Did Democrats finally find a way to bypass House Republicans?

last updated 8 January 2015

For the second time in two weeks, the House passed legislation by violating the so-called "Hastert rule," which states that any bill brought to a vote on the House floor must be supported by a majority of the majority party.

Republicans have used the Hastert rule consistently since House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) wielded the gavel in the 1990s to effectively limit the power of Democrats.

Last night, the House passed a bill to aid Hurricane Sandy relief efforts by a 241 to 180 vote. But as First Read notes, "the real story is the vote breakdown: Only 49 Republicans voted for the measure — so just 20 percent of the caucus — while a whopping 179 Republicans voted against the measure. By comparison, 192 Democrats voted for the legislation, and just one (Tennessee Congressman Jim Cooper) voted against."

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political websites. He also runs Wonk Wire and the Political Dictionary. Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and COO of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. senator and governor. Goddard is also co-author of You Won â€” Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including The Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Christian Science Monitor. Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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