The Second Rule of Politics: The Single Most Important Vote

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Ca., gave her “farewell” speech a few days ago. Then she handed Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, a huge new gavel. Pelosi’s symbolic gesture of handing over the reins of power is an incredibly important civics lesson.

You see, Pelosi never gave Boehner the gavel. Boehner earned the gavel by convincing the new GOP House Caucus to vote for him as Speaker. That singular vote is the most important vote the GOP members will take during the 112^th Congress (barring replacement of Boehner at some later date).

By electing Boehner, the voters that elected the GOP House majority created an entirely new governing structure. The Speaker, you see, is responsible to decide which committees will be created or allowed to continue, who will serve as chairs of those committees, and which members will serve on them. Sure, it is true that seniority plays a significant rule in choosing chairs and committee members, but the real power rests in the Speaker’s office.

Nancy Pelosi demonstrated the Speaker’s power by breaking enough Democrat arms to pass the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Using her power, she convinced dozens of Democrats to throw away their political careers and vote against their constituents. Don’t lose the lesson here: The House Speaker is more powerful than the constituents that send members to Congress.

How John Boehner uses his power as Speaker will be seen. I expect it to be more benevolent than Pelosi’s, but when the Speaker needs votes, he will get them.

The single most important vote, then, is the vote for Speaker of the House. In the U.S. Senate, it is for the Majority Leader. This will become more evident as the 112^th Congress gets about doing its business. The contrast between Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the Senate Majority Leader, and Speaker Boehner will become evident quite quickly. Reid will be the obstructionist, running interference for President Obama. Reid has the power, albeit not to the same extent as Boehner, to stop good things from happening.

The Second Rule of Politics is, the single most important vote a member of the House or Senate takes is for their senior leader. And the second part of that formula is the party that holds the majority elects the leader.

Cong. Colin Peterson, D-MN, is viewed by many as a Blue Dog Democrat, willing to buck Speaker Pelosi and vote more like a Republican whenever principle demands it. Two things are wrong with this formulation: First, Peterson voted for Pelosi as Speaker. His own convictions, with this vote, took second place. Second, Peterson voted with Pelosi 92 percent of the time, and why not? She was his leader.

Next time you find yourself thinking or saying, “Well, all those other Congressmen are liberal but my Member is more like me,” remember this: The single most important vote your member will take is for the Speaker of the House, or the Senate Majority Leader. This is precisely why you must vote for the opponent of even the most benign, conservative Democratic Congressman or U.S. Senator. Vote wrong, and you lose it all.

Be sure to go to freemarkethealthcare.com and download the "Myths and Misconceptions" piece.