October 11, 2023 12:14 PM UTC

Scalise Gets Speaker Nomination, Boebert Vows More Chaos

• 1 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

In a narrow 113-99 vote by the U.S. House Republican caucus today, Louisiana GOP hardliner Rep. Steve Scalise was nominated to succeed the ousted former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. AP reports via Denver7:

In private balloting at the Capitol, House Republicans pushed aside Rep. Jim Jordan, the Judiciary Committee chairman, in favor of Scalise, the current majority leader, lawmakers said. The Louisiana lawmaker is seen as a hero to some after surviving a mass shooting on lawmakers at a congressional baseball game practice few years ago.

Scalise may have squeaked to the nomination, but it looks like if Colorado’s ever-contrarian Rep. Lauren Boebert gets her way, the vote to confirm in the full House later today will be another one-way ticket to chaos:

After Scalise is nominated for Speaker, @laurenboebert tells me she’ll still vote for Jim Jordan on the House floor.

“I’m voting for Jim Jordan on the floor.”

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) October 11, 2023

Rep. Ken Buck, Colorado’s only member of the “Gaetz Eight” who voted to remove McCarthy, likewise has little good to say about either Scalise or Rep. Jim Jordan:

“I am not thrilled with either choice right now,” said Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., who voted to oust McCarthy.

During yesterday’s closed-door candidate forum, Buck reportedly asked both Scalise and Jordan if they would state unequivocally that the 2020 presidential election was not stolen from Donald Trump, and neither candidate was willing to do so to Buck’s satisfaction:

Told the specific question Buck asked: “Can you unequivocally and publicly state the election was not stolen.”

Neither him nor Hill got a direct answer

— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) October 11, 2023

Of all the litmus tests that Buck could have imposed on these candidates based on his far-right track record, from banning abortion to making Americans work until age 70 for Social Security, it’s noteworthy that refuting the “Big Lie” is the test Buck chose. There’s no fault to be found with it, of course, and it will undoubtedly play well in the forum Buck cares about most these days: cable news.

What neither Boebert nor Buck can provide is any clarity on how the vote to succeed Kevin McCarthy will actually play out today, except to increase the likelihood of an unconstructive outcome and more paralysis ahead. McCarthy, who has all but put himself formally in the running to get his old job back citing the urgent need to approve aid for Israel, asked his supporters not to nominate him for the first round–but if that first round goes as expected and no one wins a majority, McCarthy could re-emerge as a consensus pick.

Can Scalise overcome the objections of his multitude of detractors and win 217 Republican votes? Are we headed for days of indecision like last January? Will Buck eat crow and back McCarthy if nobody else can win a majority? Will Boebert hold her nose and vote McCarthy once again to keep that badly needed campaign cash flowing?

We’re all going to find out together, with no precious time to lose.