Jordan Getting A “Payback’s A B!tch” Lesson?

There’s an old, anonymous (that “anonymous” character sure wrote a lot of good stuff!) that “Karma’s a bitch.” We won’t know for sure for at least until early this afternoon but there are indications Karma might smack “Gym” Jordan in his fat mouth with that very Speaker’s Gavel he’s suddenly come to crave. Then whack him over the head with it for good measure. I read a quite short article by Raw Story a few minutes ago that I hope winds up being both descriptive (of why) and prophetic about how this day will unfold. The lede pretty well sums it up:

Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) appears to be hanging Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) out to dry in his stalled bid for House speaker

We need to backtrack a bit. After Bratty Matty Gaetz and his gang took away former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s “Precious” (that Speaker’s gavel he’d so coveted he sold his soul and more to get it) without someone they could replace him with the House was thrown into a weird form of chaos and limbo. Without a Speaker the House can’t function and as we all know there was already HUGE stuff to do even before a massive Hamas terrorist attack ignited a war in Israel that could spread throughout the region. Still, it seemed like House Republicans would proceed in a fairly deliberate fashion to put a new Speaker in place. Within a week. That of course was before things went to a new level of hell in Israel but that crisis ramped up the urgency to be sure.

Two main candidates emerged, both with considerable baggage. For me and I’m sure most people reading this it was two lousy choices but it was a no-brainer that the least bad choice was Steve Scalise who was already high up in the GOP House Leadership, and had actual knowledge and experience in the workings of the chamber and how to actually get things done. Jim “HE GROPED ME COACH!” Jordan has been there over fifteen years and hasn’t managed to pass a single piece of legislation. What he has done is regularly throw flaming sh*t bombs and don’t forget his key role in that govt. shutdown ten years ago.

Had Scalise been the only person who put his name forward for Speaker right now it would be Speaker Steve Scalise. However Jordan let delusions of grandeur take over and he threw his on asshat into the ring. House GOPers had a plan. Each would have a few days, make their case to fellow Republicans by calling and visiting others and then there would be a closed door conference where each would make his pitch. Then a day would pass so everyone could come to a decision and in another closed door conference they’d hold a vote, after which they’d move things to the House chamber for a session where they’d nominate and confirm the winner.

As we know it didn’t work out that way. Scalise won that vote. Not by a lot but enough to be a clear winner and reporting indicates that from the moment the result was announced Jordan started showing his a$$. Like his pal Trump (who’d endorsed his bid to be Speaker) he simply couldn’t accept that he’d lost and he let others know he was unhappy. Probably, even if he didn’t outright say it likely implied Trump wouldn’t be happy. Whatever. The thing is, given that and the fact he’d at least racked up enough support to give Scalise a run the plan to go to the floor was scrapped. Scalise would need a little time to ensure everyone would abide by the agreed upon rules for the process and vote to make him Speaker.

Jordan wasn’t about to let that happen. In fact, he immediately set about sabotaging Scalise to ensure the latter would never get 217 votes. In fact, Joran was so sure of himself he went to Scalise’s office less than an hour later where he told Scalise he (Jordan) would “support” him for ONE ballot, and that when Scalise fell short he (Scalise) would turn right around and endorse him (Jordan) for Speaker. Word got out of what went down and as was the case when Jordan whined and complained in the closed door conference it didn’t go down well with other Republicans.

Still, knowing he had no chance Scalise dropped out and it LOOKED like Jordan was all set. Another closed door conference would be held, where Jordan would get the vote (being the only name to vote for) and they’d take things to the floor. Only a dude from Georgia (Austin Scott) entered his name at the last minute and with no “whip” operation got a boatload of votes! Jordan angrily demanded another vote and though he gained some he was still way short of what he needed. So House Republicans put things off a few days and as you know gave it a try yesterday on the House floor. Jordan of course mounted a pressure campaign and even employed Fauz Nooz personality Sean Hannity, who pressured holdouts with emails and calls.

Again, this didn’t go over well with Jordan’s colleagues but it did get him more people willing to go ahead, hold their nose and vote for him just to get a Speaker and get on with the pressing matters facing the House and the government. It was an open question as to whether Jordan would win but he assumed he’d be close enough that with no more than a few rounds of balloting holdouts would give in. Except he wound up TWENTY votes short. Worse, as Murfster noted here on PZ yesterday the holdouts didn’t all come from the same place as was the problem McCarthy faced last January.  Both McCarthy and Scalise had blocs of people who, despite their “supporting” and even voting for Jordan could Jordan felt be lobbied by those two to change their minds. However, there were seven others who for a variety of reasons voted for others in a “anybody but Jordan” type protest.

Still, Jordan at least felt secure that he could hammer on McCarthy and Scalise to in turn hammer their people into line. But, as I noted at the beginning Steve Scalise doesn’t seem interested in playing along anymore. In fact, the linked Raw Story article cites a piece from the Daily Beast saying:

“Members outside of the immediate Jordan team have suggested that the Scalise allies are actively whipping with the tacit approval of Steve Scalise,” said a source involved with Jordan’s operation.

If Jordan winds up having done to him what he did to Scalise then maybe there’s some justice after all. I sure hope it’s true. Scalise and his backers were pissed that Jordan ignored the agreed upon rules at the beginning and sabotaged Scalise. If Scalise has, in the wake of that vote yesterday decided it’s payback time then Jordan is screwed sideways. I always say no matter how bad things are they can always get worse. Same thing applies to Jordan. No matter how bad his image is (and it’s always been bad) it can get worse.

I LOVE the idea of a butt-hurt fee fees “Gym” Jordan with his ugly nose pressed up against the glass of the enclosure where that Speaker’s gavel sits, knowing HE will never get his own nasty little dick-skinners on it!  Because good ole Karma decided it was time to teach him a life lesson in “what goes around comes around” – all ALL the ill will his posturing and bullying have fomented are being poured over his head like a batch of concrete from a cement truck. From the Steve Scalise (toxic) Concrete Company.

Watch, and hope my friends. Hope that Jordan fails to get enough new votes to keep his candidacy viable. Or better still, that he LOSES ground! That might be too much to hope for. I’ll settle for him accepting it’s over and that he’s got no chance and steps aside. Yes, it will be bad for us not to have a House Speaker but a Speaker Jordan would be far, far worse.

Well, in a few hours or so we’ll know where things stand.

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