P-D:
JEFFERSON CITY — The Republican majority that controls the Missouri House has decided to pick a successor to Speaker Rod Jetton in September, 15 months before he leaves office.
Republicans say the unusual move will provide continuity and help them focus on keeping the majority next year, when all 163 House seats are up for election. But the move also has drawn criticism.
Jetton’s spokesman, Aaron Willard, said the future speaker wouldn’t “actually have any power. They’re just a speaker-in-waiting. It’s a chance to shadow” Jetton and learn the ropes.
Critics say the plan is unfair because it will deprive legislators elected next year from having a voice in choosing the House leader for 2009-2010.
What are they waiting for? Jetton needs to go now.
I agree with that last paragraph. Perhaps the current crop of Missouri Republicans in the state House will pick another race pandering liberal like Jetton or worse, and knowing that the House Republican leader would already be pre-ordained, this might preclude Missouri voters from retaining a Republican majority in the House in November 2008.
Otherwise, and notwithstanding that, it’s the height of arrogance to assume that other factors won’t arise, and the voters won’t hand the House back to the Democrats in 2008.
[...] speaker, based on the (what turned out to be true) assumption that the GOP would hold the House, Republican members caucused to pick a Speaker-in-Waiting. There was no news on who they picked, but they did pick Richard, because the KWMU-FM article [...]