Will the next Congress chose a new Speaker of the House?

[ThomWV]

Is it automatic that with every new Congress there is a new appointment of Speaker or does the existing Speaker hold the office until challenged or something like that? Howzit work?

[MadMaddie]

1. One can only hope and pray that we get a new one.

Nancy has been such a disappointment. I think Hillary would do well and there are a couple of other Dem women that would do well.

[Tarheel_Dem]

5. Hillary's in the Senate. I don't know of any women in the House that have

the same clout as Pelosi. Unfortunately, we don't get to choose, the House & Senate choose their own leaders. Maybe we can start a letter writing campaign as soon as the elections are over, to let our Reps know that we're not happy with Nancy.

[Eric J in MN]

2. They vote at the start of every term, but Pelosi may be unopposed. NT

NT

[FLAprogressive]

3. Wishful thinking but no

Would be nice to see a real progressive over a sellout.

[billyoc]

4. Elected every session.

The Speaker is elected on the first day of a new session of Congress. The election is presided over by the Clerk of the House of Representatives and each party nominates a candidate. Whoever receives a simple majority of the votes is elected and, after election, is sworn in by the Dean of the House, the chamber's longest-serving member.

In modern practice, the Speaker is chosen by the majority party in the House; it is usually obvious within two to three weeks of a House election who the new Speaker will be. It is expected that members of the House vote for their party's candidate. If they don't do so, they usually vote for someone else in their party or vote "present." Voting for the other party's candidate is dealt with very severely. For example, when Democrat Jim Traficant voted for Republican Dennis Hastert in the 2001 election for Speaker, the Democrats stripped him of his seniority.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaker_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives

[msongs]

6. let's hope so, the one we've got is pretty much hapless nt

[eShirl]

7. Thunderdome

two (hu)men enter
one (hu)man leaves

[Greyhound]

8. No choice really. The party power brokers decide what choice, if any, is allowed.

So, it is possible it won't be Pelosi, but if not her it will be another reliable shill.

[dkofos]

9. I hope the next one has less baggage than pelosi seems to have.

I ask myself every time she votes against the people,
WTF DOES bush HAVE ON HER??