Jamie Raskin/Don Beyer: The simple way to save the House from MAGA's grip

[marmar]

The simple way to save the House from MAGA’s grip
Ranked-choice voting incentivizes leaders to govern responsibly and makes our elections more democratic.

Sept. 30, 2023, 6:00 AM EDT
By Rep. Jamie Raskin and Rep. Don Beyer


(MSNBC) If he ever had it in the first place, Speaker Kevin McCarthy has lost control of the House of Representatives. For weeks, he has been unable to pass procedural legislation designed to keep the government open, much less move our annual bipartisan spending bills. This impasse has created the serious prospect of the first government shutdown since 2019. Despite the shockingly reckless conduct of the empowered MAGA faction, we are not surprised at McCarthy’s chronic inability to govern, after he embarrassingly failed not once but 14 times to win the speaker’s gavel at the beginning of this Congress.

McCarthy’s electoral humiliation in January unfolded when a group of extremist pro-Trump Republicans refused to vote for him. Working with a thin four-vote majority after House Republicans underperformed in the 2022 midterms, McCarthy paid the political ransom demanded by these "rule-or-ruin" holdouts in the GOP Conference to win a majority of the vote. This tiny sect of Trump loyalists has used its stranglehold over the speaker to extort the country through an unnecessary debt ceiling fight in the spring and launch a ludicrous impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.

There is a far better way to choose the speaker (and other key House leaders) than a series of simple majority ballots that can easily lead to capitulation to extremists. The alternative is ranked-choice voting, which enables an instant runoff and certifies the winner who has the widest and deepest support.

....(snip)....

Most of the 20 members who shook down McCarthy and caused the chaos in January represent some of the most skewed and lopsided districts in the nation. Almost all of them owe their seats to some combination of partisan redistricting and low-turnout primary elections that place extreme fringe candidates in uncompetitive general elections they can’t lose. This undemocratic process creates the gridlock that is keeping us from funding our government and is threatening public services and the livelihood of our federal employees. Ranked-choice voting would go a long way toward fixing the problem. ..............(more)

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/kevin-mccarthy-house-government-shutdown-raskin-beyer-rcna117861

[mopinko]

1. perfectly true, but mostly

we just dont have a true democracy. i’d rather we removed the impediments to true majority rule like the fucking electoral college.

[crud]

2. I think that is great idea!

[Lonestarblue]

3. I think we should eliminate primaries for congressional elections.

Ranked-choice voting would involve many more voters than the few partisans who turn out for primaries. Unfortunately, Republicans want the crazies to win so they will never go for this.

[rubbersole]

4. Same for the filibuster...