Jim Jordan fell 17 votes short in the first round of voting. Some would consider it fitting if the process took 15 rounds because that’s how many McCarthy needed.
Not Today, Maybe Tomorrow
Jordan could only afford to lose at most four votes. He lost 20 votes today with another try tomorrow.
The Walls Street Journal reports Jordan Falls Short in First Round of House Speaker Vote.
The favorite of the Republican base and ally of former President Donald Trump saw 20 GOP lawmakers break with him in the first round Tuesday afternoon, many more than the handful the GOP nominee could afford to lose. Democrats backed their pick, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.), while the Republican holdouts scattered their votes among other GOP figures.
The result deflated hopes for a quick resolution of intraparty fighting, two weeks after a small band of GOP dissidents engineered the ouster of former Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.). While Jordan and some of his detractors had pushed for another vote Tuesday, Republicans ultimately decided to regroup for the second round at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
Jordan, head of the House Judiciary Committee and co-founder of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus that often has fought with party leaders, was in close contact with Trump during the former president’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. He has lobbied colleagues with reassurances related to spending and national security, while grass-roots conservatives have turned up the pressure on lawmakers who didn’t embrace Jordan.
After the failed vote, Republicans huddled in small groups to discuss their options. One approach would be to give more power to Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R., N.C.), if enough Republicans and Democrats supported the idea.
Many Republicans remain skeptical of Jordan’s leadership acumen and angry about his path to the gavel but are desperate to unite the party and get a speaker in place after McCarthy was removed, freezing any action in the House until a new leader is elected. Others continued to complain that Jordan’s elevation would set a terrible precedent, by validating the power of a small minority of members to drag the conference its way.
Holdout Republicans have faced increasing pressure to back Jordan. In social-media posts and phone calls, party chairs and leaders of grassroots groups have hounded and politically threatened lawmakers, with some Jordan foes worried about facing GOP primary challenges.
While the efforts likely helped limit his losses, they seemed to backfire with some members. “I will not be pressured, intimidated,” said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R., Fla.). “I have no intention of moving.”
Rep. Michael McCaul (R., Texas), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he would support Jordan after Jordan told him that he was open to the idea of a package combining spending for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and the border. Having Jordan as speaker might hold at bay the party’s self-destructive tendencies, he said.
For years Jordan has been seen as the mastermind behind the hard-line GOP flank’s efforts to derail Republican legislation it views as insufficiently conservative. In 2018, the Freedom Caucus took down the farm bill—crucial legislation for many Republicans representing rural communities—as part of a fight over immigration. At the time, Jordan objected to a bipartisan effort to craft an immigration compromise. “Our party wasn’t elected to put together a bill with 190 Democrats and a handful of Republicans,” he said then.
Will Jordan Eventually Carry the Day?
Perhaps, but it’s not at all clear. I suspect there are a few firm “no” positions and just two more would suffice.
Previously, Jordan has not backed more money for Ukraine. Now he is for it.
Regardless of your position, expect a hell of a lot more compromises like that from Jordan if he becomes Speaker. Otherwise, it will be an endless stream of continuing resolutions and “temporary” budgets.
Jordan has said that he would try to pass another continuing resolution, this one stretching through mid-April.
What a hoot. We could easily see continuing resolutions all the way to the next election. And we will if Jordan holds out for too much, assuming he becomes Speaker in the first place.
Yesterday the Journal commented “Opposition to Jim Jordan Crumbles Ahead of Planned Speaker Vote“.
Crumbled? Not yet. I count 20 no votes. I will accept “crumbled” if and when Jordan becomes speaker.
Three Texas Republicans help block Jim Jordan from becoming U.S. House speaker in first vote
The Texas Tribune reports Three Texas Republicans help block Jim Jordan from becoming U.S. House speaker in first vote
Three Texas Republicans joined a sliver of the GOP House delegation to block Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan’s bid for speaker on Tuesday, forcing the leaderless body to hold another vote amid the intraparty gridlock.
Rep. Jake Ellzey, of Waxahachie, was the first of the Texans and the fifth Republican to cast a vote against Jordan — securing his demise in the first round. Reps. Tony Gonzales of San Antonio and Kay Granger of Fort Worth both voted for Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the party’s original nominee who dropped out Thursday night after it became clear he did not have enough votes to win the gavel
All three Texans who voted against Jordan serve on the House Committee on Appropriations, which handles defense spending and aid for Ukraine. Granger, who chairs that committee, had not expressed support for any speaker candidate until Tuesday. Jordan has voted against support for Ukraine.
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, also serves on that committee and said Jordan expressed openness to passing Ukraine aid. [That is a big change of opinion. Expect more.]
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, commended the three Republican Texans who voted against Jordan, especially Granger, who Crockett said may have risked her position on the appropriations committee.
“Honestly, she didn’t care. I just hope that we see more courage,” Crockett said. “I can acknowledge that what Kay Granger did took some sort of moral compass and I can recognize and appreciate and applaud her for that while still disagreeing on a lot of things.”
“The House needs to get back to work now,” Granger posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, without saying who she would vote for.
Support for Nobody
Heading back to the Journal please consider Nobody for Speaker of the House
After two weeks of House paralysis, it’s no clearer who can pull Republicans back together. Mr. Jordan was still seeking votes by our deadline, but if he falls short, perhaps the solution, for now, is to empower acting Speaker Patrick McHenry.
Defense hawks Michael McCaul and Mike Rogers came around after private conversations with Mr. Jordan that we’re told included talk of combining military aid for Ukraine and Israel with money for border security. Mr. Jordan’s allies also threatened holdouts with harassment on cable TV.
The 20 who dug in probably have a mix of motives, including resentment of that hardball tactic and lingering bitterness at the whole spectacle. Six of them voted to reinstall Speaker Kevin McCarthy, effectively aiming to undo the GOP revolt that ousted him. Seven voted for Rep. Steve Scalise, who was the GOP conference’s second choice, but who dropped out after Mr. Jordan’s backers pledged to block him.
Also notable among Mr. Jordan’s opponents were six of the 18 Republicans from districts that President Biden carried in 2020. Given Mr. Jordan’s history of throwing TNT, these moderates likely worry he would lead the House in the same fashion, imperiling their jobs and the Republican majority. Democrats are already targeting those 18 incumbents, saying that they should refuse to go along with electing Mr. Jordan to be a MAGA Speaker.
With each turn of the screw, the eight Republicans who deposed Mr. McCarthy look more foolish all the time. They didn’t have a plan for what to do next. They didn’t have an alternative candidate for Speaker. What kind of an idiot mutineer takes over the man-of-war, tosses the captain overboard, and then spends two weeks pulling ropes at random, hoping like hell that the thing will somehow drift ashore before the supplies run out?
The longer that the House wastes in suspended animation, the more likely becomes another shutdown fight or omnibus. Also, America’s allies and friends in Israel and Ukraine need military aid. [Yep, and Jordan is already promising to kick the can with another continuing resolution having changed his stance on aid for Ukraine.]
One option is to pull the Patrick McHenry emergency lever, which is to say, temporarily expand the Speaker Pro Tempore’s remit to cover a limited agenda. Mr. McHenry doesn’t seem to want the job, and at this point what sane person would?
Count Against Jordan
- There appears to be at least two firm “no votes” from Texas, possibly three.
- The six protest votes for McCarthy (perhaps overlapping the Texas votes) add three or four more reps who clearly do not want Jordan.
- Seven votes for Scalise are reps who may or may not fall in line. There are a lot of potential grudge matches in that group.
- I have no idea what to make of 3 votes for Zeldin or the four single votes for someone else.
It only takes five votes to block, but if it can get to five or six I expect huge pressure and promises to be on key committees will eventually carry the day.
But there is strength in numbers. If we get to 15 votes with eight holdouts (another gang of eight), Jordan may have to throw in the towel.
Assume Jordan Is Elected Speaker, Then What?
That’s easy, nothing.
Repeating my comments in previous posts, it is ridiculous to believe that eight can accomplish much of anything against bipartisan support for more spending.
If you disagree then please explain the math. Jordan has already buckled on Ukraine and is openly talking of kick the can continuing resolutions.
No one speaks for me or Libertarians in general. I want less spending across the board, not more of this for more of that. In general, the Republicans don’t want small government, not even Jordan. They want to continue meddling with bigger and bigger military budgets.
For Republicans and Democrats to get what they want, the compromise will be what it always is: More of this in return for more of that.
No One Will Fix This
“Compromise is always more spending for this in return for more spending on that.”
“Neither party will fix the deficits. Neither party will do anything about mounting debt. No one will do anything about anything because the political system is totally broken.” Mish
For discussion, please see Debt to GDP Alarm Bells Ring, Neither Party Will Solve This
Is President Biden’s Announced Trip to Israel Worth the Huge Risks?
In case you missed it, please consider Is President Biden’s Announced Trip to Israel Worth the Huge Risks?
Major Irony
By the way, there’s a major irony in play. I have people telling me that 8 can force change. The irony is it only takes 5 to prevent that!
Like it or not, that is the sad reality.
The United States is bankrupt and hasn’t won a war since WWII. This is just rearranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic. The paper in your pocket and the chics in your bank account are losing purchasing power everyday. The continuing resolutions will drive us deeper in debt. Maybe we do need to discuss righting the ship.
Buncha nonsense.
The US goes in and WINS lots of Wars.
The US population just doesn’t want Twenty Year Occupations. If the Afghanis and their government can’t build their own army and defend themselves…they’re on their own. Afghanistan was very few losses, only around 100 men per year on average were lost by the U.S.
LOTS of enemy combatants killed.
That is in NO WAY losing a War.
The US should have been out of there after a short period of time OR at a minimum, after Bin Laden got smoked.
Don’t confuse an OCCUPATION with a War. You sound foolish when you make those comments.
Iraq War 1…Bush Sr. Aug 1990 to Feb 1991 WON in less than 6 Months, three weeks and 5 days.
Iraq got the ever Livin’ shite kicked out of it.
Again, very FEW casualties by the U.S.
Bad “Peace Terms” but CLEARLY the US Won that War.
The US coalition lost Less than 500 soldiers.
Iraqi:
20,000–50,000 killed[20][21]
75,000+ wounded[8]
80,000–175,000 captured[20][22][23]
3,300 tanks destroyed[20]
2,100 APCs destroyed[20]
2,200 artillery pieces destroyed[20]
110 aircraft destroyed[citation needed]
Iraq 2 – 2003
Eventually Bush Jr decides to Invade Iraq to make his BIG OIL buddies Richer than they already are. Under the guise of WMDs.
US and a token coalition goes in and blows the crap out of whatever was remaining of Hussain’s Army.
Completely unnecessary and STILL relatively few losses A few hundred in the actual War in 2003. A few thousand US Casualties over the entire Decade of Occupation.
Almost impossible to tell how many hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Soldiers and related “Enemy Combatants” over the War + Occupation.
People NOT understanding that a WAR is very different than an occupation. Learn the difference.
RINO’s got to go! (Voters that’s YOU!)
They no longer represent the Will of the Conservative Republican Party. The massive movement of “America First” for our Country, is the overwhelming direction of the Republican Party, and this move isn’t it.
Whomever doesn’t change their vote, out of the 20 Phony Republicans, will almost most certainly face removal, any way possible, by the voters.
I suppose they may have a low enough bar, for the pound of flesh they would require, to have them jump onboard. I just don’t like being blackmailed however, which is what it basically is.
Maybe to get things going, that is what will happen, but if it’s nothing, then “Shut It All Down” The RINO’s will get Crushed in their next elections, as so, enough will move in the correct direction before they lose everything.
The election Will overwhelmingly be a stain on the Democratic Party, and Bide Inc. (he will be gone, but the Leaders of the party will still be around), so we shall see…
Nominate The Late Mayor Daley. He always was able to get enough votes and enjoyed bi-partisan support which would make Brezhnev blush. Can be interviewed just south of 111th and Austin.
“No One Will Fix This”
Why empires fall.
Empires fall when wealth gets highly concentrated and making necessary changes is perceived as causing harm to that concentrated wealth. Big government, big corporations, big unions, big defense, big media, big health and big education may all disagree vehemently on any number of issues, but they are all threatened by any change to the status quo and will fight for each other if necessary to protect themselves. It works until it doesn’t.
Doesn’t Jordan insist American elections aren’t free and fair? Just go ahead and claim you won the house speaker election Jim and install yourself. Arrest anyone who disagrees.
The Democrat Administrative State in DC is paid $575 million per day to rule over us.
They are the danger to our freedoms and Constitution
They tell us through Trump and the J6 prosecutions DO NOT come into our city and oppose us. We are lead by the Senior Executive Service under OMB and have 3 million members making 40% more than those in the private sector. Since Garfield’s assassination we are protected by civil service rules from removal. Trump’s attempted Schedule F to put us under the Executive Branch was stopped –Congress is our lap dog and the media our propaganda arm—Bribes and kick backs rule –get use to it
Washington DC (both parties) lied to and defrauded the citizenry of the USA on dozens of really important issues.
The US government lied about funding Covid in the first place, lied about keeping our existing health insurance if we didn’t like obamacare, lied about Iraq having WMD. They lied about US intelligence agencies illegally spying on their own citizenry, and then perjured themselves before congress when they got caught. There is no accountability.
Some people hate Trump and choose to look the other way at the weaponization of the FBI / DoJ… somehow forgetting that legal precedence is being set and federal agencies don’t get shut down, and don’t get right-sized during economic recessions or booms. The DoJ claims NJ Senator Mendez failed to register as a foreign agent, same violation as several Trump republicans… but they don’t apply this same law to the $20 million in bribes paid to Hunter Biden. You don’t need a law degree to ask why the scales of justice / equal treatment under the law is not happening. The FBI and DoJ are breaking US law, and there is no accountability.
Every President (both parties) since Eisenhower has claimed he would not raise taxes. Every one of them did, some in a deceptive manner, many just outright ignored their promise. Eisenhower and earlier might have also lied about taxes, I just haven’t looked carefully. Certainly Woodrow Wilson lied when he claimed income taxes would only effect the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts. We can definitely say the tax lies are getting bigger and more frequent. There is no accountability.
At this point, many political commentators overseas are talking about the US government lacking legitimacy. Not the just democrats or just the republicans or just the career lifetime bureaucrats – all the above have a legitimacy problem according to political commentators here and abroad.
There is way too much federal debt to ever be repaid (both parties have spent irresponsibly). This years debt binge is sponsored by octogenarians who won’t be around to repay even if they intended to. The US tax base is not able to make good on US debts, default is inevitable. Mish may argue whether to label this “a default” or “a restructuring” – but whatever one calls it, it cannot be paid in full.
Love him or hate him, McCarthy wasn’t the problem. Pelosi would bea felon if federal insider trading laws were actually enforced, but even then Pelosi was more a symptom of a failed government, not the sole source of the problem. People get very angry arguing Trump vs Biden; they are both jerks (this is a family channel). We can’t get good people to run for office anymore, so we have to choose between jerks.
Washington DC needs to be radically “right-sized” like the 1970s corporate conglomerate that it is. Its too big. Too unwieldy. Too much red tape and paperwork. Too many meetings. Too many fiefdoms each pushing their special interest agendas. No accountability. No agreement what the strategic direction of “the conglomerate” should be.
We forgot the wisdom of America’s founding fathers: “that government which governs least, governs best” True back in 1776, still true today. But career government employees have a severe conflict of interest
Every problem in the government can easily be fixed if you just keep voting for the candidates of your political party. Never, ever vote for the opposition or a third party.
In a dysfunctional world a little sarcasm is required.
https://youtu.be/4idQbwsvtUo?si=i31DHKDcee2iOrgN
Most of this is just entertainment for the plebes. A few days or weeks they’ll be back to meeting with corporate execs and their army of lobbyists to get them what they want while the average folk continue to get more gov debt monetization rammed down their collective throats to pay for all of the games and excesses of empire.
Well said. AND, the day I read that a “Libertarian” REALLY wants “less government spending” on corporate welfare queens (i.e. NO MORE “subsidy” HANDOUTS to the Hydrocarbon Hellspawn SEE: https://youtu.be/KN2ETuroink), then I’ll believe they too are not a pack of double talking phonies. Libertarians whine about “Social Security costs” while remaining silent as DEATH about polluter “subsides” AND the NOT ADJUST FOR INFLATION SINCE 1983 $32,000 (married filing jointly) untaxed maximum.
IOW:
Republicans = Bought and paid for Fascists ‘R’ US = closet Social Darwinsts
Democrats = Bought and paid for closet Fascists ‘R’ US = closet Social Darwinsts
Libertarians = NOT in the closet Social Darwinsts ‘R’ US = Fascists ‘R’ US
Sorry for the Typo:
TYPO: Social Darwinsts
CORRECTED: Social Darwinists
These type of posts should have circus music playing in the background. The usual funny thing here reading the comments is how so many believe Jim Jordan is the new savior. If he gets the speaker ship, he’ll be a near clone of McCarthy.
I read an interesting post on powerlineblog that basically said that Republicans don’t want to govern. They want to be the minority party so they can whine, belly ache and go back home and raise funds for their coffers by promising change. Whenever they do win and gain control they don’t know what to do. It’s been that way for decades and the suckers keep sending in money and nothing changes.
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2023/10/do-republicans-want-to-lose.php
They peddle hate, fear and rage… policy is meaningless to their method.
There is no solution currently to America’s debt and spending misgovernment. I suspect it will take a Constitutional fix.
As for this, the ‘sane’ Republicans could talk with the Democrats, and then vote the 8 (or so) rogue Republicans expelled from the House. Force them to validate their position in special elections.
Consider the precedent that would set. Now, every time you have a difference of opinion you risk your seat. Once that power is established, the leadership becomes the new swamp and can never be challenged again.
It will be interesting when trump goes on trial. We will get a glimpse of how far down the chain his plots to turn over the election goes.
good points but let’s be realistic, not one member of congress is going to vote for term limits.
Democrats spent 4 years overturning the 2016 election.
We didn’t have a free and fair election in 2020. Trump’s phone call with Zelenski was perfectly legal. Google, Facebook, Twitter, unconstitutional changing of election rules in certain states, 50 intelligence agency officials lying about Hunter’s computer, etc., do not make for a free and fair election.
Notice that only when Washington DC’s welfare/warfare uni-party suddenly doesn’t get everything it wants in the form of constant, huge taxpayer giveaways for a few days, then suddenly their pathetic media propaganda apparatus is whining about Congress being “dysfunctional.” When the media is upset about something, it means good things for taxpayers. When the media is happy, then taxpayers are getting hosed.
Congress IS disfunctional. There’s a few morons running around blathering about change when they can’t even run their own lives, much less a government. The Republicans have failed to do anything but try and fight against anything the Dems do. Instead of providing any real leadership and sucking up SuperPAC money. The Dems have been pandering to way too many special interests.
Neither of those parties are working for the people.
The braindead extremists like Marjorie Traitor Greene and Playboy Matt couldn’t run a lemonade stand much less the country. Vote em ALL out. Set Term Limits. Campaign Finance Reform. Time to get normal, rational productive people running the country.
This is embarrassing.
Unfortunately, that will never happen. Term limits would require a 2/3rd vote of Congress to enact and constitutional amendment to term limit themselves. Campaign finance reform would also require a constitutional amendment from the same sleazy crew. Never, ever gonna happen.
Republicans are screwed regardless. The vast majority of Republican supporters are older and dependent on social security and medicare. And they are extreme patriotic supporters of the military. They are also vastly more rural than average. The folks who are the greatest supporters of Republicans are also the greatest beneficiaries of government spending. The only thing they really want that they’re not getting is a vast increase in border protection, which requires what? Vastly more government spending. There’s a reason Jim Jordan has never passed any legislation. If he actually tried to make a dent in the machine, GOP voters would throw his sorry ass out in the next election.
I look at it this way…
– The six protest votes for McCarthy will no doubt go to Jordan, as McCarthy endorsed him already
– The seven votes for Scalise are reps who should now back Jordan, as he and Scalise were decidedly the two to pick from
– Three votes for Zeldin is silly, and they will fall in lin
> That’s 16 and you can pick 1 of the 4 left, and my gut tells me it’s Emmer or Massie, and then all 4 jump in!
It will be clear that Jordan is the next Speaker shortly…
– Like it or not, that is the sad reality. > I do t like it, and it’s because that is NOT “the” sad reality, but rather “your” sad reality for saying so. My reality is for Change! You get part of it from the inside, so let’s get somebody in there that is worth a damn. Jordan fits that and the Republican Messaging is within his boundaries. Some from the outside is needed too of course.
We must realize that Trump is behind him as well, and likewise. You need a Team on the inside, as you can’t fly solo.
We have the outside More Than Covered IMHO, as long as they show up on “The Day” we take back America!!!
Well from everything I have read, heard, and people I have spoken with this morning, Massie is the one to break first for Speaker Jordan.
This should be of no surprise if you were aware that Massie is up for re-election in 2024, and he is and has been a Jordan Supporter in the past as well.
Down to 16, and counting down much faster now. Maybe not in todays vote, but I strongly believe if not this vote, then the next vote will indeed push Jordan over the top for his new role in the Republican House IMHO.
Putin is on his knees pleading for his asset Jim to get the hammer.
What a joke America has become !.
The only Presidents on their knees that I see are Zelensky begging for money and yours trying to climb stairs.
I nominate an Independent for Speaker.
So do the Founders.
Jordan voted with Democrats for the continuing resolution sellout. Jordan voted for McCarthy for speaker. McCarthy endorsed Jordan for speaker. I rest my case. Jordan will never be speaker even after 500 votes. We are better off without a budget than with another taxer spender speaker.
Shutdown? Did I hear shutdown? What a beautiful Christmas gift that would be.
The beauty of what Gaetz did is he pulled back the curtain and revealed the GOP to be phonies. That is a good thing. America needs a new political party and the first step is to document the futility and fraud of the current parties.