Jordan refuses to end bid for Speaker
Opponents in House hit with death threats
Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for October 19, 2023:
Biden to address the nation on Israel and Ukraine.
Jordan expected to lose more votes today.
The fog of war hits Capitol Hill.
SPEAKER. Facing calls to pull out of the race after losing ground in a second House vote on Wednesday, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) is pressing on with his bid for Speaker, intent on forcing a third ballot vote this afternoon. Meanwhile, the Ohio Republican found himself on the defensive about attacks leveled at fellow GOP lawmakers who refused to vote for him, amid reports of death threats and other abuse.
SECOND BALLOT. Instead of picking up support yesterday, Jordan was further away from victory, as he received 199 votes from Republicans. "I’m committed to voting as many times as we must to get Jim elected as Speaker," said Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC).
CRITICS. But there seemed to be no obvious avenue for Jordan to peel off opponents, as his critics were growing even bolder. "It’s time for Rep. Jordan to understand this race is over," said Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL).
VOTE NOW. Rutherford joined with a group of other Jordan opponents to demand an immediate third ballot on the House floor. "It's time to reopen the House," said Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-TX).
NO VOTE. But just like on Tuesday, the House held only one vote for Speaker, and Republicans again did not meet behind closed doors. The slow pace did not exactly send a message of confidence in Jordan’s bid to lead the GOP.
THREATS. The bigger developing story last night was the pattern of threats being made to GOP lawmakers who had voted against Jordan on the House floor. It reinforced the story line that Jordan allies had launched a scorched-earth campaign against fellow Republicans in Congress - which was bringing them threatening emails, texts, phone calls, and other abuse.
MMM. "I have received credible death threats and a barrage of threatening calls," said Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), who switched her vote away from Jordan on Wednesday. "One thing I cannot stomach, or support is a bully," the Iowa Republican added. It wasn't just her.
MORE. "Threats and intimidation tactics will not change my principles and values," said Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA), who has not supported Jordan. "I stayed true to my principles," said Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX). "Intimidation and threats will not change my position."
BLAME. Republicans pointed the finger directly at Jordan. "He's absolutely responsible for it," said Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL). "It's destructive, and it's dividing the Republican conference," added Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR).
STOP. Even Jordan supporters publicly acknowledged that the pressure campaign had gotten out of hand. "I don't think it's been helpful to Jim," Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) told reporters. "I think everybody just needs to stop. Just let the members have this discussion amongst us."
STATEMENT. Jordan issued his own statement last night, asking outside groups to back off. "We condemn all threats against our colleagues and it is imperative that we come together," Jordan said. "Stop. It’s abhorrent."
HALLWAYS. Walking the halls of the Capitol around 6 pm last night told me everything that I needed to know. There was almost nothing going on. No frenzied gathering of reporters. No cameras chasing GOP lawmakers down the hall. Frankly, it almost felt like the House was out of town.
WHAT A MESS. In other words, other than maybe a few Jordan partisans, everyone on Capitol Hill knows that Jordan is not going to become Speaker right now. He cannot get to 217 votes, which was obvious by Wednesday's results.
CAPITOL HILL. It's really just a question of when Jordan decides to give up, as he is expected to lose more votes today. Unlike Kevin McCarthy earlier this year, I don’t see votes switching back to Jordan. This is personal.
SPEAKER’S LOBBY. For a second straight day when the House did not immediately hold another vote for Speaker, everyone knew that meant Jordan was nowhere close to victory. “We’ll keep voting for him as long as it takes,” said Rep. Bob Good (R-VA).
DAILY DOUBLE. Two Republicans flipped their votes to Jordan on the second ballot - Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) and Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN). "I still think we need to call back an organizational meeting to hash out our differences," Spartz said after the vote, not exactly issuing a big endorsement of Jordan.
FOURSOME. But those two votes coming back to Jordan were more than offset by four House Republicans who dropped their support.
Vern Buchanan (R-FL)
Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA)
Pete Stauber (R-MN)
Drew Ferguson (R-GA)
IOWA NICE. The switch by Miller-Meeks was notable, because she had hemmed and hawed about supporting Jordan on the first ballot. Jordan went to her district earlier this year to hold a fundraiser. It was okay to get his money - but not to elect him as Speaker of the House, as Miller-Meeks dumped Jordan on the second ballot.
ACTING SPEAKER. One of the more interesting things I noticed yesterday was the vehement negative reaction of more conservative GOP lawmakers to the idea of allowing House business to go forward while the search for a Speaker continues - by officially electing Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) as the Speaker Pro Tempore.
NYET. "If any Republicans want to go cut a deal with Democrats," said Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), "they will be making a choice - and there will be consequences of that choice." "All this talk of empowering a temporary House Speaker is Swamp talk," added Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI).
SPLINTERING. But there are a number of Republicans who make the case that the goal of the Acting Speaker is not just to elect a Speaker - but to keep House business going. "We do not have more time to waste, which is why I support empowering Speaker Pro-Tempore McHenry," said Rep. David Valadao (R-CA).
BIPARTISAN. What do I think would happen if there is a vote on a resolution which gives McHenry basic Speaker authority for 30-45 days? It would probably pass with complete support from Democrats, and a divided GOP - just like what happened on the debt limit deal and the recent CR.
NO THANKS. That possibility drives conservatives nuts. “A vote to further empower a temporary Speaker is a vote to keep you broke and Washington broken,” said Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), the head of the Freedom Caucus.
SENATE. Senate Democrats continued on Wednesday to pour verbal molten lead on House Republicans, calling for bipartisan cooperation on a host of unresolved legislative matters in this Congress. "You're a minority, MAGA Republicans," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said dismissively on the Senate floor. "You're a minority in the Republican Party."
COALITION. I know it freaks out a lot of Republicans to hear Democrats talk about cooperation - but that's the way things get done on Capitol Hill. Just look at this year with divided control of Congress. The two parties combined to pass the debt limit deal and a plan to avoid a government shutdown.
SCHUMER. "Bipartisanship will be required to help Israel. It will be required to avoid a government shutdown," said Schumer. "It will be required to finish the appropriations process. Bipartisanship will be required for just about everything, everything that happens in the Congress." (FACT CHECK - TRUE.)
TWEET. I had someone send me a message the other day saying that they could not understand why I was talking about the Congress passing a CR or aid for Ukraine. In their opinion, there was no way either of those items would ever get out of Congress. That’s not supported by what I see on Capitol Hill.
OVAL OFFICE. Just back from a trip to Israel, President Biden will make the case tonight for additional aid to Israel and Ukraine, as he addresses the nation from the Oval Office. The speech is set for 8 pm EDT. Biden is expected to ask Congress for a supplemental spending plan totaling upwards of $100 billion - to help Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, and concerns on the southern border with Mexico.
GOP. Look for Republicans to argue against mixing all of those items into one measure. "Each foreign aid bill should be brought individually to the floor for a vote," said Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO). Others just oppose it. "This is a fundamentally dishonest attempt to continue throwing money away on a war in Ukraine," said Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX).
BACKERS. Most Democrats are more than ready to rally behind the Biden plan - no matter the cost. "A big broad aid package - matching the moment - is exactly the right move," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
CONGRESS. The Biden address also creates a fairly devastating split screen for House Republicans. The President will be asking Congress to act on billions in aid - and yet, the House isn’t even open for legislative business at this point, because there is no Speaker.
HOSPITAL BOMBING. Members of Congress in both parties stepped up their criticism Wednesday of several House Democrats who blamed Israel for a hospital bombing in Gaza - even as it seemed the evidence pointed at Hamas. "There are Democrat members of Congress still fueling misinformation and Hamas-propaganda," said Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL).
TLAIB. As pro-Hamas demonstrators marched into Congressional office buildings and rallied on Capitol Hill, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) - who blamed Israel for the hospital bombing - wasn't taking back her words. "We continue to watch people think it's okay to bomb a hospital with children," Tlaib said to cries of 'Shame!' from the crowd.
TWEETS. Both Tlaib and Rep. Ilham Omar (D-MN) wasted no time blaming Israel after news of the bombing emerged on Tuesday. "Bombing a hospital is among the gravest of war crimes," Omar tweeted, pointing the finger directly at the Israeli military. (She clarified her criticism on Wednesday.)
DEMS. It wasn’t just Republicans rebuking Tlaib and Omar. “It’s truly disturbing that Members of Congress rushed to blame Israel,” said Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA). “Who would take the word of a group that just massacred innocent Israeli civilians over our key ally?”
INTEL. There was some clarity through the fog of war. "We feel confident that the explosion was the result of a failed rocket launch by (Hamas) terrorists and not the result of an Israeli airstrike," said Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
PROTESTS. If you see GOP lawmakers claiming that yesterday’s protests interrupted work on the House floor - that’s just not true. I was in the Capitol all day - and never saw a single protestor.
TAX FILING. The IRS has announced a new pilot program in up to 13 states to offer a free way to electronically file your federal taxes - directly to the IRS, instead of through a tax preparation company. "This will help us gather important information about the future direction of the Direct File program," said IRS chief Daniel Werfel.
CONGRESS. Lawmakers say it's about time. "It’s time to bring the tax filing system into the 21st century with a solution that reduces the burden on taxpayers," said Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL), as Democrats praised the 'Direct File' program, which was launched in the Inflation Reduction Act.
TURBO TAX. "Giant tax prep companies have fought Direct File at every step, making tax filing more complicated and expensive than it should be," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
WHO. The program will focus mainly on simple returns at first. Arizona, California, and Massachusetts the focus - along with states that have no income tax - Alaska, Florida, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming.
RAP SHEET. A pair of cousins from Mississippi and Alabama will have a lot of time to think about Jan. 6. Thomas Smith of Mississippi was sentenced this week to nine years in prison, while Donnie Wren received one year in jail. Smith repeatedly assaulted police officers, calling them 'tyrannical cops.'
MUSE OF HISTORY. October 19, 1983. Forty years ago today, the Senate gave final approval to a bill setting a national holiday to honor civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The vote was 78-22. "This has been a great day in the history of the Senate," said Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA). "This is a historic moment," acknowledged Senate GOP Leader Howard Baker (R-TN). Hours later, President Reagan said he would sign it into law.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:
The House meets at 12 noon.
The Senate convenes at 10 am.
Check President Biden’s schedule.
Follow me on Twitter @jamiedupree.
Email me at jamiedupree@substack.com
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I didn't think things could much worse for Republicans in Congress. But they did today.
The most mind-boggling line in today’s newsletter: I know it freaks out a lot of Republicans to hear Democrats talk about cooperation - but that's the way things get done on Capitol Hill.
GOP legislators are “freaked out” at the mere idea of working with Dems to achieve common legislative goals (like I dunno, keeping the government open for starters)? That one line distills everything that’s wrong with Congress in 2023.
And I completely agree with your split screen comparison -- old addle-brained Joe Biden somehow managed to fly into a war zone, comforted an ally, helped to globally clarify intelligence on a divisive hospital strike, expertly drew multiple lines in the sand without offending either side and on the flight home negotiated a deal with Egypt, all in 24 hours. All as House GOPers continued to sit on their asses while issuing death threats -- to each other. The contrast is stark.