Rep. Jim Jordan, the firebrand conservative from Ohio, appeared closer to becoming the next speaker of the House on Monday after mounting an aggressive pressure campaign over the weekend to gain the support of the 55 Republican holdouts skeptical of his ability to lead the chamber.

If he takes the gavel, it would be a remarkable ascent for the House Judiciary Committee chairman who built his political identity as a founding member of the hard-right Freedom Caucus and an attack dog for President Donald Trump who was once referred to as a “legislative terrorist.” He was a key ally in Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election, and defied a subpoena during the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

But there are still members adamant in their opposition to Jordan, including Rep. Carlos A. Giménez (R-Fla.), who has repeatedly said he only will back former speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Members of the center-right Republican Governance Group estimate that there are as as many as six hard nos against Jordan and potentially even more. Jordan could only lose four votes on the floor.

  • silicon_reverie@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    When?

    Congress ran up a dinner tab, ate the food, drank the drinks, and then Kevin Karen refused to pay the server when his bill was due. I get being worried about what next year’s dinner might cost, but don’t scream at the hostess and refuse to pay for what was already eaten. The staff needs that cash Congress owes them to buy groceries and pay the bank, or real people are going to starve and the bank is going to jack up everyone’s rates permanently since Karen keeps dining here and pulling this bullshit.

    The “working with Democrats” that you’re talking about is when the manager was forced to give Karen a meal voucher in exchange for his signed promise to come in the next morning with a check. But instead of paying his bill - the one he asked to negotiate even though he already ate the food - the twerp went back on his own promise again and pitched another fit in the morning. Again, the staff almost didn’t get paid and again the restaurant’s creditors almost raised the country’s rent, until Karen threw a $20 bill on the table and said “I’ll be back later”.

    At which point his friends in the GOP tossed him to the curb not because he was being an ass, but because they actually wanted the country to default, food stamps to stop, and the whole system they represent to grind to a halt.

    McKaren didn’t “work with Democrats,” he refused to pay the country’s bills (which the House had already signed into law and spent), held that payment hostage to force concessions, and then refused to honor his own deal. The debt limit still hasn’t been raised, and you think the guy with a track record two times over of skipping out on his own tab and breaking his own deals is the one to trust?

    Just because Jordan is worse doesn’t mean McCarthy is trustworthy. It sure as hell doesn’t mean he “can be worked with when push comes to shove.” McCarthy and the Freedom Caucus were the ones doing the shoving.