Republicans

“The first rule of politics is this — never run directly into a tree while kicking yourself repeatedly in the nuts. Republicans in Congress seem to have forgotten this rule. “Two weeks ago, Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, along with limelight-seeking compatriots like Representative Nancy Mace, decided it was time to get rid of Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. …

“If you take out Emmer, who’s the whip, in less than three weeks — the people, the populists, the MAGA, the deplorables — you have taken out basically 12 years of leadership. What they’ve worked on for 12 years as the cartel’s leadership apparatus. The first thing to do is to stop Emmer today. Once Emmer’s stopped — just want …

USA Today reports: Former Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney said in an interview that former President Donald Trump is the “single most dangerous threat” the country faces and did not rule out a 2024 presidential bid. On CNN’s “State of the Union,” host Jake Tapper said it was likely Trump would be the Republican nominee and asked Cheney what a …

“Frankly, I wish — listen, I’ve talked about this — I wish they had a woman candidate out of all the candidates they’ve got running. Somebody like Elise Stefanik or Beth Van Duyne, who had been a mayor of a city before becoming a congresswoman. I think in some ways, given the level of rowdiness and the level of juvenile …

NewsNation reports: The Republican Party is introducing a fresh slate of candidates in its quest for a new House speaker. A candidate forum is scheduled on Capitol Hill on Monday at 6:30 p.m. EST. It represents Republicans’ most promising opportunity for unity, nearly three weeks after Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s removal as House speaker. “The space and time for a reset …

The Washington Examiner reports: Former Vice President Mike Pence appeared undeterred by his inability to qualify for the third GOP debate so far. “We’re working really hard to qualify for the debate,” Pence said. “Lots of people are going to mikepence2024.com and making a contribution to give us the numbers in contributions that we need to qualify. But I will …

Axios reports: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) shut down an inquiry into his health on Sunday when repeatedly asked about public instances when he appeared to freeze in front of reporters over the summer. The 81-year-old said in an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan that he is “completely recovered.” “I’m in good shape — completely …

“Dear Wayward Colleague, Your letter of October 20, in which you graciously offer to martyr yourselves as long as you can get your way, is perhaps the most selfless act in American history. We truly don’t deserve you. Your sacrifice is not in vain. You have succeeded in replacing the outdated concept of majority rule with an exciting new standard …

The Messenger reports: House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Michael McCaul joined Jonathan Karl on ABC’s This Week and called the chaotic battle to find a new speaker “probably one of the most embarrassing things” he’s seen during his 10 terms in Congress. “If we don’t have a speaker of the House, we can’t govern,” McCaul said, noting even a resolution …

Politico reports: The House GOP’s enormous speaker field is officially set, with nine Republicans seeking to somehow unify their splintered party after almost three weeks without a leader. It’s the most crowded field since former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s fall 19 days ago. The latest round of candidates includes current GOP leaders — like Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and Vice …

Meet The Press provides the transcript: WELKER: Let me just ask you quite simply, why haven’t you endorsed him [Trump] yet? MCCARTHY: Well, the campaign is still going. There’s a very good chance I would endorse President Trump… WELKER: He’s the clear frontrunner! What are you waiting for? MCCARTHY: Well, you know what? Because I’ve got a southern border wide …

The Associated Press reports: A federal judge has temporarily blocked city officials in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, from enforcing an ordinance designed to ban drag performances from taking place on public property. An order issued Friday by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Waverly Crenshaw Jr. bars the city from enforcing the ordinance during the BoroPride Festival scheduled for next weekend. The judge’s …

“What we’ve seen is a result of the leadership decisions that Kevin McCarthy made back after the 2020 election and certainly after January 6. “Looking the other way in the face of the kind of assault on our democracy that we’ve seen from Donald Trump and his allies in the house, including Jim Jordan. elevating those members, frankly, some of …

From a lengthy NYT interview with George Santos: “I’ll give you one, I’ll give you one story that nobody talks about,” he replied, before telling me how his 5-year-old niece disappeared from a playground in Queens, only to be located 40 minutes later on a surveillance camera with two Chinese men. He said the incident was the subject of an …

The Hill reports: Rep. Mike Flood (R-Neb.) is urging his caucus to vote together as chaos over the House Speakership continues, launching a unity pledge for lawmakers to commit to a single candidate. Flood’s simple, two-paragraph pledge states that the signing member promises to vote for the eventual GOP-designated nominee, no matter who it is. Seven congressmen have launched Speaker …

From the Charleston Post & Courier editorial board: The result, if the field remains crowded, is that Mr. Trump will again win the nomination. From a Republican perspective, this scenario is disastrous, because Mr. Trump is the least likely candidate to defeat President Joe Biden. It’s also disastrous from the perspective of Democrats and independents — and many Republicans, and …

Oklahoma City’s ABC affiliate reports: An Oklahoma congressman has announced he will be running for House speaker. Rep. Kevin Hern, a Republican representing Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, announced his campaign for the position on social media. “I voted for my good friend Jim Jordan to stay as our Speaker Designate, but the Conference has determined that he will no longer …

The New York Times reports: In early May, as Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida prepared to run for president, about a dozen right-wing social media influencers gathered at his pollster’s home for cocktails and a poolside buffet. The guests all had large followings or successful podcasts and were already fans of the governor. But Mr. DeSantis’s team wanted to turn …

“We’re talking about Americans now. Jake, we’re talking about Americans that have been captured and taken hostage, by the brutal Hamas terrorists. I said the better part of two weeks ago, Jake, that if I was president, I would have already been on the phone with the Joint Special Operations Command, I would have given orders for Delta Force and …

The Hill reports: House Republican Vice Chair Mike Johnson (R-La.) officially announced he is in the race for Speaker in a “Dear Colleague” letter to members on Saturday morning. “I have been humbled to have so many Members from across our Conference reach out to encourage me to seek the nomination for Speaker,” Johnson said in his letter. “Until yesterday, …