via Mike Shedlock:
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.