In a story so full of rivalries, backstabbing, and over-the-top characters it seems like something out of Game of Thrones, the United States House of Representatives is still without a new Speaker of the House, forcing outgoing Speaker John Boehner to stay on as a lame duck rather than go back to Ohio to live out his days with a big bottle of red, a bigger bottle of spray-on tan, and a lifetime supply of Kleenex.
Originally, sitting House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was considered a shoo-in for the job. But the threat of insurrection from more conservative and Tea Party members of his caucus forced him to pull out. Since then, the speculation has been hot and heavy, with many people noting that the Speaker doesn’t actually have to be a member of the House to take on the role.
So who is going to be Speaker? First off, if former vice-presidential nominee Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) agrees to take the job, it is almost certainly his. He isn’t Conservative enough for the “Freedom Caucus,” but they probably won’t be able to block him, especially if the Republicans managed to convince some Democrats to vote for him. So far, Ryan hasn’t budged on his insistence that he isn’t interested in the job.
After that, things get murky. The conservative favorite is Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) There are also well-known candidates like Darrel Issa (R-Calif.) and Tom Cole (R-Okla.) There are even rumors that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, could finagle her way back into the position.
Then there are the truly out there suggestions like Mark Cuban, Donald Trump or even Kanye West. If Kanye gets the position, we know one thing for sure — he’ll be the best-dressed Speaker ever.
