By the time the House of Representatives adjourned late on Wednesday after Republicans failed on their sixth attempt to elect a new speaker, tempers had flared, a chorus of booing had erupted, and gleeful Democrats munched popcorn as turmoil engulfed the other side of the aisle. After two days of backroom dealings, Republicans and Democrats could not even agree on whether to call it a night - the knife-edge vote to adjourn prompted shouts and confusion. On CNN, an anchor pondered: "Is this normal?" What should have been a straightforward vote for Republicans, who hold a majority in the lower chamber, has turned into a political drama that has paralysed the third branch of American government. Wednesday was day two of the chaotic saga, as a group of hard-line Republicans refused repeatedly to support party leader Kevin McCarthy, denying him his long-coveted speaker position and bringing all other House business screeching to a halt. "Well, it's Groundhog Day. Again," congresswoman Kat Cammack, a Florida Republican, said from the floor as she again nominated Mr McCarthy to lead the chamber. Now the deadlock in the 118th Congress will drag on into Thursday - the longest vote for a speaker in a century. Children are seen on the House floor during a voteImage source, Getty Images Image caption, Children are seen on the House floor during a vote Nappy changing When the members of the House entered the chamber on Tuesday, there was a sense of celebration in the air. The first day of a new Congress is typically a family affair. Parents, spouses and children crowded the chamber and surrounding hallways, hoping to see their loved ones take the oath of office. Three ways House speaker stalemate could finally end What Republican rebels opposing McCarthy want For four-month-old Hodge Gomez, that meant naps and nappy changes in the US Capitol while his father, California Representative Jimmy Gomez, a Democrat, took part in the first rounds of ballots. Network cameras at one point captured a chubby-cheeked Hodge wriggling in a sling strapped to his father's chest as the congressman cast his vote. "He loved it," Mr Gomez said. But as the first ballot became a second, then a third, that initial enthusiasm faded. Members paced back and forth in the chamber, some letting their heads loll back over their chairs. Pennsylvania Democrat Madeline Dean handed out chocolate to a bored-looking Representative Jerry Nadler. Mr McCarthy sat placidly in his chair, managing to laugh ruefully amid the dysfunction around him. |