Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
The decision Tuesday by the badly divided and dysfunctional Republican majority in the House of Representatives to nominate Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota to become speaker sets the stage for another attempt to end the unprecedented gridlock that has paralyzed the chamber.
The Republican civil war that has left the House without a speaker for three weeks is a national disgrace and an international embarrassment. House Republicans have shown themselves to be more interested in fighting with each other than fighting to build better lives for the American people. They were elected to govern – not to attack each other in a circular firing squad.
Emmer, 62, is the House majority whip – the third-ranking Republican in the chamber. First elected to the House in 2014, he is the former chairman of the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee, which works to elect Republicans to the House.
Emmer was endorsed by recently-deposed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, (R-Calif.), but opposed by former Republican President Donald Trump.
Trump supporters circulated a 216-page document criticizing Emmer for a long list of his past actions, including his refusal to vote to overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory, his failure to endorse Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and his support for same-sex marriage.
The Republican internal feud has left the House unable to vote on anything except the selection of a new speaker. This includes passing a federal budget to avert a partial government shutdown on Nov. 17, as well as approving badly needed assistance to Israel and Ukraine to defend themselves in their wars.
Seven men sought the nomination for speaker in a closed-door meeting of House Republicans. Two additional candidates dropped…
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