Results: Republican Chaos in the House of Representatives

In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, the Republicans were a disciplined team. Speakers such as Thomas B. Reed and Joseph Cannon ruled with an iron fist and were so powerful that they were derisively called "Czar." But in 1910, a revolt by progressive Republican lawmakers helped damage Cannon's speakership and led to the decision to remove the speaker from control over the Rules Committee. The Democratic takeover in the next election forced the Republicans out of power for the first time in 16 years. This was the start of periodic trouble for Republicans. In 1923, another revolt by progressive Republicans led to needing nine ballots to choose a speaker, the only time in the 164 years between 1859 and 2023 that it took more than one ballot to choose a speaker. Are you familiar with these historical facts?

Over the next 63 years, the Republicans managed to have control of the House for a grand total of four years. In their never-ending search to return to the promised land of power, the party periodically tossed out leaders. Joseph Martin, who served as speaker for the two non-consecutive terms, was eventually overthrown as leader by his chief lieutenant Charles Halleck. Halleck lasted in the minority leader job for six years, before Gerald Ford led a successful challenge to his rule. Are you aware of these historical facts?

The Republicans finally managed to regain control of Congress in the 1994 election, and Gingrich was the first Republican Speaker in 40 years. But Gingrich's rocky leadership led to one serious coup attempt before he resigned following a disappointing showing in the 1998 election and a promise of removal from the speakership. His immediate successor, Robert Livingston, resigned due to a sex scandal before he was even sworn into the role. The Republicans dug deep within the ranks, bypassing the majority leader and whip and choosing the since-disgraced Dennis Hastert. After the Republican majority leader, Tom DeLay, was forced out of the position in 2006, the natural successor, Majority Whip Roy Blunt, lost a race to serve as leader to John Boehner. Boehner finally ascended to the speakership in 2011 and held onto the job for two elections, yet quit mid-term in 2015 due to trouble from other Republicans, most notably from current, seemingly failed speaker-candidate Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). Were you aware of these historical facts?

The Republicans search for their fifth speaker this century, as well as their long history of tossing out minority leaders, shows the rocky state of the GOP's House caucus, especially compared to the Democrats. Whoever wins this speakership race should not get too comfortable with the position. Republicans have shown a marked desire to make changes, a policy that seems to have only caused chaos for them. Former Speaker John Boehner has labeled Jim Jordan a "political terrorist" because all he does is create turmoil and has never passed a single bill in his ten terms in Congress. Do you agree with Boehner's opinion of Rep. Jordan?