Republicans In Disarray -- Insurrectionists, Anarchists, Bullies, And Frauds

 

A few updates this morning on the Republican-on-Republican brawl to become Christofascist Speaker of the House.

Memories...

 

It appears there's some confusion on here about Jim Jordan's role in Trump's insurrection plot. So let me leave these here for you: pic.twitter.com/gECIUArh8m

— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) October 14, 2023

Activist anarchists

...For Tuesday night’s candidates forum, Republicans moved their meeting to the Ways and Means committee room in the Longworth building. One-hundred forty journalists crowded into “Gucci Gulch” — as the lobbyist-filled hallways outside the committee room are known — and, because the building is open to the public, so did some right-wing activists. One of them, Ivan Raiklin, informed me that “38,000 were murdered” by the coronavirus vaccine and explained how Trump could be installed as House speaker.

Another activist interrupted McCarthy’s impromptu news conference in the hallway to inform him that it was the birthday of Ashli Babbitt, the woman fatally shot inside the Capitol as she tried to breach the House chamber on Jan. 6, 2021, and to demand the release of more security footage from the insurrection. “That’s another day, another question,” McCarthy said, asking reporters for a different question.

For the moment, there was really only one relevant question: “How do we get to 217 and how do we bring this party back to a functioning majority?” as Rep. Mike Garcia (Calif.) put it. And the answer to that was ... well, nobody knew...

Bully is as bully does

Representative Jim Jordan and his allies have begun a right-wing pressure campaign against Republicans opposed to electing him speaker, working to unleash the rage of the party’s base voters against any lawmaker standing in the way of his election.

Even after Mr. Jordan, the hard-right Ohio Republican, won his party’s nomination for the post on Friday, he remained far short of the 217 votes he needed to win the gavel, with scores of his colleagues refusing to back him.

In efforts to close the gap, lawmakers and activists close to him have taken to social media and the airwaves to blast the Republicans they believe are blocking his path to victory and encourage voters to browbeat them into supporting Mr. Jordan.

It is an extraordinary instance of Republican-on-Republican fighting that underscores the divisions that have wrought chaos inside the party, paralyzing the House of Representatives in the process. Several of Mr. Jordan’s supporters have posted the phone numbers of mainstream G.O.P. lawmakers they count as holdouts, encouraging followers to flood the Capitol switchboard with calls demanding they back Mr. Jordan — or face the wrath of conservative voters as they gear up for primary season...

(Spoiler alert:  He won't be Speaker.  Period.)

Don't threaten us with a good time

... "Rep. George Santos, who has resisted calls to resign for lying about his background and credentials, said he would resign from congress if Rs and Ds work together to elect a House Speaker," [WaPo's Azi] Paybarah wrote.

The report was also confirmed by Talking Points Memo publisher Josh Marshall.

Santos "just threatened that he’ll resign from Congress if there’s a deal to elect a Speaker with the Dems," according to Marshall's account.

That's what's known as an "incentive" for both Democrats and those Republicans who've been trying to ditch the embarrassment who happens to be a perfect distillation of the values of their party.

"Gym" Jordan Nominated, But Way Short Of Speakership

The dysfunctional and extremist House Republican conference nominated sexual abuse protector and legislative terrorist Rep. Jim "Gym" Jordan (Seditionist-OH) for Speaker of the House yesterday by a vote of 124 to 81, barely more than failed nominee Rep. Steve "David Duke Lite" Scalise (Seditionist-LA) received before he bowed out. From the New York Times:

"By a vote of 124 to 81, Mr. Jordan defeated Representative Austin Scott of Georgia, a mainstream conservative and an ally of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy who had decided just hours earlier to seek the nomination. Mr. Scott had effectively put himself forward as a protest candidate against Mr. Jordan, the co-founder of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus and a favorite of former President Donald J. Trump’s. [snip]

After Mr. Jordan won the nomination, Republicans held another vote to gauge how many in their ranks were willing to vote for him on the floor. The results were discouraging; 152 said they would, while 55 said they would oppose him. It underscored the deep divisions among Republicans and how far they have strayed from congressional tradition, which normally dictates that once an internal party contest ends, members rally behind the victor."  (our emphasis)

According to the article, Republicans are delaying a vote on Gym in order to build support among the Malignant Loser's cult, where Gym is popular. But there are still 14 Republicans representing districts that President Biden won in 2020 who will be a very hard sell to vote for Gym, who is spearheading the bogus Biden impeachment effort among other far-right agenda issues, and who voted to overturn the 2020 election results.

As they have for decades, Republicans are demonstrating their nihilism and unfitness to serve in responsible public offices (see the Quote of the Day, below). Ruled by petty grievances and deeply held authoritarian views, this dangerous circus will continue to roll along as domestic and international crises surround us. 

(photo: Gym and his cult leader. AP file)