In the aftermath of the Washington political world being turned upside down by a populist revolt that sank a stopgap budget bill, Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said there’s no reason the revolution cannot become the new norm.
Noting the role played by Elon Musk in arousing Americans to speak out, Paul said installing Musk as Speaker of the House would be a delightful form of revenge upon big spenders and the establishment.
“The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress . . . Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk . . . think about it . . . nothing’s impossible (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’ minds),” Paul posted on X.
The concept received support from Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
“I’d be open to supporting @elonmusk for Speaker of the House,” she posted on X.
“DOGE can only truly be accomplished by reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency. The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday. This could be the way,” she wrote, referring to the Department of Government Efficiency Musk will lead along with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
The concept that beyond-the-Beltway voices should rock the boat in Congress was abhorrent to Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman of New York, according to The Hill.
“It’s one thing when you have Donald Trump governing by tweet, as he did in his first term, where he was in communication with Congress, but now you have Elon Musk, an unelected oligarch, governing by tweet,” he said.
“This is absurd,” he said.
🔥 What if Elon Musk was Speaker of the House?! 🔥
Rand Paul just reminded us of the wildest, most chaotic truth bomb ever: the Speaker of the House doesn’t even have to be a member of Congress. 🧐 Yes, you read that right. The job is open to anyone!
Now, let’s get crazy for a… pic.twitter.com/qmYQIfM196
— Joe Portman (@RealJoePortman) December 19, 2024
The swift rise and swifter fall of the budget package meant others not calling for revolution were unable to hide their disgust.
“It’s ridiculous. It’s a horrible plan. I can’t believe that Republican leadership ever cooked it up,” Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri said, according to Fox News.
“Clearly, they didn’t talk to Trump about it, and I tell you what, we need to have a serious look at who’s leading this Congress because if this is the best they could do, I mean, it’s just it’s total incompetence, this is a disaster,” he said.
Fellow Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah noted that new House leadership is “almost inevitable” and suggested looking “outside the box” and that the GOP majority should “look to a different place,” according to Politico.
“Given that they all expressed such affection for Vivek [Ramaswamy] and for Elon, let them choose one of them, I don’t care which one, to be their speaker,” Lee said. “That would revolutionize everything.”
