Today House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) canceled tomorrow’s votes and sent the House of Representatives into recess until February 28. Before recessing, Johnson refused to take up the national security supplemental bill the Senate passed early Tuesday morning, providing aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan and humanitarian aid for Gaza. Johnson said the House must “work its own will” rather than vote on the bill at hand because the measure did not include border security measures.
A couple of years ago, elected state house representatives in Oregon refused to execute the requirements of their job as representatives by taking off to Idaho. They left the state of Oregon and were gone for 10 plus days solely in order to prevent holding up the business of governing Oregon because they didn't like what they were being asked to do.
The following year, a measure was on our ballot that would prevent ANY state elected senator/representative who had 10 unexcused absences from qualifying to run for re-election and it passed with flying colors. Those same representatives pulled the same stunt.
Fast forward to just last month when that law had been enforced when those "members" of the Oregon State house" tried for file for re-election and the Secretary of State denied their submission to run for re-election.
Like Rumplestiltskin, they huffed and puffed, jumped up and down and sued the Secretary of the State of Oregon annnnnnndddd LOST.
From where I sit, the GOP is doing exactly the same thing. They may be there in body, but they're doing EVERY THING short of brandishing weapons to get their way and subvert our Democracy by trying to strong arm their colleagues and in so doing they obstructing the Country's governing.
Each and everyone of them should be impeached for not upholding their oath of office and indicted for interfering with the governing of the country (if possible)
Sometimes reality is hard to reconcile even though it's as clear as a winter-blue sky. Johnson and Republicans of his ilk, all supporters of the insurrection, are actively working to hurt the country they represent and help our enemy, Russia.
The media seems hell-bent to blame party chaos, an inexperienced speaker, and anything but the truth. The MAGAs in Congress answer to Trump who answers to Putin. And Trump is openly vowing not to abide by NATO treaties if elected president, a violation of the Constitution.
Add in the economic travails they want to inflict and an unwillingness to work with Democrats on border issues and what do we have? Elected officials conspiring to cripple the federal government.
I am outraged that one half of our legislative branch is siding with Russia and Putin.We knowing people need to keep up our postcarding, calling,letter writing and basically making”good trouble “. I am in!!
Do these monstrous MAGA Republicans have ALL the power to adjourn Congress at such a critical juncture? With such a SMALL “majority” of their party in the House, and no members of their party with the spine to resist the MAGAts, can they dictate their destructive agenda to the whole country this way, and there’s NO course of action to get Congress back to work on budgets, the border, and Ukraine {not to mention Israel/Gaza and Taiwan}????
I’m gobsmacked that we have to sit and let them do this!! Just gobsmacked that there’s no procedural piece available to Democrats to put a stop to this. The Republicans press procedure to the extremes to do what they want, and Democrats have NO recourse?
He wants to destroy democracy, and the people who believe in democracy in Ukraine, exactly as much as he wants to substitute his own ideological, theocratic set of abstractions over democracy in the U.S.
This Howdy Doody Speaker of the U.S. House has shown his contempt for our rule of law, most recently by working for an impeachment against an administration official without a shred of evidence as to the things the Constitution enumerates as constituting impeachable offenses.
The Constitution be damned, ditto the rule of law, ditto democracy. All these turned over to the cult of authoritarianism hate the diversity and decency of good American people. Their hatred goes from the Supreme Court coercing their theocracy on American women, to the social media billionaires pushing their algorithms for hate, to Republicans scheming for dark money and Aryan nation.
I figured out today why the Republicans wanted to/are impeaching Mayorkas. He was very helpful in supplying important information from DHS to the January 6th Select Committee. Their excuse is nothing but a red herring.
If you read about someone screaming in the manhattan courtroom something nasty at Donald Trump and you don’t see me posting anymore, you will know who did it. Nah, just joking. Then again who knows. Someone would need to feed my cats while I was incarcerated. Are there any volunteers?
I think it's time to address the elephant in Joe Biden's living room; the MAGA followers of the world desperately want to avoid having a (gasp!) Woman of (gasp!) Color as POTUS if Biden becomes incapable of filling his duties. If this should happen, I suspect Ms. Harris will have a very tough row-to-hoe. It is my hope that the nation can elect a supportive Congress - both House and Senate.
I recall that LBJ called or threatened to call the Congress into special session and to keep them there until they passed the Civil Rights Bill. Is this correct? Could Biden use the power to call Congress into special session until these security objectives are met?
I watched a live feed today of the evidentiary hearing in Fulton County Georgia. It was supposed to present evidence of a conflict of interest involving Fani T Willis and her associate attorney. It was a disgraceful display of salacious accusations on the personal affairs of Ms. Willis.
When your client , the former president , is in an indefensible position, put the prosecutor on trial! I am thankful for the work of Fani Willis , and the people of Georgia should be proud of her strong stand today.
I suspect that Speaker Johnson called a recess because he understands that -- the way things are going -- a discharge petition on the Ukraine/Israel/Taiwan bill will have enough votes to succeed, and he desperately needs time to remove the spines a few Republicans have suddenly grown. I also suspect that Johnson's days as Speaker may be numbered.
He is running away, but eventually, he will be run to ground. My advice to Democrats is to keep gathering signatures, and keep on pushing. It can be done.
Forgot to mention that these letters are now available on audio, for free, at:
Substack: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/podcast
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../letters-from.../id1730358737
Newly elected Rep. Suozzi of New York, speaking at his celebration Tuesday night, summed it up:
"They should stop running after Trump and start running the country."
A couple of years ago, elected state house representatives in Oregon refused to execute the requirements of their job as representatives by taking off to Idaho. They left the state of Oregon and were gone for 10 plus days solely in order to prevent holding up the business of governing Oregon because they didn't like what they were being asked to do.
The following year, a measure was on our ballot that would prevent ANY state elected senator/representative who had 10 unexcused absences from qualifying to run for re-election and it passed with flying colors. Those same representatives pulled the same stunt.
Fast forward to just last month when that law had been enforced when those "members" of the Oregon State house" tried for file for re-election and the Secretary of State denied their submission to run for re-election.
Like Rumplestiltskin, they huffed and puffed, jumped up and down and sued the Secretary of the State of Oregon annnnnnndddd LOST.
From where I sit, the GOP is doing exactly the same thing. They may be there in body, but they're doing EVERY THING short of brandishing weapons to get their way and subvert our Democracy by trying to strong arm their colleagues and in so doing they obstructing the Country's governing.
Each and everyone of them should be impeached for not upholding their oath of office and indicted for interfering with the governing of the country (if possible)
Sometimes reality is hard to reconcile even though it's as clear as a winter-blue sky. Johnson and Republicans of his ilk, all supporters of the insurrection, are actively working to hurt the country they represent and help our enemy, Russia.
The media seems hell-bent to blame party chaos, an inexperienced speaker, and anything but the truth. The MAGAs in Congress answer to Trump who answers to Putin. And Trump is openly vowing not to abide by NATO treaties if elected president, a violation of the Constitution.
Add in the economic travails they want to inflict and an unwillingness to work with Democrats on border issues and what do we have? Elected officials conspiring to cripple the federal government.
Thank you for referring to the legal case as a criminal election interference case (rather than the media’s use of the incorrect term hush money).
I am outraged that one half of our legislative branch is siding with Russia and Putin.We knowing people need to keep up our postcarding, calling,letter writing and basically making”good trouble “. I am in!!
Do these monstrous MAGA Republicans have ALL the power to adjourn Congress at such a critical juncture? With such a SMALL “majority” of their party in the House, and no members of their party with the spine to resist the MAGAts, can they dictate their destructive agenda to the whole country this way, and there’s NO course of action to get Congress back to work on budgets, the border, and Ukraine {not to mention Israel/Gaza and Taiwan}????
I’m gobsmacked that we have to sit and let them do this!! Just gobsmacked that there’s no procedural piece available to Democrats to put a stop to this. The Republicans press procedure to the extremes to do what they want, and Democrats have NO recourse?
Gad!!!
It seems absurd that the Speaker has this much control to chokehold the House and Congress. There’s something wrong with the whole set up
Mike Johnson is a Nazi.
He wants to destroy democracy, and the people who believe in democracy in Ukraine, exactly as much as he wants to substitute his own ideological, theocratic set of abstractions over democracy in the U.S.
This Howdy Doody Speaker of the U.S. House has shown his contempt for our rule of law, most recently by working for an impeachment against an administration official without a shred of evidence as to the things the Constitution enumerates as constituting impeachable offenses.
The Constitution be damned, ditto the rule of law, ditto democracy. All these turned over to the cult of authoritarianism hate the diversity and decency of good American people. Their hatred goes from the Supreme Court coercing their theocracy on American women, to the social media billionaires pushing their algorithms for hate, to Republicans scheming for dark money and Aryan nation.
I figured out today why the Republicans wanted to/are impeaching Mayorkas. He was very helpful in supplying important information from DHS to the January 6th Select Committee. Their excuse is nothing but a red herring.
If you read about someone screaming in the manhattan courtroom something nasty at Donald Trump and you don’t see me posting anymore, you will know who did it. Nah, just joking. Then again who knows. Someone would need to feed my cats while I was incarcerated. Are there any volunteers?
Frozen Russian assets should immediately be used for Ukraine.
I think it's time to address the elephant in Joe Biden's living room; the MAGA followers of the world desperately want to avoid having a (gasp!) Woman of (gasp!) Color as POTUS if Biden becomes incapable of filling his duties. If this should happen, I suspect Ms. Harris will have a very tough row-to-hoe. It is my hope that the nation can elect a supportive Congress - both House and Senate.
I recall that LBJ called or threatened to call the Congress into special session and to keep them there until they passed the Civil Rights Bill. Is this correct? Could Biden use the power to call Congress into special session until these security objectives are met?
I watched a live feed today of the evidentiary hearing in Fulton County Georgia. It was supposed to present evidence of a conflict of interest involving Fani T Willis and her associate attorney. It was a disgraceful display of salacious accusations on the personal affairs of Ms. Willis.
When your client , the former president , is in an indefensible position, put the prosecutor on trial! I am thankful for the work of Fani Willis , and the people of Georgia should be proud of her strong stand today.
I suspect that Speaker Johnson called a recess because he understands that -- the way things are going -- a discharge petition on the Ukraine/Israel/Taiwan bill will have enough votes to succeed, and he desperately needs time to remove the spines a few Republicans have suddenly grown. I also suspect that Johnson's days as Speaker may be numbered.
He is running away, but eventually, he will be run to ground. My advice to Democrats is to keep gathering signatures, and keep on pushing. It can be done.