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“Republicans who control the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday nominated Steve Scalise to serve as speaker following last week's ouster of Kevin McCarthy, but delayed further action when he appeared to be short of the support needed to win a vote of the full chamber. Scalise, now No. 2 on the Republican leadership ladder, edged rival Jim Jordan in a secret ballot vote to secure his party's nomination for the top post.” Reuters
The right is optimistic that Scalise will be Speaker, and urges him to pursue tax cuts.
“Perhaps the events in Israel have provided more of a humbling context in which to proceed. Scalise and Jordan are only really different in temperament; they both supported Kevin McCarthy, and both will face the same obstacles McCarthy did. Having flexed their muscles on McCarthy and facing a choice between going back to work and facing even more scorn over their unseriousness, even the Gaetz Eight and/or the Freedom Caucus has to figure that there’s not much more juice in this squeeze, if there was any at all from the beginning.”
Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
“What Scalise brings, effectively, is a normal continuity of leadership. He is ideologically essentially indistinguishable from Kevin McCarthy, making clear the lie that any of this, from the perspective of The Hateful Eight, was about some deep principle…
“In the event that Scalise rises to the speakership, as most expect, the consequences for Matt Gaetz will likely be muted. He has already endorsed Scalise for speaker, itself an admission that his biggest issue with McCarthy was that he did not intervene to stop an ethics investigation into his behavior…
“For the House GOP, this is a pivotal moment in one sense: neither Scalise nor Jordan can marshal the kind of fundraising capability applied with such force by Kevin McCarthy. The potential for holding the House is drastically hurt by this shift in power, and that’s why Democrats unanimously supported it.”
Ben Domenech, Spectator World
“While the House looks likely to make Rep. Steve Scalise the next speaker, the GOP still has no plan to keep the government open after mid-November. The solution is simple. Republicans should push for as much fiscal discipline as they can. Yet instead of simply dividing over how much to cut spending, they should ultimately unite around cutting taxes…
“Donald Trump’s tax cuts are set to expire in 2025, which is just around the corner. If Republicans don’t make them permanent, which they could easily do in a spending bill, the damage to families and the economy will be immense…“Republicans could honestly say they’re fighting for families, saving them from crushing tax hikes and helping them deal with the damage of inflation… As soon as the House gets a new speaker, he should rally Republicans around this winning message: Let Americans and Main Street keep more of their money.”
John Tillman, New York Post
The left is critical of Scalise, and urges the next Speaker to quickly confront the ongoing crises facing the country.
The left is critical of Scalise, and urges the next Speaker to quickly confront the ongoing crises facing the country.
“It’s difficult to discern how the House would function differently with either Scalise or Jordan as speaker. Perhaps Scalise would cut a more reasonable government funding deal than Jordan. Alternatively, perhaps Jordan would have an easier time convincing hardliners there’s no better deal possible. Both would inevitably feel compelled to cater to the right, but Jordan has a more aggressive history and rhetorical style. Scalise prevailed in the conference vote, but only 113 Republicans voted for him… The question is just how stubborn the holdout Republicans will prove to be."
Andrew Prokop, Vox
“[In October 2021], Scalise refused to answer [the] simple question: ‘Do you think the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump?’ Scalise still appears to be unwilling to answer that question… Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., said he wouldn’t vote for Scalise or Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, ‘since neither man would answer his question yesterday about whether the 2020 election was stolen.’…
“The same politician who shrugs at the erosion of democracy similarly shrugs as Louisiana’s coast, which is home (or close to home) to all his constituents, dissolves into the Gulf of Mexico… In the summer of 2018, Scalise was among the Republicans who authored a Republican resolution opposed to taxes on carbon as ‘detrimental’ to the U.S. economy.”
Jarvis DeBerry, MSNBC
“Gridlock is especially dangerous now, when Congress confronts multiple crises. The most obvious is another potential government shutdown after a 45-day continuing resolution expires in mid-November… Then there are calls for emergency military support for Israel following last weekend’s surprise Hamas attack…
“Meanwhile, an uptick in crossings along the U.S. southern border has prompted members of both parties to call for action. Major cities in Democratic-run states — such as New York, Chicago, Boston, San Diego and Denver — are struggling to support the thousands of migrants who have suddenly arrived. They want more funding and organizational aid from the federal government…
“Money to speed asylum processing would help. Border security funding, meanwhile, would satisfy demands for better enforcement… Such a deal should be a top priority for the next speaker.”
Editorial Board, Washington Post
