Kathianne
10-20-2023, 11:00 PM
Of course, that was the 'plan,' just chaos for it's own sake and Gaetz's fundraising. Got that good and hard. Now what? It's not going to go away. I sure hope it blows any possibility of his governorship wet dream. He has the fing nerve to talk about 'backstabbing' of Jordan? That's all on the chaos king:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-gops-mercenary-caucus-house-republicans-speaker-election-e8fd4af7?st=8982zy9nn0xhuup&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
The House GOP’s Mercenary CaucusA majority doesn’t count for much in a chamber where every man is a king.
Kimberley A. Strassel
Oct. 19, 2023 6:29 pm ET
The House remains speakerless, the chamber’s Republicans mired in a humiliating standoff. It might be tempting to think those blocking Rep. Jim Jordan from the top post are more high-minded in their opposition than those who ousted Rep. Kevin McCarthy. Think again. Different nominee, different holdouts—same grandstanding, same parochialism. Same mess.
Top blame for this embarrassment still rests with Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and his unmerry band of exhibitionists, who gutted Mr. McCarthy’s speakership and left their party in a slow bleed. They had no follow-up plan to the McCarthy ouster beyond also blocking his obvious replacement, Majority Leader Steve Scalise. One notable joke is that the Gaetz crew claimed the putsch necessary to stop House “chaos” and return to regular order. Two weeks into this spectacle and standstill, how’s that going?
Yet two failed votes into Mr. Jordan’s so-far-unsuccessful bid to take the gavel, the fault has spread to a different band of malcontents. Just as a small minority bucked the will of a conference that overwhelmingly backed Mr. McCarthy, a small minority is now bucking the will of a conference that this week overwhelmingly voted to give Mr. Jordan the job. This might all be over save for a new crew of limelighters.
The press is working mightily to give these holdouts cover for their opposition—the better to prolong the GOP disarray. The media suggests their intransigence is somehow more principled than that of the McCarthy rebels. One hilarious excuse is that the “no” votes have been pushed beyond human limit by a “pressure campaign” by Jordan allies. Please. Washington didn’t become “mean” overnight, and the “pressure” of this debate is no more or less than that of any other intraparty fight. If the poor, fragile creatures can’t handle the stress of a mere leadership vote, God help them should ObamaCare repeal come to the floor.
Another pretext is that some “moderate” Republicans in Biden-leaning districts just can’t risk a vote for—as the New York Times describes him—the “hard right” Mr. Jordan. The Times bestows the same descriptor on pretty much any member to the right of Nancy Pelosi. Many Republicans in competitive districts did vote for Mr. Jordan—on the obvious grounds that continued GOP upheaval is a far greater risk to their re-election.
As backroom negotiations and public statements prove, what’s really going on is more parochial and self-serving, not unlike the Gaetz rebellion. The Jordan refuseniks include a claque of New Yorkers holding back their votes over demands that hard-working Americans in flyover states once again be forced to subsidize New York’s insane tax rates by reimposing full deductibility of state and local taxes. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito on Twitter: “I want a Speaker who understands Long Island’s unique needs. Restoring the SALT deduction, safeguarding 9/11 victim support funding, and investing in critical infrastructure are our priorities.” By all means, let’s prioritize Long Island.
The Empire State crew is joined by a group of appropriator cardinals who see in their opposition to the small-government Mr. Jordan an opportunity to keep the spending spigots open. After all, what’s the need for a speaker to deal with war in Israel or $33 trillion in debt by comparison with the freedom to keep spending?
There are the usual grandstanders, who love the trailing media and who issue regular updates about their latest thoughts about and conversations with “Kevin” and “Jim” and “Steve.” And then there’s the hurt-feelings caucus, grumpy over the treatment handed out to Messrs. McCarthy and Scalise, refusing to vote for Mr. Jordan on the grounds that this will somehow reward Mr. Gaetz. This appears to include Mr. Scalise himself, who, while a member of leadership, has refused to issue a public endorsement of the man his caucus nominated.
Largely absent are particularized policy or procedural or leadership complaints against Mr. Jordan, at least not of a type specific enough that he might address them or satisfy demands. Also absent from many opponents is any considered alternative. While some members cast protest votes in favor of Messrs. McCarthy or Scalise, many just voted random names. Colorado Rep. Ken Buck, who voted to oust Mr. McCarthy, refused to cast votes for either Mr. Scalise or Mr. Jordan as nominee, and voted against Mr. Jordan on the floor twice, joked that in the most recent round he’d cast his lot for Rep. Tom Emmer because “I don’t like Tom Emmer. I figured this would be the worst job in America.” There’s serious for you.
The bigger point is that the name on the ballot no longer matters: McCarthy, Scalise, Jordan, Jesus. Members drew a lesson from the McCarthy fight in January and the later Gaetz revolt: We are, any one of us, kings and queens now. While the vast majority of the GOP conference remains focused on what’s best for party and country, a small but significant number of mercenary members intend to glory in their power. Good luck getting through to Washington’s new and ever-shifting royalty.
The House is truly 'shaken up' now.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-gops-mercenary-caucus-house-republicans-speaker-election-e8fd4af7?st=8982zy9nn0xhuup&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
The House GOP’s Mercenary CaucusA majority doesn’t count for much in a chamber where every man is a king.
Kimberley A. Strassel
Oct. 19, 2023 6:29 pm ET
The House remains speakerless, the chamber’s Republicans mired in a humiliating standoff. It might be tempting to think those blocking Rep. Jim Jordan from the top post are more high-minded in their opposition than those who ousted Rep. Kevin McCarthy. Think again. Different nominee, different holdouts—same grandstanding, same parochialism. Same mess.
Top blame for this embarrassment still rests with Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and his unmerry band of exhibitionists, who gutted Mr. McCarthy’s speakership and left their party in a slow bleed. They had no follow-up plan to the McCarthy ouster beyond also blocking his obvious replacement, Majority Leader Steve Scalise. One notable joke is that the Gaetz crew claimed the putsch necessary to stop House “chaos” and return to regular order. Two weeks into this spectacle and standstill, how’s that going?
Yet two failed votes into Mr. Jordan’s so-far-unsuccessful bid to take the gavel, the fault has spread to a different band of malcontents. Just as a small minority bucked the will of a conference that overwhelmingly backed Mr. McCarthy, a small minority is now bucking the will of a conference that this week overwhelmingly voted to give Mr. Jordan the job. This might all be over save for a new crew of limelighters.
The press is working mightily to give these holdouts cover for their opposition—the better to prolong the GOP disarray. The media suggests their intransigence is somehow more principled than that of the McCarthy rebels. One hilarious excuse is that the “no” votes have been pushed beyond human limit by a “pressure campaign” by Jordan allies. Please. Washington didn’t become “mean” overnight, and the “pressure” of this debate is no more or less than that of any other intraparty fight. If the poor, fragile creatures can’t handle the stress of a mere leadership vote, God help them should ObamaCare repeal come to the floor.
Another pretext is that some “moderate” Republicans in Biden-leaning districts just can’t risk a vote for—as the New York Times describes him—the “hard right” Mr. Jordan. The Times bestows the same descriptor on pretty much any member to the right of Nancy Pelosi. Many Republicans in competitive districts did vote for Mr. Jordan—on the obvious grounds that continued GOP upheaval is a far greater risk to their re-election.
As backroom negotiations and public statements prove, what’s really going on is more parochial and self-serving, not unlike the Gaetz rebellion. The Jordan refuseniks include a claque of New Yorkers holding back their votes over demands that hard-working Americans in flyover states once again be forced to subsidize New York’s insane tax rates by reimposing full deductibility of state and local taxes. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito on Twitter: “I want a Speaker who understands Long Island’s unique needs. Restoring the SALT deduction, safeguarding 9/11 victim support funding, and investing in critical infrastructure are our priorities.” By all means, let’s prioritize Long Island.
The Empire State crew is joined by a group of appropriator cardinals who see in their opposition to the small-government Mr. Jordan an opportunity to keep the spending spigots open. After all, what’s the need for a speaker to deal with war in Israel or $33 trillion in debt by comparison with the freedom to keep spending?
There are the usual grandstanders, who love the trailing media and who issue regular updates about their latest thoughts about and conversations with “Kevin” and “Jim” and “Steve.” And then there’s the hurt-feelings caucus, grumpy over the treatment handed out to Messrs. McCarthy and Scalise, refusing to vote for Mr. Jordan on the grounds that this will somehow reward Mr. Gaetz. This appears to include Mr. Scalise himself, who, while a member of leadership, has refused to issue a public endorsement of the man his caucus nominated.
Largely absent are particularized policy or procedural or leadership complaints against Mr. Jordan, at least not of a type specific enough that he might address them or satisfy demands. Also absent from many opponents is any considered alternative. While some members cast protest votes in favor of Messrs. McCarthy or Scalise, many just voted random names. Colorado Rep. Ken Buck, who voted to oust Mr. McCarthy, refused to cast votes for either Mr. Scalise or Mr. Jordan as nominee, and voted against Mr. Jordan on the floor twice, joked that in the most recent round he’d cast his lot for Rep. Tom Emmer because “I don’t like Tom Emmer. I figured this would be the worst job in America.” There’s serious for you.
The bigger point is that the name on the ballot no longer matters: McCarthy, Scalise, Jordan, Jesus. Members drew a lesson from the McCarthy fight in January and the later Gaetz revolt: We are, any one of us, kings and queens now. While the vast majority of the GOP conference remains focused on what’s best for party and country, a small but significant number of mercenary members intend to glory in their power. Good luck getting through to Washington’s new and ever-shifting royalty.
The House is truly 'shaken up' now.