Highlights: Intimidation, backstabbing and flaunting the will of the majority are all tactics that Donald Trump has used expertly to dominate the Republican Party. Wannabe House Speaker Jim Jordan has tried the same gameplan, only to find out that he’s no Trump. It took three failed ballots for that reality to sink in for Jordan and his fuming, fumbling allies.
What is incredible is the utterly delusional behavior of Jordan and his supporters. Like Trump, they have only one strategy: louder and angrier. Unlike Trump, they don’t have the fear behind them. They overplayed their hand but are determined to keep overplaying it. Not to mention, they are complete hypocrites: now that their own strategy to sink Scalise is being used against Jordan, they can’t believe it and are furious.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
It was not so long ago the GOP House caucus voted to elect Steve Scalise to be Speaker, defeating Jordan by a clear, but not overwhelming, margin of 113 to 99.
After over 30 years working in, observing and analyzing politics, you learn a thing or two about the public pronouncements of ambitious politicians — namely, don’t trust them, ever.
It’s not a minor point that the cabal that de-railed the last Speaker, Kevin McCarthy — just eight members — is much smaller than the group opposed to Jordan, originally 20 and now 25 (and Scalise didn’t even come close to winning enough support).
Given the over-the-top rhetoric, attacks on cable television and death threats that were sparked by the first loss, the original holdouts have no option but to keep voting “no.” Anyone who flips to Jordan realizes that he/she will just empower those who are bullying them — they won’t have any independence whatsoever.
Team Jordan is no different from the leftists in academia who have spent years shouting down and cancelling their opponents, only to cry victim once the tables are turned on them.
When you lose a power struggle, you have to admit defeat; the winners need to be magnanimous, not punitive, as long as the losers agree to unite.
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