Boehner resigns

On Friday, September 25th, John Boehner resigned from his position as Speaker of the House saying "I got plenty of people following me but this turmoil that's been churning now for a couple of months, it's not good for the members and it's not good for the institution." Legislation was having trouble being pushed through. Boehner often found himself relying on Democratic votes, which angered the Republicans, who were frustrated with his stance on issues like Planned Parenthood. Basically, Congress couldn't function with him as Speaker because the conservatives were throwing a fit. Boehner referenced Pope Francis many times and read a prayer from him during his announcement that he was resigning. He said "The Pope puts his arm around me and kind of pulls me to him and says please pray for me. Who am I to pray for the Pope? But I did." The next person who should have the job as speaker won't get it for the same reason that Boehner left it: the conservatives in the house dislike Kevin McCarthy just as much as they disliked John Boehner. Neither of them are strict conservatives and that's why most Republicans favor Paul Ryan. Some people think it is a good thing that he resigned... I think it is a warning sign of the downfall of our government. When half is so completely unwilling to compromise that they would rather not have a leader than not get their way, we have a problem. I don't think this will be solved with the next Speaker of the House, I don't know how this can even be solved. It's catastrophic.

Speaker of the House

1. What does the Constitution have to say about the job of Speaker of the House?

       Article 1, Section 2, Clause 5 says, "The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker and other        Officers..." That is all that the Constitution says about it. 

2. The Constitution has nothing to say about parties – yet parties are the basis for organizing leadership in Congress.  List the leadership roles that exist in each house of Congress – along with a brief description of each job.

     House of Representatives

       Speaker of the House

         the most powerful member of the House of Representatives

         the most influential single legislator in both houses

         always a member of the majority party

         presides over proceedings on the House floor

   influences which bills go to which committees

   influences committee assignments for new members

   appoints the party's other leaders

   rules on questions of parliamentary procedure

      The Majority Leader

         usually the second ranking member of the majority party, is the party leader on the floor

         picked by the Speaker

         helps plan the party's legislative program

         usually a gateway to becoming Speaker of the House

      The Minority Leader

         heads and organizes the minority party

         this person's influence is usually limited

         "If the minority party succeeds in the next congressional election, the minority leader could well be the             next Speaker."

    The Senate

      "the president of the Senate is the VP of the United States, who only can cast a vote in case of a tie. The Vice President rarely sits with the Senate, so a President Pro Tempore is selected to take his place. This role too is largely ceremonial, so the chair is often passed to a junior Senator."

       "The floor leaders are the real leaders in the Senate, although they generally have less power than do leaders in the House. The majority leader is usually the most influential person in the Senate. He has the privilege of beginning debates on legislation, and he usually influences choices for committee assignments. He shares his power with the minority leader, who leads the other party. Usually the two leaders cooperate to some extent, but the leader of the majority party always has the upper hand."

3. What would have to happen for the Speaker of the House to become the President?

      The president and the Vice President would have to die.

4. Who was the longest-serving Speaker in history?

      Samuel Taliaferro "Sam" Rayburn (17 years)

5. Who was the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House?  (Provide dates and party)

      On January 4, 2007, Nancy Pelosi of California became the 1st woman to serve as Speaker of the               House. 

 

6. When did Newt Gingrich serve as Speaker?  For what is he

    famous for leading the republican revolution in the 90's and being forced to resign the speakership because     of an ethics violation. wrote a book called contract for america. wanted to be president. famous as a             political commentator. been unfaithful to all 3 of his wives. 

7. Who just resigned as Speaker of the House?  How long had he been serving as Speaker, and why is he quitting now?  (Find a news article that analyzes this question.)

     John Boehner. He doesn't think that he can take care of the Republicans in Congress. He thinks that him        staying as Speaker will harm the institution. The Republicans are not accepting of him and exhausted              Boehner to his limit. Elected in 2010 and resigned September 2015.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/25/politics/john-boehner-resigning-as-speaker/

8. Who was considered to be a likely successor?  Why is that no longer the case?

     Kevin McCarthy of California. He failed to get enough support because the people who did not support        Boehner do not support McCarthy either. He is not going to run.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/26/us/next-speaker-will-face-the-same-difficulties-with-conservatives.html?_r=0

9. Why do many Republicans in Congress hope Paul Ryan will enter the race for speaker?  What is the latest news on whether or not he is likely to do so?

     They think he would be "the best choice to lead a divided party." He is very conservative and popular.            Ryan has still declined to run for speaker. He wants to be president. 

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/republicans-urge-paul-ryan-jump-speakers-race/story?id=34356559

10. What committee does Paul Ryan currently chair?  What is this committee responsibility?  Visit it’s website to learn about it.

      Committee on Ways and Means."the chief tax-writing committee in the House of Representatives. The Committee derives a large share of its jurisdiction from Article I, Section VII of the U.S. Constitution which declares, “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives.”" 

http://waysandmeans.house.gov/about/

11. What is a congressional committee? How many are there?

     "Committees decide which bills and resolutions move forward to consideration by the House or Senate as a whole. Committee chairmen have enormous influence over this process." There are over 50 committees in congress and more than 100 overall including sub-congress.

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/committees/

12. What are some of the reasons he may choose NOT to take the job?

    No gateway to the presidency.

    Take too much time away from his family. This job description would put him on the road for over 100         days a year raising money for the Republican Party. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/paul-ryan-speaker_56171cfee4b0e66ad4c745b8

13. What would you do if you were in his position?  What would be the best reasons for taking the job?  Or for avoiding it?

      I would do the same thing. Traveling for that much of the year would not be good with his family. It would show respect the government. 

14. The Speaker of the House is an important position – but is it a stepping stone to the White House?  Has a former Speaker ever risen to the presidency? 

      It isn't really a stepping stone, but it could be considered that. James K Polk was a former Speaker who became president.

15. What is a congressional caucus?  How many are there?  How are caucuses different from committees?

     It is a group of members of the United States Congress that meets to pursue common legislative objectives. There are over 100 caucuses. 'Committees basically decide which bills will see the floor, and the chair people of these committees have tremendous influence over the entire legislature. They shape agendas and make crucial decisions about our country’s future. Caucus groups come together under a specific platform, goal or campaign in order to find influence and power in numbers"

http://blog.oneclickpolitics.com/advocacy101-part-1-committee-vs-caucus/

16. What is the House Freedom Caucus?  What role is it playing in the current struggle over leadership? 

    " In recent days, the House Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative House Republicans, has outmaneuvered the House Republican leadership team, and breathed new life into a stagnant GOP."

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/256675-house-freedom-caucus-demonstrates-leadership

 17. What kind of speaker do they want?

      Someone who understands political power, and will put it to work against President Obama

First Quarter Reflection

This quarter in AP Gov, I learned about a lot of the functions of the government. The biggest thing I learned that was new to me was the reach of the government. Our government is way more involved in my daily life than I thought. The influence it has on the world around me is huge. I also learned about the specific roles the sections of government has and how there is a specific system for deciding who manages what, with a lot of overlap. This class has taught me to keep up with current events also. I usually never pay attention to the news because it depresses me, but having required blog posts keeps me in the know and helps me stay up to date with what is going on in the US and abroad. I love the study guides, they really help me plan for studying. I am a very meticulous person and I enjoy doing things like filling out the study guide. Going forward, I expect to be still challenged by forcing myself to stay up to date with current events. Hopefully this will form a habit in the future and I will do it without even thinking.