I keep hearing MSM fucktards talk about how Goerge Santos is set to be sworn in tomorrow along with everyone else as the new Congress starts, and this story is usually followed by the McCarthy leadership mess leading the top of the newscast. But I am always left a bit confused because I thought the Speaker of the House would need to be elected before House members could be sworn into office, and as it turns out, I was right — again. As The New York Times states, “The Constitution requires that the House elect a speaker, and the vote takes priority over all other business. Nothing else can be done until the question is resolved. The House votes on a speaker before it formally adopts the set of rules governing the body. The incoming members of Congress won’t even be sworn in until after they choose a speaker [empahais added].”
Moreover, “Under this practice the Speaker administers the oath of office to all Members-elect at one time on opening day. … The Act of June 1, 1789, provides that on the organization of the House, and previous to entering on any other business, the oath shall be administered by any Member (generally the Member with longest continuous service) to the Speaker and by the Speaker to the other Members and Clerk (when elected),” House Practice: A Guide to the Rules, Precedents and Procedures of the House.
I have not heard one anchor clarify this point (except Rachel Maddow, naturally); they just seem to think that elected Speaker or not, people will be sworn in. No, no. Without a Speaker, the entire House is paralyzed and cannot do a fucking thing. The more I watch these news anchors and political pundits, the more I’m starting to believe that they really don’t know jack shit beyond reading a teleprompter. Welcome to stupid America.