America seems ungovernable

Again, the decline of American democracy seems stark. The impeachment of ‘Speaker’ Kevin McCarthy has left the House of Representatives in shambles, supported by far-right Republicans and all Democrats. Now nobody knows what will happen. It’s unclear whether Republicans can agree to a replacement and whether a new budget will be released by mid-November. America seems ungovernable.

It makes us long for a time when America had ‘normal’ politics. At the same time, you may wonder if that time ever existed. In 1910, the last referendum on the future of the Speaker was formally held. The political situation was not happy then.

In 1910, the Speaker was Republican Joseph Cannon, a distinguished politician with a long record of service (one of the most important government buildings in Washington is still named after him). He reaches the peak of his power after his 70s and knows how to use his power well. For decades, the majority party in the House of Representatives kept minorities in check by using rules to preserve their position.

No one else can do this with Cannon. As the leader of the majority party, Cannon was not only the speaker but also the chairman of the rules committee and, along with two associates, formed the committee’s executive committee. Canon set the rules and changed them when they didn’t suit him. He decides which bills deserve a vote. He gave committee posts and punished those who contradicted him. If you are from the opposite party, he sometimes does not give you time to speak. He was known as ‘Uncle Joe’ because he was funny and kind, but he was also called ‘Czar’ because of his autocratic attitude.

Besides the Democrats, there was a small group of Republicans who were fed up with him. These agitators wanted to implement reforms blocked by Canon, such as a law guaranteeing food quality. In 1910, they used a trick to get a vote that the Speaker would no longer be part of the Rules Committee. The debate lasted for several days and Canon resorted to all sorts of procedures to stop the vote. His defenders warned that without a cannon-like Speaker, the House of Representatives would descend into disarray as all bills could not be debated. But in the end, opponents of the ‘tsar’ and his anti-democratic regime voted: Canon had to resign from the Rules Committee.

To save his honor after this humiliating loss, Cannon called for a vote as Speaker. During that poll, he received support from all Republicans, unlike McCarthy in 2023. However, his success was short-lived. In 1911, the Democratic Party would gain a majority in the House of Representatives.

All’s well that ends well? The House of Representatives would become a little more democratic, but the Rules Committee was dominated by the leaders of the majority parties. Then the committee consisted of nine Republicans and six Democrats, and now it’s nine Republicans and four Democrats. Minorities still have little say in setting the agenda.

Of course, a lot has changed. The main difference is that Cannon had a strong hold on his party members for a long time. McCarthy, on the other hand, had little control over his party. Social media is more important for party members to decide their votes than the opinions of party executives.

But Joseph Cannon’s history also shows how long American politics has been plagued by a two-party system in which the majority party strives for absolute power. It is said that in Cannon’s time there was less tribal conflict and reconciliation was not yet a dirty word. But the long persistence of this unfortunate political system gives hope that Americans — especially in these polarized times — can find a way out.