According an article in the Columbus Dispatch today, Speaker John Boehner's allies in Ohio are prepared to re-district away the House seat of Congressman Jim Jordan, currently chairman of the Republican Study Committee and tea party favorite, in retaliation for his defiance of Boehner in the debt ceiling debate.
We've all heard, I imagine, that Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich's district will be 'disappeared' and that his expectation is that there will be no district left in Ohio in which he can run, so that he is investigating moving to Washington. (Good luck, Dennis!)
Still, Ohio has lost two seats from the current Congress to the next - from 18 down to 16 - and it doesn't seem to be possible to provide a safe district for each of the 13 incumbent Republican members of Congress.
According to the article,
Two Republican sources deeply involved in configuring new Ohio congressional districts confirmed to The Dispatch today that Jordan's disloyalty to Boehner has put him in jeopardy of being zeroed out of a district.
"Jim Jordan's boneheadedness has kind of informed everybody's thinking," said one of the sources, both of whom spoke only on condition of anonymity. "The easiest option for everybody has presented itself."
Has Boehner an iron claw inside that velvet glove? He says No.
In a statement to The Dispatch, Boehner distanced himself from any move to punish Jordan: "Jim Jordan and I may not always agree on strategy, but we are friends and allies, and the word retribution is not in my vocabulary," Boehner said. "I look forward to continuing to serve with him in the U.S. House after the redistricting process in Ohio is complete."
Jordan's only public comment has been to post the article on Facebook with the observation
"I would be interested to hear your comments on this article suggesting that my vote will result in my congressional district being eliminated."
Schadenfreude? Me? Gedoudahere! LOL. But it's getting very interesting! Is this a good time - just before the big vote - for Boehner to be putting the TPers on notice that an elephant never forgets? You tell me ...