 Halloween is right around the corner, and the biggest horror show in the land is playing out in the House of Representatives. The nightmare became palpable when Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio was selected by House Republicans to become their nominee for speaker. Fortunately, some moderate Republicans found the moral courage to send Jordan packing by refusing to back him on Friday. The House has now been without a speaker for nearly three weeks. My last blog detailed the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy after Rep. Matt Gaetz initiated a motion to vacate the chair. If Mr. Gaetz’s intention was to create chaos in the House, he certainly succeeded.  But there is hope that cooler heads will prevail in Congress and a more reasonable group of moderate Republicans will step forward and push the far-right members of the Republican caucus to the sidelines, where they belong. The rejection of Jim Jordan by several Republican members, is a repudiation of one of the House’s most extreme and unqualified members to replace McCarthy.  Here are some of the reasons why Jim Jordan was a terrible choice to become Speaker of the House of Representatives: Support for Donald Trump’s Efforts to Overturn the 2020 Election: According to the January 6th committee's final report, Jim Jordan was a significant player in the efforts by Donald Trump to overturn the election results after his defeat. The report states that “He participated in numerous post-election meetings in which senior White-House officials, Rudolph Giuliani, and others, discussed strategies for challenging the election, chief among them, claims that the election had been tainted by fraud.” On January 2, 2021, Jordan led a conference call in which he, President Trump and others discussed strategies for delaying the January 6th joint Session of Congress to certify the vote. During that same call the group discussed methods to encourage Trump’s supporters to march on the Capitol on January 6th. Jim Jordan also communicated with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on ways Vice President Mike Pence could refuse to count electoral votes that they deemed to be unconstitutional. Jordan was one of 147 House Republicans who voted to overturn the election. He also signed on to an unsuccessful lawsuit filed at the Supreme Court to get electoral college votes thrown out in several key states. For his unwavering loyalty, President Trump awarded Jim Jordan the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Jim Jordan’s continued refusal to admit to his Congressional colleagues that Donald Trump had lost the election pushed away many of the moderates. Without the support of moderate Republicans in the House, Jordan couldn’t become speaker. Refusal to Comply with Congressional Subpoena: The January 6th committee issued Jordan a subpoena, compelling him to testify before their committee. He refused, proving that he won’t follow House rules that he disagrees with. Is that the kind of leader House Republicans want? Fortunately, several were clear-eyed enough to say no. Jordan was referred to the House Ethics Committee for failure to comply with the subpoena. It is not a surprise that no action was taken against him.  Jordan Hasn’t Earned the Right to Become Speaker: Quite simply, Jordan hasn’t paid his dues. Most House members who became Speaker spent years building relationships with colleagues, supporting colleagues through fund raising, and backing legislation. Jordan has done none of that. He hasn’t pushed through any significant piece of legislation or done much of anything positive during his time in Congress. According to Vanderbilt University’s Center for Effective Lawmaking, Jordan consistently ranks among Congress’ least effective members. He was ranked 217th out of 222 House Republicans in the last Congress. Jim Jordan is known as an antagonist in his own party. He played a central role in several government shutdowns in 2013, 2015, and 2018, and is not averse to using the threat of government shutdowns or debt ceiling defaults to push his extreme right-wing agenda. Other Things to Know About Jim Jordan:
 In the House of Representatives, we are witnessing what happens when individual members put their own interests above that of the institution. If they don’t get their own way, they create chaos, and damage the reputation of the institution. This results in the citizenry losing faith in government institutions.
With seven Republican candidates vying for the House speakership, we are in for another long and momentous week in Congress. If one of the candidates can’t make it across the finish line, the next best option may be to temporarily expand the powers of Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry. This at least would allow some critical pieces of legislation to reach the floor of the House. I know that McHenry is not very popular with the hard-right within the House due to his close ties to Kevin McCarthy. But this is far more acceptable to most Republicans than to reach a handshake deal with the Democrats in order to reopen the House. Update: 10-24-2023. Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives. Johnson is a MAGA Republican and was a promoter of the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen. Donald Trump and Matt Gaetz are thrilled with the selection of Johnson. There is much to do in Congress and the next few weeks will demonstrate Mike Johnson’s true colors. His most crucial test will be keeping the government running after the current government spending bill expires on November 17, 2023. If you enjoy reading this type of commentary please subscribe to my blog and tell a friend. You will receive an email notification when new blogs are posted. The email will come from the site’s email: armchairamerican1776 @gmail.com. Thanks, Armchair American
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