More than a few people have asked me why Democrats don't find four or more Republicans to join them and elect Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) or someone else as Speaker. To begin with, let's get this out of the way: if some Republicans join with Democrats to elect a Speaker they will demand a Republican (or perhaps, but unlikely, an independent from outside the chamber). Jeffries is not going to be Speaker until January 2025 at the earliest. (I'll be happy to eat my words on this, but I cannot see anyway this will happen.)
There are several reasons why Republicans have not yet, and likely won't, work with Democrats to elect a Speaker (although there is a chance they could support additional powers for McHenry, but that's a very different scenario). First, too many – if not all – Republicans are scared of the extremists who make up most of their base. There are at least two reasons why they are scared: primary challenges and violent threats against them and their families. Both threats are very real. Second, despite talk about “moderate” Republicans in the House conference, the truth is there aren’t any. The Republican conference is very right wing, even after discounting the nihilists like Gaetz and Boebert. A majority of them voted against certifying the 2020 election results. That alone tells you how crazy they are.
When the term “moderate” is used in this context it refers to temperament, not ideology or politics. The “moderate” Republicans in the House want to govern so that they can pass tax cuts for the rich and make abortion illegal nationwide. They have no interest at all in working with Democrats, let alone voting for a Democratic Speaker. What they really want is for the nutters in their own party to stop ruining the show for them. Some of them might be happy to work with Democrats on legislation (those in the “Problem Solvers Caucus” – which hasn’t solved one problem to date, by the way), but they will not cede any power to them.
Third, you may have heard something in the past few days about the “Five Families” in the House GOP conference. There are different groups of Republicans (e.g., the Problem Solvers Caucus referenced above) that occupy different power centers or ideological positions. Some of them really seem to hate each other. And one thing they use against each other is any suspicion that some of them will make a deal with Democrats. So, while sometimes a Republican here and there will discuss options privately with Democrats, when that becomes known to other Republicans it destroys whatever reputation that Republican had in the first place. One sure-fire way to lose support as a Speaker candidate is to suggest a deal with Democrats.
Perhaps the biggest challenge for a bipartisan deal is that not just that no Republican will work with Democrats, but that they do not want Democratic votes – despite all the whining that Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is doing about Democrats not voting for him. This came up last week after the Jordan fiasco when some members on both sides started talking about increased authority for McHenry as acting Speaker pro temp. Inside the conference, Republicans complained that any deal they make with Democrats will end up being supported by more Democrats than Republicans. This would demonstrate that the balance of power resides with Democrats, not Republicans. The optics of that are a bridge too far for most Republicans in the House.
There we stand. If you want a party in power that is incapable of governing, vote Republican. If you want government with real grown-up humans who are working on your behalf, vote Democratic. We are almost exactly one year out from the next federal election. Start organizing!