This was a really rough week for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH).
We all wanted him as our Speaker, but a small contingent of moderate Republicans blocked him.
Jordan was only able to get 200 votes on the first vote, 199 on the second, and he fell to 194 on the third vote.
This now has the party looking for a new Speaker.
Won’t Bend
The line in the sand for the moderates in the GOP was the backing of Trump’s 2020 election narrative.
For that reason, there are almost two dozen Republicans who refuse to back Jordan, no matter what.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) is one of them (his wife was also receiving threatening texts for not backing Jordan).
When Bacon was asked about Jordan being able to go forward, he was not hopeful.
He stated, “I believe he’s done. He needs to withdraw from this.
“He’s going to lose more votes tomorrow. I know it.
“I know who is going to cross over and change. He doesn’t have a pathway forward to 217.
“There’s two different reasons why. We have some group that worked with him going back ten years. They worked with him on appropriations, more senior folks.
“He’s created a lot of chaos. I’m in the other camp where I don’t like how he got here.”
Bacon added, “The straw that broke my camel’s back was when five Jordan folks said they would never vote for Steve when he won the majority.
“Jim was there, and he didn’t speak up, which means he is somewhat complicit.
“You can’t play a game where I’m the only guy playing by the rules and the other guy is not. It’s not American.
“We believe in fairness, and the law applies to everybody.
“That wasn’t the case with a small group of individuals here.”
Jordan was voted out as the candidate, and now the caucus has to elect someone new.
The MAGA contingent is reportedly putting Rep. Bryon Donalds (R-FL), but he will probably meet the same fate as Jordan.
I just don’t see the moderates putting anyone in place who is associated with Donald Trump right now.
If that is the case, the Speaker position will be held hostage until MAGA decides to stand down, but I am not sure that will ever happen.
Source: Breitbart