It’s been almost two weeks since a petty revolt among Republicans led to the first successful vote to overthrow a speaker of the House. Since the removal of Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., the House GOP has been running around in circles trying to find someone — anyone — who can garner enough support to take up the gavel. One nominee, Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, has already bowed out for lack of consensus.
It began more or less in line with the British version of the gig, simply managing the flow of debate among peers and staying aloof from the actual back-and-forth between members. As the party system took root, the speakership became the prize to be claimed by the head of the party in the majority at the beginning of each Congress.