Vocal advocate for party’s Right-wing must now win a full vote, including from Democrat members, to succeed evicted Kevin McCarthy
13 October 2023 •
Republicans in the House of Representatives nominated hardliner Jim Jordan for speaker on Friday, setting up a vote that will test whether he can surmount the party divisions that led Steve Scalise to abandon his bid.
Representative Elise Stefanik, a member of the chamber’s Republican leadership, said on social media that Mr Jordan had won the closed-door vote, which had pit him against Austin Scott, a Georgia lawmaker who has kept a relatively low profile in his 12 years in Congress.
Republican infighting has left the House paralysed for 10 days, with lawmakers deadlocked over a successor to Kevin McCarthy, who was forced out by a small group of Republican insurgents on Oct 3.
Some Republicans said their problems ran deeper than a simple lack of leadership.
“There’s a lack of trust. There’s a lack of transparency,” said Representative Kat Cammack. “That’s what we need to address before we can even really get to the speaker.”
Mr Jordan’s next test is whether he can get the vote of 217 members of the full House, including Democrats.
“I think I can unite the conference, I think I can tell the country what we’re doing and why it matters,” said Mr Jordan, who has tormented Republican leaders for years as a vocal advocate for the party’s Right-wing.
Anger from some
But the new nominee, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, faced scepticism from those who were angry people had failed to unite behind Mr Scalise, who has held the No 2 leadership job for years.
“I just think that Steve got a raw deal,” said Representative Vern Buchanan.
Some members said they were pushing for a vote by the full house this weekend, once Republicans picked a nominee.
Without a speaker, the House is at a deadlock as war expands in the Middle East, Russia continues to pound Ukraine and the government faces a Nov. 17 partial shutdown deadline without additional funding from Congress.
Mr Jordan’s backers said his confrontational style could help in negotiating with Joe Biden and the Democratic-controlled Senate.
“We need someone who is tough, who’s smart and can negotiate in that room. I think Jim Jordan can do it,” said Representative Nicole Malliotakis.
While Mr McCarthy was the first speaker in US history ousted by a vote of the chamber, the last two Republicans to hold the job, John Boehner and Paul Ryan, also left under pressure from their Right flanks.
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Jim Jordan’s Stance on Ukraine Funding
Extract :
“Jordan said he won’t move forward with an additional aid package for Ukraine if elected Speaker, commenting: “The most pressing issue on Americans’ minds is not Ukraine. It is the border situation and crime on the streets.”
The Ohio Republican expended on this point during an interview with Fox News, when he asked: “Why should we be sending American tax dollars to Ukraine when we don’t even know what the goal is?
“No one can tell me what the objective is. Is it some kind of negotiated peace? Is it driving them out of eastern Ukraine? Is it driving them out of Crimea?… So until you can tell me the goal, I don’t think we should continue to send money there particularly when we have the problems we have on our border so that’s fundamental.
“And then, second, how is the money that’s already been sent, how has it been spent? What kind of waste is going on? Those are two fundamental questions that I think the American taxpayers want to know the answers to before they send any more of their hard-earned money there.”
The conservative campaign group ‘Defending Democracy Together,’ which supports aid for Ukraine, gave Jordan an “F” or “very poor” rating over his lack of backing for Kyiv, accusing the congressman of having made “anti-Ukraine comments.” By contrast, Scalise was awarded a B by the group.
On Thursday, Jordan was endorsed by Donald Trump, whom he has repeatedly defended, on his Truth Social website. The former president and 2024 Republican frontrunner wrote: “He will be a GREAT Speaker of the House, & has my Complete & Total Endorsement!”
However, speaking at the University of Minnesota on Wednesday, former House Republican Liz Cheney said Jordan could not be relied upon to safeguard the U.S. Constitution. Referring to the possibility of him becoming Speaker, she said: “If they were to decide that, there would no longer be any possible way to argue that a group of elected Republicans could be counted on to defend the Constitution.”
Full article :
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/jim-jordans-stance-on-ukraine-funding/ar-AA1hMO6p
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Christopher Bakes on LinkedIn:
(Extract from one week ago) :
“The Kremlin’s Republicans.”
Meet Representative Matt Gaetz and his tiny band of political disgraces, Kremlin sock puppets united against nobility and honor.
Despite strong majorities of the American public supporting substantial aid to Ukraine — in keeping with our role in the world and our obligation to Ukraine (Budapest Memorandum) and the defense of Europe (NATO) against the very foe now invading (Russia) — we have the spectacle of 8 sorry and bizarre specimens in Congress who removed a good and competent man (and my fellow Californian), former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Gaetz and his band of saboteurs now lead the Kremlin brigade in Congress, in the process poisoning a good chunk of our population by urging that we abandon Ukraine, Europe, and our role in the world.
Our allies are watching. Our enemies are hoping.
I’ve received comments from the Gaetz club. They include one David Winkler, GOP candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania. (“Putin had every right to invade,” he says.) They have all aligned with Russia and Putin, as shocking a development as I’ve seen in my lifetime.
Meet today’s “America Firsters.”
History’s most notorious “America First” groups were 1930s propaganda outlets funded by Germany to keep the US out of the war.
They were eventually disgraced but not before they did considerable damage to the free democracies by keeping the largest democracy from assisting. Charles Lindbergh (yes, that Charles Lindbergh) was a leading enemy of aid to the UK.
“Never Forget”?
Well it appears that 8 members of Congress and their favorite presidential candidate have indeed forgotten, because their talking points opposing Ukraine aid and flattering a dictator are nearly identical to the America Firsters’ anti-UK pro-Hitler talking points from the 1930s.
How has this happened?
Stupidity?
Wise Kremlin investments in slippery American politicians and talk show hosts who love calling themselves “patriots”?
Social media giving fools a platform?
The failure of education?
Hyper-partisanship?
All of the above.”
“Jordan, a founding member of the hardline conservative Freedom Caucus…”
“Freedom Caucus” is a misnomer if ever I saw one. It’s correct name should be “Republicans for putler.”
“But the behind-closed-doors vote showed he was still a staggering 65 votes short of the 217 needed to get the job.”
JJ’s appointment is bad news for Ukraine…
But I don’t see how this legislative terrorist can be elected. Impossible.
On the other hand, fortunately in this situation we won’t hear that asshole Gaetz coming whining in the aisles 🙂
“No one can tell me what the objective is. Is it some kind of negotiated peace? Is it driving them out of eastern Ukraine? Is it driving them out of Crimea?… So until you can tell me the goal, I don’t think we should continue to send money there particularly when we have the problems we have on our border so that’s fundamental.”
Maybe assholes like Jordan will soften on Ukraine aid if Biden FINALLY were to address the American people, and explain the White House’s overall strategy and especially its goal. Does it even have one?
However, I doubt that this would change anything. An asshole is an asshole, and he will find other reasons to allow his true bread giver, Vlad, to win this terrible, illegal war.
Once more, Jim Jordan is NOT a hardliner or a Republican. He is a fascist, disguised as a Republican. He is a ruskie asset.
The guy is evil, dumb as a box of hammers and a trumputler proxy.
Like all those undercover fascists in the Republican Party.
The twits and ninnies are answering all the dog whistles with the Marxist propaganda led by the Leftists media, just imagine another year from now, lol
It has been asked: how did this happen? The present circumstances in the world are a direct result of weak leadership in the White House. Everything, whether you’re talking about the southern US border, the situation in Ukraine, the attack on Israel, the chaos in US congress, it can all be traced back to Biden’s ability to screw everything up.