Thursday, July 14, 2011
Why Do House Republicans Need A Majority Leader?
One of the questions that keeps popping up in my head as the debt limit debate grinds on is why Republicans need three noses in the tent (McConnell, Boehner, and Cantor) when there are only two bodies of Congress? Don't get me wrong--I'm not here to rant against the tactics of Eric Cantor. But presumably, the Speaker of the House--who does not preside over the body ordinarily, who does not routinely even vote on legislation, and who generally does not serve on any committee--has both the time AND the mandate to "lead" the majority in the House. Clausewitz gave us "unity of command" for a reason...we should heed his prescription.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 comment:
Personally, I don't think Congress should be divided into "majority" and "minority" parties at all. What does it say about all the Libertarians and registered Independents in the House and Senate? Do they get their own "Leadership"? Of course not. So why should Republicans and Democrats?
But as touching the Speaker, he speaks for the whole House, not one party or the other. His position is voted on by the entire House of Representatives, unlike the Maj. and Min. Leaders, who are only voted by members of their own parties. He may be de facto Republican leadership, but officially, he isn't, and that makes a big difference.
Post a Comment