New job for the Big Dawg!!!!!

[Perky]

WHo the hell is Denny Hastert anyway? He sure is no Tip Oneal. I've never seen a more marginalized House Speaker. It's high time the Speaker of the House be elevated to the stature the position requires.

What if Bill Clinton was to "run" for Speaker of the House?


Yes I know the House selects its own Speaker...but lets think this through.

Bill is actually living in a Moderate Republican District. He could run and win the seat outright by running a national congressional campaign to restore fiscal sanity to Washington or he could run on Kitchen Table issues of Health care and Education. I see the campaign not unlike the "contract for America" the repugs took the House with in 1994. Can't think of a better person to lead that fight. Pelosi? Oh please!!

WHat I am suggesting here is that Bill Clinton run a campaign not unlike that of a Prime Minister. Very few people actually vot for the PM but he is the Party Candidate for PM so you vote for your COngressman which is a defacto vote for the that Party's PM. Same deal here.

But he really does not have to run for a seat you do not have to be a Rep to be Speaker. He would simplty be skipped over in Presidential succession.

His coatails would be tremendous particualry in moderate districts that might be up for grabs. This certainly would not hurt the Dem Presidential nominee.

The challenge here is that the sheer force of his personlity might tend to overshadow the nominee..... but think of this as an electoral flanking manuever.

If you want some level of differnentiation or political distance from the nominee maybe He runs without the Dem Label as an independent.. or maybe he runs as a the titular head of the DLC. The point is that he does not have to be associated with the ticket in any official sense.

I think the ramifications of such a bold move would be nothing short of changing not only the political landscape but effectively codifying the distinction between our two congressional parties and our two presidential parties.

[hlthe2b]

1. UMM, he'd have to be elected first, then Dems take majority....

Just a refresher:
The Speaker of the House of Representatives is one of but three legislative positions explicitly set forth in the Constitution. The Speaker is elected by Members of the House, making him the elect of the elect." The Speaker is the only leadership position in either chamber filled by a vote of the membership." -- Office of the Clerk US Congress

[ArkDem]

2. Your understanding of our representative system of government

is astounding.