The so-called Hastert Rule, a dictate which has reached almost
Biblical proportions among some congressional Republicans (and a few GOP
lawmakers in Lansing), apparently does not exist.


Says who? Says Denny Hastert.


The former Speaker of the House told The Daily Beast that
Republican refusals to vote on a “clean” budget bill due to the Hastert Rule
make no sense.

Hastert explained that he never established a hard and
fast rule that a bill must have a majority of the majority before it can be
brought to the floor.

“The Hastert Rule never really existed. It’s a non-entity
as far as I’m concerned,” said the Illinois Republican. “… This wasn’t a rule.
I was speaking philosophically at the time … The Hastert Rule is kind of a
misnomer.”


The longest-serving GOP speaker in history (1998-2007),
Hastert explained that while trying to round up votes for a 2006 immigration
bill he told a reporter that he generally works first toward a majority of his
caucus/conference before seeking Democratic votes. From there, that uneventful
conversation somehow led to an ironclad rule.

The former speaker, who clearly is no fan of House
Speaker John Boehner, said that the current House leadership demonstrates an
irrational aversion to negotiating with the president and the congressional Democrats.


“We had some pretty ornery people, and we had to find a
way to compromise and get things done,” he recalled. “… When we had things that
were tough to do, I was constantly engaged — sitting at the table, bringing in
conservatives, moderates. You can’t be in Congress and shut down government and
get anything done. It’s an oxymoron.”

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