Electing a House Speaker (or failing to do so quickly) has Enormous Implications

A government in chaos serves none of the electorate

The most important and frequently overlooked aspect associated with the inability of the new (118th) Congress to elect a Speaker of the House (second in line on the ascendancy path to the presidency) is the very real implication that it has on the basic function of our government and Congress' ability to react to a perceived threat. Many people (mostly on the right) have the tendency to "sugar coat" what is going on as "good old fashioned political discourse" in Congress. It is not. This is an extraordinary event that has not happened in 100 years. While there is, indeed, some of that political wrangling going on, this situation becomes increasingly dangerous to the country with each passing day. Congress cannot, by law, function without a speaker of the House. All of the security clearances of the US Representatives who liaise with the military and intelligence agencies are currently null and void. All of the committees in the House (which is where the people's work really gets done) are null and void - they no longer exist until a speaker is elected and new rules are agreed upon. The Congress cannot vote or pass any resolution or Bill (excepting the election of a speaker) -- including its ability to react to any potential attack on the US!

I know this may appear to be exaggeration and, to a certain extent at this early point -- it is -- as it has only been a few days. But if it becomes many days, or weeks, or longer, the criticality of the situation becomes extreme. And it would be foolish to believe that our enemies, both foreign and domestic don't know this.