Yesterday, no matter what you think about Kevin McCarthy, was not a good day for Republicans, as eight members sided with Democrats to remove the Speaker of the House.
You can disagree with McCarthy’s methods and priorities all you want, but there are some simple facts that have to be acknowledged.
1) Politics is a team sport, and the Democrats in the House know this well.
2) Matt Gaetz had legitimate complaints, but no viable solutions other than bitching about McCarthy. Also, he more than likely just killed off any chance of censuring Jamaal Bowman, or continuing the impeachment inquiry.
3) Those supporting Gaetz should be answerable to their constituents and the voting public for their votes. Specifically, Nancy Mace, who went from complaining about Matt Gaetz in January to throwing Kevin McCarthy under the bus because… he wasn’t doing enough for women???
Are gas prices even higher for women? Does food cost more? Does talking publicly about banging your soon-to-be 3rd husband appeal to women voters? I'd need to see the polling data on that one to believe it. https://t.co/hGb7C5leq6
— Derek Hunter (@derekahunter) October 4, 2023
4) The GOP infighting is embarrassing, and the Democrats are enjoying it wayyyy too much.
All that being said, Kevin McCarthy has handled this with a lot more calm than oh, say, Matt Gaetz has about his ethics complaints. McCarthy told the GOP caucus and the press last night that given everything that’s happened, he will not run for Speaker again.
The bottom line is that this cannot happen again. Whoever wants to be Speaker needs to get in on the first ballot. This craziness must come to an end.
— Republican Main Street Caucus (@CaucusMain) October 4, 2023
So, who is going to be the next Speaker? Who is pure and holy enough to satisfy Matt Gaetz?
Well, Marjorie Taylor Greene wants Donald Trump. That is quite honestly the stupidest idea ever. Not only should Trump be busy running for president, he has multiple court cases that require his presence. (He’s already said no.) And frankly, Trump would be terrible as Speaker because it requires playing nicely with others and keeping the caucus in line. Being president does not require that, because it’s a separate branch of government. And can we also remember that Trump supported Kevin McCarthy’s bid for Speaker back in January??? By Matt Gaetz’s calculations, does that make Trump a RINO??? (For the record, Trump has declined to engage in any of this. Such leadership, much wow. Are you head of the party or not???)
Let’s talk about the more serious options. Jim Jordan, whose name was pushed multiple times during the initial Speakership battle back in January, but declined because he supported McCarthy and wanted to head the House Judiciary Committee, has officially thrown his hat into the ring.
In a quote reported by the Washington Examiner, Jordan said after coming out of the speaker’s office, “I’ve had a lot of people reach out to us, asking me to do it, because I think we can. We’ll see if that happens, but I think I can.”
Multiple Republicans have already voiced support for Jordan as a candidate.
“My first choice if he will run,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) said in a post to X.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), the congressman who led the effort to remove McCarthy as speaker, also indicated he would back Jordan.
“My mentor Jim Jordan would be great!” Gaetz said.
Jordan is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, a perch from which he has led investigations into the Biden administration this year.
In a Wednesday letter to House colleagues, Jordan celebrated the successes during McCarthy’s nine months as speaker and stressed his ability to “unite” the conference.
“Now is the time for our Republican conference to come together to keep our promises to Americans,” Jordan wrote. “We can focus on the changes that improve the country and unite us in offering real solutions. But no matter what we do, we must do it together as a conference.”
“I respectfully ask for your support for Speaker of the House of Representatives,” he concluded.
The other name now emerging, who was also a loyal McCarthy supporter, is House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who has also made it official with a letter to his colleagues.
It is with a strong sense of responsibility and purpose that I seek the House Republican Conference’s nomination for Speaker of the House.
Read my letter to my colleagues: pic.twitter.com/G6YDd2SjCD
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) October 4, 2023
At this point, these are the two main contenders for the Speakership. Scalise will easily be able to gain support, since he was the immediate number two behind McCarthy. He has not sought the Speakership up to this point, and stood in defense of McCarthy yesterday. Scalise would largely be a lateral move for the GOP leadership, but he has a great deal of respect within the caucus, with even Matt Gaetz saying that he would support Scalise as Speaker. Scalise, as everyone should recall, nearly died in the Congressional baseball shooting, and is currently fighting cancer. Physically, Scalise has been through, and is going through, a lot. However, if he feels that he is up to the job and is willing to take it, then he may be a shoo-in.
Jim Jordan is part of the Freedom Caucus, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee (the job he very much wanted), and Matt Gaetz called him his “mentor.” Jordan announced his bid for Speaker before Scalise did. Will he concede to Scalise, or will this be a fight? As of right now, with Representatives announcing their support for different candidates, it’s looking to be a fight, with Oklahoma Representative Kevin Hern also reportedly testing the waters for a Speakership bid.
One Texas Republican from the lunch praised all the candidates: Said Jordan makes an excellent case. People dearly love Steve Scalise. Then you have an outsider, a business man, who shouldn’t be underestimated — Hern. “This is gonna be a tough race.”
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) October 4, 2023
I think it will come down to Scalise or Jordan, with Scalise possessing a slight edge because of his status as House Majority Leader. His health issues are his single biggest detraction, which does make Jordan’s bid possible. However this ends up, the caucus needs to hammer out ALL the details before even stepping into the chamber to vote. We cannot do 15 rounds of voting again. These shenanigans have to stop, the House GOP needs a leader who won’t be ousted on Matt Gaetz’s whim, and the caucus needs to get their act together in order to blockade the Biden agenda.
Featured image: composite image of Capitol building (via JamesDeMers on Pixabay, cropped, Pixabay license), Representative Steve Scalise (official Congressional portrait, cropped, public domain), and Representative Jim Jordan (official Congressional portrait, cropped, public domain)
therealguyfaux says: “We had to destroy the GOP in order to save it,” he said, but sadly, not totally ironically……
John Shepherd says: When you lose your Caucus vote by 210-8 you are the problem.
When everyone from Paul Ryan to Donald Trump oppose you, you are the problem.
When the only people who support you are misfits on social media you are the problem.
Gaetz is a clown who may face censure or expulsion over ethics violations. This was not about principle. It was an attempt to inoculate himself from negative actions. All it did was make it more likely that he will be expelled given the slightest excuse.
A reader says: Lol. You are forgetting that there are 20 Republicans n districts that Joe Biden won. How would they explain voting for Jordan who is leading the ridiculous, no real evidence impeachment? And just because Matt Gaetz says he’d vote for Scalise would the others get in line? The Dems are going to be in lockstep. You need someone who isn’t crazy, but since the inmates are running the asylum as it were, I’d dare say that will be tough. Not mention that you have to have someone who can pass a budget in less than 6 weeks… unless of course you like your family members in the armed forces not getting paychecks right before the holidays…
The very fact that your number one goal is being in opposition to working with the Dems at all says everything anyone needs to know. Your party killed itself by aligning with Trump in 2015, it just looks like the chickens have finally come home to roost. Oh and BTW according to a House Rule that was voted on and can’t be changed until there’s a speaker, Trump can’t be speaker because he’s under indictiment.
John Shepherd says: The voters in those 20 districts split their tickets because they didn’t like Trump, not because they like Biden. If you spent your time looking at the evidence instead of boning up on your DNC provided talking points you would see how much flowed to Joe from Hunter’s activities. They have the receipts. The evidence is available for your examination.
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