‘Democrats and Republicans are playing games’: Calls for composure after speaker election chaos
Christy Matino
Video Embed
The last time a House speaker didn’t win election on the first ballot was in 1923 — until this year, when it took five days and 15 votes for Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to win the role.
McCarthy was named speaker with only a 10-vote majority. The chaos left people with varying opinions, some with new concerns and questions about what the future of the House may look like going forward.
MCCARTHY ELECTED HOUSE SPEAKER FOLLOWING HIGH-DRAMA FLOOR FIGHT
Now, almost a week after McCarthy has been elected, how are Washingtonians feeling? What, if any, concerns or questions do they have? The Washington Examiner headed to Georgetown to find out.
“I don’t think this has anything to do with people’s rights,” Washington resident Samuel Wimbley said. “[The government is] not interested in that. Both the Democrats and Republicans are both playing games with us.”
It’s a sentiment that echoed among many people who feel as though Congress needs to unify in order to serve the public’s best interest.
Some said that despite the disagreement in the party when it comes to electing a House speaker, they are confident legislation will still get passed.
“These Republicans know they have a mandate from the American people, and if they don’t do it, we will just go straight back to Democrat rule,” Alex Dean said.
Others are not as confident in the House’s ability to come together.
“Republicans will probably have a pretty difficult time getting anything done for the rest of this Congress, given it took them 15 votes to get a speaker,” Morgan Rushforth said.
When asked what people would hope to see from Congress, the answers focused mainly on key issues during the midterm elections.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Getting the budget in order, spending on defense, securing the border. … That’s what’s important,” Dean said. As for Wimbley, he would like to see an overhaul in terms of who holds those congressional seats.
“I would like to see everybody who’s in there get out and get a job. Let’s get some new people in there,” Wimbley said.