Scalise Drops Out GOP In Freefall. Here’s What Happens Now

This story is moving faster than a hummingbird on meth’s wings. Damn. Just this morning, Charlie Sykes was saying that the potential election of Hakeem Jeffries was political fan fiction, nine hours later the GOP front runner for the seat, Steve Scalise, has folded, which leaves Jeffries as the guy with 212 votes up on the board for sure — and 213 for damn sure, if he can agree to save George Santos from being expelled from the lower chamber. Axios:

Why it matters: It leaves Republicans without a GOP nominee for the job nine days after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was ousted – to the growing frustration of GOP lawmakers.

• “I was very clear we have to have everybody put their agendas on the side and focus on what this country needs this country is counting on us,” Scalise told reporters on Thursday.
• “But there’s some folks that really need to look in the mirror over the next couple of days and decide are we going to get it back on track, or they’re going to try to pursue their own agenda,” he said.
• Scalise said he will remain in his role as House majority leader, and he has no plans to endorse another speaker candidate at this time.

Zoom in: Scalise won the nomination on Wednesday by a 113-99 margin, but on Thursday it became clear he wasn’t making the progress needed to risk a vote on the House floor.

• The House GOP is in a tight spot, with any combination of five Republicans being enough to sink a speaker bid — at least without help from Democrats.

Jeffries may not have to stoop to such a low level as to protect the clearly corrupt Santos. Or whatever his name is. Here is some of the thought process going into this race for Speaker at this time. PoliticusUSA:

The problem that they are admitting to not being able to solve, without saying it out loud is that they can’t get around the MAGA faction of their caucus. The candidate that would be acceptable to MAGA is not acceptable to anyone else, and the Steve Scalise types will never be acceptable to MAGA, so House Republicans are stuck as the country moves toward a government shutdown, and more funding is needed for US allies Israel and Ukraine.

There are a few different options available. Five House Republicans could join with the Democrats and elect a speaker. This option is the least likely because any small group that joins with Democrats will be targeted by Trump for primary challenges in 2024.

Any House Republican who hops over to vote with the Democrats will be committing career suicide.

There is a second option. What if instead of five Republicans joining with Democrats, fifty or one hundred join with the Democrats to elect a speaker? Trump can’t primary them all, and in this case, there would be strength in numbers that could negate Trump’s wrath.

Just a thought here: I’m not entirely convinced that any GOPer who would endorse Jeffries would be committing career suicide per se. Trump’s vaunted endorsement is not so vaunted any more. If it was, his candidates like Mehmet Oz, Herschel Walker and most recently Jim Jordan would have been shoo ins. That did not take place in any of their races. They all bombed.

But I like the idea of 50 or 100 Republicans turning coat, because then it is insulation from Trump. There is strength in numbers. And that is a viable way to go. Yes, I know it sounds whacky but please tell me what portion of the saga of the past nine days in the House does not sound whacky. Because my sense of things is that anything is possible in this anything goes atmosphere.

Speaking of the atmosphere in the House, take a look at these quotes from Politico Huddle:

Lots of Republicans shared their grievances with Thursday’s conference meeting and how long it’s taking for them to elect a new speaker. Here are a few of the spicier quotes:

• Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.): “This is petty. This is petty. And I’m getting frickin’ tired of it.”
• Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas): “If you see smoke, it’s not a speaker. Someone just set the place on fire.” (h/t Ali Vitali)
• Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.): “I don’t know that Mother Teresa could walk in there and get to 217.” (h/t Ben Jacobs)
• Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio), singing on his way in: “Fly me to the moon — so I can get the hell out of here.”
• “I don’t think the Lord Jesus himself could get 217 votes,” [Troy] Nehls (R-Texas) claimed one Republican told colleagues inside the closed-door meeting.

Hell has indeed frozen over. The zeitgeist of this moment has been brilliantly captured by none other than Ronny Jackson. Usually when he opens his mouth, people start moving away from him at the bar, but on this occasion, he’s spot on.

I’m going now to buy snowshoes. If Hell just froze over, Sin City may become a ski resort. I’ll get a Santa suit for Murfster while I’m at it. He can wear it daily. And Teri can dress the cats like elves. Jingle ding a ling bells.

The guardrails are off the roller coaster ride now, and we are going into a steep straight down shot. Don’t let all the screaming rattle you, it goes with the territory and this is the ride the GOP bought when they took in the snake, Donald Trump.