There are few more indecisive symbols than the desultory “shrug emoji.” But that’s what congressional correspondent Lauren Fox says she keeps receiving when she asks Republican conference members and their insiders how the business of electing a Speaker of the House is proceeding.
“The amount of shrug emojis I’ve gotten from sources when asking what happens next?” Fox writes, “Too many to count.”
The shrug seems apt, since whether or not the GOP can schedule a meeting seems up in the air. Olivia Beavers says it’s maybe, maybe not, for tonight. “House Rs are likely to reconvene for another conference meeting tonight,” she writes. But “it hasn’t been noticed yet — and plan could still change. There’s been no notice of a scheduled vote at this point.” Shrug, anyone?
News: House Rs are likely to reconvene for another conference meeting tonight, two sources tell me.
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) October 12, 2023
It hasn't been noticed yet — and plan could still change. There's been no notice of a scheduled vote at this point.
Star scribe Jake Sherman has a word for a shrug; he calls it a mess, as in: “The House Republican Conference is a mess. Complete and utter mess. They are no closer to picking a speaker. They are a month away from a shutdown. Israel is asking for aid, which needs to pass in the next few weeks.”
The House Republican Conference is a mess. Complete and utter mess. They are no closer to picking a speaker. They are a month away from a shutdown. Israel is asking for aid, which needs to pass in the next few weeks.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 12, 2023
They are completely lost. And have no idea how they will get…
The shrugs emanate from the apparently unattractive vision of Jim Jordan or Steve Scalise holding the gavel, with both congressmen making the 217 necessary votes appear like an unscalable mountain in the distance.
Sometimes the shrug is expressed in words, and comes from one of the candidates himself. Scalise for example, on being queried by his own conference, “just rambled and didn’t directly answer questions. No plan. Didn’t unify or inspire the conference.” That’s not how you get votes; that’s how you get shrugs.
Republicans in the room said Scalise repeatedly wouldn’t tell members what his plans were, including whether he would seek a floor vote.
— John Bresnahan (@bresreports) October 12, 2023
“Just rambled and didn’t directly answer questions. No plan. Didn’t unify or inspire the conference.”
w/ @JakeSherman
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