Representatives Reveal Where Their Priorities Are
Steve Dittmer | AFF Sentinel
Colorado Springs, CO
Originally sent to subscribers 10/20/23
It seems unfathomable that we’re writing again about the House of Representatives -- note the word “representatives,” as in representing constituents and acting for the good of the USA -- but here we are.
Rep. Jim Jordan got 174 votes, but 25 “representatives” voted for a laundry list of other members not running for Speaker.
Now, it looks like the Oklahoma Run, with at least nine different members either declared or seriously mulling running for Speaker. We’ll give you a list later but first, many people have been trying to figure out what is wrong with the members constantly throwing their vote to the wind, as if this wasn’t important. Some interesting theories and shameful excuses have been posited, some from the recalcitrants themselves.
Dan Bongino ran for Congress, so he has some perspective on being in office. A long time ago, an old political operative told him, “There is no power in yes.” In other words, tell a petitioner no, and he will have to come up with a favor or a contribution. Telling them yes gains you nothing. Some members are just focused on the money.
Bongino’s take on the opposition to Jordan? Jordan hews to the desires of grassroots voters. He wants to cut spending. His opponents hold he can’t be allowed to have that kind of power. Bongino describes many members of Congress as members of the Uniparty, the Washington establishment from both sides of the aisle, what Trump called the Swamp.
Kimberley Strassel, long-time D.C. observer, has some related takes on the poor snowflakes that have whined and complained about being “pressured” by Jordan loyalists. What pressure could one member threaten another member with? Do members need a pass to access the lunch room in the Capitol? Parking is terrible in D.C. but we’re betting they have a special lot. Could you threaten to take away a member’s parking pass?
These are people who are supposed to stand up to foreign agents, insistent lobbyists and corporate bribers? Maybe our white-hat, nice-nice cowboys have been going about this the wrong way. These Congressmen need soothing words, safe spaces and soft music to settle their jangled nerves.
“If the poor, fragile creatures can’t handle the stress of a mere leadership vote, God help them should Obamacare repeal come to the floor,” Strassel said.
Heck, how would they handle a contingent of two-year-olds? Do they run when a tour group of six-year-olds comes down the hall? How will they ever face the crucial adjustments we desperately need in Social Security and Medicare to save those programs?
Strassel then got down to the crux. New York members fell back on their current campaign -- SALT. They want working class American workers from flyover states to pay for their income tax deductions for outrageous New York state taxes.
One of them, New York’s Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, tweeted that “I want a Speaker who understands Long Island’s unique needs,” like a 100 percent state tax deduction and more infrastructure spending on Long Island.
This is a determining factor for Speaker for the whole Congress?
“The Empire State crew is joined by a group of appropriator cardinals who see in their opposition to the small-government Jordan an opportunity to keep the spending spigots open,” Strassel said (emphasis to that sterling phrase “appropriator cardinals” ours), (“The GOPs Mercenary Caucus,” Wall Street Journal, 10/20/23).
Then there is what Strassel terms the “hurt-feelings” caucus, a subgroup perhaps of the Snowflake Caucus. She described them as “grumpy” because Speaker McCarthy was dumped the way he was, Scalise was not elected and Gaetz not punished for the chaos injected.
Interestingly, Strassel claims there was little in the way of policy or leadership complaints about Jordan.
Which just reinforces the spending objection. It’s a little crass even for members of Congress to say out loud they oppose someone who wants to engender spending restraint on a nation $33 trillion in debt with high inflation, high prices and high interest rates.
Yes, 174 Republicans tried to select a Speaker and keep the good of the country in mind, instead of only their money interests. But a handful keeps ruining it for the whole country, mostly because the only way to personal glory for them is bringing home moolah for their district, pumping money into dubious government programs and appropriating other peoples’ money for projects the government shouldn’t even be doing.
So who’s running for Speaker, as of this writing Friday night? The House is not working through the weekend, of course, but Sunday noon is the filing deadline, the conference will meet to thrash things out Monday night and supposedly vote Tuesday morning.
Here is a list, drawn from a story in The Hill, Friday, 10/20/23.
Definitely in: Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK), is chairman of the Republican Study Committee.
Byron Donalds (R-FL) is on the Financial Services and Oversight committees.
Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI) is a retired Lt. Gen. USMC.
Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA) jumped in late during the last conference selection process and got 81 votes to Jordan’s 124.
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), is a past chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee and the House Rules Committee.
Said to be mulling and making phone calls to judge support:
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), House Republican Conference vice chairman and Judiciary Committee member. He is an attorney and former talk show host.
Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX), has gotten good comments in our experience from reliable sources as chairman of the House Budget Committee. He is smartly consulting higher powers on his decision, as he said he is praying about it and was overheard asking his wife for an opinion, presumably about a run.
Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA), is a businessman and sits on Financial Services and Small Business committees.
With such a herd of candidates and possibly more, it is hard to imagine such a fractured bunch coming up with a candidate next week, much less Monday. We thought some columns back that a conservative Republican that the media labeled “right wing” and moderate Republicans feared was a good thing for voters but sadly a long shot for today’s Republican Party. So here we are…still.
Contact info for House members:
Edi. Note: Picture below courtesy beef Check off).