Jim Jordan doesn’t want to give up – even though party friends also stabbed him in the back. Increased German border controls have consequences in Switzerland

Jim Jordan is a fighter. Since his first election in 2006, the Republican representative has distinguished himself as an aggressive lefty who reportedly wants to clean up the capital and get the US back on track. On Thursday, Jordan also had to realize that he was fighting a losing battle — and that his goal of taking over as Speaker of the House of Representatives was far away.

This realization came early in the evening when Jordan announced that he would forgo another speaker election on Thursday. Jordan had already lost two rounds of voting in recent days because a number of party members refused to support him. Nothing changed on Thursday. Opinions are being expressed about Jordan, former President Donald Trump’s close ally.

No temporary promotion for Patrick McHenry

And although the bottom line was that nothing moved and parliamentary business in the House of Representatives had been at a virtual standstill for sixteen days now, it was still a very turbulent day that once again showed that Republicans in Washington are going their own way . way.

Jordan also shares responsibility for this development. His term in Washington was marked by proposals that undermined his party leaders. This is one of the reasons why many MPs now find it difficult to accept his supposed transformation into a responsible leader.

Jordan presented a plan Thursday morning that could have given him some breathing room. Jordan wanted to stick to his ambitions to take over the position of chairman and thus the chairmanship of the majority faction in the House of Representatives. But Jordan also proposed that Patrick McHenry temporarily take over the chamber’s chairmanship until early this year.

McHenry is a confidant of ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Since October 3, he has held the title of “Speaker pro tempore” and acts as a kind of placeholder at the head of the House of Representatives. In the eyes of many MPs, McHenry does not have the necessary powers to discuss parliamentary bills.

The majority of the group did not support Jordan

Jordan wanted to change this. But his party friends didn’t mind the idea so much. During a three-hour group meeting, they tore his plan apart – in sometimes highly emotional statements, it was later said.

It soon became clear that many concerns were of a personal nature. Jordan confidantes are tired of having to constantly consider moderate colleagues. A temporary promotion of McHenry would amount to a “F*** Y**” to Republican voters, right-wing lawmaker Jim Banks said.

More moderate Republicans, on the other hand, are outraged that Jim Jordan’s allies tried to put pressure on dissenters. Several parliamentarians received death threats. New York Rep. Nick LaLota said, “There are 335 million people in our country and a few of them are fools.” Unfortunately, some of those fools also lived in his Long Island district, LaLota said.

Next vote Friday

What is embarrassing for Jordan is that some high-ranking party colleagues also stabbed him in the back. Steve Scalise, the Republican candidate for speaker for a short time last week, wanted nothing to do with Jordan’s idea.

So after the long caucus meeting, Jordan stepped before the television cameras and announced the end of his plan. Almost defiantly, he said, “I’m still running for speaker.” The next vote will now take place on Friday.

Jordan’s chances of success are slim. The fact is that the fighter from Ohio was only able to convince the 200 and 199 representatives of his candidacy in two roll-call votes on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, an absolute majority would have been required, ideally 217 votes. (Currently, 2 of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives are vacant.)

On Thursday evening he tried to convince some skeptics in one-on-one conversations. The meeting ended without success. Jordan stormed out of the meeting room without comment.