While the Republicans played games and conducted a three-ring circus from Tuesday until the wee hours on Saturday morning, finally doing just what we expected all along by electing Kevin McCarthy as the Speaker of the House after 15 ballots, the Democrats remained consistent, staying for all 15 ballots and voting unanimously for the House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries. Nancy Pelosi left a pair of mighty big shoes to fill, but while I do not know a lot about Mr. Jeffries, from what I’ve seen he will do a good job at filling those shoes as the House Minority Leader. His speech on Saturday, after House members had taken their oaths of office, was inspired and inspiring, and in some ways his demeanor and passion reminded me of President Obama. He is passionate and I believe he will fight hard to work with the majority Republicans in the House, without sacrificing the values he speaks of. His job for the next two years will not be an easy one, and he will no doubt sometimes be discouraged as he tries to work with a group of people whose values, or lack thereof, differ greatly from his own, from ours. But if anybody can survive it and make a difference, I think Hakeem Jeffries can. Take a look for yourself … what do you think?
Tag Archives: Nancy Pelosi
The Speaker Speaks
Last evening, the January 6th Committee issued to the public its final report after nearly two years of delving into the who, what, where, when, why, and how of the insurrection and attempted coup on January 6th, 2021. The Executive Summary, which I downloaded on Tuesday, is over 150 pages and I’m still working my way through that, and the full report is said to be 1,000 pages, give or take. Much of what’s in the report we have seen in the hearings, but no doubt there is additional detail and analysis. From time to time, I may write about one thing or another that stands out, but I have no intention of boring you to tears by sharing the entire report or opining on every detail. You can download the report yourself if you are interested … and I really hope you are, at least those of you who live in the U.S. If we simply shrug our shoulders and don’t bother to understand what happened and what very nearly happened, then we are part of the problem and we will have a portion of the blame if the same or worse happens again at some point in the future.
For today, though, I did want to share Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s introduction at the beginning of the report, for her words weigh heavily. I have highlighted one portion that I think speaks volumes. We barely dodged the bullet two years ago … we may not be so lucky next time.
“THE LAST BEST HOPE OF EARTH”
“I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”
All Members of the United States Congress take this sacred oath. On January 6, 2021, Democrats and Republicans agreed that we would fulfill this oath—and that we had an obligation to signal to the world that American Democracy would prevail.
In furtherance of fulfilling this duty, the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol was charged with investigating the facts, circumstances and causes that led to this domestic terror attack on the Capitol, the Congress and the Constitution.
We owe a debt of gratitude to Chairman Bennie Thompson, Vice Chair Liz Cheney, the patriotic Members of Congress and dedicated staff—who devoted themselves to this investigation, to uncovering the truth and to writing a report that is a “Roadmap for Justice.”
The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack has succeeded in bringing clarity and demonstrating with painstaking detail the fragility of our Democracy. Above all, the work of the Select Committee underscores that our democratic institutions are only as strong as the commitment of those who are entrusted with their care. [emphasis added]
As the Select Committee concludes its work, their words must be a clarion call to all Americans: to vigilantly guard our Democracy and to give our vote only to those dutiful in their defense of our Constitution.
Let us always honor our oath to, as Abraham Lincoln said, “nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth.” So help us God.
NANCY PELOSI, Speaker of the House
Thoughts On Nancy Pelosi
Love her or hate her, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has dedicated much of her life in service to this nation and has been an effective leader. Yesterday she, along with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, announced that she is stepping down come January from her leadership position. In his latest, Dan Rather takes a look back at some of Pelosi’s accomplishments …
Madam Speaker
A record of results
Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner
18 November 2022
Nancy Pelosi has been one of the more consequential politicians in American history. As she leaves her party’s House leadership after years in the spotlight, we should take this moment to recognize the scale of her accomplishments.
In the tumult of the present, it is sometimes challenging to see a bigger picture. As we look back at history, however, we can see that much of the cacophony that preoccupied those living through the eras of the past dissipates. This perspective allows us to understand broader trends and the people who shaped the course of events. One suspects that those in the future trying to make sense of our times will reserve a place of prominence for Pelosi.
We can start with her effectiveness in leading a caucus that has been notorious for its fractiousness. Both as speaker and House minority leader, Pelosi was able to balance the centrifugal forces that would have overwhelmed lesser politicians. She understood the breadth and limits of her power. And more often than not, she was able to play the hand the voters had given her to impressive effect.
Her tenure has been historic. In 2007, she became the first woman speaker of the House. And after the Democrats lost the chamber four years later, she managed her party in the minority until returning to speaker again in 2019. Her pioneering status was clearly a source of pride for Pelosi, but she didn’t stand around admiring her own role in history. For her, achieving the speaker’s gavel was about maximizing the legislation her party could pass with the votes she could wrangle
Most of the country had given up Obamacare for dead after the 2010 special election of Republican Senator Scott Brown in Massachusetts to fill the late Ted Kennedy’s seat. But Pelosi found a way to keep the long-held Democratic dream of expanding health care alive. She willed it into law using every lever of power she could muster, even though she knew it would hurt her party at the ballot box in the subsequent midterms.
Pelosi believed being entrusted with power was more about what you did with it than about keeping it. In intensive legislative sessions in the first two years of the Obama presidency and later with President Biden, she was able to pass a slate of bills that will shape this nation for decades to come. At the end of the George W. Bush administration, she understood the gravity of the financial debacle and passed an unpopular bailout of the banks to keep our economy from complete collapse. During the Trump administration, she stood as a foil to a chief executive out of control.
Pelosi’s pragmatic leadership and eagerness to protect vulnerable members of her caucus, especially in more conservative districts, often led to criticism from the progressive wing of her party that she was too cautious. Many felt she could have pushed for more progressive measures and that the House could have provided greater oversight of the Trump White House. One wonders how future historians will evaluate her balancing acts.
Of course the greatest vitriol for Pelosi has come from the other side of the aisle. She has been consistently demonized by the political right, who have turned her into a caricature upon whom they rained down opprobrium with relentless glee. In fevered segments on Fox News and political attack ads, Pelosi has been depicted as a radical socialist from that modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah, San Francisco.
She (and make no mistake — Pelosi’s gender underpinned the attacks she endured) became a useful shorthand for what her political enemies railed as the antithesis of “real America.” It is not surprising that the violent insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on January 6 were hunting for her. Sadly, her husband was recently badly injured by an assailant who broke into their home after being influenced by this poisonous rhetoric.
That Pelosi was actually an unusually effective politician who occupied the political center of her party and whose actions belied the histrionic characterizations of her Republican opponents probably only fed the bullying. Just as the taunts on schoolyards are often fueled by insecurity, one has a sense that many Republicans were jealous of Pelosi’s political acumen. That she was able to so effectively push a broad Democratic agenda and stymie Republicans on multiple fronts could predictably propel a hatred born from their impotence and frustration.
While presidents sweep into office with a national vote, our system of government allows for individuals to rise to significant power in the legislative branch despite representing a relatively small sliver of our country’s geography. There are no term limits. And the sway of control in Congress means members can find themselves in both the majority and minority, sometimes multiple times, over the course of their tenure in office. And that was the case with Pelosi.
Few have understood the workings of Congress and how to maximize them for the benefit of their agenda more than Pelosi. Nobody outworked her, nobody out-toughed her, and few could match her intellect. Contrary to the claims of her critics, she also understood America well, especially the needs of the members of her caucus who hailed from a diversity of districts. She was able to balance the opportunity of the moment with the needs of the future.
Being the first woman to serve as speaker of the House would alone have made Pelosi a historic figure. But in the end, it is for all the reasons that Pelosi was vilified that she will be remembered as such a consequential leader who shaped her political era. Generations to come will live in the country she helped forge through the force of her will and transformative political skill.
No, Folks, It Isn’t ‘Both’ Sides
The current environment of political violence is untenable. It is destroying us, destroying the democratic foundations of our republic, turning even the most mild-mannered among us into something we don’t want to be. If it continues … well, let’s just say it cannot continue. I turn to Max Boot, writing for The Washington Post, to assess and analyze where this incitement is coming from, and to destroy those false equivalences that are being so glibly put forth.
Don’t blame ‘both sides.’ The right is driving political violence.
By Max Boot
30 October 2022
It should not be controversial to say that America has a major problem with right-wing political violence. The evidence continues to accumulate — yet the GOP continues to deny responsibility for this horrifying trend.
On Friday, a man enflamed by right-wing conspiracy theories (including QAnon) entered the San Francisco home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and attacked her 82-year-old husband with a hammer, fracturing Paul Pelosi’s skull. “Where is Nancy?” he reportedly shouted, echoing the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, at President Donald Trump’s instigation. This comes after years of Republican demonization of the House speaker, a figure of hatred for the right rivaled only by Hillary Clinton.
The same day as the Pelosi attack, a man pleaded guilty to making death threats against Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.). Two days earlier, three men who were motivated by right-wing, anti-lockdown hysteria after covid-19 hit were convicted of aiding a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D). In August, another man died after attacking an FBI office because he was so upset about the bureau’s search of Mar-a-Lago. “We must respond with force,” he wrote on Trump’s Truth Social website.
Then there are all the terrible hate crimes, in cities including Pittsburgh, El Paso and Buffalo, where gunmen were motivated by the kind of racist rhetoric — especially the “great replacement theory” — now openly espoused on Fox “News.”
This is where any fair-minded journalist has to offer an obligatory “to be sure” paragraph: To be sure, political violence is not confined to the right. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) was shot in 2017 by a gunman with leftist beliefs, and in June, a man was arrested for allegedly plotting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh after becoming incensed about court rulings on abortion and guns.
Republican leaders cite those attacks to exonerate themselves of any responsibility for political violence. “Violence is up across the board,” Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said on Sunday, arguing that it’s “unfair” to blame anti-Pelosi rhetoric for the assault on Pelosi’s husband.
Violence is unacceptable whether from the left or right, period. But we can’t allow GOP leaders to get away with this false moral equivalency. They are evading their responsibility for their extremist rhetoric that all too often motivates extremist actions.
The New America think tank found last year that, since Sept. 11, 2001, far-right terrorists had killed 122 people in the United States, compared with only one killed by far-leftists. A study from the Center for Strategic and International Studies last year found that, since 2015, right-wing extremists had been involved in 267 plots or attacks, compared with 66 for left-wing extremists. A Washington Post-University of Maryland survey released in January found that 40 percent of Republicans said violence against the government can be justified, compared with only 23 percent of Democrats.
There is little doubt about what is driving political violence: the ascendance of Trump. The former president and his followers use violent rhetoric of extremes: Trump calls President Biden an “enemy of the state,” attacks the FBI as “monsters,” refers to the “now Communist USA” and even wrote that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has a “DEATH WISH” for disagreeing with him. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has expressed support for executing Nancy Pelosi and other leading Democrats. Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Tex.) has tweeted that “the America Last Marxists … are radically and systematically DESTROYING our country.”
That type of extremist rhetoric used to be confined to fringe organizations such as the John Birch Society. Now it’s the GOP mainstream, with predictable consequences. The U.S. Capitol Police report that threats against members of Congress have risen more than tenfold since Trump’s election in 2016, up to 9,625 last year.
The sickness on the right was on display after news broke about the attack on Paul Pelosi. While leading Republicans condemned the horrific assault, the MAGA base seethed with sick jokes making light of the violence and insane conspiracy theories. (Filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza suggested that the attack was “a romantic tryst that went awry.”)
There was, alas, no sign of the GOP taking responsibility for fomenting hatred. Kari Lake, the GOP nominee for governor of Arizona, blamed “leftist elected officials who have not enforced the laws.” Naturally, Republicans accuse Democrats of being “divisive” for citing Republican rhetoric as a contributing factor to political violence.
It’s true that, by calling out GOP extremism, Democrats do risk exacerbating the polarization of politics. But they can’t simply ignore this dangerous trend. And it’s not Democrats who are pushing our country to the brink: A New York Times study found that MAGA members of Congress who refused to accept the results of the 2020 election used polarizing language at nearly triple the rate of Democrats.
So please don’t accept the GOP framing of the assault on Paul Pelosi as evidence of a problem plaguing “both sides of the aisle.” Political violence in America is being driven primarily by the far right, not the far left, and the far right is much closer to the mainstream of the Republican Party than the far left is to the Democratic Party.
Note to Readers: Typically, I include links that are a part of any post I reblog or copy, but the number of links in this piece would have required an extra hour that I didn’t have to format, so if you’re interested in seeing some of Mr. Boots’ links, you can do so on his original OpEd.
What’s In Store? Ask Kevin …
The Republican Party, aka GOP, has a large number of highly UNqualified and horrible people in its ranks today. Margie Greene, Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz, Ted Cruz, Paul Gosar, Louie Gohmert, J.D. Vance, Mehmet Oz, Doug Mastriano, to name just a few who are better suited to working in a circus than in politics. Or is there even a difference anymore? But these people are pests, more than anything. That’s not to say they aren’t dangerous, for they are. They have voices that are far too loud, far too obnoxious, and that seems to be what Republican voters care about today. But the bigger dangers are those ‘leaders’ within the party, those whose power to affect what happens is greater than the rest. Today, I want to talk about one such creature, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
McCarthy represents California’s 23rd district, the most heavily Republican district in the state, and has done so since 2013. Before that, he spent six years are the U.S. House representative for the 22nd district which, due to redistricting, is largely the same district he represents today. McCarthy, unlike Herschel Walker, Mehmet Oz, Margie Greene and so many others is not stupid, but rather cold and calculating. McCarthy and many others believe that if the Republicans seize a majority in the House of Representatives next year, he will be made Speaker of the House, which would give him considerably more power than he has today, although contrary to what he seems to believe, it would not give him unlimited power. And, there is a possibility that the party would name someone else to be Speaker, though that is up for debate.
I follow McCarthy on Twitter for the sole reason that he is a significant influence and I want to know his thoughts, his plans. And frankly, I’m not liking what I’m hearing. Take this tweet, for example …
“Think about this → Inflation is so high that if you’ve had a constant salary for the last year, it’s like you’ve worked more than a month without pay. This is what Washington Democrats took from you. This is the Pelosi Pay Cut.”
He fails to mention that Congress has stymied and blocked an increase in the federal minimum wage rate for over a decade, and therefore the $7.25 a minimum wage worker earns is worth $5.28 today. That equates to $10,982.40 per year. THIS, more than anything, is why people are struggling. His claim about working more than a month without pay is, as my friend Brosephus calls it, bovine fecal matter, or bullshit.
Nearly every single one of McCarthy’s tweets is a put-down of Democrats or of President Biden … he presents no new ideas, no platform … his only ideas are to fault the Democrats for anything and everything, blame the President for whatever he sees wrong with the country, and swear to get ‘revenge’. But let’s take a look … sift through the bovine fecal matter and see what, exactly, McCarthy (and others) plan to do if the Republicans should gain a majority in either or both chambers of Congress next year.
Here are a few of his ‘ideas’ …
- Under Nancy Pelosi, the House of Representatives hasn’t held a single hearing on the origins of COVID-19. That’ll change next year when Republicans are in charge.
- When Republicans take control, we’ll use the gavel to get answers. Republicans will investigate Hunter Biden’s shady business dealings. Republicans will hold China accountable for COVID19. Republicans will secure the border.
- Gas prices are high because the Biden administration has made it harder to produce oil here at home. And now he is sending our emergency reserves to other countries like China. This is reckless and won’t solve the problem. We must produce more U.S. energy to lower prices.
- This gas crisis was entirely predictable and preventable. But Democrats caved to the radical extremists in their party and doubled down on policies that hurt you. A Republican House majority will STOP the madness and put America FIRST.
So … he’s going to waste time and resources investigating the origins of Covid which, it is my understanding, has already been done, but apparently not to his satisfaction. And he’s going to also waste time and resources investigating Hunter Biden … oh for Pete’s sake, let’s put Hunter Biden to bed! Hunter is not the president and what he did or did not do is NOT a matter for Congress to investigate!
Gas prices … gas prices … gas prices! It’s a selling point for the Republicans, because it affects everyone and affects the poorest the most. However, gas prices are high because the oil industry used the supply chain issues as an excuse to raise their prices far more than their cost increased, which has given the oil companies record profits this year! And while I might not have any problem with his idea of making the U.S. more energy self-sufficient, unfortunately McCarthy’s idea has nothing to do with renewable energy … nope, he is talking about oil and gas, further destruction of our already devastated environment. Why? Well, for one thing, he has already raised over $20 million in donations this year, much of it from the oil and gas industry. Oh yes, he has a vested interest in pandering to those who are robbing the people of this nation blind! And in some convoluted thought process, he also said, “We care about the environment, but we care about jobs more.” Um … people won’t need the jobs before long if we don’t tend to the environment NOW!
McCarthy spoke at the America First Summit that headlined the former guy last week … here is part of what he said …
“I believe in this next election, this is a 50-year election. Never before are we going to feel this type of opportunity in a year of redistricting. We can lock in a conservative majority for the decade.”
There … he said it out loud … they have gerrymandered themselves into a position where they will dominate for the next 10 years. I shudder at the very thought of it.
And his latest rant is in regard to the Inflation Reduction Act, which you’d think he would support, since all he does is whine about inflation, but nope. He is falsely telling people it will raise their taxes … his goal obviously being to rile the masses … but the only ones who will see a tax increase are large corporations who are making billions and paying very minimal taxes. Don’t you think it’s about damn time for the wealthy to start paying their share??? They’re robbing us at the grocery store, the gas station, and everywhere else, so … when do they start contributing to this nation that has been so good to them? But, again, McCarthy looks to the source of his donations, his own wealth, and bends over.
McCarthy is only one of the many Republicans who would turn this nation into something ugly for the majority of us, but he is one with more power than most, and like most of the Republicans in Congress today, he has no conscience, no values, no integrity. That’s a lethal combination, my friends. And that is why we cannot afford to let the Republicans gain a majority in either the House or the Senate. This may well be the most important election of our lifetime.
Let The Snarky Snippets Roll!
I’ve always been a news junkie, I think since I learned to read at around age 5 or so, but I cannot remember a time that the news created as much angst as these last few years, and especially the last week or so! What to do with all that angst? Well, turn it into snarky snippets and share it with my friends, of course! 😏
Florida’s #1 Jerk
Numerous states in this country have the misfortune to be governed by fools who put their own political careers ahead of the well-being of the people of their state, but I often think there is none so corrupt, so uncaring for the people of his state, as Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis. Now, mind you that DeSantis has never been mistaken for a great humanitarian, having spoken and passed laws against immigrants, against the LGBTQ community, against women, against voting rights, and more. But since the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020, DeSantis has been even more crude & cruel than usual, refusing any sort of restrictions such as lockdowns, mask mandates or vaccine mandates. All of which, naturally led to Florida being the state with the highest per capita hospitalizations for COVID in the nation.
But what he did this week is beyond unconscionable. On Wednesday, DeSantis scolded students for wearing face masks at a press conference he called, saying, “You do not have to wear those masks, I mean, please take them off. Honestly, it’s not doing anything, and we gotta stop with this Covid theater. So if you want to wear it, fine. But this is ridiculous.”
The governor of a state of 21.48 million people telling school children to take off their masks, to expose themselves, their families and friends, to a deadly disease that has already killed nearly 1 million people in this country, with Florida having the third highest death rate from Covid in the country! What a bastard! I’ve heard that DeSantis is actually considering a run for president in 2024 … Florida, you can keep him … he’s not setting foot in the Oval Office if We the People have anything to say about it!
They say they love veterans, but …
Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would expand health-care eligibility for veterans who were exposed to burn pits and other toxins. Interestingly, just 34 of the Republicans in the House voted for the bill, with 174 voting against it. The final tally was 256-174.
The U.S. military used burn pits throughout Iraq and Afghanistan to dispose of waste, medical and hazardous materials, and jet fuel, exposing veterans to toxins that have caused long-lasting medical problems. Veterans who have been exposed often face difficult disability benefit claims processes with the Department of Veterans Affairs to get necessary health care. Under the House bill, 23 health conditions, including respiratory conditions and cancers, would be considered to have either been caused by or exacerbated by military service, meaning veterans with these conditions would no longer have to prove that they were caused by their exposure to the toxins.
However, the Republicans decided the cost was too high, so … let the veterans suffer. This from the very people who claim to be dedicated to the nation’s veterans, who tout their own ‘patriotism’. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi hit the nail on the head when she said …
“It’s a cost of war. For the Republicans to go to the floor and say that veterans really don’t want this help because it’s going to cost money, and they’re more concerned about the budget than they are about their health. Oh, really? You just gave tax cuts in 2017 to the richest people in America. Tax cuts for the rich, cancer for our veterans … That’s how we see this discussion.”
She’s right.
The bill will have to go through the reconciliation process with the Senate bill that passed last month and is much narrower in scope, only extending how long post-9/11 combat veterans are guaranteed VA care by expanding a window of health-care eligibility from five to 10 years after they’ve been discharged.
Republicans claim they are the friends of veterans … with friends like that, who needs enemies?
Accomplishments After 206 Days …
Today, I would like to thank Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson for reminding us of the positive things that have happened since January 20th. Yes, we have much to worry about, such as the For the People Act, gerrymandering, voter suppression, the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, racism in both police and populace, the end of the eviction moratorium, but … to have been in office only 206 days, President Biden and the U.S. Congress have actually accomplished a lot! There’s still a lot of work to be done, but let’s take heart in what has already been done.
Maybe it’s time for doubting Democrats to press pause on the angst
Opinion by
Columnist
Yesterday at 4:01 p.m. EDT
It’s time to entertain the possibility that President Biden, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi actually know what they’re doing and are really good at their jobs.
Their fellow Democrats seem to have doubts, because, well, Democrats always have doubts. Dwelling on worst-case scenarios is somehow wired into the party’s DNA. Every victory must have some downside; every step forward must lead toward some potential pitfall. If worrying had been an Olympic sport in Tokyo, Democrats would have swept gold, silver and bronze.
This angst is richly nourished by voluminous news media analysis and commentary adhering to the convention of anticipating what might go wrong. What if progressives in the House won’t swallow hard and vote for the “hard infrastructure” bill passed by the Senate? What if House moderates insist on a quick vote on the Senate measure and threaten to withhold their votes on the budget with its huge “human infrastructure” spending? What if an asteroid strikes before Biden can sign these transformational pieces of legislation into law?
Let me suggest that Democrats squelch their inner Eeyore for just a moment to appreciate, and celebrate, what their party has accomplished.
There was no way, said the conventional wisdom, that Schumer (D-N.Y.) was going to get Republicans to support any kind of meaningful infrastructure bill. There was no way the bipartisan gang of senators trying to craft a compromise measure would succeed. There was no way Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) would allow anything on infrastructure to pass, thus giving Biden a win. There was no way more than a handful of Republican senators would defy all the threats streaming from Mar-a-Lago and collaborate with Democrats on anything.
Yet here we are. Nineteen Republicans — including McConnell — joined every Senate Democrat in approving $1 trillion worth of desperately needed infrastructure spending. Included are not just funds to fix roads and bridges, but also big money to provide broadband Internet to Americans who can’t afford it; upgrade the power grid in ways that facilitate the switch to renewable energy; and create a coast-to-coast network of electric-vehicle charging stations.
Okay, but there was no way (according to the conventionally wise) that the whole Senate Democratic caucus, from Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on the left to Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) on the right, would agree on a budget framework. Yet they did, and the massive $3.5 trillion resolution — which Democrats can pass through the reconciliation process, without GOP votes — addresses all the party’s major spending priorities, including the urgent need to address climate change.
Well, said worrywarts, there was absolutely, positively no way that the creaking, dysfunctional Senate could possibly do both those things — infrastructure and the budget — at the same time, as Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Democrats were demanding. Yet, again, that is precisely what Schumer accomplished. Done and done.
So now we’re hearing that the hard part actually lies ahead, because Pelosi will inevitably face an uprising by her progressives, her moderates or both. Indeed, this could happen. But I would submit that Pelosi’s record demonstrates she knows a lot more about how to get the House to do what she needs than any of the Cassandras predicting her certain failure.
I would also submit that Democrats in both chambers are acting quite pragmatically, regardless of what they might be saying. Sanders’s first hope was for $6 trillion; he settled for $3.5 trillion. Manchin now says even that smaller amount is too much — but he voted for it anyway. Progressives in the House are vocal in their demands — they pushed Biden into extending the eviction moratorium — but thus far, at least, they have given Pelosi their votes when it counted.
Democrats should realize that if you add in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which gives unprecedented support to low- and middle-income families with children, Biden is steering the most progressive sea change in U.S. governance in half a century. And he, Schumer and Pelosi are doing this with a 50-50 Senate and just a single-digit majority in the House. I, for one, am impressed.
All right, if you must worry about something, worry about voting rights. Schumer is now working with Manchin, Raphael G. Warnock (D-Ga.) and a few other senators to draw up a voting rights bill the whole Senate Democratic caucus will support. There may come a point when Manchin has to decide whether to let the Republican minority filibuster — and kill — a measure he himself wrote. He could make the wrong choice.
But for now, Democrats, give yourself at least a few days to admire all that is being accomplished. For a change, take yes for an answer.
Note to readers: I was unable to respond to your comments yesterday, for I was very much under the weather. After 12 hours of sleep, I’m about 50% better today, and I will try to get to all your comments, but if I am not able to, I apologize.
Republicans Must Not Be Allowed to Retake the House
Mid-term elections are just fifteen months away … or, to phrase it another way, mid-term elections are fifteen months away, approximately 450 days, and a lot can happen in fifteen months. In all my history as a political animal, I’ve never put a lot of importance on the “party”, but more on the individual. Today, though, that has all changed as we are in the age of uber-partisanship and the values of the two parties are miles apart. From where I stand, the Republican Party shoots itself in the foot a little more every day, but I also understand that not everyone shares my viewpoint. However, I think that in the midterms in some 450 days, it will be the end of this nation as we know it if the Republican Party manages to capture a majority in both chambers of Congress. And folks … it could happen. Every day they lie through their teeth to voters who may not be inclined to seek the truth, but find it easier to believe what they are told by the likes of Kevin McCarthy, Louie Gohmert, Mitch McConnell and others who long ago sold their consciences.
Our friend TokyoSand over at Political Charge has written a post showing just one reason that the Republicans cannot be allowed to re-take majority roles in Congress. I strongly urge you to read her post and give this some thought …
Republicans Must Not Be Allowed to Retake the House
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: The Republicans don’t deserve to govern.
Last night, reports surfaced that Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was at an event, raising money for the midterms, where he riled up the crowd by saying he wanted them to watch Nancy Pelosi hand him the Speaker’s gavel after they won the midterms. He followed up by saying, “It will be hard not to hit her with it.”
Read that again.
The top Republican in the House chose to casually suggest violence against the female Speaker of the House because he knew that’s what his supporters and voters want to hear. This, after Trump supporters specifically sought out Pelosi during the January 6th insurrection.
The Rise of the American Left and Nina Turner: What Her Win Would Mean
Today I would like to share another post by our new blogging friend Quentin over at WeTheCommoners. Quentin talks a bit about some of the up-and-coming new faces in the Democratic Party, or the ‘Left’, and then he posits that the new blood in the party needs to stand firm, that they aren’t being forceful enough and have been afraid to utilize their power. Now, up to this point, I fully agree with him … the Democratic Party as a whole needs to be more forceful, not allow the ‘other side’ to walk all over them as they are so often doing these days. But he takes it a step further and there is a point where I’m not quite 100% in agreement with him. However, I want you to read this post with an open mind, for he makes many excellent points that should be given thought, so I won’t express my reservations just yet … perhaps later on in comments. Thank you, Quentin, for a very thought-provoking, well-written post!
The Rise of the American Left and Nina Turner: What Her Win Would Mean
The American left has slowly risen in power. Would Nina Turner’s potential win in Ohio give them the energy they need to fight their own party?
By Quentin Choy
July 27, 2021
If you’ve paid any attention to American politics over the last five years, you’ve noticed several upstarts on the political left.
An unknown Senator from Vermont almost defeated Hillary Clinton and the Democratic machine in the 2016 primaries.
A young bartender in the Bronx defeated a 10-term Congressman. Over in the north Bronx, a high school principal defeated the chair of the House Foreign Affairs committee just two years later.
The GOP Madness … Doing Us A Favour?
Yesterday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected two of the Republican House members who had been appointed by Kevin McCarthy to sit on the committee to investigate the January 6th insurrection. The two were Jim Jordan of Ohio and Jim Burns of Indiana, and Speaker Pelosi was well within her rights to reject them, for both had refused to certify the election results from the 2020 election, though there was no question whatsoever that President Biden had won by more than 7 million votes. Both attempted to stifle our votes, our voices.
McCarthy, who qualifies as one of the head clowns in the GOP circus, went ballistic and pulled the other three, the ones Pelosi had agreed to, off of the committee. Fine by me, for his only goal was to be disruptive and ensure that the committee would be unable to conduct a full investigation as we need them to. Why? Why are Republicans so adamant that we not get to the bottom of an attack that threatened the democratic principles founded in the U.S. Constitution? Because … they know the role that certain Republicans played in inciting and participating in the events of the day. Some of those people carry the last name “Trump” and that is already a proven fact! So, let’s cover it up … bury it so that they don’t have to try to justify their actions, justify their attempt to rob We the People of our voice … so that come November 2022, people will have forgotten the coup that almost was, and those who bear some responsibility for the events won’t have to answer awkward questions that might land them on the other side of the iron bars!
That said, Washington Post columnists Greg Sargent and Paul Waldman have collaborated on a piece that I think worthy of being shared. For what little my opinion may be worth, I am 100% in agreement with these gentlemen …
How Kevin McCarthy is boosting the integrity of the Jan. 6 investigation
Opinion by Greg Sargent and Paul Waldman
21 July 2021; 5:08 p.m. EDT
We should be thankful that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) just pulled Republicans out of any involvement in the select committee to examine the Jan. 6 insurrection. In so doing, he ensured that the committee’s investigation will both have more integrity and be more likely to undertake a valuable accounting.
Which goes to a larger truth about this moment: Efforts at a real examination of arguably the worst outbreak of political violence in modern times — and efforts to protect our democracy more broadly — will not be bipartisan. These things will be done by Democrats alone.
McCarthy’s handling of the Jan. 6 committee illustrates the point. It comes after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced that she is nixing two of McCarthy’s picks to serve on it: Reps. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
McCarthy mustered great outrage about this, railing that it was an “abuse of power” that had cost the committee “all legitimacy and credibility.”
In fact, precisely the opposite is true: By pulling out, McCarthy has boosted the committee’s legitimacy and credibility immeasurably. The less involved McCarthy is with this committee, the more likely it will be to undertake a genuine and comprehensive accounting.
McCarthy’s picks were expressly designed to prevent that accounting. This is not speculation or a mere guess at McCarthy’s motives. It is unavoidably clear from the public statements and conduct of Banks and Jordan themselves.
Banks’s first act on getting named by McCarthy was to release a statement declaring that the committee must investigate the “hundreds of violent political riots” in which “many more innocent Americans and law-enforcement officers were attacked.”
That’s an explicit declaration that the insurrection and Donald Trump’s incitement of it should not be the focus of the committee and is a less serious matter than those riots.
Similarly, after Jordan was picked, he immediately declared he wants to serve on the committee because “this is impeachment round three,” unwittingly revealing — or perhaps unabashedly declaring — that he saw his role as solely a means for working to exonerate Trump.
What’s more, Jordan had already played a prominent role in spreading the very lies about the 2020 election that helped inspire the insurrection the committee will be investigating. Given that the committee is charged with probing the causes of the violence — and that those lies are a major cause — any real accounting must also implicate Republicans such as Jordan.
On top of all this, remember that McCarthy could have exercised even more control over the investigation — yet declined. Back in May, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the Homeland Security Committee chair, announced an agreement with the ranking Republican on an evenly divided 10-member bipartisan commission, with both parties having veto power over subpoenas.
Guess who voted against that commission? McCarthy, Banks and Jordan did.
All three also voted to object to President Biden’s electors, a vote that represented the culmination of the lies this committee will investigate as a cause of the violence.
There’s another hidden dynamic here, too: McCarthy and Jordan are very likely witnesses themselves. McCarthy made a frantic appeal to Trump to call off the rioters; he likely has firsthand experience of Trump’s truly sociopathic and insurrectionist intentions that day.
And Jordan was present in a Dec. 21 White House meeting with Trump and others, at which they discussed how to overturn Biden’s electors on the day of what would become the insurrection. What was said at that meeting will be of great interest to the committee.
“Anyone who is a material witness to the key events leading up to the Jan. 6 insurrection doesn’t really belong on the committee,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a member of the select committee, told us.
“The investigative inquiry is being shaped right now,” Raskin continued, “but those are likely to be key events in the chronology.”
Here’s the bottom line: By nixing Banks and Jordan, Pelosi actually protected the integrity of the committee’s investigation, from their openly advertised intention to misdirect, disrupt and sabotage it. By appointing publicly committed saboteurs, McCarthy openly advertised the same intention.
The conventions of political reporting are such that this basic and obvious truth will not be faithfully rendered in press accounts. But it follows from a straightforward interpretation of the statements and conduct of those Republicans themselves.
Filosofa's Word 