As House Republicans struggle to govern, the party suffered another black eye Thursday evening when Majority Leader Steve Scalise abruptly withdrew from the speaker’s race amid hardened opposition from more than a dozen holdouts. The problem for the House GOP is that it’s not clear anyone can lock down the 217 votes needed to win the gavel, raising questions over how and when the standoff over the speakership will last and at what cost.
Republicans are confronting a deepening leadership crisis that has left the House paralyzed with no clear path to elect a new speaker, after an effort to replace Kevin McCarthy following his historic ouster was derailed by entrenched opposition and deep divisions within the party.
UNBELIEVABE!! No wait, this is the GOP, it is totally believable.
When McCarthy was ousted, I thought who would be the worst choice to be speaker because I was pretty sure that that’s what the GOP would do. I was surprised when they nominated Scalise although he is no bargain but maybe the best we could hope for. Then Scalise couldn’t get the majority and they nominated who I thought they would, the bomb throwing, extreme right wing, Trump defender at all cost, participant in the Jan 6 insurrection, subpoena ignoring, jacket-less Jim Jordan.
I don’t know if Jordan will get 217 but my thought is that he won’t and I think it will be Elise Stefanik. She is currently number 3 in the GOP House and has proven to be able to move her position as required as she started as a NY moderate and morphed into a far right extremist. I think she can morph into whatever is required to get 217.
The insurrection continues.
Thought?