3rd Rail Politics: 5 Reasons Why Ryan Smith Isn't Speaker

The latest from 3rd Rail Politics:

Ryan Smith can hold daily news conferences, make wild accusations of bullying and extortion, and claim to have as many votes as he wants, but those are not the reasons why he is not Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives today.  In the simplest terms, and in the most convenient definitions, Ryan Smith, himself, is the problem.  

Let 3rd Rail Politics break it down for you:

     1. The Hastert Rule has always been the rule for the Ohio House GOP.  

Except for the two-year period between 2009 and 2011, Republicans have held a majority in the Ohio House since 1995.  In all of those years that they have held the majority, House Republicans have generally followed a version of what is now known as the Hastert Rule.  It means that before the Speaker of the House will put a measure on the floor for a vote it must have the support of at least 50 Ohio House Republicans.  

Ryan Smith was a senior at OSU in 1995 and it's certainly understandable that he didn’t understand this process back then.  Kirk Schuring, however, was here in 1995, and is simply following the rule that has always been in place. He hasn’t changed the rules as they have gone on, Ryan Smith simply has not educated himself about the process.  Ryan Smith owes it to himself and the institution he wants to lead to do so now.

Read the rest of the article here.