Turmoil in the US House has provoked\u00a0a remarkable variety of creative proposals, which I’ll list in descending order of\u00a0likelihood.\u00a0In reviewing this\u00a0list, keep in mind that the Speaker is elected by the entire House and need not be a US representative. The links are to articles making the case for these various scenarios.<\/p>\n
John Boehner<\/a>: Whether he wants to or not, the current Speaker could stay on as the Speaker. He is the only\u00a0person\u00a0in the world who does not have to win an election; he\u00a0would just announce that he is staying on. He might be prevailed upon to do so if the alternative is a disaster. Or–conceivably–this was the outcome\u00a0he foresaw all along.<\/p>\n Paul Ryan<\/a>: The Wisconsin Rep. has\u00a0broad support across the GOP caucus, so they might decide to vote for him unanimously and make him the Speaker. The main obstacle seems to be that he is steadfastly against running. \u00a0(“Was the crown offered him thrice?” \/ “Ay, marry, was’t, and he put it by thrice, every \/\u00a0time gentler than other, and at every putting-by \/\u00a0mine honest neighbours shouted.” … But look what happened to Caesar.)<\/p>\n Reps. Daniel Webster (sic) or Jason Chaffetz. They are running. But they don’t seem to have enough support in the GOP caucus to win, unless the\u00a0Republicans face a protracted struggle and decide they’d just better pick someone who is seeking the seat.<\/p>\n Mitt Romney<\/a>: The House GOP could select\u00a0him if they wanted to (and if he accepted). Ezra Klein notes that they almost all endorsed him for president, so maybe he could unify their caucus. And they would get a prominent, effective leader from Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n “Colin Powell”: I use this name as an example of someone who might fit the following profile: popular and respected, with at least some GOP\u00a0credibility\u00a0and yet appeal to\u00a0some Democrats. In\u00a0the latest US poll\u00a0of most admired humans<\/a>, Powell gets zero percent, but so does everyone except a small group of people who are either\u00a0disqualified (Pope Francis, Vladimir Putin, the current POTUS) or politically unacceptable to the House (Bill Clinton, George W. Bush). In\u00a0any case, the scenario is that the House GOP decides they can look good by picking a popular figure\u00a0and they replace the\u00a0defectors on their side\u00a0by drawing in quite a few Democrats who feel they’d be better off under Speaker Powell than under a House GOP leader. In fact, this idea\u00a0could come from the Democratic side. (Speaker Buffett?)<\/p>\n Nancy Pelosi<\/a>: She could get all the Democrats to support her, and if 29\u00a0moderate Republicans decided to join them, she would be elected. But<\/a> those moderate Republicans stand far from Pelosi\u00a0on the issues and would pay a price politically for supporting a Democrat. Moreover, if she\u00a0compromised too much to get the 29\u00a0Republican votes, she could lose some Democrats or just decide herself\u00a0that it\u00a0wasn’t worth the candle.<\/p>\n