Wall Street Journal blasts Republican disfunction as Jordan founders: 'Nobody for Speaker'

Wall Street Journal blasts Republican disfunction as Jordan founders: 'Nobody for Speaker'

The Wall Street Journal editorial board offered a scathing rebuke of the disfunction among House Republicans late Tuesday after Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan failed to secure enough votes to become Speaker.

The board's comment comes after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., withdrew his candidacy after Jordan's allies strongarmed him last week.

"With each turn of the screw, the eight Republicans who deposed Mr. McCarthy look more foolish all the time. They didn’t have a plan for what to do next. They didn’t have an alternative candidate for Speaker. What kind of an idiot mutineer takes over the man-of-war, tosses the captain overboard, and then spends two weeks pulling ropes at random, hoping like hell that the thing will somehow drift ashore before the supplies run out?" WSJ wrote.

"The people’s House always includes some unserious characters, but now it has serious work to do," it added.

The group went on to float the idea of empowering Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry's authorities to allow him to pursue a "limited" agenda.

Congress has remained paralyzed over the speaker fight since October 3.