'Thankless' speaker's job may have lost its allure

[Geee]

Washington Examiner:

Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's decision to drop out of the race for House speaker has left Republicans with an unexpected leadership void, one that was created partly by candidates who worry the job will prevent them from ever seeing their families again, and partly by fears that nobody can succeed in the job anymore given today's political realities.

 

"It's a thankless task," Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, a 16-term lawmaker who has served under seven House speakers, told the Washington Examiner. "I have spoken to a significant number of potential candidates who will not even consider running because of the strain it would put on their families."

 

Once the most coveted position in Congress, the role of speaker is now viewed by many lawmakers as an impossible job, thanks to a deeply divided Republican conference that has become increasingly incompatible since 2010, when dozens of conservative lawmakers backed by the Tea Party were first elected to the House. The GOP's most conservative faction helped drive out Speaker John Boehner, who has held the gavel since 2010 and announced he plans to leave as soon as a successor is elected.

 

[Geee]

W. SCOTT LAMB: Florida leader says Dan Webster is the one man who can reform Congress

 

My friend John Stemberger, the head of the Florida Family Policy Council, penned an email this week stating his first-hand knowledge and support of Rep. Dan Webster to be the next speaker of the House.

 

Stemberger makes a strong case for Webster being “the one man who can reform Congress,” and gave us permission to publish his comments here at The Washington Times.

 

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/oct/14/w-scott-lamb-florida-leader-says-dan-webster-is-th/

[Geee]

Returning to regular order: A GOP priority

 

During the past few weeks and recent days, the House Republican Conference has experienced a ripple of change in our congressional leadership, causing us to refocus the future of our party. In assessing a resolution to this situation, the answer is not merely to rearrange the faces of our leadership and expect that our problems will be solved. In fact, the answer is quite the contrary. Because there is a clamor across our nation for strong, conservative leadership, we need a fresh start, not just fresh faces.

 

We need to restore a legislative process where all members are included, where legislative ideas are debated and considered well in advance of deadlines, and where the American public can witness government in deliberation, not deadlock. In other words, we need to exercise what our Founding Fathers gave us: Regular order.

 

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/returning-to-regular-order-a-gop-priority/article/2574137

[Valin]

1. For the life of me, I don't know why anyone would want this thankless job. Not in the political environment.

2. It will take someone who can (to quote Francis Urquhart) "Put A Bit Of Stick About" and make the members like it, by giving them something they want.

3. Talk To Me. This is something John Boehner never got. And that doesn't mean talking to the NY Times, WaPo, CBS. It means going on Rush, or Medved, or Levin for an hour a month and talking to we the great unwashed, answering our questions and telling us the Who What Why.

 

/ramble