Ending Deadlock In the House of Representatives

Most of us are quite tired of the House of Representatives because of it's inability to pass anything.  Of all the congresses in our nation's history, the 112th Congress passed fewer bills than any other congress ever.  The 2nd most ineffective congress was "The Do-nothing Congress" under Harry Truman's administration.  Harry Truman was up against a congress which passionately opposed everything he wanted to do to such a degree that they passed hardly anything.  Truman then took their inaction and campaigned against that congress, labeling them the Do-Nothing congress.  That strategy worked for him, and he actually won re-election along with a new congress that did work with him.  The 112th Congress will go down in history as one of the most divided, conflicted, and useless bodies in US Political history.

There is a radical solution which may end the deadlock in the House.  The house rules dictate that whomever controls enough of the chamber gets to make the rules.  Much like in a parliamentary system, the majority party makes the rules, elects the speaker, appoints committee chairmanships, etc.  The same is mostly true of the House of Representatives, somewhat modeled after a parliamentary system.  Currently, Democrats control 200 seats in the house, while Republicans control 233 seats.  If Democrats really wish to do the work of the people in the house, I suggest this:  Democrats should reach out to moderate or liberal Republicans in the house an stage a Coup.  In this Coup, if Democrats could turn 15 Republicans and persuade them to caucus with them in the House, the house's power could flip mid-term.  This would mean that this make-shift coalition of centrists could elect a new speaker, make new committee appointments, and would bring The House back into order...making the Tea Party pointless.  Currently, those 51 people who were elected under the flag of "The Tea Party" are what is holding up the House's business.  If Democrats could court enough House members, maybe by promising committee chairmanships to them in exchange for their support...we would regain a functioning house.  Further, we would be able to elect a new speaker, and move legislation along that can actually pass, that would have passed in years before.  There are many Republicans who are very disillusioned with the new bloc of their party who have stonewalled business which has been considered reasonable in the past and never fell to the way side.

For now, we'll have to wait and see what happens.