But others told the outlet that their choice simply boiled down to not wanting to spend more time with their boisterous colleagues. Together, the Republican-led House has amounted to one of the least productive congressional sessions in history, passing a measly 27 bills that became law in 2023 out of a sum total of 724 votes. That same Republican-led House has continued to stall on core elements of their jobs well into 2024, including passing government spending bills and foreign aid assistance.
The sum total of the GOP's efforts now are simply to tie things up in knots, stall, waste time, etc. Completely unhinged and unproductive. Looking back on this era, history will not be kind to them.
Maybe not, though. If things continue down this path and the government becomes more of a kakistocracy, maybe this will be looked back as the golden era, when politicians could really get things done. Scary thought, right? It's always relative, and as it gets worse, we seem to excuse the behaviours of not-too-many-years-ago in light of what we see in the current day.
My first thought was, "No way that will happen..."
But others told the outlet that their choice simply boiled down to not wanting to spend more time with their boisterous colleagues. Together, the Republican-led House has amounted to one of the least productive congressional sessions in history, passing a measly 27 bills that became law in 2023 out of a sum total of 724 votes. That same Republican-led House has continued to stall on core elements of their jobs well into 2024, including passing government spending bills and foreign aid assistance.
The sum total of the GOP's efforts now are simply to tie things up in knots, stall, waste time, etc. Completely unhinged and unproductive. Looking back on this era, history will not be kind to them.
Maybe not, though. If things continue down this path and the government becomes more of a kakistocracy, maybe this will be looked back as the golden era, when politicians could really get things done. Scary thought, right? It's always relative, and as it gets worse, we seem to excuse the behaviours of not-too-many-years-ago in light of what we see in the current day.
Ain't that the truth? trump makes me long for the days of GW. Go figure.
And then I wonder, "Way?" I hope to God (or Buddha or Vishnu or Mother Nature) that history is anything other than kind to the orange monster god.
I don't like that I feel this cynical, I just can't help it sadly. Evidence seems to suggest a steady trajectory towards the bottom of the barrel.
'05 - TO, '06 - TO 1, '08 - NYC 1 & 2, '09 - TO, Chi 1 & 2, '10 - Buffalo, NYC 1 & 2, '11 - TO 1 & 2, Hamilton, '13 - Buffalo, Brooklyn 1 & 2, '15 - Global Citizen, '16 - TO 1 & 2, Chi 2
EV
Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 1
But others told the outlet that their choice simply boiled down to not wanting to spend more time with their boisterous colleagues. Together, the Republican-led House has amounted to one of the least productive congressional sessions in history, passing a measly 27 bills that became law in 2023 out of a sum total of 724 votes. That same Republican-led House has continued to stall on core elements of their jobs well into 2024, including passing government spending bills and foreign aid assistance.
The sum total of the GOP's efforts now are simply to tie things up in knots, stall, waste time, etc. Completely unhinged and unproductive. Looking back on this era, history will not be kind to them.
Maybe not, though. If things continue down this path and the government becomes more of a kakistocracy, maybe this will be looked back as the golden era, when politicians could really get things done. Scary thought, right? It's always relative, and as it gets worse, we seem to excuse the behaviours of not-too-many-years-ago in light of what we see in the current day.
My first thought was, "No way that will happen..."
But others told the outlet that their choice simply boiled down to not wanting to spend more time with their boisterous colleagues. Together, the Republican-led House has amounted to one of the least productive congressional sessions in history, passing a measly 27 bills that became law in 2023 out of a sum total of 724 votes. That same Republican-led House has continued to stall on core elements of their jobs well into 2024, including passing government spending bills and foreign aid assistance.
The sum total of the GOP's efforts now are simply to tie things up in knots, stall, waste time, etc. Completely unhinged and unproductive. Looking back on this era, history will not be kind to them.
Maybe not, though. If things continue down this path and the government becomes more of a kakistocracy, maybe this will be looked back as the golden era, when politicians could really get things done. Scary thought, right? It's always relative, and as it gets worse, we seem to excuse the behaviours of not-too-many-years-ago in light of what we see in the current day.
Ain't that the truth? trump makes me long for the days of GW. Go figure.
And then I wonder, "Way?" I hope to God (or Buddha or Vishnu or Mother Nature) that history is anything other than kind to the orange monster god.
I don't like that I feel this cynical, I just can't help it sadly. Evidence seems to suggest a steady trajectory towards the bottom of the barrel.
I'm getting nervous about that...society is just too stupid and too easily manipulated by social media. The people that used to not read newspapers and watch Gilligan's Island reruns at 630pm every night instead of the nightly news will believe anything presented to them via Facebook memes.
Instead of just being stupid they are now dangerously stupid.
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018) The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville 2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
But others told the outlet that their choice simply boiled down to not wanting to spend more time with their boisterous colleagues. Together, the Republican-led House has amounted to one of the least productive congressional sessions in history, passing a measly 27 bills that became law in 2023 out of a sum total of 724 votes. That same Republican-led House has continued to stall on core elements of their jobs well into 2024, including passing government spending bills and foreign aid assistance.
The sum total of the GOP's efforts now are simply to tie things up in knots, stall, waste time, etc. Completely unhinged and unproductive. Looking back on this era, history will not be kind to them.
Maybe not, though. If things continue down this path and the government becomes more of a kakistocracy, maybe this will be looked back as the golden era, when politicians could really get things done. Scary thought, right? It's always relative, and as it gets worse, we seem to excuse the behaviours of not-too-many-years-ago in light of what we see in the current day.
My first thought was, "No way that will happen..."
But others told the outlet that their choice simply boiled down to not wanting to spend more time with their boisterous colleagues. Together, the Republican-led House has amounted to one of the least productive congressional sessions in history, passing a measly 27 bills that became law in 2023 out of a sum total of 724 votes. That same Republican-led House has continued to stall on core elements of their jobs well into 2024, including passing government spending bills and foreign aid assistance.
The sum total of the GOP's efforts now are simply to tie things up in knots, stall, waste time, etc. Completely unhinged and unproductive. Looking back on this era, history will not be kind to them.
Maybe not, though. If things continue down this path and the government becomes more of a kakistocracy, maybe this will be looked back as the golden era, when politicians could really get things done. Scary thought, right? It's always relative, and as it gets worse, we seem to excuse the behaviours of not-too-many-years-ago in light of what we see in the current day.
Ain't that the truth? trump makes me long for the days of GW. Go figure.
And then I wonder, "Way?" I hope to God (or Buddha or Vishnu or Mother Nature) that history is anything other than kind to the orange monster god.
I don't like that I feel this cynical, I just can't help it sadly. Evidence seems to suggest a steady trajectory towards the bottom of the barrel.
But others told the outlet that their choice simply boiled down to not wanting to spend more time with their boisterous colleagues. Together, the Republican-led House has amounted to one of the least productive congressional sessions in history, passing a measly 27 bills that became law in 2023 out of a sum total of 724 votes. That same Republican-led House has continued to stall on core elements of their jobs well into 2024, including passing government spending bills and foreign aid assistance.
The sum total of the GOP's efforts now are simply to tie things up in knots, stall, waste time, etc. Completely unhinged and unproductive. Looking back on this era, history will not be kind to them.
Maybe not, though. If things continue down this path and the government becomes more of a kakistocracy, maybe this will be looked back as the golden era, when politicians could really get things done. Scary thought, right? It's always relative, and as it gets worse, we seem to excuse the behaviours of not-too-many-years-ago in light of what we see in the current day.
My first thought was, "No way that will happen..."
But others told the outlet that their choice simply boiled down to not wanting to spend more time with their boisterous colleagues. Together, the Republican-led House has amounted to one of the least productive congressional sessions in history, passing a measly 27 bills that became law in 2023 out of a sum total of 724 votes. That same Republican-led House has continued to stall on core elements of their jobs well into 2024, including passing government spending bills and foreign aid assistance.
The sum total of the GOP's efforts now are simply to tie things up in knots, stall, waste time, etc. Completely unhinged and unproductive. Looking back on this era, history will not be kind to them.
Maybe not, though. If things continue down this path and the government becomes more of a kakistocracy, maybe this will be looked back as the golden era, when politicians could really get things done. Scary thought, right? It's always relative, and as it gets worse, we seem to excuse the behaviours of not-too-many-years-ago in light of what we see in the current day.
Ain't that the truth? trump makes me long for the days of GW. Go figure.
And then I wonder, "Way?" I hope to God (or Buddha or Vishnu or Mother Nature) that history is anything other than kind to the orange monster god.
I don't like that I feel this cynical, I just can't help it sadly. Evidence seems to suggest a steady trajectory towards the bottom of the barrel.
I'm getting nervous about that...society is just too stupid and too easily manipulated by social media. The people that used to not read newspapers and watch Gilligan's Island reruns at 630pm every night instead of the nightly news will believe anything presented to them via Facebook memes.
Instead of just being stupid they are now dangerously stupid.
I... SADLY... hear you both. I try to cling to some glimmer of hope, hope for a return a time when democracy was cherished by the majority.
And sometimes I wonder if it just all has to fall to ruin, and then look toward a different kind of hope, the kind of hope Edward Abbey expressed here:
"I hope that somewhere out there on the far fringes of the future, deep in the surviving jungles, high in the isolated mountains, far out on the forgotten deserts, little bands of free men and liberated women may still be roaming, hunting, fishing and gathering, begetting and mothering human children, awaiting their opportunity to attack the corrupt cities, to sack the temples of technology, to ravage and raze once again the leaning tower of babble."
-One Life at a Time, Please
Yes, two very different visions for the future, but if we don't return to some kind of more level ground, maybe we will just have to start over. The former would be a lot less catastrophic, the latter possibly a necessity one day.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Is it just my imagination, or has 45 lost a lot of traction with his cult followers? I don't see all the T flags on pick up trucks we used to see. I don't hear as many people talking about him as used to be. On our local (conservative red) county chat site, I hear people put down Biden and our governor, but I almost never hear praise for 45. Am I dreaming, or are we really heading toward the end of his reign of despicably awful presence in our lives? Good gawd I hope so!
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Is it just my imagination, or has 45 lost a lot of traction with his cult followers? I don't see all the T flags on pick up trucks we used to see. I don't hear as many people talking about him as used to be. On our local (conservative red) county chat site, I hear people put down Biden and our governor, but I almost never hear praise for 45. Am I dreaming, or are we really heading toward the end of his reign of despicably awful presence in our lives? Good gawd I hope so!
One can hope. I don’t think it’ll be that easy to be rid of him.
In theory the GOP could have a problem. You have to be 100% on the Trump Train to win a nomination. But those 100% on the Trump Train probably don't do as well against their Democratic opponents as a more traditional Republican would.
That said, for House seats, some districts are just so conservative it doesn't matter.
1995 Milwaukee 1998 Alpine, Alpine 2003 Albany, Boston, Boston, Boston 2004 Boston, Boston 2006 Hartford, St. Paul (Petty), St. Paul (Petty) 2011 Alpine, Alpine 2013 Wrigley 2014 St. Paul 2016 Fenway, Fenway, Wrigley, Wrigley 2018 Missoula, Wrigley, Wrigley 2021 Asbury Park 2022 St Louis 2023 Austin, Austin
In theory the GOP could have a problem. You have to be 100% on the Trump Train to win a nomination. But those 100% on the Trump Train probably don't do as well against their Democratic opponents as a more traditional Republican would.
That said, for House seats, some districts are just so conservative it doesn't matter.
And to make matters worse, the majority of these house conservatives don't have any of the more positive traits being conservative once embodied- certainly not the embracing of the value of conservation. It's mostly all reactionary, shit stirring, nation-trolling, anger, and hatefully destructive behavior.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Speaker Mike Johnson faces threat of ouster from Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
By LISA MASCARO, FARNOUSH AMIRI and STEPHEN GROVES
Yesterday
WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Mike Johnson is at risk of being ousted after hard-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to vacate Friday, his leadership abruptly challenged in the middle of a House vote on a $1.2 trillion package to keep the government open.
It’s the same political dynamic that removed the last Republican speaker, Kevin McCarthy, just five months ago when far-right conservatives revolted over his compromise with Democrats to prevent a federal shutdown. But this one faces steeper odds, with less public GOP support, at the moment.
As the House left town for a two-week spring recess, with no imminent vote scheduled on removing the speaker, the punishing threat hangs over Johnson, of Louisiana, as the far-right flank once again seizes on the tactic, a disruptive tool used to make demands and leverage their own priorities.
“We’ve started the clock to start the process to elect a new speaker,” the Georgia congresswoman said on the Capitol steps.
Greene, a leading ally of the Republicans’ presumed 2024 presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, declined to put a timetable on her next move, but said she was issuing a “warning” to Johnson for the weeks ahead.
Whether the Republicans march forward with plans to be rid of another House speaker, the upshot is clear: The House GOP is operating as a majority in name only, the speaker unable to deliver Republican votes, particularly on the core issue of government funding, and forced into what used to be acceptable compromises with Democrats.
Time and again, it is Democrats in this session of Congress who have delivered the tally needed to carry on with the basics of governing — as seen in Friday's 286-134 vote to prevent a midnight shutdown. More than half the House Republicans voted no.
While conservative Republicans routinely demand steep spending cuts, willing to shut down government to make changes, their own colleagues reject that approach, and the big reductions in government programs and services that are important to constituents back home.
In fact, the $1.2 trillion package approved Friday was the final component of the deal McCarthy negotiated with President Joe Biden a year ago in a compromise with Democrats, and that ultimately led to his downfall as speaker — and now threatens Johnson.
The day's turn of events leaves Johnson’s leadership teetering — particularly as he moves next to a Ukraine funding package that far-right Republicans oppose.
Johnson brushed off the threat of removal heading into Friday's vote.
"I don’t operate from fear," he said.
No speaker had been removed this way until McCarthy’s dramatic ouster last fall, a swift, stunning and chaotic episode that essentially shuttered the House chamber for weeks as Republicans searched for a new speaker.
Many Republicans in Congress were embarrassed by the spectacle of McCarthy’s removal as speaker, which exposed deep party divisions and infighting that left their new majority, in office since January, unable to fully function on priorities.
Others showed little interest in signing on to Greene's motion against Johnson.
Rep. Clay Higgins, an ultraconservative Republican from Louisiana, posted a video calling Greene a friend but saying, "Marjorie has made a big mistake."
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday she was not going to address what's happening with the House leadership.
"Get your popcorn, sit tight and watch what’s happening” she said.
With the most narrow majority in modern times, Johnson has a weak grasp on his Republicans in the House. He can risk only a few defectors on any vote, meaning he could be easily ousted unless Democrats jump in with their votes to help him.
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, the Trump ally who engineered the ouster of McCarthy by a similar contingent of far-right Republicans, warned against trying to oust Johnson for fear of ending up with a Democratic speaker.
Gaetz was among eight Republicans who voted last October to remove McCarthy of California, with the help of all Democrats who were not willing to cast votes to save the embattled speaker.
That may be different this time, and Republican lawmakers fed up with the process would cross the aisle and vote for the Democratic leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Or Democrats could cast their own votes to save Johnson.
“If we vacated this speaker, we’d end up with a Democrat,” Gaetz predicted late Thursday. “When I vacated the last one, I made a promise to the country that we would not end up with a Democrat speaker. ... I couldn’t make that promise again today.”
The idea of a Republican House majority casting votes to make a Democrat the House speaker would be an unheard-of political situation.
But with Republicans at war among themselves it is also one that could potentially transpire as they try to return Congress to a sense of normalcy.
The House Republican majority shrank further Friday, as Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, who had already announced his retirement, said he would leave next month, following a wave of GOP lawmakers heading for the exits.
Another key Republican, Rep. Kay Granger of Texas, announced she would leave her perch as chair of powerful Appropriations Committee but remain in Congress, after having led the funding package to House passage.
Before filing her motion to remove the speaker, Greene spoke vehemently against House passage of the government funding bill, and she has warned she would try to remove the speaker if he pushes ahead with a package to support Ukraine as it battles Russia’s invasion.
Johnson has refused to put a $95 billion Senate-passed national security package with Ukraine funds to a House vote, but nevertheless he promised to fund Ukraine as a next priority. The removal threat against him now puts any votes to help Ukraine in potential jeopardy.
Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., a top McCarthy lieutenant who helped negotiate the budget deal now on its way to becoming law, said he believes over time it will show that compromise on budget matters is how it's done.
“It shows that the McCarthy debt ceiling agreement is durable," he said.
Democrats wanted more spending, Republicans wanted less, and they landed in the middle.
“In time, this will be viewed as a legislative success,” he said, "and the high point of a very broken and divided Congress."
__
Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Speaker Mike Johnson faces threat of ouster from Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
By LISA MASCARO, FARNOUSH AMIRI and STEPHEN GROVES
Yesterday
WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Mike Johnson is at risk of being ousted after hard-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to vacate Friday, his leadership abruptly challenged in the middle of a House vote on a $1.2 trillion package to keep the government open.
It’s the same political dynamic that removed the last Republican speaker, Kevin McCarthy, just five months ago when far-right conservatives revolted over his compromise with Democrats to prevent a federal shutdown. But this one faces steeper odds, with less public GOP support, at the moment.
As the House left town for a two-week spring recess, with no imminent vote scheduled on removing the speaker, the punishing threat hangs over Johnson, of Louisiana, as the far-right flank once again seizes on the tactic, a disruptive tool used to make demands and leverage their own priorities.
“We’ve started the clock to start the process to elect a new speaker,” the Georgia congresswoman said on the Capitol steps.
Greene, a leading ally of the Republicans’ presumed 2024 presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, declined to put a timetable on her next move, but said she was issuing a “warning” to Johnson for the weeks ahead.
Whether the Republicans march forward with plans to be rid of another House speaker, the upshot is clear: The House GOP is operating as a majority in name only, the speaker unable to deliver Republican votes, particularly on the core issue of government funding, and forced into what used to be acceptable compromises with Democrats.
Time and again, it is Democrats in this session of Congress who have delivered the tally needed to carry on with the basics of governing — as seen in Friday's 286-134 vote to prevent a midnight shutdown. More than half the House Republicans voted no.
While conservative Republicans routinely demand steep spending cuts, willing to shut down government to make changes, their own colleagues reject that approach, and the big reductions in government programs and services that are important to constituents back home.
In fact, the $1.2 trillion package approved Friday was the final component of the deal McCarthy negotiated with President Joe Biden a year ago in a compromise with Democrats, and that ultimately led to his downfall as speaker — and now threatens Johnson.
The day's turn of events leaves Johnson’s leadership teetering — particularly as he moves next to a Ukraine funding package that far-right Republicans oppose.
Johnson brushed off the threat of removal heading into Friday's vote.
"I don’t operate from fear," he said.
No speaker had been removed this way until McCarthy’s dramatic ouster last fall, a swift, stunning and chaotic episode that essentially shuttered the House chamber for weeks as Republicans searched for a new speaker.
Many Republicans in Congress were embarrassed by the spectacle of McCarthy’s removal as speaker, which exposed deep party divisions and infighting that left their new majority, in office since January, unable to fully function on priorities.
Others showed little interest in signing on to Greene's motion against Johnson.
Rep. Clay Higgins, an ultraconservative Republican from Louisiana, posted a video calling Greene a friend but saying, "Marjorie has made a big mistake."
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday she was not going to address what's happening with the House leadership.
"Get your popcorn, sit tight and watch what’s happening” she said.
With the most narrow majority in modern times, Johnson has a weak grasp on his Republicans in the House. He can risk only a few defectors on any vote, meaning he could be easily ousted unless Democrats jump in with their votes to help him.
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, the Trump ally who engineered the ouster of McCarthy by a similar contingent of far-right Republicans, warned against trying to oust Johnson for fear of ending up with a Democratic speaker.
Gaetz was among eight Republicans who voted last October to remove McCarthy of California, with the help of all Democrats who were not willing to cast votes to save the embattled speaker.
That may be different this time, and Republican lawmakers fed up with the process would cross the aisle and vote for the Democratic leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Or Democrats could cast their own votes to save Johnson.
“If we vacated this speaker, we’d end up with a Democrat,” Gaetz predicted late Thursday. “When I vacated the last one, I made a promise to the country that we would not end up with a Democrat speaker. ... I couldn’t make that promise again today.”
The idea of a Republican House majority casting votes to make a Democrat the House speaker would be an unheard-of political situation.
But with Republicans at war among themselves it is also one that could potentially transpire as they try to return Congress to a sense of normalcy.
The House Republican majority shrank further Friday, as Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, who had already announced his retirement, said he would leave next month, following a wave of GOP lawmakers heading for the exits.
Another key Republican, Rep. Kay Granger of Texas, announced she would leave her perch as chair of powerful Appropriations Committee but remain in Congress, after having led the funding package to House passage.
Before filing her motion to remove the speaker, Greene spoke vehemently against House passage of the government funding bill, and she has warned she would try to remove the speaker if he pushes ahead with a package to support Ukraine as it battles Russia’s invasion.
Johnson has refused to put a $95 billion Senate-passed national security package with Ukraine funds to a House vote, but nevertheless he promised to fund Ukraine as a next priority. The removal threat against him now puts any votes to help Ukraine in potential jeopardy.
Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., a top McCarthy lieutenant who helped negotiate the budget deal now on its way to becoming law, said he believes over time it will show that compromise on budget matters is how it's done.
“It shows that the McCarthy debt ceiling agreement is durable," he said.
Democrats wanted more spending, Republicans wanted less, and they landed in the middle.
“In time, this will be viewed as a legislative success,” he said, "and the high point of a very broken and divided Congress."
__
Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report.
Fuck the repubs. Let it all burn and they own it. Lock. Stock. And. Darrel.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
I haven’t listened to it but white “rural” rage? Seems like just “white” rage to me. Orange is the new white? Or is it white is the new orange? So much winning has me confused. And outraged!
The bill also includes a 6 percent cut to foreign aid programs, already a minuscule slice of federal spending, and a Republican change to the law that prohibits nonofficial U.S. flags from flying atop American embassies. GOP lawmakers hope to use that provision, a slightly narrower version of which had previously been in place, to prevent Biden-nominated officials from displaying Pride flags at official locations at U.S. diplomatic outposts.
I haven’t listened to it but white “rural” rage? Seems like just “white” rage to me. Orange is the new white? Or is it white is the new orange? So much winning has me confused. And outraged!
rural america makes up the largest % of the gop base. really its resentment not rage but that was what the guests chose for the title of the book.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
I haven’t listened to it but white “rural” rage? Seems like just “white” rage to me. Orange is the new white? Or is it white is the new orange? So much winning has me confused. And outraged!
rural america makes up the largest % of the gop base. really its resentment not rage but that was what the guests chose for the title of the book.
Funny thing is, what’s the resentment out there in rural, “white” ‘MUrica?
I haven’t listened to it but white “rural” rage? Seems like just “white” rage to me. Orange is the new white? Or is it white is the new orange? So much winning has me confused. And outraged!
rural america makes up the largest % of the gop base. really its resentment not rage but that was what the guests chose for the title of the book.
Funny thing is, what’s the resentment out there in rural, “white” ‘MUrica?
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
I haven’t listened to it but white “rural” rage? Seems like just “white” rage to me. Orange is the new white? Or is it white is the new orange? So much winning has me confused. And outraged!
rural america makes up the largest % of the gop base. really its resentment not rage but that was what the guests chose for the title of the book.
Funny thing is, what’s the resentment out there in rural, “white” ‘MUrica?
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EV
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Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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Anyone need further proof the GOP is a clown show? Jesus christ...
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
That said, for House seats, some districts are just so conservative it doesn't matter.
2013 Wrigley 2014 St. Paul 2016 Fenway, Fenway, Wrigley, Wrigley 2018 Missoula, Wrigley, Wrigley 2021 Asbury Park 2022 St Louis 2023 Austin, Austin
And to make matters worse, the majority of these house conservatives don't have any of the more positive traits being conservative once embodied- certainly not the embracing of the value of conservation. It's mostly all reactionary, shit stirring, nation-trolling, anger, and hatefully destructive behavior.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Mike Johnson is at risk of being ousted after hard-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to vacate Friday, his leadership abruptly challenged in the middle of a House vote on a $1.2 trillion package to keep the government open.
It’s the same political dynamic that removed the last Republican speaker, Kevin McCarthy, just five months ago when far-right conservatives revolted over his compromise with Democrats to prevent a federal shutdown. But this one faces steeper odds, with less public GOP support, at the moment.
As the House left town for a two-week spring recess, with no imminent vote scheduled on removing the speaker, the punishing threat hangs over Johnson, of Louisiana, as the far-right flank once again seizes on the tactic, a disruptive tool used to make demands and leverage their own priorities.
“We’ve started the clock to start the process to elect a new speaker,” the Georgia congresswoman said on the Capitol steps.
POLITICS
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Greene, a leading ally of the Republicans’ presumed 2024 presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, declined to put a timetable on her next move, but said she was issuing a “warning” to Johnson for the weeks ahead.
Whether the Republicans march forward with plans to be rid of another House speaker, the upshot is clear: The House GOP is operating as a majority in name only, the speaker unable to deliver Republican votes, particularly on the core issue of government funding, and forced into what used to be acceptable compromises with Democrats.
Time and again, it is Democrats in this session of Congress who have delivered the tally needed to carry on with the basics of governing — as seen in Friday's 286-134 vote to prevent a midnight shutdown. More than half the House Republicans voted no.
While conservative Republicans routinely demand steep spending cuts, willing to shut down government to make changes, their own colleagues reject that approach, and the big reductions in government programs and services that are important to constituents back home.
In fact, the $1.2 trillion package approved Friday was the final component of the deal McCarthy negotiated with President Joe Biden a year ago in a compromise with Democrats, and that ultimately led to his downfall as speaker — and now threatens Johnson.
The day's turn of events leaves Johnson’s leadership teetering — particularly as he moves next to a Ukraine funding package that far-right Republicans oppose.
Johnson brushed off the threat of removal heading into Friday's vote.
"I don’t operate from fear," he said.
No speaker had been removed this way until McCarthy’s dramatic ouster last fall, a swift, stunning and chaotic episode that essentially shuttered the House chamber for weeks as Republicans searched for a new speaker.
Many Republicans in Congress were embarrassed by the spectacle of McCarthy’s removal as speaker, which exposed deep party divisions and infighting that left their new majority, in office since January, unable to fully function on priorities.
Others showed little interest in signing on to Greene's motion against Johnson.
Rep. Clay Higgins, an ultraconservative Republican from Louisiana, posted a video calling Greene a friend but saying, "Marjorie has made a big mistake."
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday she was not going to address what's happening with the House leadership.
"Get your popcorn, sit tight and watch what’s happening” she said.
With the most narrow majority in modern times, Johnson has a weak grasp on his Republicans in the House. He can risk only a few defectors on any vote, meaning he could be easily ousted unless Democrats jump in with their votes to help him.
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, the Trump ally who engineered the ouster of McCarthy by a similar contingent of far-right Republicans, warned against trying to oust Johnson for fear of ending up with a Democratic speaker.
Gaetz was among eight Republicans who voted last October to remove McCarthy of California, with the help of all Democrats who were not willing to cast votes to save the embattled speaker.
That may be different this time, and Republican lawmakers fed up with the process would cross the aisle and vote for the Democratic leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Or Democrats could cast their own votes to save Johnson.
“If we vacated this speaker, we’d end up with a Democrat,” Gaetz predicted late Thursday. “When I vacated the last one, I made a promise to the country that we would not end up with a Democrat speaker. ... I couldn’t make that promise again today.”
The idea of a Republican House majority casting votes to make a Democrat the House speaker would be an unheard-of political situation.
But with Republicans at war among themselves it is also one that could potentially transpire as they try to return Congress to a sense of normalcy.
The House Republican majority shrank further Friday, as Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, who had already announced his retirement, said he would leave next month, following a wave of GOP lawmakers heading for the exits.
Another key Republican, Rep. Kay Granger of Texas, announced she would leave her perch as chair of powerful Appropriations Committee but remain in Congress, after having led the funding package to House passage.
Before filing her motion to remove the speaker, Greene spoke vehemently against House passage of the government funding bill, and she has warned she would try to remove the speaker if he pushes ahead with a package to support Ukraine as it battles Russia’s invasion.
Johnson has refused to put a $95 billion Senate-passed national security package with Ukraine funds to a House vote, but nevertheless he promised to fund Ukraine as a next priority. The removal threat against him now puts any votes to help Ukraine in potential jeopardy.
Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., a top McCarthy lieutenant who helped negotiate the budget deal now on its way to becoming law, said he believes over time it will show that compromise on budget matters is how it's done.
“It shows that the McCarthy debt ceiling agreement is durable," he said.
Democrats wanted more spending, Republicans wanted less, and they landed in the middle.
“In time, this will be viewed as a legislative success,” he said, "and the high point of a very broken and divided Congress."
__
Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
The bill also includes a 6 percent cut to foreign aid programs, already a minuscule slice of federal spending, and a Republican change to the law that prohibits nonofficial U.S. flags from flying atop American embassies. GOP lawmakers hope to use that provision, a slightly narrower version of which had previously been in place, to prevent Biden-nominated officials from displaying Pride flags at official locations at U.S. diplomatic outposts.
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rural america makes up the largest % of the gop base. really its resentment not rage but that was what the guests chose for the title of the book.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
listen and find out.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©