Down Goes Jordan

The speakership race enters its ‘Mad Max’ era.

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U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan speaks to the media as he leaves a closed-door House Republican meeting at the U.S. Capitol on October 20, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Hello and welcome to a late edition of Uphill. Between nonstop news developments and my toddler’s fun case of hand, foot, and mouth disease, it’s been a bit of a rough week. 

It’s also been rough for House Republicans, who still show no signs of being capable of governing.

Some of them aren’t interested in governing at all, which is nothing new. Over the past decade, the conference has overseen multiple government shutdowns, several debt ceiling near-misses, frequent leadership turnover, and an attempt to reject lawful election results to keep their party in power. Not a stellar track record.

But the GOP conference’s current dysfunction is soaring to new heights. Rep. Jim Jordan, a far-right Fox News fixture and ally of former President Donald Trump, failed his third attempt to win the speakership on Friday morning, securing just 194 votes—well short of what he needed and his worst showing yet. After giving the Ohio Republican a week to make his case, most of the GOP conference decided they’d had enough, reportedly voting 112-86 in an internal conference meeting to remove Jordan as the party’s candidate for speaker. 

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  1. Eeeeee’qkk

    Half baked proposal: Leadership of both parties agree to hire a non-member to serve as Speaker through the rest of the congress. Could be anyone so long as both sides agree. Maybe a retired General with an uncontroversial reputation Said speaker will have strictly defined duties, responsibilities, and limits on their actions written into their job description. Engage an executive recruiter to do the candidate search, and have a new Speaker by November.

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  2. Dadgum41

    I understand your support for pay-go journalism/opinion. I support it, too, by subscribing to THE DISPATCH, for example. Not willing to subscribe to everything.
    PLEASE link to pieces not forcing subscription to read. E.g., OF NOTE links at end of your column. If it's that good, figure a way to show us free.
    Thank you.

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      Pat @ Tavi Hall

      I do have some questions about the validity of your first sentence seperate from the overall argument. I assume that maybe your tongue was in your cheek for that.

      My only caveat to your idea is I'd like a more robust process that includes the congressional version of experts, committees. I'm thinking of a little ditty from my childhood about a bill being passed into law.

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    2. Eeeeee’qkk

      It’s just crazy enough to work. I love it!

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    Rjosephpaquette

    Last time a political party couldn't agree on a speaker, the party broke up. Seems logical to consider that today.

    Time to form the Republican Conservative Party and the Republican MAGA party.

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      Pat @ Tavi Hall

      Interesting historical observation, thanks for making it.

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  5. BenP

    Nice job getting this hot take:

    “At this point, every outcome is as likely as any other,” former Rep. Peter Meijer, a Michigan Republican who’s considering a Senate bid, told The Dispatch on Friday. “Might as well just start throwing a 222-sided die and keep holding votes round and round until January 3, 2025.”

    I really like Meijer. Maybe it's time to have him back on the podcast.

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  6. Jack H Wolf

    I hope the Dems could put on their big boy pants and support Emmer. If even half the Dems did this they might outvote whatever of the Freedom Caucus votes against him and it would be a hard hit to Donald Trump.

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    1. Hikingguy

      "Big boy pants" Right. It is not the task of Democrats to solve Republican's self-made problems. I do not expect House Republicans to play well with others when they can't even play with themselves. Oh. Wait.

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      1. Jack H Wolf

        It seems more about doing the best for the country than solving the GOP problem. Would you prefer an election denier in charge of the House.

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        1. Hikingguy

          It doesn't matter anyway. Trump is against Emmer. So it won't ever happen. There are plenty of Trumphumpers in the GQP caucus besides Gaetz and his goons.

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      1. Jack H Wolf

        I am structurally opposed to making policy demands as people should be free to vote, and are, for that matter, so you cant make binding agreements anyway. However, on the structural stuff, I think they should, and many of the Rs would be happy to get rid of, the Gaetz anarchy clauses and I would also nix the antidemocratic principle of only allowing things to the floor that pass the R caucus.

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    Soniak21

    >>Lauren Fine, a spokeswoman for Scalise, denied that. “Not true,” she told The Dispatch. “Leader Scalise has been the only candidate throughout this process who has publicly declared he will be supportive of whomever the conference nominates for Speaker, and his position has not changed.”<<

    This is the "All lives matter" statement of the Speaker clusterf*ck. Not to get into the weeds on BLM matters. But you know what I mean: This is that thing where you dodge the specific question ("Do Black lives matter?" "Do you support Jim Jordan?") with a sweeping statement meant to give you vague cover on... all sorts of things... while glaringly leaving out all mention of the thing you were asked about.

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  8. Randall Briggs

    At least one GOP lawmaker, Rep. Mike Gallagher, apparently sensed something unholy was afoot and left to pray the rosary.

    Maybe Mike Gallagher should have prayed the rosary when contemplating his votes against impeaching Trump. Had Trump been removed, we would not be going through this dangerous clown-show.

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    1. Hartzlk

      Disagree. Trump's influential power is separate from his candidacy for office, as always.

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        LBernard

        I must disagree. Trump's influential power stems 100% from his candidacy or occupation of office, and always has.

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    BillAZ

    Normally not a huge fan of Jamie Bouie but he wrote a barn-burner of a column in Friday's NYT.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/20/opinion/house-republicans-jordan-gaetz-greene.html

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