News from the Votemaster

Recent Speakers and Why They Stopped Being Speaker

As Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) contemplates whether to accept the job of Speaker of the House, a position many of his Republican colleagues are trying to cajole him into, he has to look at many factors, personal and political, both short and long term. Personally, he doesn't want the job. He has a young family and as chairman of the Ways and Means committee, he doesn't have to travel much and can have a normal family life. As Speaker, he would be expected to be on the road all the time eating rubber chicken and raising money.

But that aside, he has to consider whether being Speaker would get him closer to his ultimate goal—being President of the United States. The only Speaker to become President was James K. Polk, who ran the House in an orderly way, quite different from earlier (and recent) Speakers: he refused duels, even when his opponents insulted him. Still, the only way the gentlemanly Polk could go from Speaker to President was to first resign from Congress and get elected governor of Tennessee. No sitting Speaker has ever been elected President.

In the past, Speakers first served for decades in the House, slowly climbing the ranks, eventually becoming Speaker after many terms in the House. Early Speakers served many years and then retired from Congress with great honor. More recently, Speakers have ended their careers in less honorable ways. Below is a list of the past 10 Speakers and how it ended for them.

Note: Rayburn served two earlier periods before his final period as Speaker starting 1955. (V)

Half the Campaign Money Comes from Only 158 Families

The New York Times reports that a mere 158 families have contributed $176 million to the campaigns, half of the total amount so far. Of these, 138 have given to Republicans and only 20 have given to Democrats. This small number of extremely wealthy donors is serving as a check on an electorate that is trending Democratic. In quite a few matters, the interests of the donors run counter to what the public wants. For example, 2/3 of all Americans want higher taxes on millionaires, but very few of the millionaires want that—probably. Actually no one knows what they want because when questioned by reporters, the answer to all questions was: "No comment." Most of the superdonors live in just nine cities. The industry with the most of these donors was finance. Other industries represented are energy, real estate, entertainment, health, and technology. A large number were entrepreneurs who started their own companies rather than people who climbed the corporate hierarchy to the top. In part, the predominance of entrepreneurs with privately owned companies reflects the hesitation of executives in publicly traded corporations to indulge in partisan politics for fear of a backlash. (V)

Julian Castro Expected to endorse Hillary Clinton Next Week

Former San Antonio mayor and current Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Julian Castro is expected to endorse Hillary Clinton in a few days. Now, another endorsement is normally no big deal. Clinton has dozens of them from office holders already. But Castro, is special. He is a Latino and a rising star in the Democratic Party. More important, he will be only 50 on Jan. 20, 2025. The significance of that date, of course, is that if Hillary Clinton decides that having a Latino on the ticket is a good idea and she picks Castro and she is elected and reelected, Castro will be front and center for the Democratic nomination in 2024. Don't think for a second that she is unaware of this calculation. If the Republicans nominate a Latino like Sen. Mario Rubio (R-FL) or Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) or someone married to a Latina like Jeb Bush, Clinton may well decide that a sending the Latino community the message: "not now, but just wait 8 years" will be an adequate counterbalance. (V)

Ex Benghazi Committee Staffer: It is a Partisan Investigation

First, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy admitted that the Benghazi committee's goal is simply to hurt Hillary Clinton, not find the truth about the deaths of four Americans in Libya. Now one of the panel's former staff members, Major Bradley Podliska, has confirmed what McCarthy said. Podliska, an intelligence officer in the Air Force Reserve, said that he is a conservative Republican, does not like Hillary Clinton, and plans to vote for whoever the Republican nominee is in 2016. However, he said that his professional responsibility was to get the truth out for the benefit of the families of the four Americans slain in Libya. When he complained to his superiors that the investigation should be broader than just focusing on Hillary Clinton's role in the affair, he was fired. He is preparing a lawsuit contesting his termination.

The committee's staff director told Podliska that he was fired for three reasons. First, he sent a social invitation to colleagues using his work email. Second, he assigned an unauthorized project to an intern. Third, he put classified information on an unclassified system. He strongly denies the third allegation and disputes the legitimacy of the second one. (V)