Gaetz Attempts To Part the Red Sea, Offers ‘Pound Of Flesh’ If Holdouts Will Give Up and Elect Jordan

Gamesmanship and theatricality just hit Biblical proportions in the ongoing MAGA soap opera, “Speaker.” Matt Gaetz has gone on record saying that he and the other seven Republicans who removed Kevin McCarthy are willing to accept all kinds of serious sanctions if only “inspirational” Jim Jordan can be elected Speaker Of The House.

Rep. Bob Good (R-VA): “If you were removed from the conference, I suppose that would mean that you would lose your committee assignments. But we would remain proud members of the Republican Party, as nominated by our respective districts.” pic.twitter.com/Is3WVwAt4e

— The Recount (@therecount) October 20, 2023

Here’s their letter.

The 8 who ousted McCarthy say they are willing to accept “censure, suspension or removal from the conference” to get Jordan the gavel. pic.twitter.com/taAgLFvUXy

— Juliegrace Brufke (@juliegraceb) October 20, 2023

This is a watershed moment for America, there’s no doubt about that. Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise both represent the remnants of the old school Republicans, the Paul Ryans and John Boehners of the world. Jim Jordan represents no one so much as he exemplifies the MAGA lunatic fringe. He’s in a deep red gerrymandered district in Ohio with no chance of a primary, which is what led a Never Trumper to characterize him as an “electoral welfare queen.”

Matt Gaetz wants Jordan to wield the gavel so lunacy can reign supreme and the personality cult fringe of the GOP will finally represent the entire GOP. That’s the goal.

A vote for Jim Jordan is a vote for his crazy ideas about the 2020 election. It’s a vote for election denialism and the Big Lie. This is particularly ironic on the same morning that Kenneth Chesebro, the designated “Architect Of Fake Electors” pleads guilty to conspiracy to file false documents.

And in point of fact, that may be why Matt Gaetz is pushing so hard with this martyr bit. He may see that time is running short and the fringe loonies who push the stolen election idiocy need to have a strong platform from which to advocate and why not the House Of Representatives? You can’t get too much better than that.

This is an act in futility — if we are lucky and so far things look good. Jordan pushed for a third vote Friday morning and he lost by 25 votes, which is greater than the 20 he lost by on Tuesday and the 22 he lost by on Wednesday.

It looks like it’s going to come down to a seminal struggle between the MAGA TV gang and the Silent Majority of the House, for lack of a better descriptor. I’m sure historians will label the Republicans who are trying to keep some semblance of sanity in the party in some fashion, but for the moment, that will suffice as a descriptor we can use here to describe these proceedings.

Jordan is going backwards. Matt Gaetz can offer to commit hari kari with a dagger and a pillow in front of the Capitol during prime time and I seriously doubt that that’s going to get Jim Jordan any more votes.

The handwriting is on the wall that a fringe minority of crazies is keeping the House from being led. Again, I am hopeful that this leads to some form of coalition government. I can’t see the Republicans, especially since the number of them against Jordan is growing, letting this situation get too much worse for too much longer.

The only logical move at this point is a coalition government, which is unpopular. But unless that can be done, or some human being with an R behind his or her name can be found that the GOPers can agree on to lead is nominated, it looks like Jim Jordan will keep proving Einstein’s definition of insanity to be correct. How many votes does he need to lose before he takes the hint?

Twenty-seven days until the government runs out of money, for anybody with an interest in this potted plant legislative body going back to work.

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