House speaker candidates have pulled out of a planned joint interview on Fox News next week just hours after it was announced amid fierce blowback from GOP lawmakers, the latest sign of how simmering tensions within the conference are boiling over as Republicans scramble to find a new leader following Kevin McCarthy’s stunning ouster.
Both of the leading Republican candidates for speaker – Rep. Jim Jordan and Majority Leader Steve Scalise – backtracked from the plan to be interviewed jointly on Fox News with anchor Bret Baier from the Capitol next Monday after it had been announced by the network Friday morning. A third potential speaker candidate also said he would not participate in the forum.
A source familiar with the matter said Jordan and Scalise talked Friday and they agreed it wouldn’t be wise, so the forum is now off.
Too bad. I was looking forward to the debut of America’s Top Nazi.
at least we still have the duos current program “Shills say the darndest things”
Oh no how will Fox ever replace such quality content as that?
They could film some paint drying. Or maybe some grass growing? Either way it would be a better use of time.
What would have been the point, though? This is internal House business. The common voter has no say in this.
At best it would have put the GOP clown show on the national stage. I mean, I had the hot air popper warming up for it already, but even little old me knew this “debate” was a disaster in the making.
I’m actually a little deflated.
Eh, at least I have some popcorn.
They realized what you said
Normally they go on TV and whine and blame everyone else (democrats) for their problems. This time their problem is purely other republicans, and it wouldn’t be a good look to their rabid fanbase to go out and just bitch about each other
Gotta keep up the facade they’ve worked so hard on
Get on the right wing channels and demand this debate!!! It would be hilarious.
more infighting please dear god I’m subsisting off of it alone
I posted this on another thread. I get the feeling that this chaos is deliberate, so I’m not cheering. But I hope I just fell for my first official conspiracy theory:
My theory is that there are forces within the republican movement (Bannon et al.) that are actively undermining the whole system including their own party.
If enough anti-establishment sentiment and hopelessness regarding the current political system is created, the road towards an autocratic system is paved.
I think this is a realistic scenario in 2024 if the Republicans win, but it should not be underestimated how dangerous this movement will continue to be for elections to come if Biden manages to win.
won’t lie to ya brother, at this point I’m kinda inclined to agree with that assessment
I was surprised they agreed to a debate in the first place. What would they even debate? “No look, you don’t hate biden I HATE BIDEN!!”. Gish-galloping and grand standing looks ridiculous when both master debaters are saying exactly the same thing verbatim.
Gym Jordan is running? Sigh.
On the bright side, there will now be ample opportunity to discuss at a national level his unwillingness to protect vulnerable children in his care from sexual abuse. I’m sure plenty of challengers to Republican congresspeople can figure out a way to point out during the campaign the kind of leaders Republicans support.
Ad: If he wouldn’t protect vulnerable children under his care, what makes you think he’d protect America and better yet, do you really want this person 2nd in line to the presidency?
He did protect vulnerable children… from the consequences of committing sexual abuse. He also protected Ohio’s #1 priority, the sports team.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
House speaker candidates have pulled out of a planned joint interview on Fox News next week just hours after it was announced amid fierce blowback from GOP lawmakers, the latest sign of how simmering tensions within the conference are boiling over as Republicans scramble to find a new leader following Kevin McCarthy’s stunning ouster.
Both of the leading Republican candidates for speaker – Rep. Jim Jordan and Majority Leader Steve Scalise – backtracked from the plan to be interviewed jointly on Fox News with anchor Bret Baier from the Capitol next Monday after it had been announced by the network Friday morning.
A source familiar with the matter said Scalise initially turned down the Fox News event but was told that two others – Jordan and Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern – had already committed to participate.
Fox News said in a press release Friday morning that Baier was holding an “exclusive joint interview” with Scalise, Jordan and Hern from the Capitol on Monday.
But the unprecedented speaker’s race that’s now following Kevin McCarthy’s removal in a floor vote has already proven to have an outsized element of outside influence even before the Fox event was floated – as former President Donald Trump has weighed in to endorse Jordan.
Moderate Republicans could play a key role in who ultimately wins the speakership because there is a contingent of GOP lawmakers uneasy about the conservative politics of both Jordan and Scalise and still angry at their hardline faction for ousting McCarthy in this week’s unprecedented floor vote.
The original article contains 835 words, the summary contains 255 words. Saved 69%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
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