Thursday was a dizzying day, even by Washington standards, and yet it ended exactly as it began. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is still in the running to become speaker of the House. He still doesn't have the votes to win the gavel. And there's still no solution Republicans are willing to accept to get themselves out of this mess they made.
For a brief moment, it looked as though the paralysis that has taken hold of the House might be ending. As a tally of Jordan's supporters showed shrinking support, momentum had built up around a potential escape hatch: empowering Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., to temporarily get things running again. Thursday morning, Jordan told reporters he was willing to back a proposal that would have seen McHenry run the show until January — but insisted he was still the speaker-designee and could call a new speaker election on the floor at any time before then. This is a preview of Hayes Brown's latest article. Read the full column here. |
