This will be week the House elects Jim Jordan as Speaker, Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) told Breitbart News Saturday on SiriusXM.
“It’s been an important evolution within the Republican Conference,” Bishop told host Matt Boyle. “Jim Jordan receiving the nomination of the Republican Party is an important breakthrough.”
“It has been apparent to me for some time, and I think it is slowly resolving into clarity for everybody that Jim Jordan of Ohio — everybody knows him across the country, been a tremendous warrior for conservative causes — he is the person who can bring together … sort of a fusion candidate to bring together the interests and the various pieces of the Republican Conference that have been that have had a hard time getting together and deciding a path forward.”
Bishop acknowledged there are holdouts but does not believe that number is as high as the media and others have portrayed.
Importantly, he sees a path forward for appeasing holdouts, saying, “I think that’ll get resolved over the weekend in large part, and then we may go to the floor without everyone on board.
“But it is, frankly, the faction that will be resisting, if there are any by the time we go to the floor, probably Tuesday, it will be the swampiest pieces of the Republican Conference. And I think that’s going to give way.
“We are finally at the point where I think we can resolve and do a fairly harmonious Conference, and for the balance of this Congress under Jim’s leadership, we’ll see important strides forward, I feel confident.”
Bishop pushed back on assertions from establishment Republicans that the entire conference should simply fall in line with the status quo. “You have to have unity for a purpose… Now they’ll say they have a purpose. They would say we have to be unified, so that we can get reelected. But again, that’s not the purpose either. That’s a means that cannot be the end, it must be the means to an end.
“The thing about Jim, no one doubts his candor. No one doubts his credibility. Every other potential candidate has had some detractors who have some question about whether they’re going to follow through on what they say, whether they’re going to shoot straight with the American people and with the members of the conference.
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 19: U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) questions Ambassador Kurt Volker, former special envoy to Ukraine, and Tim Morrison, a former official at the National Security Council, as they testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill November 19, 2019 in Washington, DC. The committee heard testimony during the third day of open hearings in the impeachment inquiry against U.S. President Donald Trump, whom House Democrats say held back U.S. military aid for Ukraine while demanding it investigate his political rivals. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin – Pool/Getty Images)
“There’s no question in anybody’s mind about that for Jim. If anybody is resisting at this point, it’s going to be people who prefer drift. They prefer the status quo. They prefer the long-term stagnation that has unfortunately left us not in position to take on the massive challenges that confront the country.”
Bishop discussed Jordan’s broad appeal and credited him with the political instincts to effectively represent the party in moderate districts.
“You have to add, make progress that can be explained to the American people and not at the same time destroy those members who are in Biden districts. They have to be part of the Conference, and and we must easily be able to move together.
“Jim is just the perfect guy to resolve all that. And I think it’s taken some time for that realization to dawn on everyone…
“He can get the 217, and he’s the only one.”
Bishop addressed what, if anything, could derail Jordan.
“There are a few rumors running around on Twitter that somebody may know that there’ll be a coalition government with Democrats. You know, that threat has been out there periodically since January.
“The handful of folks who are thought to be questionable, who might be contemplating that, if you want to talk about the most self-destructive act, not just for the Republican Conference, or the prospects there, but for those individuals, it is an untenable position to take.
“Everyone who would contemplate doing that will definitely lose his or her next election, either in the primary or in the general. I don’t believe that will materialize…
“And and at the same time, those very same people can have their interests accommodated within the range of the reach that Jim Jordan has. And so I think they’ll come around.”
Bishop also made an appeal to the holdouts, speaking of how Congress initially functioned after the January speakership battle in which conservatives won concessions which benefited the entire Conference.
“If you look back to January, a lot of folks recognized in the aftermath, that the efforts that were undertaken then had positive results. There was an off ramp that was taken there that the agreement that was struck.
“Now, as one of the ones who did that and saw the result is as in the main good. I mean, there were aspects of it that Conference just wasn’t able to adhere to, particularly coming to and passing in timely fashion the twelve appropriations bills at a pre-agreed level of spending that would have the effect of rolling back non-defense discretionary spending to pre-COVID levels.”
“That was sort of a basic objective, in addition to moving personnel around in order to make sure he had more participation.”
But Bishop says Jordan has a plan to accomplish some of those conservative goals that Congress did not achieve this year, saying Jordan “had a basic strategic idea. It’s not quite as aggressive as that [January] agreement. Frankly, I’ve been reluctant to join it. But it has become clear at this point that it is the way forward.
“So I’ve modified my position. I count on Jim’s credibility and what I know of his essential core to give me confidence that it will work out okay…”
“He provides the path by which all of this can be resolved… Most members of Congress realize it. Some of the people, a number, frankly, of those who did not vote for him yesterday, they also realized that, I can tell you from private conversations and information I’m getting back.
“So I’m optimistic that this will be the week we’ll get it fixed. Jim needs to be the next Speaker, and and we’re gonna go forward and expect that that comes to pass.”
Breitbart News Saturday airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
