Editorial: Should Speaker Rozzi register as an independent?

It seems like we got a little cocky.

Pennsylvania as a whole was feeling a bit smug as we watched the U.S. House of Representatives unravel like a frayed blanket amid the attempt to do the very baseline first steps of setting up for the 118th Congress.

“Ha,” we said as we kicked back and watched the show.

It was easy to feel superior as the federal lawmakers ran through ballot after ballot, trying to agree on a speaker of the House. It was easy because, despite months of contentious bickering about who actually would be in charge of the Pennsylvania House, a last-minute decision swung a few of the Republicans together with Democrats to get the job done.

This ended the power struggle between the Democrats — who won power in November only to immediately lose it to three Allegheny County vacancies — and the GOP — who lost its grip on the House after more than a decade only to find it theoretically, and likely temporarily, returned to its grasp.

The rallying point that pulled in those votes was state Rep. Mark Rozzi, the Berks County Democrat who was nominated by a Republican and agreed to caucus with no one to be a truly independent speaker. Pundits pointed to Pennsylvania and Ohio as examples to a Congress that ultimately required 15 votes before edging out a win for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

But it seems Pennsylvanians might have been a bit hasty in patting themselves on the back. It took just a week for the camaraderie to crumble.

State Rep. Jim Gregory, R-Blair, is the Republican who nominated Rozzi. The two have worked on child sexual abuse issues together. However, Gregory is having buyer’s remorse about the decision, according to Spotlight PA reporting, after Rozzi has waffled on registering as an independent.

Does it matter? Maybe not. If Rozzi keeps his promise not to caucus with the rest of the Dems, maybe the formalities shouldn’t make a difference.

Except that they do. Sixteen Republicans voted for him for speaker, and Gregory at least believed that came with more than just a handshake agreement about caucusing. They believed it meant real independence.

Should Rozzi have to change? There’s nothing that makes that a set-in-stone requirement. However, whether he does or not is up to him and how he wants to be viewed by his colleagues — as someone who negotiates from a technical loophole position or as someone who does what he has to do to keep faith with the people who voted for him.

Leadership isn’t always comfortable or convenient. It would be great if Rozzi didn’t have to navigate between a rock and a hard place. But he took the job, he made the statement about independence, and now it’s up to him to show whether his nonpartisan election was misplaced or not.