Steve Scalise, a legislator from Louisiana, is the one chosen by the Republican group in the Lower House as the nominee for the position of president of the institution, vacant since last week when Kevin McCarthy suffered the embarrassment of being the first to be removed from that position in the history of the country due to the rebellion of eight extremist conservatives from the same party.
The result of the secret and closed-door vote among the Republicans does not guarantee that the gap will be filled this Thursday, a day in which the vote could be taken to the plenary session at the earliest. The result is uncertain due to the bitter internal fight. There were legislators who expressed hope in the resolution of the conflict. In this sense, Jim Jordan, the defeated, offered to speak in favor of voting for Scalise, but there were no shortage of skeptics and those who took a position against, which is why the vote scheduled for this Wednesday was postponed.
There is a sense of urgency about the events in the Middle East that have occurred since McCarthy's firing. In this case, the conservatives are totally focused on financing Israel in its military effort, in contrast to what is happening with Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invader. To help the Israeli executive, the House needs to have a president in order to operate.
Scalise defeated Jordan, the candidate supported by Donald Trump and other external figures in the 'Trumpist' orbit, by 113 to 99. However, we must see how some of Jordan's and even McCarthy's supporters react, willing to insist on this option. Scalise, who until now is the head of the Republican majority, needs 217 votes in the plenary session. He can only afford to lose four votes from his group because Democrats (212 in total) plan to unanimously support their leader, Hakeem Jeffries.
This will be the second time this year that the conservatives make the procedures to assign the position of 'speaker', the third rank of power in the United States. Last January they elected McCarthy and that vote demonstrated the disconnect in the party. He needed fifteen votes before winning the gavel.
Scalise, a Trumpist but less so than Jordan, showed his confidence that his candidacy could pass without the complications of his predecessor, partly due to international tension, although he assumed a great risk. He did not respond to the question about whether he had the necessary supports. “The world is very dangerous and we have to send the message that the House is open and working,” he declared after winning the nomination. On his lapel he wore a badge with the flags of the United States and Israel.
He maintained that the first thing he will do, if he obtains the position, will be to approve a resolution to assist Israel. Among his challenges for American citizens he established the fight against inflation, the price of energy and “securing” the border with Mexico against the entry of undocumented immigrants. In those first words he made no reference to a possible financial closure of the government, which will occur if there is no agreement by the deadline of November 17. And, of course, as an ultra-conservative, he did not allude to Ukraine. That's not a priority.
