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Rep. Jim Jordan, the far-right chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, formally kicked off his bid for House speaker on Wednesday, hoping to succeed Kevin McCarthy. To that end, the House Republican sent a relatively brief, five-paragraph letter to his GOP colleagues, summarizing the case for his candidacy.
Much of Jordan’s case was predictable. Indeed, the conspiratorial Republican insisted, among other things, that “federal agencies” have “targeted parents at school board meetings,” which, once again, is a ridiculous claim that bears no resemblance to reality.
But this was the part of the congressman’s letter that stood out for me:
“We agreed at the beginning of the Congress that there are three fundamental things the House must do: pass the bills that need to be passed, do the oversight, and rein in the spending. Working with Chairman Green and our leadership, I helped to deliver the most significant legislative accomplishment this Congress: the strongest immigration and border enforcement bill ever.”
Jordan was referring, of course, to the GOP’s “Secure the Border Act,” which struggled for months as even some House Republicans considered it too extreme before it narrowly passed in May.
After it cleared the chamber, the legislation went to the Senate, where the chamber’s Democratic leaders acted swiftly — putting the bill on a shelf, never to be seen again.
In other words, what Jordan considers “the most significant legislative accomplishment” of this Congress was, for all intents and purposes, a messaging bill. Republicans put together a far-right package, with no Democratic input, and without regard for what might be able to pass the Senate or generate White House support.
The “Secure the Border Act” was about House Republicans thumping their chests, satisfying their base, and engaging in self-indulgent theater. To be sure, this wasn't exactly unique: Members of Congress have been thumping their chests, satisfying their base, and engaging in self-indulgent theater for generations.
But lawmakers have generally understood that when they pushed partisan bills that stood no chance of becoming law — bills that weren’t even designed to become law — they weren’t actually engaging in real policymaking.
Traditionally, in order for a bill to be characterized as a “significant legislative accomplishment,” it had to, among other things, actually pass.
Which is what made Jordan’s boast so notable. The Ohioan, almost certainly unintentionally, offered a peek into a post-policy perspective: Failed legislation can be seen as both “significant” and “accomplishments” if they scratch an ideological itch. It doesn’t matter if bills become law, what matters is whether bills pander to partisans.
The “Secure the Border Act” had no impact whatsoever on American governance, but it said what Jordan wanted it to say; it created fundraising opportunities for its champions; and it generated grist for the mill in conservative media. For the would-be House speaker, no other ingredients were necessary to concoct “the most significant legislative accomplishment this Congress.”