Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) said last week she was an “absolute no” when it came to electing Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) House Speaker to replace the ousted Kevin McCarthy. Wagner, a Steve Scalise backer, added a little descriptive color to her “no” for those who aren’t familiar with the meaning of “absolute.”
To take away any remaining ambiguity in her position, Wagner explained that her Jordan objections were fortified when “in conference, [Jordan] gave the most disgraceful, ungracious — I can’t call it a concession speech — of all time. There were gasps in the room.”
“Yesterday in conference, [Jim Jordan] gave the most disgraceful, ungracious — I can’t call it a concession speech — of all time. There were gasps in the room.”https://t.co/0w5cX8WBsQ
— Kimberly Leonard (@leonardkl) October 13, 2023
But today, things changed — not least the widely agreed-upon definition of “absolute.” Suddenly being a January 6 enabler and the speaker (lower case) of the most disgraceful speech of “all time” no longer disqualified Jim Jordan from becoming Speaker (upper case) in Wagner’s calculation.
Wagner flipped from (absolute) no last week to yes this morning, releasing a statement that said in part:
“Jim Jordan and I spoke at length again this morning, and he has allayed my concerns about keeping the government open with conservative funding, the need for strong border security, our need for consistent international support in times of war and unrest, as well as the need for stronger protections against the scourge of human trafficking and child exploitation. Jim Jordan is our conference nominee, and I will support his nomination for Speaker on the House floor.”
Rep. Ann Wagner
Wagner also wrote: “Let me be clear, I am not, and will not, work with Democrats as our Republican Conference comes together to elect a conservative Speaker of the House” — a declaration which, given her recent track record, could signal that she will be working with Democrats next week.
Other resistant Republicans have so far maintained the stance that Jordan isn’t a viable candidate, despite having Donald Trump‘s endorsement. GOP prodigal daughter Liz Cheney, the former Wyoming congresswoman, put her objection most clearly (below), and what’s left of the non-MAGA faction of the GOP — aligning in principle with Cheney’s point — has not yet shown that it will yield as Wagner did.
Jim Jordan was involved in Trump's conspiracy to steal the election and seize power; he urged that Pence refuse to count lawful electoral votes. If Rs nominate Jordan to be Speaker, they will be abandoning the Constitution. They’ll lose the House majority and they’ll deserve to.
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) October 13, 2023