History In The House

History was made in the House of Representatives yesterday.  For the first time in 100 years, the majority party was unable to elect a speaker on the first ballot.   Or the second ballot.  Or even the third ballot.

As you know, House Republicans have a very slim majority, and 19 Republicans initially refused to support Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy for speaker.  But the opposition actually grew on the third ballot when Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida voted for Jim Jordan to be speaker. 

After that vote, when things appeared to be getting worse for McCarthy, the House adjourned for the day. 

There is obvious frustration that Republicans could not come to an agreement yesterday.  But the panic among the few conservative media outlets over this delay is really misplaced. 

It’s only been one day.  But obviously, Rupert Murdoch, who contributed to ruining the Conservative Party in England, has ordered his media empire in America – Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post – to go to “DEFCON 10” to defend the GOP establishment.

These outlets are now attacking good conservatives who simply want guarantees that Kevin McCarthy understands the seriousness of this moment and will do what is necessary to win.  On Fox this morning, I watched in disgust as the 20 Republicans fighting for those guarantees were called “saboteurs” and even “insurrectionists.” 

I understand the frustration.  It would have been better if this had been negotiated ahead of time behind closed doors.  They should be doing that now, even if it means a couple of days of delay. 

But keep in mind that Mitch McConnell just cut a deal that knee-capped House Republicans for most of the year on budget matters!

The Hour Is Late

There are good people on both sides of this debate.  Everyone is searching for the best way to stop the destruction of the America we know and love.  That’s why emotions are so high.

But let me remind you of what is happening in the country that only House Republicans will have any chance to address in a meaningful way.

• Millions of people are illegally entering America every year because Joe Biden is allowing it.  His open borders policies are impacting national security, your local schools and hospitals and our economy. 

• There is a powerful movement fighting to make socialist, neo-Marxist policies the prevailing philosophy of our government.

• Liberty is under attack on every front.  The freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, our Second Amendment rights, parental rights are all under siege. 

• Big Tech corporations have conspired with the Deep State in Washington, D.C., to censor conservatives and dissenting opinions.

• Federal law enforcement agencies have been corrupted by left-wing ideologues.

• Millions of Americans who love the country and who love Jesus are being smeared as extremists, simply for believing what Americans have always believed since the beginning of our country.

The hour is late. The forces arrayed against our values are extremely powerful.  It is right for conservatives to be sure they are electing a House speaker who is all in on winning this war for our future.

Moreover, after the 2022 elections, conservative voters are demanding real change in the GOP leadership.  There should have been greater opposition to Mitch McConnell, whose national favorability rating is 21%. 

So, I’m not at all surprised that Kevin McCarthy is having to fight for the speakership.  In fact, I believe most conservatives across the country would be more frustrated by another “status quo coronation” in the Swamp.

As additional voting gets underway today, there are breaking reports that McCarthy is now negotiating with House Democrats on some sort of deal that would secure the votes he needs to become speaker.  I hope that isn’t true.

Trump Weighs In

Former President Donald Trump, who had previously endorsed McCarthy for speaker, doubled down on his support this morning.  Trump issued a strong statement, urging House Republicans to “close the deal” and celebrate their victory. 

Progressive Election Deniers

In the latest indication of the left’s shameless hypocrisy, progressives in the House yesterday united behind Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York as their nominee for speaker.  But Jeffries is an ardent election denier, repeatedly denying that Donald Trump was legitimately elected president in 2016.

For example, in 2018, he tweeted: "The more we learn about [the] 2016 election the more ILLEGITIMATE it becomes. America deserves to know whether we have a FAKE President in the Oval Office #RussianInterference."

As we’ve been told over and over again, anyone who denies the legitimacy of elections is a “threat to democracy.”  But there’s not a word from the left-wing media about the House progressives promoting a well-known election denier as their leader. 

Jeffries is a vicious culture war combatant, and is particularly hostile toward pro-life Americans, mocking them as “extremists” and “yahoos.”  He has also defended notorious anti-Semites Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar as “thoughtful colleagues.”

A Victory For Common Sense

The full 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 7-to-4 last week that the St. Johns County School Board in Florida was within its rights to require students to use bathrooms that match their biological sex.  In other words, no boys in the girls’ bathrooms!

It’s still shocking that we’re even having this debate, but here we are because of the radical left’s increasing insanity. 

The decision fell along ideological lines with all seven Republican-appointed judges siding with the school board and all four Democrat-appointed judges siding with the transgender student who sued the school.

Unfortunately, the dispute is far from over.  Other federal courts have issued rulings allowing biological boys to use girls’ bathrooms, so the case could well end up before the Supreme Court.

History Affirms The Bible

The Israeli government recently announced that it will soon open the entire Pool of Siloam in the City of David to the public for the first time in 2,000 years.  A small section of the Pool of Siloam is currently open to the public.  But recent archeological work has uncovered more of the ancient pool.

For years, radical Palestinian Muslims have tried to destroy the archeology of the Holy Land, and there’s no mystery as to why.  The more archeologists discover, the more the Christian and Jewish narrative of the Holy Land is confirmed.  And the Pool of Siloam is just the latest example.

It was built during the reign of King Hezekiah to deliver water to Jerusalem, and is referenced in both the Old and New Testaments.  Christians know the Pool of Siloam as the location where Jesus healed the blind man. 

The pool is clear evidence of the Jewish presence in the Holy Land long before Islam ever existed.  It is confirmation of the biblical references of where Christ’s ministry took place.  But if militant Islamists succeed in erasing the historical evidence of the Jewish faith, they are also erasing the historical evidence of the Christian faith.

I have met with Ze’ev Orenstein, director of the City of David Foundation.  He showed me pictures of an underground road that Christ walked. 

My good friend Pastor John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel, had this to say about the significance of these archeological discoveries:

"The Pool of Siloam’s excavation is highly significant to Christians around the world.  It was at this site that Jesus healed the blind man (John:9), and it is at this site that, 2,000 years ago, Jewish pilgrims cleansed themselves prior to entering the Second Temple. 

"The Pool of Siloam and the Pilgrimage Road, both located within the City of David, are among the most inspiring archeological affirmations of the Bible.  Christians are deeply blessed by the City of David’s work and Israel’s enduring commitment to ensuring religious freedom to all who visit and live in the Holy Land, especially Jerusalem — the undivided capital of Israel."