Do you want the speaker of the House to speak, or do you want the speaker of the House to herd cats? If it’s the latter, and it usually is, a congressman in his second term seems like the wrong guy. If it’s the former, Byron Donalds is your guy.
Obviously, the Floridian presents an opportunity to make history in elevating the first African American to the speakership. But his television presence and ability to effectively debate leftists on their home court makes him even more appealing. His handling of Joy Reid earlier this year won many over.
Joy Reid begins her interview with Byron Donalds with a rant whining that it’s not “a good look” that the GOP has members such as Gosar and MTG, but wants to kick Omar, Schiff, and Swalwell off committees.
Donalds notes the GOP warned Dems precedent would come back to bite them. pic.twitter.com/an45CMVFPR
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 11, 2023
Possibly some Republicans hope for a more under-the-radar speaker, and one can understand such an argument considering the ongoings of the last few weeks. Possibly others want a skilled hand equipped to corral an unruly caucus. Recent events bolster this rationale.
For those who wish for the speaker to speak for Republicans, Donalds looks like an attractive choice.
Subscribe to The American Spectator to receive the entirety of Dan Flynn’s Spectator A.M. newsletter.
READ MORE from Daniel J. Flynn:
No Speaker Isn’t So Bad, After All — How About Nobody Holds the Gavel?
The Barbarians Within the Ivy League Gates
Daniel J. Flynn, a senior editor of The American Spectator, is the author of Cult City: Harvey Milk, Jim Jones, and 10 Days That Shook San Francisco (ISI Books, 2018), The War on Football (Regnery, 2013), Blue Collar Intellectuals (ISI Books, 2011), A Conservative History of the American Left (Crown Forum, 2008), Intellectual Morons (Crown Forum, 2004), and Why the Left Hates America (Prima Forum, 2002). His articles have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, New York Post, City Journal, National Review, and his own website, www.flynnfiles.com.
