Weekly Opinion Editorial
TRUSTWORTHINESS
by Steve Fair
On Wednesday
the Republican caucus nominated Rep. Steve Scalise, (R-LA) current Majority
Leader in the U.S. House, as their nominee for Speaker of the House. The vote was 113-99, with second place
finisher Rep. Jim Jordan, (R-OH) endorsing Scalise after the vote. GOP members appeared to be united behind Scalise
after the conference and a floor vote was expected on Thursday. But, the CRAZY EIGHT representatives, who
partnered with the Democrats to oust Speaker McCarthy, reneged and refused to
support Scalise. This was after they had vowed to do so in caucus. Scalise then withdrew himself from
consideration for Speaker.
On Friday,
the House caucus met again to select a Speaker nominee. Rep. Jordan won the first ballot 124-81 over
Rep. Austin Scott, (R-GA). On a second
ballot, a vote on who would support Jordan as the Party’s Speaker nominee, the
vote was 152-55. Republicans control the
chamber by a slim 221-212 margin. With the
GOP conference spilt/fractured/splintered, they can afford to lose no more than
four votes within their ranks to elect a Speaker. Three observations:
First, who
is Rep. Jim Jordan? Prior to entering
public life, Jordan was the assistant wrestling coach at the Ohio State
University for eight years. He served in
the Ohio state legislature (House and Senate) for ten years prior to running for
Congress. He has served nine terms in Congress.
All told, Jordan has been an elected official for 29 of his 59 years. He is a career politician.
Jordan is
credited with ousting former Speaker of the House John Boehner eight years
ago. A founder of the House Freedom caucus,
Jordan was a thorn in the side to Boehner, who describes him as a ‘political terrorist.’
“I just never saw a guy who spent
more time tearing things apart- never building anything, never putting anything
together,” Boehner says about Jordan.
Jordan is
conservative on policy. He is pro-life,
pro second amendment and an ally of former President Trump. Trump has endorsed Jordan for the Speaker’s
job.
Second, Americans
don’t need to see how the sausage is made.
The GOP conference should conduct the Speaker vote in private. The floor vote should be a mere
formality. Every effort to avoid the
January 2023 15 ballot vote should be avoided.
That was a circus and the world doesn’t need to see the clown show.
Third, those
who preach principle don’t always practice it.
The CRAZY EIGHT voted with the Democrats to remove Speaker McCarthy
based on principle. But those same ‘principled’
members are pressuring the 55 members who voted to not support Jordan to
violate their values. They have rallied
Trump supporters, through social media and the airways and the releasing of
private phone numbers of members, to threaten the 55 with the rage of the Party’s
base voters if they stand in the way of Jordan’s election. Threats,
ultimatums, oppression are the tactics of terrorists, not people of
principle. There is no respect for the principles/values
of the 55 who disagree?
Intimidation
and browbeating to get Jordan the Speaker’s post may work short term, but it
won’t long term. There has to be true
unity in the GOP conference or the House will remain paralyzed. Bullying fellow
members could win Jordan the Speaker’s race, but it won’t work in
governing. With a razor thin margin in
the House, the next Speaker will still be herding cats.
The GOP proudly
declares it is a Party of principle. A
great deal of the Republican Party platform is supposedly based on Biblical concepts. Yet little of the Party’s conduct in the
Speaker’s race resembles those precepts (no fruit of the Spirit).
Situational ethics, arrogance, threats, bullying and justifying bad behavior have served to make the GOP look like the Party of the devil. Until the bombastic rhetoric is dialed down and the Party begins to practice what it preaches, voters will question their trustworthiness and that will result in defeat in 2024.
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