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Live coverage: Jordan gives it up for today, will come back to fight tomorrow. We don't know why

by Joan McCarter for Daily Kos Liveblogs

Daily Kos Staff

Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023 Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023 at 8:48:19am PDT

Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., left, pulls Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., back as they talk with Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and other during the 14th round of voting for speaker as the House meets for the fourth day to try and elect a speaker and convene the 118th Congress in Washington, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. At right is Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) — Here we go again.

And you probably thought the Republican House had reached peak chaos. Rep. Jim Jordan is sort of out of the running for speaker—for now. So: Will Rep. Patrick McHenry seize power? Will Rep. Matt Gaetz literally set the place on fire? What happens next? We have no idea, but will keep track of it all here.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 11:03:48 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Finally, they call it quits for tonight. However, Jordan (who wants to show “momentum”????) is reportedly going for vote three tomorrow morning at 10:00. Sure.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 10:49:19 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

He keeps this up much longer, and the vote against him will be unanimous.

The leadership is pushing Jordan for an answer as to whether he wants a vote on his speaker bid tonight. He has not given them an answer, multiple sources told me and @bresreports https://t.co/FTncnEYnAp
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 19, 2023

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 10:22:46 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

No, he still hasn’t conceded.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 10:02:23 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

It doesn’t seem possible that a third vote will happen under these circumstances, but Jordan and crew are always capable of meeting the worst expectations.

INSIDE THE JORDAN MEETING -- Every Republican who met with Jordan today told him they would not back his candidacy for House speaker, according to multiple sources in the room.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 19, 2023

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 9:53:17 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

McHenry is now saying that he’ll quit being temporary speaker “if Republicans push him to try to move legislation on the floor without an explicit vote to expand his powers.” That’s actually kind of comforting, in a way. He doesn’t want to be part of the soft coup some in the GOP have been pushing.

“If you guys try to do that, you’ll figure out who the next person on Kevin’s list is,” McHenry told the room, three sources said, referring to former Speaker Kevin McCarthy's secret list of GOP lawmakers who would serve as temporary speaker in the event of a vacancy.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 9:41:13 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado remains one of those Jordan holdouts. "So far I’ve had four death threats. I’ve been evicted from my office in Colorado -- I have notice of an eviction -- because the landlord is mad with my voting record on the speaker issue," he said.

But still, with all that, he says “it would be politically unwise … to use the Democrats to make the House floor functional.” These people.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 9:35:57 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

The meeting between Jordan and the holdouts is now over, and everybody coming out of the room says it made no difference—no minds changed at all. Jordan didn’t take any questions. Maybe that third vote doesn't happen?

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 9:29:37 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Jordan’s Democratic colleague from Ohio, Marcy Kaptur, unloads on him

"You're harming the republic," Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in congressional history, told POLITICO. "Wake up. It isn't so important that you're on CNN or what was that station — what? Fox?"

"He's being empowered by this. He doesn't care about the Congress. He took an oath. But look what's happening: [He's] heavily involved in the breakdown of the legislative process," she said.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 8:57:47 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Irritating update to the last post: “JORDAN DID NOT tell the group there would be no vote today.” Again, how it works that Jordan is calling all the shots here when he has been roundly rejected by a bipartisan Congress is one of the big things a future Congress is going to have to deal with. In a vacuum, this is what they’ve chosen to do.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 8:53:11 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

FWIW, and it might be worth nothing, one of the anti-Jordan members:

NEW: Rep. Mike Lawler just released a statement after closed door meeting with Jim Jordan.
He revealed:
*Jordan does not intend to seek a third floor vote today
*Lawler calls Kevin McCarthy "only person capable" of leading the conference
*Endorses a plan to empower McHenry
— Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) October 19, 2023

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 8:43:11 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Rep. David Joyce, the Ohio Republican, seems intent on offering his resolution to empower McHenry. It is a privileged resolution, so it would have to be considered once it’s offered. The rub is that the chair—McHenry—would have to recognize Joyce attempting to offer it. McHenry could (and at this point seems like would) simply ignore him. That is if they ever actually get to the floor to vote again.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 8:23:04 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Jordan is supposed to be using this time to sway his opponents. Oh well.

Multiple sources tell me some of the holdouts are refusing to meet with Jordan or take his calls.
— Juliegrace Brufke (@juliegraceb) October 19, 2023

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 8:18:38 PM +00:00 · Laura Clawson

Things seem to be in a holding pattern while Republicans try to figure out what to try and fail next.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 7:52:22 PM +00:00 · Laura Clawson

Rep. Carlos Gimenez tells Manu Raju he's not changing his mind on his opposition to Jordan.

Quite the stalemate here.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 7:42:33 PM +00:00 · Laura Clawson

Here’s another Republican who voted against Jordan (the second time only) reporting death threats.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 7:31:44 PM +00:00 · Laura Clawson

Democrats: "We should find a bipartisan path forward."

Republicans: "Even during this time of international emergency, it is better to have no Congress than a bipartisan Congress." https://t.co/nGTcYkYH8A
— Rep. Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) October 19, 2023

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 7:17:17 PM +00:00 · Laura Clawson

Sherman sums up the situation as McCarthy and Jordan in favor of expanding McHenry’s powers, while Emmer, Scalise, and Stefanik are opposed.

House Republican Conference paralyzed. House is in crisis. 16 days without a speaker.

But now we know that the leadership is split on the idea to elect a temporary speaker. Emmer, Scalise say they are opposed.

McCarthy spoke in favor in the meeting -- to the extent he's still…
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 19, 2023

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 6:53:41 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Yeesh, these people.

House GOP meeting finally broke up after almost 4 hours.

Jordan’s new plan (which is also the old plan:) he’s gonna abandon the McHenry resolution and try to win over holdouts. Not dropping out yet and said he wants to go to the floor again.
— Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) October 19, 2023

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 6:33:40 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Republicans emerging from the GOP meeting (which is ongoing) are saying that the McHenry Empowerment resolution is DOA. Granted, it’s a small sampling of the total, but the consensus has been there isn’t support for it.

It’s probably going too far to believe this is 11 dimensional chess on Jordan’s part, his ploy to get the thing he always wants: a prolonged government shutdown. Nonetheless, that’s surely what some of them are rooting for.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 6:19:47 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

It’s looking like they aren’t going to be going to the floor with anything anytime soon, and someone is thinking he can just swan back into power. Which also won’t work.

.@SpeakerMcCarthy says he doesn’t think the McHenry resolution shouldn’t go to the floor without the support of a majority of Republicans. He’s not sure that’s the case right now
— John Bresnahan (@bresreports) October 19, 2023

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 6:07:45 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Kev is still blaming the Democrats.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 6:04:58 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

The Republicans are still trying to figure out if they should have a vote on whether to have a vote on the McHenry plan and what happens if a majority don’t agree to it. There’s not a lot of coherence coming out of the meeting yet. Here’s Rep. Brian Mast of Florida: "It doesn't have the support of the majority, but not because of a specific rule. I don't think McHenry wants it.” So far so good

"And just by him not wanting an authority that will make people say no, and then there are a lot of other people whether he would want it or not would have a problem with it." Huh?

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 5:56:35 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

One of the things causing so much heat in the GOP conference is the fact that Jordan opponents raised the fact that they (and their spouses) have been getting death threats for voting against him, and that Jordans’ proponents “seemed like they didn’t care much---or said ‘Jim wouldn’t do that’” during the meeting.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 5:46:56 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

The soft coup idea is definitely circulating in the GOP conference. Rep. Tom Cole, the chair of the Rule Committee, said they’re talking about the possibility that McHenry has all the power he needs anyway right now. Obviously, from the Democrats’ standpoint, that needs to be codified with an election so that the GOP can’t continue to run roughshod over them and so that work actually gets done.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 5:32:55 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Maybe they’ll come around to trying to find someone else. There’s this guy, retired Lt. Gen. Jack Bergman from Michigan who has been yelling to anyone who will listen that he’s ready to step into the void. A handful of GOPers have been talking about Rep. Bruce Westerman, from Arkansas, as a consensus candidate. But “consensus” and GOP are two words that don’t go together. Also, they have to pry Jordan out of the mix to do it, and he doesn’t seem eager to leave.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 5:23:38 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Jim Jordan as speaker-in-waiting is really not a popular idea. Not with Republicans or with Democrats. It could be the thing that kills this iteration of the McHenry Empowerment Project. AFAIK, in terms of parliamentary procedure it’s a made up thing that doesn’t need to exist. Anyway, the Republicans are still meeting. And presumably screaming at each other.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 5:07:55 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Democrats don’t like the idea of Jordan as speaker designee any more than the anti-Jordan GOP. Right now, they’re in a “wait and see” position, as to what the other guys come up with.

“We're just waiting to see what they come up with … So let's see what really comes out of [GOP conference]. I hope it's that Mr. Jordan has decided to do lesser and smaller things. And there's room to talk,” Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) said.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 4:57:13 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

McHenry says he has had no discussions about anything with Jeffries and is ”focused on electing Jim Jordan, who is our speaker nominee, as speaker of the House.” Well, that’s not going to happen.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 4:47:22 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Opposition to the plan is coming from all corners, apparently. The Jordan opponents want him to step aside. The Jordan proponents want . . . well, who knows. Him to keep trying to have votes? But now they are in opposition to Jordan, who is backing this McHenry plan.

And McCarthy screamed at Gaetz, which is just a fun thing to pass along.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 4:39:48 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

So far, there’s been nothing formally requested from Democrats yet in terms of what they’d accept in a McHenry empowerment deal. They talked about maybe a rolling two-week authorization, and the funding requirements, but nothing is on paper. As Jeffries has said, the primary focus this week has been making sure Jim Jordan does not become speaker.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 4:24:51 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

It appears that so far, there has been no discussion between GOP and Dem leadership. Whatever the GOP comes up with, expect them to dump it on Dems’ laps at the last minute. Because that’s what they do.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 4:22:20 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

One of the problems they’ve got is Jordan’s idea of continuing on as “speaker designate,” when at least a couple dozen Republicans have rejected him. Another problem is whether they can actually, under the existing rules, limit the power McHenry can have. But that should be something they can deal with with the parliamentarian—if they can get a majority to do it.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 4:17:14 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

These people.

.@RepTroyNehls says he opposes the McHenry resolution & still wants Trump as speaker for 100 days
— John Bresnahan (@bresreports) October 19, 2023

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 4:12:04 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

What the Democrats want—and can demand out of a McHenry temporary speakership—is government funding past the current Nov. 17 deadline (they may as well ask for funding thru 2024 at this point) at the levels agreed to in the budget deal Biden made with McCarthy back when they nearly took us over the debt ceiling cliff. Democrats will also want funding for Ukraine, Israel, and apparently (a new ask) Taiwan.

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 4:09:16 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

McHenry gaveled the House in, they had the prayer and the pledge of allegiance, and went promptly back into recess. The conferences are still meeting. It’s not going well for the GOP.

Expanding powers for a temporary Speaker is a dangerous precedent and exactly what the Democrats hoped would happen.

I’m a NO vote!
— Jim Banks (@RepJimBanks) October 19, 2023

UPDATE: Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 · 3:55:51 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Things don’t seem to be going well in the GOP conference meeting so far.