U.S. Representative Lori Cheves-DeRemer is between a rock and a hard place.
She was one of the 20 holdouts -- the GOP Representatives who did not support Jim Jordan.
The rock is the need for a Speaker.
The hard place is that if Jim Jordan is made Speaker she will be voted out of office.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer represents an Oregon Congressional District that voted for Biden 55-43%. The District is a mix of upscale suburbs of Portland plus rural areas leading toward the prosperous, now-Democratic city of Bend. Democrats were in charge of drawing Congressional District lines in Oregon. They did a credible job of creating Districts where Republicans had good chances of winning if they fielded moderate candidates. In the case of Oregon's 5th, the conservative Democratic incumbent lost his primary to a Democrat who had support from progressives in the party. Amid that internal trouble among Democrats, Republican Chavez-DeRemer squeaked out a victory, 51-49%.
She is vulnerable. She is scrambling to hold the seat. She has already banked $1.3 million for her campaign, far out-raising all three Democratic opponents vying to replace her, including the woman she narrowly beat, Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who is back for another try. Speaker Jordan would be a huge problem for Chavez-DeRemer. He is still an election denier. He led government shutdowns. He defied a House subpoena to testify about Trump's conversations with him on January 6. He wants a national abortion ban. Former Republican Speaker John Boehner calls him a "legislative terrorist." He owes his Speakership to the Marjorie Taylor Green-Matt Gaetz-Lauren Boebert faction of the GOP.
No doubt Jim Jordan would help her raise money if she gets on board, but money won't help her if she is tagged as an extremist. She voted for McCarthy yesterday as a way to withhold her vote from Jordan. The pressure is on her from Jordan, House colleagues, and conservative media hosts. X, formerly Twitter, contains posts urging people to "light up her phone" telling her to support Jordan. Jordan can plead and bully but Republicans in blue and purple Districts see the peril. She might survive if she can position herself as a bipartisan moderate busy doing the people's business in the House -- but not if she is on record as a MAGA collaborator.
Today is a moment of truth.
She posted a big explanation on X. It says the right thing, but the very fact that she needs to say it shows how bad a spot she is in. Trump and Jordan have the big megaphone. If Jordan runs the House he will define her. It is hard for a junior Member of Congress to carve out a separate brand that anyone would notice.
Unless. Unless she does something big, with the body language of a hugely consequential vote sticking with a small group that denies Jim Jordan the Speakership. Possibly that group of 20 could go another step and be the core for a bipartisan coalition to lead Congress. That would get noticed.
It is still unlikely, but it is more possible now than it was a week ago. I don't expect it. At crucial decision points the GOP has repeatedly chosen its MAGA base, not its dwindling centrists. But the 20 may surprise us. It would be the unmistakable body-language action that might save her seat.
Here's what she wrote:
19 comments:
The very first sentence in her tweet (or whatever you call it now) says it all, accusing Democrats of “aiding and abetting” the whackos who “chose to punish Speaker McCarthy for working in a bipartisan manner…” It was McCarthy that made it possible for one person to call for his ouster and a Republican that did it. Democrats would have been idiots to vote for the guy who tried to sabotage any attempt at holding Trump accountable for his coup attempt. Allowing a vote on the bill to keep the government open for 45 days may have been the only bipartisan thing he’s ever done. Neither McCarthy nor Chevez-DeRemer get any sympathy from me.
Jim Jordan was rewarded by Trump with the Medal of Freedom for his efforts to help overturn the election. Considering her constituency, I don’t see how she would be hurt by voting against him. If she is, I’m sure McLeod-Skinner would do a fine job.
Interesting timing for that lengthy and widely reprinted hit piece on McLeod-Skinner in The Oregonian a few days ago. Woman As Angry Tyrant, like the effort against Amy Klobuchar when she was in the presidential mix. Deep and swirling waters….
As regards women in npolitics:
"
A male boss is firm, decisive, tough." A female boss is a "bitch." It is unfair but all too real. Perhaps in another generation this will die out as older men die off and younger people with different life experiences, seeing women in management positions their entire lives, will feel differently about it.
I suppose I should write a post about this. I will get more than usual amount of pushback, focusing, I predict, on the idea that by discussing it I amplify and perpetuate it. My intent is to expose stuff so we can loo at it and deal with it. Biden's age. Trump's criminality. It is thankless work, but I like doing it.
Peter Sage
Peter, a lot of us are glad you like doing the work and thank you for it, especially going to events many of us couldn't handle, such as the "leadership" conference in New Hampshire. By the way, it looks like Jordan Klepper was there and you might enjoy his interaction with some Trump supporters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qSQXzzJGO8
The problem with you harping on President Biden's age is that you (and others) are obsessed with his chronological age and not his actual job performance. This is classic ageism, but you will never admit that.
Furthermore, you wanted the mayor from Indiana. You never wanted JB. So you are biased against him and you have a conflict of interest.
Ageists, racists, sexists, ableists...all cut from the same cloth.
Recognizing that age affects performance isn't ageism, it's a fact.
My nickname for Jim Jordan is "scary face." He is one scary dude 🎃
This person has no business in government. Even more cowardly is Bentz's vote for Jordan.
If some of these so called moderates would simply vote "for the good of the people" and elect Hakim Jeffries we could get on with it.
Give me a break...
The question is whether there is such a thing as a moderate Republican who supports government funding, democracy, the rule of law, access to abortion. Can you be moderate at support Donal Trump and his followers?
Jim Jordan probably would be even worse than Newt Gingrich. God help the USA
Mike, I’m sued you’ll agree that old age can generally bring a modicum of wisdom. Getting old is not all bad. But you know that.
Malcolm -
I'm in the winter of my life. Fortunately, I love winter. On the other hand, I have learned that aging does impose some limits. One small example: the last time I went downhill skiing I broke three ribs and decided I'd stick to cross-country.
Regarding age bringing a modicum of wisdom, I think Trump in particular and his supporters in general demonstrate that far too many just get older and wider.
Low Dudgeon; That frontpage piece of classic yellow Journalism you apparently saw in the Oregonian, which also appeared in the Grants Pass Daily Courier was originated by something called the Capitol Chronicle, out of Salem, apparently an on-line "news Source founded a couple of years ago. I have neither the knowledge or resources to deepdive into who or what planted that piece, even though I have a pretty good idea.
Todays Courier had a LTE from a Grants Pass resident calling the paper to task for publishing such a onesided piece, quoting mostly anonymous sourced and former employees. My own letter hasn't hit the Opinion Page, yet.
She had me at ‘aiding and abetting’, a criminal offense. McCarthy slit his own throat blaming democrats for a government shut down on Face The Nation while Margaret Brennan laughed in his face and democrats always vote against the speaker when they’re in the minority so if she truly believes her own words she deserves to lose.
The public is figuring out McLeod is a fraud and nothing more than a perpetual student and part time employee so I wouldn’t put my eggs in that basket. Both her primary colleagues have political capital and personal wealth.
If you really believe McLeod is what she claims to be look up her work history on transparentcalifornia.com for a good laff and then reconcile the rest of her lie with reality.
Mike, congrats for ANY skiing while in the winter of your life: keepon keepin'on!
Mile S, good point LOL!
I looked it up, and indeed had a good "laff" when I found that sure enough Jamie McLeod-Skinner is NOT listed on that website. There's some Jamie McLeod's, but not the one in question.
You need to get ahold of yourself Joe, you're starting to sound like Trollbogoff!
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