They made history Tuesday, down in the House chamber.
The last time the House failed to elect a speaker on the first ballot, Warren G. Harding was president, Norman Mailer had just been born, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that an Indian man couldn’t be naturalized because he wasn’t white.
Then, as now, it was the Republican Party that held a majority but couldn’t swiftly come to a consensus for speaker. But a century ago, the revolt came from the left — the GOP’s progressive wing held out then, while today it’s the party’s far right playing hardball. One hundred years ago, it took nine ballots and some concessions to procedural reforms before Frederick H. Gillett won the gavel.
