The search for a new Speaker of the House echoes the Republican presidential primary. The Republicans are a party desperate to please their constituents without a clear leader to get the job done.
While the presidential candidates fight on, the House Republicans’ best hope represents Ohio’s 4th District.Congressman Jim Jordan has momentum. Other candidates lack the tenacity to make major policy changes to the House, and Jordan would better respond to the demands of Republican voters.
Jordan may be from the Buckeye State, but he shares little else with current Speaker John Boehner. He is a principled conservative who is well-established as anti-establishment and chairs the House Freedom Caucus, the coalition of 40 conservatives responsible for dethroning John Boehner.
House conservatives should use this opportunity to capitalize on the momentum they gained in the past month. They have forced the iron gavel from Boehner’s hand and have dashed House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) hopes for the office. Jordan, a principled and strategically-minded leader, has effectively challenged the party establishment and won. As other candidates are worried about securing the Freedom Caucus’ support, Jordan should channel his influence into running himself instead of endorsing other candidates.
As the national media holds its breath for Rep. Paul Ryan to enter the race, none of the current candidates seem to promise changes to the House that will be satisfactory to Republican voters, who gave Boehner a 21 percent approval
rating according to Public Policy Polling earlier this month.
Daniel Webster, who looks to be the frontrunner, is as underwhelming as his namesake was great. While he is less right-leaning than the Caucus, he has secured their endorsement by promising to decentralize power, which would allow conservatives to participate more in House procedure than they could under Boehner. Webster as speaker would be an improvement, but it is unlikely he would undertake serious immigration reform or address President Obama’s new pet project, Planned Parenthood funding.
By successfully pulling the Speaker’s chair out from under Boehner, conservatives have made room for reforms, but only if someone like Jordan leads the way. The Tea Party movement sent many members of the Freedom Caucus to Washington, D.C. with the hopes they would help repeal Obamacare, reduce spending, and fix our immigration system. Unfortunately, many of these efforts have been thwarted by Republican party leadership.
If conservatives want to bring about real change in Congress, they must lead it. It will not be enough to just decentralize power in the House. While conservative members will not have to fear being kicked off committees anymore, they should not expect to get their policies passed without one of their own at the helm. Regular order in the House under Speaker Ryan or Webster would most likely still give in to the White House, just in a more democratic fashion. House conservatives must prove they are serious about promoting the policy changes they profess. If Jordan enters the race instead of settling for another Speaker who is marginally friendlier than Boehner, they have a chance to prove that seriousness.
Unfortunately, it seems unlikely Jordan will enter the ring. Nevertheless, these are uncharted political waters. Trump’s continued success in the polls, Boehner’s fall, and McCarthy’s withdrawal are all departures from the norm. The unexpected pass of the Speaker’s gavel from one Buckeye to another could make conservative upsets a new normal.