The Hostage Situation Grows By Day

So, not only are the Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives holding the nation at knifepoint in the debt ceiling drama, but they are bragging about it!  Kevin McCarthy, Matt Gaetz and others have actually bragged about their efforts to attach ‘conditions’ to raising the debt ceiling … something that was not done during any of the three times the debt ceiling was raised under Donald Trump.  This, in and of itself, proves to me that the Republicans in Congress are not serious about governing, but rather are using the pretext of governing to run a three-ring circus with the likes of Marge Greene, George Santos, and Jim (Gym) Jordan as the top clowns and Kevin McCarthy as the ringleader.

One more time, for those who are Republicans and did not understand the first 50 times I said it:

The debt ceiling is NOT the budget … it is debt that we have already incurred and that MUST be paid in a timely manner! 

Please, Republicans, try to understand this!  You don’t sit at your kitchen table in the evening and say to your spouse, “Hmmmm … I won’t pay the electric bill unless you stop playing golf on Saturdays.”

Now, I have a suggestion to make.  If the United States defaults on its debt because the Republicans in the House of Representatives did not do their job, then one of the first things that should happen is that all congressional pay stops immediately!  The Capitol building should be closed, all offices locked, and no member of Congress allowed to enter the building nor access their office, computer, or other equipment.

Foolhardy, you say?  Is it any more foolhardy than holding the nation and its allies hostage to their whims … whims that are designed to hurt the poorest in the nation, while feeding the wealthy?  Any more foolhardy than sending the global economy into a tailspin?  Any more foolhardy than any of the other ‘policies’ that are spewed forth by the Republican Party for the sole purpose of making the rich, richer and the poor, poorer?

Kevin McCarthy is NOT a ‘Speaker of the House’ but rather a puppet of the other House Republicans like Comer, Greene, Jordan, Boebert, Scalise and others to whom he promised that which he could not deliver in order to obtain his current job … a job that he isn’t likely to be able to keep past summer.  Meanwhile, he and the other Republicans in Congress, most of whom apparently have never read the United States Constitution, are playing a dangerous game of Russian roulette … with our lives.

I was going to recommend that everyone reading this contact their representative today and demand that they vote to raise the debt ceiling with NO STRINGS ATTACHED, however … Congress has already left the building for their Memorial Day holiday and the House will not return until June 5th, four days after the June 1 deadline set by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen for a possible default.  There was a time … a time when we had people of conscience in Congress, that they would have cancelled or shortened their break for the good of the country, but not this Congress.  Thanks, guys … I hope you have the lousiest Memorial Day you’ve ever had.


I also liked Robert Reich’s take on the debt ceiling hostage situation and would likely have reblogged his if I hadn’t already written this one … take a look.


The Week’s Best Cartoons 3/5

Once again, our friend TokyoSand over at Political Charge has provided us with the best of the week’s political cartoons.  Needless to say, most deal with the war in Ukraine and the brutal attacks by the demented dictator of Russia, but there was a bit of other news too.  Thank you, TS, for always finding us the best ‘toons!


I found so many incredible cartoons about Ukraine this week, with a noticeable shift in how Ukraine and Zelenskyy were portrayed. Thank you for indulging my love of this art form.

See all the ‘toons at TokyoSand’s Political Charge!

The Week’s Best Cartoons 9/5

I always look forward to TokyoSand’s Saturday cartoonfest. A truly great editorial cartoon should be the “knife-twist of accountability.” While reported articles keep the powers-that-be in check, and opinion and editorial sections help readers make sense of that reporting, editorial cartoons are the jolt that shocks you into caring. These days, there is ample material to keep the cartoonists working overtime, and they have become even more relevant in this age of social media where people’s attention is pulled in so many directions. Thank you for once again giving us a few chuckles on a Saturday afternoon, T.S.!

Political⚡Charge

ByLalo Alcaraz

As a lifelong admirer of editorial cartoonists, I love looking for the cartoons that grab my attention throughout the week and compiling my favorites for all of you. This week, the cartoonists covered the reporting about Trump disrespecting fallen soldiers when he was overseas, the Black Lives Matter movement, the latest with COVID and schools opening, as well as Election 2020.

Trump Disrespects Fallen Soldiers

ByBill Bramhall, New York Daily News

ByClay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press

ByMichael de Adder

ByMike Peters, Mother Goose and Grimm

Black Lives Matter

ByMatt Davies, Newsday

ByClay Jones

ByPat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune

ByMarc Murphy, Louisville Courier-Journal

ByClay Jones

ByMike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ByMichael de Adder

ByMatt Wuerker, Politico

COVID

ByMatt Davies, Newsday

ByMike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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