Commentary

If the members of the U.S. House of Representatives are smart, they’ll avoid a repeat of the ridiculous 15-vote sideshow that finally gave Rep. Kevin McCarthy the speakership in January, and elect Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan on the first vote to show unity.

The disgraceful “Gang of 8” especially need to unite behind Jordan with the hope that their colleagues will put their past foolish gamesmanship behind them.

In a Red State opinion piece by Jennifer Oliver O’Connell, she wrote that the eight representatives “could well be political toast,”  noting that while some are championing their courageous stand, others are blaming them for destabilizing the U.S. House, and more egregiously, the Republican Party.

Of the eight representatives, South Carolina’s Nancy Mace was the most surprising as her vote triggered audible gasps on the House floor when she joined the hardliners.  “That decision is now clouding her future in the GOP, not to mention imperiling the status of her relatively competitive seat next year,” wrote Red State’s Jeff Charles, adding the fact that “scores of angry Republicans mull possible retribution.”

You see, it was McCarthy who helped Mace secure her seat in Congress by pumping millions of dollars into her once-struggling campaign.  Fellow Rep. Steve Womack of Arkansas called Mace’s vote “disgraceful” and accused her of trying to pollster her political brand.”

If she chooses to advance her political career as “Maverick Mace,” the nickname given to her by gang leader Rep. Matt Gaetz, “this could come back to haunt her,” says Charles.  “As the dust settles,” however,  Charles says, “she could bounce back from this” if she votes along with members of the conservative voting base.

While I view Jordan as the best nominee, I am not ignoring the contribution made in Congress by Louisiana’s Steve Scalise, the majority leader, who returned to the House after surviving a serious gunshot by a gunman in June 2017, and is now working while undergoing treatment for cancer.

Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern has been approached by fellow conservatives to run for the speakership, but I have to believe he would not stand against Jordan.

I have been impressed with Jordan, who has consistently been on the front lines for the conservative movement and America, as evidenced by his chairmanship of the House Freedom Caucus and chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee, where he has actively sought accountability for the weaponization of the government.

He has been vocal about the “corrupt Biden DOJ and FBI,” wrote a group of conservative leaders in a letter of endorsement, stating further that “Americans deserve a speaker who will fight for them.”

Since a Jordan victory requires a majority vote in the full House, and support from both the far-right and moderate factions of the currently fractured GOP, he will have to convince them that he’s their best bet to unify the House.

In a Washington Post op-ed, Democrat Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries reminded readers that “The rules of the House should reflect the inescapable reality that Republicans are reliant on Democrat support to do the basic work of governing,” and noted that “A small band of extremists should not be capable of obstructing that cooperation.”

Finally, it shouldn’t be overlooked that former President Trump, the current front-runner for the presidency in 2024, has thrown his support behind Jordan, calling attention to Jordan’s strong position on crime, the border, and our military.

May God continue to bless the United States of America.