Democratic leaders spoke on the steps of the Capitol and dialed up their rhetoric against Republicans for nominating a conservative firebrand to be the next House speaker.

Democrats are standing firm in their refusal to bail out the House Republican majority as it struggles to elect a new speaker 10 days after after booting Rep. Kevin McCarthy.

They’re also dialing up the rhetoric against the GOP’s new nominee for speaker, prominent Donald Trump ally Jim Jordan of Ohio, blasting him as an insurrectionist, election denier and extremist.

“House Republicans have selected as their nominee to be the speaker of the people’s House the chairman of the chaos caucus, a defender in a dangerous way of dysfunction, and an extremist extraordinaire,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Friday on the steps of the Capitol, flanked by dozen of Democratic lawmakers. “His focus has been on peddling lies and conspiracy theories and driving division amongst the American people.”

  • hibsen@lemmy.world
    50·
    1 year ago

    I mean in a less dark timeline the republicans would reject extremism and get their shit together around a normal human being for speaker. That they won’t is neither the democrats’ fault nor the democrats’ job to save them from.

    Democrat reps do not exist to elect a Republican speaker.

    • girlfreddy@lemmy.world
      22·
      1 year ago

      The GOP has been dancing with the devil since the 2009+ Tea Party fiasco. The only thing that’s changed is the faces and the lengths they’ve gone to win.

    • SuperDuper@lemmy.world
      13·
      1 year ago

      That they won’t is neither the democrats’ fault nor the democrats’ job to save them from.

      Also worth mentioning that reaching across the aisle to elect white supremacists and insurrectionists would not be “saving” the GOP from extremists.