Politico:
Jim Jordan's allies tried strong-arming his GOP critics. It backfired.
“The one thing that will never work with me — if you try to pressure me, if you try to threaten me, then I shut off,” GOP Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart said.
Jim Jordan’s allies attempted to badger House Republicans into making him speaker. Those tactics backfired on Tuesday, and could soon doom his speakership push outright...
The arm-twisting campaign, which in many cases included veiled threats of primary challenges, was meant to help rally support behind Jordan’s candidacy. Instead, it has put the Judiciary chair’s bid on life support and threatened to plunge House Republicans deeper into turmoil with no clear way out…
Some Republicans chalked up the frustration to a lack of understanding, on the part of both Jordan and high-profile conservatives off the Hill, about how less conservative colleagues operate. Some Jordan opponents said they hadn’t received a call from him directly about their concerns with his potential leadership, particularly on government funding.
That last paragraph is the most interesting. ‘We’re cowards with no moral compass, and don’t care a whit about policy, why aren’t they?’ And if you think that means they understand Democrats any better...
Politico Playbook:
Revenge of the squishes
For that flexibility — and their willingness to fall in line behind party leaders — they’ve earned themselves a sneering nickname from their own colleagues: “Squishes.”
So when Rep. JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio), godfather of the conservative hard-liners, won the Republican nomination to be elected speaker last week, you’d be forgiven for expecting them to, y’know, squish once again.
As one GOP aide put it to NBC’s Sahil Kapur, “Either he gets it or the moderates for the first time ever grow a spine.”
Turns out the moderates are vertebrates, after all.
Walter Shapiro/Roll Call:
Speaker race: Crossing the river Jordan with advice for House Democrats
If Minority Leader Jeffries gets a shot to end the impasse, he can’t get greedy
Every hour of Republican dysfunction in the House adds another chunk of marble to the pedestal of a statue honoring former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
A tiny House majority only appears to be a formula for disruptive chaos when Republicans are in charge.
Kevin McCarthy proved to be the shortest-tenured speaker since the 19th century. If Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, succeeds in Tuesday’s expected floor vote by bludgeoning GOP moderates into submission, his time as speaker would probably be limited to less than 15 months.
In other news ...
Reuters:
Polish opposition faces challenges in undoing nationalist reforms if it takes power
Partial official results and exit polls suggest the incumbent Law and Justice (PiS) party will remain the biggest party but short of a parliamentary majority. A late exit poll by Ipsos published on Monday afternoon gave PiS 196 seats in the 460-member lower house of parliament, against 249 for the main opposition bloc led by the liberal Civic Coalition (KO).
Since sweeping to power in 2015, PiS has feuded with its EU partners over media freedoms and judicial reforms that critics say politicised the courts. A near total abortion ban also set Poland apart from most of Europe.
PiS said its goal has been to rid Poland of the vestiges of its communist past, make it more secure in its borders and protect traditional Catholic values. Critics accuse it of a power grab and of putting Poland on an authoritarian path.
Adam Klasfeld/Messenger:
Trump Trial Bombshell: Witness Testifies Allen Weisselberg Told Trump Org Executive Former President Wanted His Net Worth ‘To Go Up’
Trump Org exec Patrick Birney's testimony fulfills a vow from the New York attorney general's opening statements about what it would show during the trial
Grilled by an attorney for New York Attorney General Letitia James, the company's assistant vice president Patrick Birney agreed that former chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg told him that Trump wanted to puff up his net worth on his statements of financial condition.
"Did Allen Weisselberg ever tell you that Donald Trump wanted his net worth on his statement of financial condition to go up?" the AG's counsel Eric Haren asked, in the final salvo of his redirect examination.
"Yes," Birney replied.
The exchange marks a fulfillment of a vow that the attorney general's office made at the start of trial weeks ago, in arguing that Trump, his family members and business associates fraudulently inflated his assets in financial statements to banks and insurers.
Peter Hamby/Puck:
Death of a Salesman
The brief rise and rapid fall of Vivek Ramaswamy is a pretty good indicator that even in the chaotic universe of Republican politics, with its shameless demands and perverse incentives, certain rules still apply. Among them: People have to like you.
Vivek Ramaswamy’s flash-in-the-pan presidential campaign was already well on its way to its predictable end—a forgettable, single-digit finish in Iowa followed by a pledge of fealty to Donald Trump—but Sean Hannity put an early nail in his coffin last week on Fox News.
Hannity asked Ramaswamy about comments he had made, in a separate interview with Tucker Carlson, suggesting that his Republican rival Nikki Haley’s support for Israel was driven by financial motives. Ramaswamy, in his usual way, tried to dodge, talking a mile a minute and claiming that Hannity was mischaracterizing his words. That set the host off.
“Vivek, stop right now; you do this in every single interview,” Hannity shot back. “You say stuff and then you deny it. You deny your own words. So, you know, why don’t you just own what you say and stand by it and stop playing these games… You go on these shows, people quote your exact words, and you deny your own words. I am saying if you are going to be your presidential candidate, and I give you your exact words, either own it, or give it back.” Hannity ended the interview shortly thereafter.
Want to know how unserious our political media coverage is?
- How Trump is covered (see fraud trial above, e.g., rarely mentioned in daily news)
- How Jim Jordan is covered (Ohio State scandal, activity on Jan. 6)
- The Vivek (the fake) Ramaswamy story arc.
Brian Klaas/The Atlantic:
Donald Trump Has Never Had to Hide in a Fridge
In Britain, a televised interview with a politician is a chance to hold power to account. The American broadcast media, with few exceptions, prefer to lob softballs instead.
I’ll be with you in a second,” Johnson said, hoping Swain would go away.
“I have an earpiece in my hands, ready to go,” Swain offered.
Johnson then proceeded into an industrial refrigerator to wait it out.
“He’s gone into the fridge,” the host Piers Morgan helpfully noted as Johnson hunkered down behind an enormous metal door.
It was political theater at its finest. But it was also indicative of the adversarial spirit of Britain’s television media, which show little deference to authority. Former Prime Minister Liz Truss was toppled after just 49 days in power, a demise accelerated because she was humiliated in a series of “car crash” interviews, a standard term in British politics for when a politician is taken to task live on air. In one of the most memorable Boris Johnson interviews, the journalist Eddie Mair set the stage with objective facts about Johnson’s past misdeeds, then asked him the following question: “Making up quotes, lying to your party leader, wanting to be part of someone being physically assaulted: You’re a nasty piece of work, aren’t you?” Johnson sputtered and tried to change the subject, but the damage was done.
Biden Has a Critical Advantage for 2024. He Should Make It Known.
Getting past the age question won’t be easy. It will involve persuading voters in memorable ways and will require a deft touch. But this is a winnable race for the president, even if it sometimes seems his team is shielding him from the public. The fact is, he’s old. A failure to confront the issue risks reinforcing that impression rather than overcoming it. Americans will be watching him closely in big moments, like his trip to Israel this week to deal with one of the most significant crises of his presidency. The Biden team needs to get the president out in front of the public more, finding opportunities for him to talk about age with a directness and confidence that convinces people it isn’t the core issue. Talk about it now so you aren’t talking about it next summer, then use the fall debates in 2024 to deliver a Reaganesque line that puts the topic to bed.
Semafor:
Conservative influencers battle over Israel, ‘America First,’ and antisemitism after Hamas attack
Among elected Republicans, there is little disagreement on Israel: The U.S. should support its longtime ally against a terrorist group and defer to its leaders on how best to do so.
On the online right, the story has become more divisive. Major figures whose politics were shaped by Donald Trump’s presidency warn against escalation by the U.S. and Israel; more traditional Republicans throw their support wholeheartedly behind Israel’s efforts; and other conservatives express concern that the antisemitic fringe is exploiting the situation to make headway with “America Firsters.”
Tucker Carlson, who has railed against more traditional Republicans for being too quick to military aid and interventions, argued the conflict would be an excuse for hawks to raise tensions with Iran or push Israel’s Gaza campaign in dangerous directions.
Daniel Nichanian/Bolts:
Louisiana Takes a Hard Swing to the Right
A new governor, emboldened conservatives, threats to New Orleans, and election conspiracies: Seven takeaways from Saturday’s elections in Louisiana.
Landry’s victory hands Republicans full control of the state government for the first time since 2015, since his party also defended its large majorities in the state House and Senate.
The result will free conservative policy ambitions, which were held back over the last eight years by Edwards’ veto power. Even when the GOP gained a supermajority capable of overriding Edwards’ vetoes earlier this year, it remained frequently unable to do so. This summer, for instance, the GOP failed to muster the votes to override Edwards on a bill that would have prevented discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.
Landry is sure to bring an entirely different outlook on such issues. Throughout his career, he has pushed Louisiana to restrict LGBTQ+ rights and block teaching of such issues in education, including at the collegiate level. Last year, Landry created a new tool for people to file complaints against teachers and libraries. He has also worked for the state to obtain information about Louisiana residents who travel out of state to obtain gender-affirming care or abortions.
Cliff Schecter on Jim Jordan: