The Speakers Race

The Angry Vet’s Simple Rating

As the Republican Party continues to wallow in the mud in search of a speaker, I thought I’d put in my two cents worth. After all, I have an ego the size of Earth and I know I know better. So here it is.

First, the new speaker needs to have the following qualities:

• Place country before party
• Support the peaceful transition of government
• Support veterans

Second, I locked at voting records to evaluate this very low bar to pass muster with The Angry Vet. In putting country before party, did the candidate vote to keep government open? If so, they get a positive yes vote. Did the candidate vote to certify the 2020 election? Again, a yes got them positive points for just doing the right thing. Then did they vote in favor of veterans via the PACT Act, another low bar? If so, they scored points again.

Thus, in scoring these criteria, it only took three positive votes to score a perfect 3. Yet after adding the positives and subtracting the negatives, NO candidate for speaker scored any higher than a 1. Two other candidates scored -1 (yes, that’s a minus one). One score a -2. And three others managed to fall on the wrong side of the votes in all three categories. Yep, these three scored a very imperfect -3.

When it all comes down to it, there were only three candidates who are even remotely in the running from The Angry Vet perspective – Jack Bergman (MI), Tom Emmer (MN), and Austin Scott (OH). And fortunately the Republican conference picked one of these as their nominee – Emmer.

That being said, now comes the hard part. Now Congressman Emmer will need to garner 217 votes. I give him the same odds as me winning the lottery or becoming Emporer of the United States.

But we’ll see. I think I was wrong once in my life.

Choose joy, grab the popcorn and watch the wildest episode of Big Brother yet. One house divided with the goal of only one winner. With the country and the world at stake. No pressure.