’t have any great ideas. But we elected them to do a job…which includes figuring out how to do it.
