13 October 2023

Deepening Crisis for Representative Democracy

Because of all this chaos, some frustrated House GOP establishment figures are now floating the unthinkable: asking Democrats for help. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has said he’d be open to finding “a bipartisan path forward” to “reopen the House,” but most Republicans would be deeply reluctant to go there unless they conclude there’s no other choice.

Steve Scalise quits speaker race after humiliating 24 hours

And Jim Jordan is waiting in the wings.

By Andrew Prokopandrew@vox.com Updated Oct 12, 2023, 8:18pm EDT

The vote to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy last week was another clear indicator that the House of Representatives is becoming something un-American. It’s not that the vote inherently undermined national security, nor did it somehow betray the fundamental values that have underpinned the US political system for nearly 250 years. Instead, it was a stranger turn. . .