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You are here: Home / Politics / GroundHog Day: Another Day, Another Speaker Vote

GroundHog Day: Another Day, Another Speaker Vote

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The process to get ready to vote for Speaker began at 10 am.  As I write this, it’s 10:40 and there are still 10 House members who haven’t pressed the magic electronic button to say that they are in the House.  Six are Dems, four are Rs.

You can also watch on C-SPAN.

I have it on, but muted, because I can’t bear the faux suspense the C-SPAN lady is trying too drum up about which name will be submitted by each caucus.  The suspense is killing me!

I will put the post up as soon as the actual vote for Speaker starts.

⭐️

While we’re waiting, I assume you have all heard that Sydney Powell pled out.  So the Cheeze stands alone!

Personally, I am hoping for a lot more dominoes to fall.  Fingers crossed!

⭐️

Okay, it’s “go” time.  All House members (except the one in Israel) have reported as present.  I don’t recall which 20 or so Rs have voted for other, so if someone ditches Gym Jordan for the first time, or votes for Gym Jordan and hand’t last time, I hope those of you with memories for such details chime in!

LIVE speaker vote count on CNN   h/t Scout211

Open thread.

 

Reader Interactions

243Comments

  2. 2.

    WaterGirl

    Jim Jordan is reliable!  I mean, just look at the Ohio wrestlers who counted on him as a safe adult to talk to when they were being molested!

  9. 9.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Alison Rose: 4, I think? Or 5?

    @WaterGirl: McCarthy’s been pushing for whomever the current frontrunner is for some time. He also voted for Jordan before, and before that gave Scalise his full endorsement.

  11. 11.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Alison Rose: It does get asked. They usually say “I’m not aware of that ever happening” and that’s all they’ll say. Usually the reporter just drops it after the first denial, despite how stupid of an answer that is.

  13. 13.

    Almost Retired

    I don’t want to watch this in the same way I don’t want to slow down to rubberneck a wreck on the 405.  But I usually do end up looking at gruesome freeway crashes – both literally and metaphorically.   Fortunately, I had the pleasure of waking up to see my main House of Representative crush, the brilliant Katherine Clark, introducing Jeffries!  She is a very effective whip – and I’ll leave it at that since this is Balloon Juice in the Morning.

  15. 15.

    Alison Rose

    @MisterForkbeard: Right, I guess I meant more that they should actually, you know, do their jobs and not let them get away. Use the details we know, use the names, demand the person answer “do you think someone who would do this should be in a position of power” or whatever. But they won’t.

  18. 18.

    MisterForkbeard

    The one that got me this morning is that Republicans/MAGA are calling in the big guns. Literally, as they got the NRA to say that anyone who votes against Jordan will receive a black mark on their NRA voting record.

    Because Jim Jordan supports guns, you see? And therefore if you vote against him, you hate guns and freedom.

  22. 22.

    Ken

    I’m fairly confident he’ll lose more today than the last vote, given that his opponents have announced that’s their plan.

  33. 33.

    Dangerman

    The beatdowns will continue until morale improves?

    And I’ve lost track; is Jordan the Speaker nominee, the Speaker designee,  the designated Speaker, or designated Streaker (apologies to Ray Stevens, but Boogity Boogity seems appropriate here).

  34. 34.

    Shalimar

    Jordan is apparently saying he will continue holding votes over the weekend after many members have gone home.   He lies all the time and Jeffries will almost definitely be better at keeping his caucus in town than Jordan is, so these votes that would inadvertently elect Jeffries Speaker are not going to happen.  It’s still interesting how desperate Jordan is getting though.

  35. 35.

    Scout211

    @twbrandt: The definition of insanity is, as they say, doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

    Insanity? No, it’s just “aspirational thinking” when it comes to Jordan and his keeper, TFIG.  LOL

  40. 40.

    TS

    Definitely some new ones – so it seems that more are going anti Jordan each vote.

    No-one seems to have added to his score.

  41. 41.

    Ken

    @Shalimar: Which raises again the question of who’s running the Republican caucus, the nominal Speaker McHenry, or Jordan?

    Also, I assume there’s something in the rules to prevent him from calling a midnight vote with three minutes notice, at a time when conveniently only his supporters are in the chamber? Because the whole “may call for votes over the weekend” smells of that.

  42. 42.

    Another Scott

    Ben Jacobs
    @Bencjacobs
    4m

    Brian Fitzpatrick votes for McHenry and is the 9th Republican against Jordan and the first switch
    Oct 20, 2023 · 3:18 PM UTC

    [ womp, womp ]

    (via Fritschner)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  48. 48.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Shalimar:

    It’s still interesting how desperate Jordan is getting though.

    I think these votes are running into his belief that he is destined to be Speaker.  That ‘America wants me’ declaration was really telling.  He has convinced himself that the world is lining up to give him the Speakership because he deserves it, because [insert details of why] he is Special.

    Nothing that’s happening makes any sense.  It’s his destiny!

    EDIT – @Ken:

    who’s running the Republican caucus, the nominal Speaker McHenry, or Jordan?

    I think McHenry is scheduling votes when the front runner asks him to, which would be a reasonable way of doing it.  McHenry is supposedly highly adverse to the idea of the Pro Tem Speaker having actual power.

  49. 49.

    Suzanne

    I would note that “this is embarrassing”, but I don’t know if any of these clowns can actually be embarrassed.

  51. 51.

    Ken

    One good thing coming out of this, Jeffries is going to be in the history/trivia books for a long time as the person who has won the most votes for Speaker.

  54. 54.

    Scout211

    @Ken: So far, McHenry seems to be following the rules. He is the one who has to call the session to order and close the session. In the past few days he has threatened to resign and let the next Rep in line take over his role if the GOP didn’t follow the rules.

    I hope he continues to follow the rules.

  57. 57.

    NotMax

    Thing we’ll never see.

    A vote sung out for “The Idiot from Bakersfield.”

    Clerk (without missing a beat): “Jordan.”
    //

  60. 60.

    Danielx

    Given Jordan’s penchant for harassing and (attempting to) humiliating others, this latest goat rope should have a salutary effect on him (he says piously).

  61. 61.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    It’s still interesting how desperate Jordan is getting though.

    Right? I noted earlier that he’s getting the NRA to threaten republicans into voting for him, too. That and basically endorsing direct threats and yelling about how America really does want him and he’s going to keep holding votes until he wins is just… well, it’s peak desperate republican

    Well, not ‘peak’. He hasn’t started a formal insurrection yet, like he did 2 years ago.

  62. 62.

    BC in Illinois

    Small item from Missouri – – When Jordan voted for “Jordan,” he got a mid-sized ovation from the Republicans. Sitting on camera was Rep. Ann Wagner (MO 2nd District – safe Republican vote), who didn’t stand and quietly tapped one hand on another two or three times. No sign of enthusiasm there.

  64. 64.

    hells littlest angel

    @Anoniminous: 4 because wosname buggered-off to Israel?

     

    Van Orden, who I hope will get drunk and wander into the heart of the conflict to curse at people.

  65. 65.

    smith

    In some real news, Judge Engoran in court today threatened TFG with contempt of court and threatened imprisonment was a possible sanction. It seems that after Engoron gagged him, TFG took down the post about the court clerk from Truth Social, but left it up on his website for two weeks, until it was discovered and reported online. This just a day or so after Engoron had to strongly warn TFG to behave himself in court.

  66. 66.

    Jeffro

    @Shalimar: Jordan is apparently saying he will continue holding votes over the weekend after many members have gone home.

    “I’m going to wait you all out until just before lights-out on Saturday night and BOOM!  By a 2-to-1 vote, I’M SPEAKER!!!”

    absolutely, certifiably n-u-t-s

  69. 69.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @MisterForkbeard:

    he’s getting the NRA to threaten republicans into voting for him

    My impression is that the NRA is not the juggernaut it once was.  It has successfully stoked its members into being so insane that they don’t think the NRA is extreme enough anymore.  Single issue gun rights voters aren’t checking the NRA’s rating anymore.

    I’m sure it’s also linked to the NRA becoming a major funnel of Russian money into campaign contributions.  That probably shifted their focus away from keeping control of their voters.

  70. 70.

    scav

    not only GroundHog Day with every episode a (somewhat worse) repeat, GroundHog Day II with very little rewrite. Not even a directors cut.

  71. 71.

    mrmoshpotato

    @eclare: That was a great segment they had.  Glad to see my Rep was “better known” too.  Illinois’ 9th – the fightin’ Ninth!

  73. 73.

    Geminid

    @MisterForkbeard: I think a lot of members including McCarthy are voting for Jordan because they know he can’t win. Next week they’ll try a nominee who is closer to the center of the caucus, and they want to tell the Jordan camp, “Look, we voted for your guy but it didn’t work out. Now vote for our guy and we’ll work on those blasted holdouts. We’ve got to git ‘er done!”

  74. 74.

    Eolirin

    @Jeffro: The Democrats are very good at making sure they’re where they need to be. There won’t be any votes with a significant number of members missing, the Democrats would end up being the majority of the chamber.

  75. 75.

    WaterGirl

    While listening to the voting, I am making my favorite cranberry relish – for the first time this year – and I thought it looked different.

    Then I remembered I hadn’t added the sugar!  Key ingredient, remedying now. :-)

    The only decent-looking oranges were blood oranges, so I go those.  Hope it doesn’t change the taste!

    My recipe: 1 bag of raw cranberries, 3 oranges (peeled), and 1/3 cup sugar.

    The original recipe called for 1 bag of raw cranberries, 1 orange, and 1 cup sugar.  Awesome but more sweet than it needed to be.  I kept adding oranges and reducing sugar until I got to 3 oranges and 1/3 cup sugar.

    Then I tried 1/4 cup sugar with 3 oranges.  Um, that was a nope!

  78. 78.

    Eolirin

    And we’re at 22 against. Jordan hasn’t made any progress and will probably lose another few votes by the end.

  80. 80.

    CaseyL

    I do wonder if Jordan has a wee-hours vote in mind. He might think presenting the GOP with a fait accompli the next day will work, because they’ll just be exhausted and relieved to have the thing over with.

  87. 87.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Geminid:

    I think a lot of members including McCarthy are voting for Jordan because they know he can’t win.

    Maybe.  I think the majority of House Republicans don’t care who the Speaker is, as long as it’s a Republican.  When Jordan became the only candidate, they threw in to vote for him.  If one of their interns was the only candidate he’d probably get 200 votes.

  88. 88.

    WaterGirl

    @Alison Rose: All the cranberry relish recipes seem to call for that.

    The cooked version I used to make called for one cup, but I always reduced that to 3/4.

    But with this recipe with fresh cranberries and the orange, I was inspired to try more orange, less sugar.

  91. 91.

    Lyrebird

    @Scout211: Thank you, and thanks, WG!

     

    And MASSIVE THANKS to Leader Jeffries and the united Dem caucus!

     

    And HA bloody HA to the dwindling-vote bully!  (ETA the link from Scout has 199 for Jordan and the full 212 for Jeffries)

  92. 92.

    Brit in Chicago

    The unanimity of the Democrats is impressive. It reminds me of the arrival of the Elves for the defense of Helm’s Deep: the troops in lock step for defense of the good and the right. May they triumph!

  94. 94.

    eclare

    @mrmoshpotato:

    The highlight was when Colbert would interview some idiot Rethug who wasn’t in on the act.  Like the GA rep who thought the ten commandments were so important that they should be displayed in courthouses.  Colbert:  name them.

    I think he named four?

  98. 98.

    Another Scott

    Most everyone looks supremely bored.

    I assume they’re going to be pissed off – more than usual – if Jordan doesn’t bow out and he forces them to stick around this weekend.

    It would be fun if Jordan/McHenry tries to keep them around and the House demands a vote on adjourning instead.  I assume that there has to be a way to do that…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  99. 99.

    Alison Rose

    Looks like some folks weren’t around. But LOL forever at Jordan getting an even bigger ROI on his humiliation kink this time!

    I don’t like that there are Dems missing so Jeffries doesn’t get his full count.

  100. 100.

    WaterGirl

    What if the last 4 or 5 Rs (alphabetically) just said fuck it and voted for Hakeem?

    (I haven’t done the math with one R missing to see whether just 4 could tank Jordon, or if it would take 5.)

    edit:

    212 + 220 = 432

    432 / 2 = 216, so still 217 to win.

    212 + 5 Rs = 217

    so it would take 5 votes for Hakeem

    or 10 voting present or not voting

  101. 101.

    BC in Illinois

    @BC in Illinois:

    Following up my earlier comment on Ann Wagner ( R – MO):

    When her name was called, she looked straight forward, with a steely non-expression on her face and said, with no enthusiasm at all, ” (grumble) J o r d a n (grumble).”

    Fun to watch

  102. 102.

    New Deal democrat

    More than Groundhog Day, this reminds me even more of the final scene of Terminator 2, where the shape-shifting model flails around violently as he is melting in the vat of molten steel.

    It appears the GOP will flail at *anything* to avoid the dreaded “cooperating with Democrats.” But they are running out of options. Maybe they talk Scalise into actually standing for a vote? Maybe they point out to the defectors that McCarthy came much closer than Jordan, who is fading fast?

    Only if and when about 1/3rd or so of the GOP caucus is absolutely convinced that *nobody* is going to get 218 GOP votes alone will they finally go crawling to the Democrats.

  103. 103.

    trollhattan

    Yeehaw, Donny!

    A New York judge threatened to imprison Donald Trump for “blatantly” violating a gag order on Friday after the former president failed to remove a social media post mocking the judge’s clerk.

    As proceedings in the civil court began on Friday, the New York judge Arthur Engoron asked Trump’s lawyers why “this blatant violation of the gag order would not result in serious sanctions, including financial sanctions and/or possibly imprisoning him”.

    Engoron issued a gag order against Trump on the second day of the trial earlier this month after he attacked the judge’s law clerk, Allison Greenfield, in a social media post. Greenfield has been assisting Engoron throughout the trial, usually sitting next to the judge in the courtroom.

  104. 104.

    Scout211

    The one Democrat not present (Payne maybe?) said he had a medical issue and his doctor told him not to work today.

  105. 105.

    FelonyGovt

    @Almost Retired: Good for you! I too have been watching this like a crash on the 405. And my secret House crush is Hakeem. Good looking guy with a lot of that Brooklyn in him that I grew up with and still admire.

  106. 106.

    mrmoshpotato

    @eclare: I remember that episode.  He definitely didn’t get close to all 10.

    And the Eleanor Holmes-Norton segments were hilarious.

  109. 109.

    WaterGirl

    So 2 Rs still hasn’t voted?

    edit: Maybe that’s how the Rs get Jordan to stand down.  1 more is either a no show or votes “present” at each vote?

    edit: oh, wait, 2 Dems???  (that’s what I get for cooking and watching at the same time.

  111. 111.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @trollhattan: The judge needs to just toss Trump into a holding cell, after having ensured removal of all communication devices, while the judge sorts this all out.

    I know that tossing Dumpster into a cell would elicit howls from the boneheads, but at some point Dumpster needs the figurative slap of the ruler across the knuckles to get his attention.

  113. 113.

    trollhattan

    @mrmoshpotato: She was a perfect foil, right down to calling him Mister Colbert, pronouncing the T. Had the feeling she was the rare interviewee, much less politician, who truly got his bit.

  114. 114.

    Anoniminous

    @Another Scott: ​
     
    Motion to Adjourn can be made when a member has the floor. It needs to be seconded at which point it becomes a privileged motion taking precedence over anything other than a Motion to fix the time to which to adjourn. A Motion to Adjourn is not amendable nor debatable. The Chairman – McHenry – must call for a vote. A majority is needed to pass.

  115. 115.

    wjca

    @Suzanne: I would note that “this is embarrassing”, but I don’t know if any of these clowns can actually be embarrassed.

    It appears that they can be embarrassed.  Just by rather different things than normal people find embarrassing.

  120. 120.

    Another Scott

    @Chief Oshkosh: I think*, as TIFG said long ago, the judge should have “total and complete shutdown” of TIFG’s postings “until [ he ] can figure out what is going on.”

    It’s only fair.

    Cheers,
    Scott.
    —
    * – not intended to be a factual statement.

  121. 121.

    Matt McIrvin

    @New Deal democrat: The non-Freedom-Caucus Republicans may be hoping that if they bellow loudly enough on the TV shows that this is all the Democrats’ fault while larger disasters loom, the Democrats will care enough about having a functioning governent to come crawling to them without getting any concessions. They seemed to think the Democrats would just cave to their wishes unprompted.

  122. 122.

    trollhattan

    @Chief Oshkosh: His whole life has been conducted hovering above the law. Sure, he’s lost civil cases but his vast record of criming–known and probably 5X more we know nothing of–has been pulled off without any consequences whatsoever.

    MAYBE that changes now?

    Still say he had Ivana whacked.

  126. 126.

    Lyrebird

    @eclare: @mrmoshpotato:

     

    Agreed, but sadly some are very much in on the act.  I’m sorry I clicked on this DKos story that has traitor Bannon smiling, someone saying Jordan will speak for soccer moms – how about he speak for those who are running away from soccer moms who are gonna force-feed him tire rims (WITH VOTES OK)?

    But as far as the act – they compared him to Joe the effing Plumber, who iirc was also fake!

  128. 128.

    Alison Rose

    @trollhattan: One of my favorite guest moments on his old show wasn’t a politician but a writer, Debra Dickerson, a Black woman. This was before the 2008 election, and at one point I think he’d asked her something about choosing between a Black man and a white woman, had that been difficult for her, something like that. She started to answer, and then paused and said “I’ll go on record and say I was never a John Edwards supporter”. Colbert replied, in his character voice, “Why, because he’s WHITE? And a MAN?” The camera at that moment was sort of slightly behind him, looking at her. She just stared at him with a slight wry grin on her face, and after a few seconds, you could sort of see Colbert’s shoulder shake a bit, like he was trying not to laugh. Then she said, “Even you can’t take you sometimes” and he lost it and cracked up. It was brilliant.

  131. 131.

    Anoniminous

    It is absolutely clear from the visuals the GOP is the Party of Old White Men and the Dems are the Party of America.

  134. 134.

    Scout211

    @WaterGirl:

    Vicente Gonzalez (TX) and Don Payne (NJ) did not vote according to the roll call.  Which one is ill, I am not sure.  I read it somewhere and now I can’t find it.

    Corrections are welcome.

  138. 138.

    Another Scott

    Recess subject to the call of the chair.

    Boom.

    The howler monkeys will now start up their threats – it’s guaranteed to work this time!!1

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  140. 140.

    Another Scott

    @WaterGirl: Nitter.net tells me that Gonzales missed for a death in the family.

    It’s good his vote wasn’t needed, because that would be a very tough choice to make.

    Condolences to them.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  141. 141.

    WaterGirl

    @Kristine: Huh, never heard of it. Citrus and vanilla flavors.

    Ingredients a turnoff, though.  “Natural flavor” as basically the only ingredient except the E which is probably there as a preservative.

    Ingredients

    Natural flavor, Vitamin E (Tocopherol)

    edit: That may sound snobby.  I should say that I stay away from “natural flavor” because some of those dry my eyes and give me what feels like little bumps under my eyelids.
  143. 143.

    Scout211

    Jordan has tied a record! Link

    Jordan just tied the record for the fewest number of votes for a majority nominee since the House was set at 435 members. The last person to get 194 votes as majority nominee was Frederick Gillett in 1923 on his second ballot. It took him nine ballots to win.

  147. 147.

    Scout211

    @Scout211:

    Democrat Payne did not vote but I may have gotten his details incorrect.  Anyone know his details?

    Nevermind, he is Don Payne, jr.  From New Jersey.

  148. 148.

    dmsilev

    @JWR: So, down 5 from last time? I figure there are probably only 100 or so Reps who actually _want_ to vote for Jordan (the ones who voted for him in the internal caucus secret ballot), and the rest are either “vote for the Party nominee” or are cowed by the threats. Both of the latter groups will drift away, vote by vote, for however long it takes for reality to make itself known to Jordan.

  151. 151.

    dmsilev

    @WaterGirl:

    (This was the 4th one, right?  They are starting to blur!)

    Third House-floor vote. There were two or three GOP Caucus internal votes before that.

  153. 153.

    trollhattan

    @Alison Rose: ​
    That’s great!

    He really was committed to the bit and would only break character very occasionally. I ultimately felt he had the hardest job on television when the show ran as long as it did, given he was expanding an occasional TDS bit to a nightly series.

  155. 155.

    Cheryl from Maryland

    @eclare: I’ve been bemused about the fetishization of the Ten Commandants and the law since Sunday School in the 1960s.  As far as I can figure out, only three are actual crimes – killing, stealing, and bearing false witness.

  157. 157.

    Geminid

    @SiubhanDuinne: I think there are many more anti-Jordan votes. Those Reps did not need to cast them, and may want to be able to tell the Jordan camp that they voted for their guy; that didn’t work out, and now the Jordan people need to vote for their guy.

    I wonder who their guy will be. Probably not a Freedom Caucus member, and definitely not someone who did not vote for Jordan. They’ll appeal to comity, which is in short supply within that caucus. Their best argument will be collective self-interest. That might work.

  162. 162.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @dmsilev:

    the ones who voted for him in the internal caucus secret ballot

    I think that was… 84?  When it was Jordan vs Scalise and not Jordan vs Who? or Would You Vote For Jordan Under Any Circumstances?  84 sounded right.  He was the first choice of the party’s right wing, once McCarthy was off the table.  He does have a constituency, it’s just not ‘America’ like he thinks it is.

  167. 167.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Cheryl from Maryland: I once had a long conversation with a woman on a train who explained to me that the source of a lot of our problems was religion, and we needed to follow the Ten Commandments instead.

  170. 170.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Cheryl from Maryland:

    As far as I can figure out, only three are actual crimes

    Well, there’s adultery, which isn’t currently illegal in the US.  The big thing is how you define ‘covets’.  That’s a difficult word.  My understanding is that in the original Hebrew it wasn’t just about wanting the other guy’s stuff.  This was like David’s ‘get a guy killed so I can nail his wife’ kind of coveting.  Scheming to take it.

    EDIT – Oh, and ‘bear false witness’ is a serious ‘lie about him in court’ type false witness.  Perjury.

  171. 171.

    Matt McIrvin

    @WaterGirl: Who gets a really lenient deal, and who is a big enough target that they can’t get off easy by flipping? Is the second category just Trump?

  172. 172.

    Shalimar

    I was watching Scripps News Live because it was the only streaming one I could find for free doing live coverage.  They just had an interview with a “Republican strategist” who said Jordan doesn’t have the votes and McHenry isn’t going to get temporary powers, so Republicans need to huddle and “find a Denny Hastert.”  To my regret, the interviewer just nodded his head and went to commercial instead of replying “don’t you already have one of those in Jim Jordan?”

  176. 176.

    jonas

    What do I know, but it seems that the only way this ends is if a group of Republicans go to Clark and Jeffries and start talking about trading votes for a compromise candidate, maybe even someone outside Congress, and a return to regular order for running the House. We’re never going to get cross-over R votes for Jeffries, so that’s right out. But a dozen or so of them, along with most Dems, could work to elect a non-treasonous, non-asshole Speaker and get back to work.

  178. 178.

    Ken

    @WaterGirl: OK, as long as you aren’t setting us up for a quiz on vote calculations.

    It’s reminding me of those posts that present some 19th-century quiz for 8th-graders (with the implication, stated or not, that modern education is a failure).  The math questions are usually about how many bushels of wheat can be loaded into a wagon of a given size, or converting square rods to acres.

    And I do remember one from the English section, verbatim:  “Give nine Rules for the use of Capital Letters.” Apparently rule 1 is “wherever you Feel like Using them.”

  180. 180.

    Jackie

    @MazeDancer: Add another confirmation:

    Kenneth Chesebro, alleged architect of the “fake electors” plot, has struck a plea deal with prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia, Lawfare reports.

    He is set to plead guilty to at least one felony charge as a part of the deal.

  181. 181.

    p.a.

    Maybe they’ll drag this out until Smith starts putting away House members directly involved in Jan6 & false elector schemes such that Jeffries wins without Rethug votes!😂🤔🤪

  184. 184.

    JWR

    @dmsilev:

    So, down 5 from last time?

    Yep. In the second round of voting he got 199, and in today’s third round he received 194. So yeah, he’s bleeding out.

  185. 185.

    LAO

    @smith: No jail time, 5 years probation- if he cooperates satisfactorily, ie tells the truth and testifies against his co-defendants.

  186. 186.

    Matt McIrvin

    @jonas: And you’ll notice that Jeffries is playing his cards close to his chest, saying these noncommittal “everything is on the table” sorts of things while the Democrats vote as a bloc. He’s willing to cut some deal eventually but he’s not going to telegraph what the Democrats will find acceptable.

  190. 190.

    Jackie

    @WaterGirl: I want to see a new reality show:

    ”As the World Flips on Donald.”

    Who, if any, will be still standing by TIFG? Or will he be left alone on a deserted desert island surrounded by sharks?

  191. 191.

    MisterForkbeard

    @trollhattan: No way Trump goes to prison for this. But hopefully he gets a significant fine. “Trump says his net worth is several billion, so I’m fining him $100 million so that the punishment can act as a deterrent for future violations.”

  192. 192.

    H.E.Wolf

    Oh, and the 3 new GOP defectors from Jordan are in the “Biden 18” – Biden won the popular vote in their districts in 2020, and the Democratic Party is going to target those seats for 2024.
    Brian Fitzpatrick: PA-01
    Thomas Kean: NJ -07
    Marc(us) Molinaro: NY-19

    The 6 other members of the Biden 18 who have rejected Jordan [data from Electoral-Vote.com yesterday]:
    Don Bacon: NE-02 (McCarthy, McCarthy, McHenry)
    Lori Chavez-DeRemer: OR-05 (McC, McC, McH)
    Antony D’Esposito: NY-04 (Zeldin 3 times)
    Jennifer Kiggans: VA-02 (McC, McC, McH)
    Nick LaLota: NY-01 (Zeldin 3 times)
    Mike Lawler: NY-17 (McC, McC, McH)

    https://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2023/Items/Oct19-1.html

  193. 193.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @LAO: With 19 defendants, are you really surprised?  Once Powell made a deal, it broke the logjam.  How many more deals do you think they’ll make before they say “Nah, we’re good?”

  194. 194.

    E.

    @LAO: Here’s hoping these light sentences reflect the value of the proffered testimony and not the weakness of the case.

  200. 200.

    FastEdD

    I am definitely in favor of a Speaker pro Tempura. Tempura is good stuff, crunchy outside, even those pieces of broccoli, carrots, and those weird potato things.

  202. 202.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Ken: When people did that kind of “dumbing down of America” handwringing I’d always remember what my father told me when I was in high school: that the mathematics education I was going to get by the time I graduated from high school in the 1980s was nearly equivalent to what he got in college in the 1960s, for a mathematics degree, except for one course in differential equations.

    A lot of that was probably just the short-term consequence of post-Sputnik panic, and the college he went to wasn’t exactly an Ivy. Still, it was so contrary to what I was hearing elsewhere.

  204. 204.

    jonas

    @Matt McIrvin: Yeah, Jeffries knows what he’s doing, I think. He’ll let them inflict maximal pain on themselves and then be ready to get the best deal for Dems if and when they’re ready to talk.

  208. 208.

    trollhattan

    @Cheryl from Maryland: I covet the holy hell out of my neighbors, ain’t nobody caught me yet. Come and get me, commandment coppers!

    There are different editions of the ten, and the Lutherans broke coveting into two. so committed to squelching coveting they are.

  209. 209.

    Another Scott

    @MisterForkbeard: The judge should put a $1B lien on MaL.  It’s worth $1.5B, right??

    (Just asking for cash won’t hurt him – he’ll raid his “campaign” war chest for it; he’ll never pay it himself.)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  210. 210.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Matt McIrvin: The deals will get less lenient over time.

    Right now, anyone BUT Trump will get a good plea deal. But when there’s 17 defendants and 15 have copped a deal, #16 isn’t getting much out of it.

  212. 212.

    Citizen Alan

    @MisterForkbeard:

    Generally, AIUI, fines for contempt of court go to the judiciary. I wonder how long the Eastern District of New York could function during the next shut-down with $10 million in its general fund. :)

  213. 213.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    @JWR: Jordan should go for another round of votes. He only tied for the lowest speaker vote total. He should keep trying until he breaks that record!! You can do it, Gym!

  214. 214.

    MisterForkbeard

    @jonas: We’re never going to get cross-over R votes for Jeffries, so that’s right out. But a dozen or so of them, along with most Dems, could work to elect a non-treasonous, non-asshole Speaker and get back to work.

    It’s the moment for that beacon of neutrality and fairness, Clarence Thomas

    ETA: We would also accept Baud’s pants.

  215. 215.

    LAO

    @Omnes Omnibus: I wasn’t surprised about Powell, although I expect she won’t be a great witness because of her baggage. Chesebro is potentially the best witness the government could gain but I thought he’d be one of those guys who was incapable of pleading guilty. It’s hard for me to explain.

  217. 217.

    trollhattan

    @FastEdD: ​
    Objectively pro tempura, it’s delicious (provided it’s eaten within ten minutes) and I’d also support a Speaker pro Tempera, because who does not love to paint?

  219. 219.

    trollhattan

    @LAO: ​
    Being known solely as the “architect of something really, really stupid” is a hell of an albatross to have hanging from your neck the rest of your life. This makes me happy.

  221. 221.

    Geminid

    @jonas: Basically, House Democrats want to be able to get vital bills on the floor for a vote. If they can achieve that with an outsider, so much the better, I think.

  223. 223.

    Bill Arnold

    @Jeffro:

    There won’t be any votes with a significant number of members missing, the Democrats would end up being the majority of the chamber.

    I expect that the serious Jordan-hating GOP members will also make a point of being around for votes.

  224. 224.

    Ken

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Reminds me of the series McSweeney’s did during the Trump administration, where the pretense was that Nyarlathotep was president. As with so much parody during the Trump administration, it got more and more difficult as time passed — both to write, and to laugh at.

  230. 230.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Ken: There’s a really excellent anthology called “Shadows Over Baker Street” consisting of stories merging Sherlock Holmes with the Cthulhu Mythos. In the Neil Gaiman story, “A Study in Emerald”, the English Royal Family are all Elder Gods.

  234. 234.

    WaterGirl

    @Matt McIrvin: And with the “first offenders” plea, if he successfully completes his probation (which can be as short as 3 years if he behaves for those 3 years) then at the end of probation he doesn’t have to answer yes to “do you have a felony conviction”.  I guess it’s wiped clean in some way.  Pretty damn good deal for pleading guilty to a felony.

    edit: I watched the whole video I embedded in the comments.

  237. 237.

    wjca

    @mrmoshpotato:

    @MisterForkbeard: ETA: We would also accept Baud’s pants.

    I’m doubtful Baud even has a pair.

    I quote the inimitable Allan Sherman:

    “With someone you adore,

    If you should find romance,

    You’ll pant and pant once more,

    And that’s a pair of pants!”

    So Baud doubtless has access to a pair.

  238. 238.

    PaulWartenberg

    I’m greedy
    But I want the Republican hold-outs to settle on one specific name, a name to rally a banner to, a name that would guarantee a great rebellion by the masses to rise up and free our nation.

    That name is STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN!!!!

  240. 240.

    RaflW

    Matt Gaetz is furious about secret ballots. In his own caucus. It’d all be hilarious if Ukraine didn’t hang in the balance.

    NYT live feed: “It’s hard to overstate how spitting mad conservatives are. Matt Gaetz says Jordan was ‘knifed by secret ballot, anonymously, in a closed-door meeting in the bowels of the Capitol.’ Gaetz says, ‘This was truly swamp tactics on display’.”

    Yeah, Matt, you’re probably also still paying a price among your angry and infighting pals for dethroning the Squeaker. Too bad!

  242. 242.

    TriassicSands

    @Cheryl from Maryland:

    The Ten Commandments are utterly irrelevant to the law. The three “crimes” you mention are all easily justified without any reference to religion or sin. Civilized societies (and even pre-civilization) can readily agree that killing people, stealing, and lying are undesirable and should be proscribed.

    People who argue for the need to base law on the Commandments are people who want to live in a theocracy, not a secular democracy or democratic republic.

  243. 243.

    TriassicSands

    @H.E.Wolf:

    The irony in targeting representatives in districts Biden won is that victories mean that the Republicans who are left are, on average, even more extreme. If the Democrats get the majority, that doesn’t necessarily matter, but it still isn’t good for the country.

    What we need is to be able to defeat the Jordans, Greenes, Boeberts, et al. Boebert seems vulnerable, but many of the worst Republicans are in safe districts, sometimes because of gerrymandering.

    The Times has another one of its focus group articles today. These are generally their most depressing pieces. Today, its about what would persuade Trump supporters to abandon him. Generally speaking, no one is considering dumping Trump and the GOP. They are looking for someone who is better at being Trump than Trump. As always there is at least one who supports Trump because of what a great business person he is. (Small explosion in the brain.)

    More generally, the focus groups reveal the incredibly poor state of the American electorate. Of course, anytime you are talking to Trump supporters you are guaranteed to be dealing with people who are, at best, ignorant.

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