Speaker Of The House Could Make Me Very Ill

A couple of weeks ago, a moderate House Republican indicated that he and his ilk might be willing to work with House Democrats on the problem of the House Speaker:

Moderate GOP Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska told NBC News on Monday night that if the GOP Conference can’t agree on electing McCarthy or any other Republican as speaker on the House floor, then he would be willing to work with Democrats to elect a moderate Republican for the top post.

“I will support Kevin McCarthy, but if we do get to that point, I do want the country to work and we need to govern. We can’t sit neutral; we can’t have total gridlock for two years,” Bacon said in an interview just off the House floor.

Pressed again that he would team up with Democrats, Bacon replied: “Yes, but that’s assuming we can’t get to 218 beforehand.” However, he added that a Speaker Liz Cheney “will never happen.” [NBC News]

And the chatter continues.

Yes, it’s a turkey of a thought.

The mention of Cheney is important, not for it being Cheney, but for an implication of Bacon’s statement: the Speaker of the House need not be a member of the House.

If my reader was unaware, then I wonder if their mind went where my mind has gone, to an unsettling, even vertiginous thought.

Of.

Speaker of the House Donald Trump.

There. I said it. Properly horrified? Keep in mind that if President Biden dies, VP Kamala Harris moves up to his slot and nominates a replacement for herself. But if Harris is disabled or dead when Biden became disabled or dead, then we have a situation right out of Bananas-land:

A President Trump. Again.

That’s right, the Speaker is next in line after the Vice-President. I leave the political machinations necessary for this to occur to my readers’ fevered imagination.

And the thought that Senator McConnell (R-KY) could have easily lead the Senate GOP to convict the former President of multiple transgressions, and would thus be kicking himself for allowing the politician he hates the most to become President again, would be hollow consolation indeed.

I can only hope there’s enough brave GOPers to disconfirm such a nomination, if it were to occur.