While the House of Representatives was wasting several days embroiled in conflict and controversy last week, a meaningful development quietly took place in the U.S. Senate.
In many ways, the events reflect the difference between performative politics and effective politics. They also reflect the unassuming manner in which Sen. Patty Murray has become one of the most significant elected officials in the history of our state.
Murray was sworn in Tuesday as the first female Senate president pro tempore in the 234-year history of the position. The pro tem opens Senate floor sessions, oversees floor operations and signs bills that are passed by the chamber.
The position typically goes to the senior senator of the majority party. Murray, who took office in 1993, is second in tenure among Democrats behind California’s Dianne Feinstein, who declined the role.
“It sounds funny, doesn’t it? I’m the first?” Murray told HuffPost. “I mean, what happened for so many years?”
What happened was that women for too long were kept from positions of power. Heck, for too long they were kept from voting. But Washington has had two female senators since 2001, with Maria Cantwell joining Murray in amassing the longevity that leads to real power in the Senate.
“I hope that my election to president pro tem is a message to young girls everywhere: Work hard, believe in yourself, don’t let anybody tell you you can’t do something, plow through, and you too can really make a difference,” Murray said.
That is meaningful. And it wasn’t lost on Murray that she was sworn into the position by Kamala Harris, a former Senate colleague who is the nation’s first female vice president.
As Senate president pro tem, Murray is third in line for the presidency, which brings up the chaos of last week.
In demonstrating one popular definition of insanity — doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result — the House of Representatives repeatedly voted on a new speaker and repeatedly failed to elect one.
As spelled out in the U.S. Constitution, the line of succession for president is the vice president, then the speaker of the House, then the Senate pro tem. But without a speaker, Murray quipped, “Well, today I’m second because Kevin McCarthy’s not speaker.”
It has been a reflection of theatrical politics. McCarthy’s selection as speaker was blocked by far-right Republicans — members of his own party — who typically are focused on sending out tweets or appearing on cable news programs rather than legislating.
Murray, on the other hand, has quietly and effectively performed her job for 30 years. She has frequently worked with Republicans to forge budget deals and develop legislation regarding education and veterans affairs and other vital issues. And she has done so in an unpretentious manner that consistently has political opponents underestimating her.
In addition to the symbolic significance of Murray’s election as Senate pro tem, she also is the new chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Cantwell is chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and between them they can help deliver legislation that is important to Washington. Federal funding for a new Interstate 5 Bridge comes to mind.
But regardless of what legislation might follow, Murray’s role as Senate president pro tem will be historic. It has been a remarkable journey for a woman who first arrived in the Senate as “the mom in tennis shoes.”
