You do realize that if Webster gets 20+ votes, it could hand over the Speakership to Pelosi. Is that what you guys in the Tea Party want?
The speaker needs a majority of the votes cast, so Pelosi wouldn't win. There would be additional ballots until someone wins with a majority.
Not necessarily. In 1855, following the collapse of the Whig Party, no party had a majority in Congress (the Dems had a plurality, with the remaining seats divided amongst various opposition parties). After 30-some consecutive votes in which no candidate managed to win a majority, the House changed the rules to allow the Speaker to be elected with a plurality, giving the office to Know-Nothing Nathaniel Banks. It's not inconceivable that something similar could occur again if the Tea Party sticks to its guns.
