Jim ‘He GROPED Me Coach!’ Jordan Wants To Replace Johnson

Yes, there are more revolting things about “Gym” Jordan being shirtless. He’s quietly at work trying to convince colleagues he should take over Speaker Mike Johnson’s job in the next Congress. Or be Minority Leader, something he might actually prefer because then he wouldn’t have to sometimes NOT throw flaming sh*t bombs. Prior to Kevin McCarthy getting tossed aside Jordan was content to sit on powerful committees as ranking member or Chair and piss in the soup or toss turds in the punchbowl. Or both. But getting floated as the person to wield the Speaker’s Gavel seems to have changed him, and not for the better. He decided he did want more power. Perhaps even that he deserved it. Luckily for us all enough House Republican’s weren’t THAT crazy but losing a gavel almost within his grasp was a bitter pill for Jordan to swallow. Sadly, that fire of becoming Speaker now burns within him.

As Axios reports, Jordan is aggressively albeit quietly working his colleagues so that when the time comes he won’t face a significant and immovable bloc of “moderate” (not being batsh*t insane crazy MAGA qualifies as moderate these days) next January.  Jordan has been around for a long, long time. He’s in a district so gerrymandered the shape is as crazy as he is so he’s been and will remain in the House as long as he wants to be. When the GOP managed to (barely) gain control of the House in 2022 he found himself living the dream so to speak. Chair of the Judiciary (though not a member of the Bar – he’s never actually practiced law) and effectively co-chair of Oversight. Perfect to lead bogus investigations of Biden, to do to him what House Republicans did to Hillary.

By golly he and his pals were going to “get” Joe Biden and all the rest of the Bidens, and anyone close to them. Impeach them all. There would be hearings. By golly he and his buddy James Comer would show that J6 Committee a thing or two! Well, as you know it didn’t work out so well. Not well at all. In fact, Jordan face-planted into a pit of brown organic “waste.” Both the Judiciary and Oversight Committee “hearings” were major flops. The bulk of his colleagues were grumbling about the embarrassment enough that some of the complaints became public.

Looking back to the debacle of replacing McCarthy it’s amazing Jordan actually had a solid majority of the caucus willing to vote for him to get the Speaker’s gavel. However, it’s likely in this Trump/MAGA world a large chunk of them were simply afraid to stand up to Jordan and say no freaking way. Trump had (and still does) the power to destroy almost any of them and Jordan made sure they knew he’d sick Trump on them. That’s NOT the way to win friends and influence people. Well, that first part anyway. However, enough of his colleagues were in fact willing to say “Not only No, but HELL NO!” that Jordan was denied. Word of how he’d undermined Steve Scalise got around. That rubbed a lot of folks the wrong way. Especially Jordan’s telling Scalise he backed him and making statements about doing so while privately stabbing him in the back.

So, as I said were were spared the awful specter of “Speaker Jordan.” However, as with those who run for President once that dream ignites in a person it dominates them forever and Jordan wants the power a Speaker of the House holds. Also as I’ve already said he’s experienced enough to know how badly he played the game before. He’s thought about it and figured out a plan to curry favor and he’s executing it (and he hopes Johnson) and who knows? It might just work. From Axios:

• Jordan privately told colleagues what he would be doing differently than Johnson during the recent fight over foreign aid funding, multiple sources told Axios.
• The Ohio Republican has been noticed handing out more campaign checks to colleagues, multiple lawmakers told Axios.
• 👀 One GOP lawmaker told Axios that Jordan previously said it was “not his job” to help vulnerable members. His shift has raised his peers’ eyebrows.

And that’s not all. Axios “zooms in:”

• Jordan has hit the trail for a bevy of Republicans in recent months, including vulnerable Republicans and top allies of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
• 😎 The fundraising and campaigning for members outside his conservative bubble is a key olive branch from Jordan.
• Cash helps court support from members, and many are still skeptical of Jordan’s leadership bona fides.

Clearly Jordan has thought about why he lost his bid to be Speaker and knows what he has to do. Build bridges. Lots of them. If not directly then indirectly via word of his helping out others spreads. Remember, HE doesn’t have to worry about his own re-election. Voters in his district know all about his shameful refusal to protect college wrestlers under his charge from a predator.  They don’t care. Because he doesn’t actually have to do any more than token campaigning he has both time and PAC money to share with vulnerable Republicans who not long ago he wouldn’t have given the time of day to.

As Axios says, Republicans are saying Jordan is angling for the Speaker or Minority Leader position. It will be interesting to see if Johnson would even try to retain his position as leader of the House MAGA mob come January. Either way Jordan is after that status and Johnson damn well knows it. It explains Johnson’s recent pilgrimage to Mar A Lago, and for now he’s got Trump’s stamp of approval. After the election of course all bets will be off.  So Jordan is already undermining Johnson. Just in a more subtle way than the back-stabbing he did to Scalise last fall.

Even as Minority Leader Jordan would be a nightmare. However, unless Steve Scalise initiates a counter-campaign (and Scalise hates Jordan for good reason and has incentive to do so) that ugly possibility is quite real. So stay tuned folks.