How About Justin Amash for Speaker?
A week ago, The Week ran a piece titled: This 35-year-old Republican congressman could revolutionize the House. He should be speaker. The congressman in question is Patterico favorite Justin Amash. The author offers (and elaborates on) five reasons, which I will cite in bare bones form, and refer you to the piece itself for the meat:
1. Amash is a stickler for House rules who has never missed a vote.
2. Amash personally explains every vote he casts on his Facebook page.
3. He’d make time for lawmakers to actually read the bills they pass.
4. Amash represents a new generation of Republicans — literally.
5. John Boehner does not like him.
Amash had an op-ed about Boehner this past Sunday that is worth reading in full. Quotable:
Speaker Boehner and other Republican leaders have repeatedly favored a “govern by crisis” approach that abandons the regular order of the House. Despite having months to act before legislative deadlines, leaders routinely wait until the last moment to plot a course of action, publicly concede in advance major negotiating points, insist that Republicans have no alternatives, refuse to allow amendments and then criticize colleagues for not voting to avert the crisis leadership caused.
This approach produces constant frustration among representatives in both parties and promotes the partisan finger-pointing that angers Americans at home. Instead of making bipartisan compromises to address long-term issues, Congress constructs desperate, last-minute political deals to obtain the requisite votes simply to clear the immediate impasse.
We could do a lot worse than someone with this sort of clarity.
P.S. Why are you not following me on the Facebook? Fix that now.