Historic Firsts?

 

So much is going on currently, it is hard to focus on just one thing. 

Here’s one thing: I find it troublesome to keep hearing that the election of Greg Fergus as Canada’s House Speaker is “historic” because his skin is dark. The notion is itself racist. It is not more “historic” than his being the first speaker elected whose last name is Fergus.

Here’s another thing: It is equally offensive to hear it is “historic” that Wab Kinew was elected the “first First Nations provincial premier in the country.” “First Nations” people grew up alongside the rest of us, with the same cultural influences, and largely even with the same genetics. They are Canadians. The only difference is a social construct inadvertently created by the Indian Act. To make such a big deal of his supposed alienness, to declare it “historic,” is racist. 

And Kinew is not even the first indigenous leader of Manitoba. Have we forgotten Louis Riel?

What is historic, on the other hand, is the Speaker of the House of Commons having resigned, and the Speaker of the US House of Representatives being voted out of office. The first has no immediate repercussions, but will stand now as a precedent. The second might have serious short-term consequences. Who now could command a majority and get elected new speaker?

Here’s an idea: the speaker legally does not have to be a member of the House. Why can’t the Republicans unite over electing Donald Trump, thereby giving their near-inevitable 2024 nominee a public platform? It also makes sense for the country: Trump is the ultimate dealmaker, given his business background, and the job is all about making deals. It would also be beneficial, if he is again elected president, for him to have had this additional experience and made these congressional contacts—experience and contacts he was lacking in his first term. 

And one additional consideration: the speaker is second in line if anything happens to the president, after the vice-president. It makes sense to have someone there who could step in if needed, since Biden is so frail and so compromised. And there is a strong sense that Kamala Harris is not up to the job.