You're arguing here that leadership uses procedure to help them wield power. I agree with that. What you said above is "the House and Senate rules are so compl

You're arguing here that leadership uses procedure to help them wield power. I agree with that. What you said above is "the House and Senate rules are so complicated that only a few people can understand them." I disagree with that. For example, obviously the leadership and their staff can understand them, since they use them to wield power. My argument all along is that Congressional procedure is not that complex, but most people don't bother to learn it because there is no incentive to do so. If you are in leadership, you have the incentive. Also be clear, I think that the rules are used to wield power but are not themselves the source of much power. You don't become Speaker just by knowing the rules better than anyone else. But once you're Speaker, knowing the rules can help you do things.