Here We Go Again!

Even the mainstream media is calling it the Republican's Clown Car. So now Rep. Jim Jordan is up for Speaker of the House.

The Los Angles Times has a Letter-to-the-Editor…

Letters to the Editor: Republicans nominate an election denier for speaker. They’re refueling the clown car

To the editor: Why is the House in such a mess? (“Republicans nominate Steve Scalise for House speaker but struggle to unite to elect him,” Oct. 11)

The clown car arrived in Washington on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2017, with bombast and savior-like promises to deliver us from American carnage. Little did we know that the new president was the embodiment of carnage for our democracy.

Instead of running out of gas, the clown car was refueled by Republicans’ weakness and fear of destroyed political careers if they stepped out of line.

Former President Trump weakened the nation’s character. A narcissist with supercharged skills of bullying and lying, he found a supine Republican Party willing to condone his every indiscretion, ultimately leading his followers to an insurrection in 2021.

Now, a coterie of incompetent chaos agents are in the House.

In Congress, 147 Republicans voted to overturn the 2020 election, 139 of which were in the House. Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, now the Republican nominee for speaker, was among them.

Is this the best they can do? Surely no, but it isn’t the worst either if they are reelected in 2024.

D.H. Sloan, Los Angeles

***

So who is Rep. Jordan?

What to know about Jim Jordan, possible House speaker nominee
The Washington Post
By Maegan Vazquez and Marisa Iati
October 13, 2023

With the exit of Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) from the speaker’s race, the spotlight is back on Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

House Republicans are huddling behind closed doors Friday as they struggle to find a nominee who can get the 217 GOP votes needed to clinch the speakership.

Jordan, who finished a close second to Scalise for the nomination in a closed-door vote of House Republicans on Wednesday and was endorsed by Trump last week, is still in the hunt, but other candidates could emerge.

[...]
Jordan has had a hand in high-profile investigations of Democrats. As a leader of the House hearings on the deadly 2012 terrorist attack on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, Libya, he questioned then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He is now one of the leaders of the impeachment inquiry into Biden.

[…]

Among the most prominent is Rep. Matt Gaetz (Fla.), who led the push for McCarthy’s removal and recently referred to Jordan as his mentor. Reps. Jim Banks (Ind.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Byron Donalds (Fla.), Troy E. Nehls (Tex.) and others also expressed support for Jordan.

He is not friend of the LGBTQ+ community!

Jim Jordan, a Far-Right MAGA Republican, Wins Nomination for Speaker of House
The Trump-endorsed lawmaker has a history of voting against LGBTQ+ rights.
The Advocate
By Alex Cooper
October 13, 2023


U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, a far-right, anti-LGBTQ+ Republican, was nominated to be the next speaker of the House on Friday.

Jordan beat out Republican U.S. Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia in a 124-81 vote by Republican House members. It comes after U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy was ousted as speaker after working with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown.

It's still unclear, however, if the Ohio Republican can win the support of enough GOP members to be voted in as the speaker.

[…]

Jordan’s anti-LGBTQ+ record is extensive, to say the least.

He voted against the Respect for Marriage Act last year.

Jordan also led the House’s debate against the Equality Act, which would protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination through federal law.

[...]

He also introduced a bill in 2009 that would bar Washington, D.C., from recognizing same-sex marriages performed elsewhere in the country after the city’s council voted to recognize marriage equality.

Most emphatically not a fan of ours. The website clevleand(DOT)com said last year about the Defense in Marriage bill that,

On the House floor Tuesday, Jordan pointed out that gay marriage was outlawed in numerous states before the Supreme Court legalized it nationwide, that many Democrats supported the Defense of Marriage Act, and Democratic President Bill Clinton signed it.

Jordan described Tuesday’s legislation as part of an effort by Democrats to “delegitimize and attempt to intimidate the court” and said Democrats were focusing on that issue to distract from problems like inflation, skyrocketing prices, high levels of illegal immigration and violent crime.

“We’re here because the Democrats have no answers and desperately hope that a manufactured crisis will help them in November,” said Jordan.

So he was one of the one’s who Jan. 6 was no big deal and that Trump won… and he might be Speaker!

He’s a MAGA Republican who worships the orange idol.

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You know if the Republicans had an ounce of brains they would have a speaker lined up before they fired McCarthy instead of rushing in like a bull in a china shop. Zero leadership skills!

The Daily Beast has a dark horse candidate in mind.

It’s hard to find a leader when people don’t want to be led. Various factions for various reasons didn’t want Scalise, and they’re all flexing their individual petty power. This opens the door to dark horse candidates who haven’t sought the position, like Scott [Georgia Rep. Austin Scott], who has no national reputation. McHenry, the temporary Speaker, could also be pulled into the race with others like Rep. Tom Cole, a voice of reason from Oklahoma and Tom Emmer, currently the third in GOP leadership and a natural to move up.

[…]

The late entry of Scott raises the question of just how far down the list of possible speakers will Republicans go before they run out of options and are forced to turn to the Democrats for help. For everybody’s sake, the clown show should end sooner than later.

And the continuing saga of the Republican Clown Car continues.

You know what would be a real kick in the pants? If they reelect McCarthy!