Former Congressman turned Fox contributor Jason Chaffetz wants us to believe that bomb-thrower and disgraced former House Speaker Newt Gingrich would be some kind senior statesman that could cure the party's woes right now.
Chaffetz made an appearance on this Thursday's The Faulkner Focus and was asked by guest host John Roberts what he thought was going on behind closed doors just after Jordan announced that he was pulling out of the speaker's race... for now and told Chaffetz that "they need to get this together, you would think." Chaffetz responded by pushing the notion that one of the most depraved individuals to ever run the House should be brought back in as a "Band-Aid."
CHAFFETZ: I'm not really missing Congress right about now, John, I've got to tell you. Look, they have, I think, through the weekend to get their act together and find somebody and find a solution to this. After that, I think it becomes the theater of the absurd and if they don't do it, it really does have an effect, not only on the world stage but also the funding mechanisms that, you know, a lot of conservatives are concerned about the funding mechanisms. If you don't put somebody if place guess what folks? You have no chance of doing that because the government is running out of money and they will have to go back to a CR.
So I would hope that they would rally around Jim Jordan. I think he would be a good speaker, but if he can't get there maybe one of the solutions is to go outside the body.
I'm a big fan of Lee Zeldin. I think there should be more discussion about bringing a Lee Zeldin, or Speaker Newt Gingrich and say “Hey, I'll run it out through the end of the term.” There needs to be some creative thinking like that to say, “We need a Band-Aid. We need somebody who can galvanize everybody, “ because there's too much animosity right there in the body, and maybe it's going to take somebody from the outside like a Zeldin or a Gingrich to actually do it.
Yeah, sure thing buddy. After calling it a bad idea to put Patrick McHenry in there as Speaker pro-tem, since he still wouldn't have any real power to get anything done Roberts asked Chaffetz whether we'd ever see something like this out of Democrats, and rather than answer his question, Chaffetz decided to attack Hakeem Jeffries for not being elected by Republicans until Roberts straightened him out.
ROBERTS: Let me ask you this before we go. Just a real quick answer. If the script were flipped and it was Democrats who were in control of Congress, if Hakeem Jeffries was put up for a vote for speaker, how long do you think it would take to get to 218?
CHAFFETZ: Well, Hakeem Jeffries has now lost 17 races in a row. So 17 times a row he has been put up as speaker and he's lost. So, he's kind of already over that threshold. I just don't think one party is going to come in and support another party. I just don't think we're going to get to that point and see it. Maybe we do but I really doubt it.
ROBERTS: No, I just meant I think the Democrats would elect a speaker very quickly if they were in the position the Republicans are in. Jason, great to see you, thank you.
CHAFFETZ: Yeah, they haven't had those problems.
No they don't Jason. No they don't... because it's not a freaking clown show on the Democratic side of the aisle.
