Oct 7, 2023
Posting this here too bcs absolutely no one gave a shit about it on twitter.
seen from India
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Posting this here too bcs absolutely no one gave a shit about it on twitter.
The Republican Party just keeps finding new levels of dysfunction. I believe the scholarly phrase that political scientists will use for this Congress is "Shit Show at the Fuck Factory".
Democrats stand united as McCarthy is ousted.
October 4, 2023
ROBERT B. HUBBELL
Kevin McCarthy was removed as Speaker of the House on a motion to vacate the chair—a first in our nation’s history. The unprecedented nature of the vote speaks to McCarthy’s unique unfitness, lack of moral character, and ever-present mendacity, as well as to the collapse of the Republican Party. The small margin by which McCarthy lost—eight votes—conceals the deeper division revealed by the defection of 90 Republicans on Saturday’s continuing resolution to fund the government.
McCarthy proved his unique unfitness to serve as Speaker when he made a pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago to kiss Trump's ring on January 28, 2021—three weeks after Trump incited the assault on the Capitol.
McCarthy proved his lack of moral character when he voted to oust Liz Cheney from his Republican leadership team for standing up to Trump's treason.
McCarthy proved his venality when he promised to remove Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee to gain votes for the Speakership.
McCarthy proved his untrustworthiness when he empowered a GOP representative to negotiate terms for a joint commission to investigate the events of January 6. When the GOP representative got everything Republicans wanted, McCarthy walked away from the agreement, forcing Democrats to form a special committee without Republicans (except for Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger).
McCarthy proved his lack of integrity when he granted Tucker Carlson exclusive access to surveillance tapes from inside the Capitol on January 6.
McCarthy proved his duplicity when he said that a vote was necessary to open an impeachment inquiry and then opened an impeachment inquiry of President Biden without an authorizing vote.
McCarthy proved his mendacity when he lied to the American people and President Biden about his commitment to funding levels in the 2023-24 budget when making a deal to raise the debt ceiling in May.
Ultimately, McCarthy lost the Speakership because he had lied to everyone—friend and foe alike. No one trusted him. He will forever be a “double asterisk” in the history books—a speaker who was elected after fifteen contentious rounds of voting and the first speaker in our nation’s history to be removed on a motion to vacate. McCarthy deserves the humiliation and opprobrium attached to the inglorious end of his ignominious political career.
But the House Republican caucus also lost on Tuesday. It does not have a governable majority. (It never did.) Despite ridding itself of McCarthy, the House GOP remains hostage to the extremist elements in the caucus, a fact that bodes ill for any effort to pass a budget or keep the government open— let alone pass legislation to advance the interests of the American people.
The “Party of No” has entered a permanent Twilight Zone in which its sole reason for existence is opposition, its only unifying principle is grievance, and its lone tactic is chaos.
It does not matter who Republicans elect as Speaker; the next Speaker will be controlled by eight Republicans who managed to oust McCarthy. Until Republicans acknowledge they do not have a functional majority and must reach out to Democrats to create a governing coalition, every Republican Speaker will be a temporary occupant of the office.
Republicans will go through the motions of electing a speaker capable of governing their caucus. They will fail. In the meantime, Democrats maintained unity and discipline throughout the chaotic tenure of Kevin McCarthy. That is a hopeful sign for future Democratic control of Congress. The most important lesson of McCarthy’s loss on Tuesday is that the only path forward is through the Democratic Party. Tell a friend!
Coda.
When the motion to vacate passed, GOP Rep. Patrick McHenry was appointed as acting Speaker under protocols relating to “continuation of government” in the event of a disaster.
Rep. McHenry will likely occupy the “acting” role for ten days (or less) and has little authority other than ensuring the election of the next speaker. But Rep. McHenry’s first act was to order Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi to vacate her private “hideaway” office in the Capitol by Wednesday (a day when Pelosi will be at memorial services for the late Senator Dianne Feinstein. See Politico, McHenry ordered Pelosi to leave her Capitol hideaway office by Wednesday.
Although the reason for Rep. McHenry’s communication is unclear, it appears that he wants to claim Nancy Pelosi’s office for himself. Per Politico, the email to Nancy Pelosi said:
“Please vacate the space tomorrow, the room will be re-keyed,” wrote a top aide on the Republican-controlled House Administration Committee. The room was being reassigned by the acting speaker “for speaker office use,” the email said.
Rep. McHenry’s insulting first act is an inauspicious start to the post-McCarthy interregnum. Let’s hope that someone tells Rep. McHenry that evicting Nancy Pelosi from her private office while she is attending a funeral is a bad look.
Ben Garrison Cartoons: Matt Gaetz vs. Speaker McCarthy
Ben Garrison Cartoons: Matt Gaetz vs. Speaker McCarthy McCarthy ousted after 8 months as Speaker of the House“Bring it on” Famous last words!“I rise to give notice of my intent to raise a question of the privileges of the House. Declaring the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives to be vacant.”— Rep. Matt GaetzSigned sealed delivered!216 Yay votes210 Nay votesTo become House…
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Don't think that this will make things better.
Sede vacante.
Top GOP lawmakers hope that passing the bills will put them in a stronger negotiating position with the Senate.
Even if they pass something, there is no way the Senate will rubber stamp whatever they send them. Speaker McCarthy keeps on operating under the belief that the House is the only thing in government that matters.