This morning, the Ukrainian military launched a surprise attack on two Russian airfields in occupied Ukraine, using a longer-range missile system secretly supplied in the last few weeks by the United States. The Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, has a range of about 100 miles, or 161 kilometers. It enabled the Ukrainians to damage runways and destroy nine Russian helicopters. The missiles also killed a number of Russian soldiers. One of the conditions of Ukraine’s acquisition of these weapons was that they would only be used within Ukraine against the occupiers, not in Russia itself.
'Jim Jordan’s Speaker Bid in Jeopardy After He Accidentally Locks Himself in Bathroom'
'WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Rep. Jim Jordan’s bid to become Speaker of the House faced a new obstacle after news spread that he had accidentally locked himself in his congressional bathroom.'
'The Ohio congressman, who had been expected to meet with holdouts opposing his candidacy, was missing for hours before aides noticed a desperate bellowing sound from inside his office’s water closet.'' Jordan’s inability to engineer an exit from his own restroom raised fresh questions about his fitness to be Speaker, with some questioning whether he should be trusted with a large, potentially dangerous wooden hammer.'
'But, supporters like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene pronounced Jordan’s self-imprisonment in his bathroom irrelevant. “I accidentally lock myself in my bathroom three, four times a week, and it hasn’t kept me from being an excellent leader,” she said.' (Satire, NEWYORKER)
Sorry, but she is an idiot. Imagine people actually voted for her, and the likes of JJJJ and trump. There lies the real problem in this country. JJJJ=Jacket-less the jackass Jim Jordan
One can only hope that as the Rethugs dig themselves ever deeper into the morass of obstructionism and extremism, that there will be enough people who finally say, "enough".
MaryPat, I am so heavy with the deaths, hostages, absence of food, water, living space and medicine in Gaza and what may happen beyond; it wasn't until I landed on Andy Borowitz's, Jim Jordan, that there was any laugh in sight. So glad he lifted you and other LFAAers!
Thank you Fern. As Americans I just don't think we are equipped to see the horror and the chaos day in and day out. Our hearts break for all the innocents that are hurt or killed whether they are in Ukraine, Israel or Gaza. We yearn for sanity and clarity and it keeps feeling like we are running up a steep hill and the wind keeps trying to push us back. The HCR letter helps, the comments from thoughtful people like you and so many others do too. But in the end, we must stay strong and try to get everyone who is like minded to VOTE!
Very much appreciate both your serious and humorous posts, Fern. For the past 2 months I've been doing something I never did before - watch Hallmark movies. Every night has a happy (if really corny) ending now.
Vince, at least a small part of Gingrich's brain was functional. I know you remember the Contract with America....
I can only verify 2 brain cells in gym's head--one to make his mouth move, and one to keep his tailpipe closed. That's one more brain cell than his boss....
That is why I opted for "dumber" than. I don't recall enough about Gingrich at this point to address how smart or dumb he is. Jordan is out of his league; over his head. Gingrich was strategic to a point, but quite lethal. (And heartless, which is a requirement for Republicans.) I called his "Contract for America" the Contract against America.
Julia, when I first saw Jordan on TV years ago, I thought he belonged in an Anime adventure as a bumbling villain. His persona is so alien to my reality, that I have trouble believing such a person exists. He shouldn't, really.
Thankfully, I have learned that when Fern posts The Borowitz Report, I have to put the coffee down to avoid the inevitable dispersal of liquid towards my keyboard.
Key words spoken here. “Right minds”, which are only in the Democratic side of the aisle. I’m just praying 5 of the opposite side will smarten up and vote for Jeffries as Speaker. Put Jim Jordan in his place, then expel him, and all the others.
And in so many war-torn, disaster-ridden areas where human beings suffer. It overwhelms. As I sit in my comfortable home on a beautiful fall morning, with electricity, water, food, and medicine I ask all the why and what-if questions we all must ask.
I have been screaming it from the rooftops and emailing the news. Anyone who did not recognize Biden as winning the election should NOT be Speaker of the House. He is liable not to certify the election if Biden wins!
Hope is all we have at the moment. Plus Pete Aquilar, who speaks the truth to all and recognizes idiots when he sees them. Come on, Hakeem. Let's do this!
Liz Cheney put her country first. It's up to moderate Republicans to stand up and do the same. We can't afford to have an extremist Republican Speaker who aided Trump with the insurrection on Jan 6th. It would be a disaster for the people and this country!
Daniel, While I rarely claim to be certain of anything, I unequivocally would submit that your prayers won’t be answered. Accordingly, a substantial bloc of Democrats, including Jeffries, are urging so-called traditional Republicans to serve up a Republican institutionalist (Jeffries has asserted there are several), for whom enough Democrats would vote, to restore regular order to the House.
Extremist terrorists are losing their jobs and going to prison. The Pretenders are thinking twice. I know that some radicals might continue, but I’m hopeful the throng has been subdued considerably
Live by the sword, figuratively die by the sword. When they decided to side with the obstructionist flame thrower block of the GOP, they should have known it would eventually come to this.
Yes, and up to this point in time, they’d be right. For those with money, it appears fairly straightforward to tie the US Justice System up in knots to avoid consequences indefinitely.
If nothing else, Chump knows how to play the US Justice System like a fiddle. He tried to overthrow our government. People died. And he gets a few felony charges that could take years to play out? Seriously??
The danger of Jim Jordan becoming Speaker of the House cannot be overstated. It may be the "straw that breaks the camel's back" of American democracy. Christopher Steele has declared that Putin has been blackmailing Trump with photos of Trump's trysts in Moscow hotel rooms with Russian beauties and that there is a correlation between Putin's close associates mysteriously disappearing and Trump's access to highly classified national security documents. I've believed that all along, particularly given Trump's obsequious performance with Putin at Helsinki following their two hour meeting in which Trump seized the interpreter's notes and instructed her to say nothing about what had been discussed. This is what Jordan supports along with many of his MAGA Republican representatives. It is, in my view, teetering on the brink of disaster for democracy.
Richard, can you share the source or sources, which indicated evidence that Putin has been blackmailing Trump and the 'correlation between Putin's s close associates disappearing '...and Trump's access to highly classified national security documents'? That 'information' is of serious interest. As for a source, were you referring to Christopher David Steele a '...British former intelligence officer with the Secret Intelligence Service from 1987 until his retirement in 2009. He ran the Russia desk at MI6 headquarters in London between 2006 and 2009'? Trump is suing him. See link to WAPO article below. Unfortunately, it is not gifted.
The "coincidence" between Trump's having access to documents that contained the identities of foreign information sources and the close Putin associates who kept falling out of windows last summer raises suspicions.
True, what Jordan can be trusted to do is to wreak havoc and destruction on the country. Already the stock market is in a nose dive because of the Republicans.
Hakeem Jeffries received MORE votes than Jordan. Jim Jordan as Speaker WOULD NOT CERTIFY BIDEN if he won! That is the scariest thing besides being SECOND in line for the Presidency.
Maybe we need to get a movement going that demands the Speaker of the House have NO TIES to the insurrection or ANY involvement in overturning the results of the election.
After yesterday’s vote, I, like probably every Democrat in America, heaved a huge sigh of relief. I felt a brief moment of almost giddiness that there were a handful of TWENTY rational Republicans who would save our nation from a 15-month-long paralysis of legislative work, weaponization and impeachment circuses, destruction of government institutions, and vicious cuts aimed at the vulnerable and working class in this nation. There were more voting against Jordan than had been against McCarthy in his initial round of voting!!!
I was exhausted. I took a nap.
When I woke up, I felt uneasy. I googled to see who was on the list of TWENTY. I wanted to see which Republicans voted against Jordan and who they voted for. I wanted to see the possibilities for a consensus speaker.
Here is the list from CNN:
1. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska voted for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy
2. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon voted for McCarthy
3. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito of New York voted for former Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York
4. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida voted for Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana
5. Rep. Jake Ellzey of Texas voted for Rep. Mike Garcia of California
6. Rep. Andrew Garbarino of New York voted for Zeldin
7. Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida voted for McCarthy
8. Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas voted for Scalise
9. Rep. Kay Granger of Texas voted for Scalise
10. Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania voted for Scalise
11. Rep. Jennifer Kiggans of Virginia voted for McCarthy
12. Rep. Nick LaLota of New York voted for Zeldin
13. Rep. Mike Lawler of New York voted for McCarthy
14. Rep. John Rutherford of Florida voted for Scalise
15. Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho voted for Scalise
16. Rep. Steve Womack of Arkansas voted for Scalise
17. Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado voted for Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota
18. Rep. John James of Michigan voted for Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma
19. Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California voted for McCarthy
20. Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana voted for Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky
If you are a constituent of any of these, and you believe they are looking for sanity, please show your support and urge them to hold the line.
Who are the twenty Republicans looking at instead of Jordan? McCarthy got 6 votes, Scalise got 7, Lee Zeldin of NY, who lost his last race for the House (in a district that includes the Hamptons with a median family income of over $125,000), got 3 all from the NY delegation, with Mike Garcia, Tom Emmer, Tom Cole, and Tom Massie getting one each.
Thirteen of these votes are pure “FU” votes to stick it back to Jordan for leading the party into this circus.
To get a reading on who, of Zeldin and the others, might be the most amenable to a working bipartisan speakership, I turned to the data at Voteview. Voteview is a database that has analyzed the voting records of members of Congress and classified them along an ideology metric from liberal to conservative based on their voting records in the current Congress. You can see graphics supporting these conclusions on my substack.
I read the data as Cole being the most amenable to bipartisanship. At this point, all of the alternative nominees in the circus voted for Jordan. To get a reading on Zeldin, I have to go back into the data for the 117th Congress, but given the district Zeldin represented, you might have an inkling of what I expect the result to be.
The bigger question is, where are those who cast the votes against Jordan on the ideological scale?
What I can glean from this is that the less doctrinaire conservatives, whom I have dubbed “remnants” in my Substack analysis of the fracturing of the FRG (Former Republican Party) are not yet showing any evidence of coalescing around a consensus candidate that would work with Democrats in a bid for sanity. The 10 with the least conservative Voteview ideological rankings voted for McCarthy, Scalese or Zeldin. Also interesting was that not a single one of the Republicans who had bruited around extending McHenry’s powers nominated him.
As we wait for the wheel to turn, I will be working with the Voteview database to try to pull out other insights.
Just a personal note. I am writing exclusively about US politics. I am not ignoring the crises in the rest of the world. I am a second generation Ukrainian-American and I have worked closely with Palestinian and Israeli colleagues. during my research career. All of that just cuts too close to the bone for me.
Georgia, this is invaluable research. I love your passion, which wakes you in the dead of the night and you interpret your dream/sleep state into action. THESE New York Republicans are particularly endangered, for the most part they won swing districts. I will call their offices by the end of the week, to say ....,
"I offer my support for your courageous stance against the threats to our Democracy posed by Jim Jordan and the rest of your conservative party. Please stand true and do not cowar to this threat to our Democracy."
btw, I have great respect now, for your state (of Georgia!
Did you try to edit your post? I have found that Substack frequently seems to lose text when I go back in to edit a a previously posted comment. Are you referring to your post from 6:30 am ish that ended with the 11 am call to the House? I see it in my feed here.
Well, that's interesting: a couple of nights ago I woke up and looked at my phone. There were two or three really nasty reactions to what I'd said about the jacketless one. I'd already received shovelfuls of hearts, but it upset me. Next morning I checked my laptop - and they were gone.
I have found if I go back and edit something, once I hit "save" the edited version doesn't always immediately show up, especially if I edit more than once. What I tend to do is go back and re-load the entire Letter again and look up my post, or check "New first" rather than "Top first". I've always found anything I edit DOES eventually show up corrected. Oh, BTW sometimes if your post is down toward the bottom of the feed, directly above "Load more", if you're working on a comment, or editing, and somebody way up above adds something (and the whole page shifts down, what you were writing will disappear forever. I always make sure whatever I'm writing is well up in the body of the whole feed. Substack is far from perfect and can get a bit squirrelly sometimes, but in my experience it rarely eats what I'm writing. One CAN always write your comment on Notebook or Word (on PCs) or whatever and then copy & paste the whole thing into the comments section at one go. The word processing functions of your computer can be a little easier to deal with sometimes than Substack!
Some may have even voted for him reluctantly, perhaps not fearing for their jobs, but for their lives, or for those of their families. They may not have wanted to appear on some "hit list" on Truth Social by Gag Man.
My rep voted for Jordan. He is only interested in his personal political career. He is part of the sedition caucus, votes in lockstep with the FRG, and does NOTHING to help my rural district.
Thank you, Georgia for giving us both the list and locations of the adult Republicans, and for whom they voted. I hope the 119th Congress will see the end of most of the squalling toddlers.
Thank You Georgia. So, not surprisingly, my Republican oil-owned seditionist congressman, representing northern Michigan and the U.P., voted for Jordan the seditionist. But, the tide may be turning! Last night here in "red" Traverse City, Dr. Heather Cox Richardson spoke to our sold out crowd about her book "Democracy Awakening!" We are inspired to work even harder to oust Rep. Bergman. Thomas Paine would be so proud!
Darn it! I didn't know! Some of our very best friends live in TC and would have loved to hear her in person...we live in Michigan too but are out of the country right now. If I had been there I would have driven the 4 hours to see and hear her speak!
Thank you, thank you, thank you Mary Pat! I hope you were lucky enough to score a ticket or two! We (my history teacher husband and I watched the whole 1:39!) It was great!!! We are in Spain right now so, it was just such a pleasure to see the interview. I bought the book for the Kindle since bringing books back and forth are too heavy but I will definitely buy the hard copy when we come back to Michigan!
So glad to help! Yes, I scored 2 tickets. Being an NWS member meant I got an alert the minute they became available. Well worth the dues! Happy Trails to you and yours!
Dr. Richardson's new book, along with the 1619 Book Project, have also highlighted the important role that immigrants and descendants of former slaves have played here. They have been the champions of Democracy in this country, Dutifully slogging along at the bottom of the economic pile while keeping hope for a better future alive.
Georgia, you are amazing! Thanks for the deep dive. The NY Times had intimated that the New York delegation would be unwilling to support the wrestling coach (who allowed his colleague to abuse his own students with impunity) and, being a former New Yorker of long standing, and one who lived in a Republican district, I am well aware of why that is: the Republicans in New York are in a tight spot. Most of them come from some of the poorest districts in the state (Allegany and Steuben Counties for instance) or the wealthy Long Island suburbs. They are not a unified group working toward a common goal. They are clawing to stay ahead. So between "George" Santos (George is not his real name) and the clown car act in Washington, NY Repubs are feeling (in the words of Tom Lehrer) like a Christian Scientist with appendicitis.
Never thought I would contact Kay Granger again about anything after she hung up on me during a phone town hall (when I said war against Iraq was folly). But I’ll try again. So surprised that she wasn’t gung ho for Jordan. She was one of the Moscow eight in July 2018.
She has been a chumpette all along. And she and her son are pulling a fast one with the Panther Island Project in FW. Greedy politicians have so many paths greased to get undeserved money and glory. Adding you in here Menendez
Just another nasty GOP power/money grab in Texas.....
Watching in horror at the numerous "Special Sessions" by BULLY Abbott for private and religious school choice,$8000 per child, school vouchers. Texas funds its public school's for less ($6600 ish per child)
And the BULLY has stated he will continue having Special Sessions until the issue is passed. Tell me that isn't bullying .............
TX isn't the only state involved with that plot to kill public education- NH has the Commissioner of Education, who's NEVER attended public schools and attended a conservative college, is all for school vouchers including religious ones and home schoolers. The legislature has been diverting public ed. monies to the vouchers. Unfortunately we have a Repug quadrafecta (in addition to the usual trifecta of Governor, and the two houses of the legislature, we have an Executive Council which "advises" the governor on the dispersal of funds/contracts.) We also have members of a ultra libertarian group in the legislature who don''t necessarily let it be known they belong to the group.
🙏🏼 Hoping the second ballot straightens those spaghetti spines. I’m wondering if there were any Republicans listening to Pete Aguilar’s on target speech. Ignoring common sense is what republicants do best.
The (likely) only way out of this as I see it is for 5 goppers in districts that went for Biden to switch parties and become Dems supporting Jeffries. This would likely spell the end of their career, but that may be a fait accompli anyway.
It's politics. I would have no doubt that they would find homes as appointees in a second Biden administration, ambassadors, members of commissions or appointments to various Federal agencies. There is still patronage out there in both parties.
Georgia, Yes, there is life beyond elected office if there are contacts that could be monetized. CNN, MSNBC, Blogs, books, etc. are some suggestions. Without a solid funding arm the House is a one term job so it depends on character to do the right thing. Remember when that was the central requirement a long time ago? At the moment this country is in a trough of limited commitment/dedication to sanity. God help us.
I called every NO vote on Jordan yesterday.It took less than an hour and was able to speak with several “live” people who were appreciative.Some didn’t even ask where I live including many of the message prompts. Jess Craven/Chop Wood/Carry Water has list of phone #’s to make it easy!
Bacon, R, Ne. seems like he might have some sanity. I think it's also notable that every Ohio republican congress critter voted 'for' Jordan. *Thanks Georgia...
I can see the Dems campaign message in Ohio for 2024,
"Your President Joe Biden and U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown stand behind our Democracy with sanity and maturity - and firmly against the clown car driven by Republican leaders (State Prez candidate) and Rep. Congressional leader Jim Jordan."
Screen shows these faces driving the clown car of elephants ....
Georgia, thank you for posting the CNN list of the 20.
Among the Latina & Latino Representatives (Reps Nos: 2,4,7, & 8) is MARIO DIAZ-BALART who has signaled his current willingness to work with D's to elect the Temporary House Speaker to revive the House after the 14 Day Shutdown Note, also, that the 2nd round of the R vote for Speaker scheduled for 4:30 PM Eastern yesterday was cancelled simply because,Jordan the does NOT have the needed 217 votes.
Note, that Rep #9, the very "conservative" Fort Worth, TX-R. Chairwoman, KAY GRANGER, of the House Appropriations Committee has watched her House budget work trashed.
Note also, the extreme personal pressures & a personal toll on R-House Representatives as DEBBIE LESLIE, will announced she will NOT run again for her R-AZ seat so there is NO leverage on her.
The House quorum will be called TODAY at 11 am Eastern. There are other strategies at play.
UPDATE: Per NBC, Former Speakers Boehner ,& Gingrich now back voting for the current Temporary.Speaker.
Can you cite sources for this.|? What I found in yesterday's research was that Victoria Spartz who was born in Ukraine was the only Representative who had announced that she was not seeking re-election. Of course things are changing quickly.
I found the news about Debbie Lesko at apnews.com. Also, the Phoenix newspaper is already reporting about the questionable characters who are lining up to run for her seat. See azcentral.com
I like Spartz. She is quite smart. Her district is mostly farmland so those folks are mostly hard liners and hard to convince unless there are Ag issues involved. That is the most difficult segment to penetrate with a world view. They have limited education beyond HS and focus is limited as well. GOP has done their job well since the 70s to isolate those folks who are hard to reach beyond the church.
Does this mean that the 3 non-voting representatives of Puerto Rico, Guam, and American Samoa, all voted for Jordan? Excellent post by the way. It is sad and very disconcerting that the Republican Caucus can't even get their preferred leaders to run for House Speaker.
The "non-voting" Republican delegates can vote in the Republican conference to choose their nominee for Speaker, but they do not have a vote in the House as a whole.
Dr, Richardson ~ every day you give us these elegant missives that keep us apprised of the most pressing conversations and events changing our lives. As a fellow writer, the process of delivering such exquisite clarity without the bells and whistles is extremely challenging work, not to mention gut-wrenching and maddening as you deftly wade through the details of suffering and chaos to bring us the lede. Every. Single. Day. I am in constant awe of your grace and fortitude under such pressure, and beyond grateful for everything about you and the support you have that bolsters you (beautiful landscapes + Buddy). Please keep self-care high on your list. Your flame is the light I seek every day.
There has never been a time in US history before now when the US government was seriously impaired while facing a hugely important foreign crisis that has every possibility spiraling into a conflict with enormous possible negatives. Never before.
And that is tragic. Only the idea of Jordan as House Leader could make things worse. Yet again, the failure to identify any moves by those who opposed Jordan to put forth a Republican prepared to govern is a sign of little progress. Worst, is that this crisis is being pushed by a former president who is defying court orders and watching as his tactics are carrying the day within the Republican caucus - bully, lie, rally the base.
DJT needs to be in jail. Reportedly he was in Iowa. Disconcerting is a mild word to define the situation.
Yes, Jordan as House Speaker is a disgrace but not more than that. He could not accomplish anything even if were inclined to, and it’s unlikely that any other Speaker could get anything past the 10 or 12 true loonies that the people of their districts put in high positions for the purpose of doing things that appeal only to loonies. So, it’s bad but functionally equivalent to all the other realistic possibilities. The plus side is that the bad optics of an insurrectionist as Speaker cannot help and might hurt Republican election prospects.
The problem here is much, much more tha optics. The clock is running on the budget, Ukraine and now Israel needs our help, no working person in government should have to endure the consequences of a shut down.
Oh! And did I mention voting rights, climate, women’s healthcare, immigration reform, guns and violence, US citizens held by Hamas, China’s support of Putin,....?
Couldn’t agree more. But optics matter to Fox and cult nuts. Seems it’s all that does. I have a dog in this fight since my retirement check will be held up and I have a gdaughter who is gay. Yes, I am painfully aware of the many issues that hurt everyone. Wish repubs gave a damn.
Hugs to you. A different orientation is not a crime. Just needs toleration. Some folks do not have that capacity. Synergy takes place on a glacial scale is all I can offer. Peace.
Is Caitlin your girlfriend or something? Torture & violent murder of innocent civilians, women, children, elderly, even men in mass is never ok - whom ever is deemed good or bad. I think you two just like to throw your wits about making us all wrong for what ever reason. It's a big fat waste of our time. Burning down the system doesn't help anything but clear a path for fascism. I'd rather get the truth from Dr. Richardson and read Rachel Maddow's new book, Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism. It would be helpful if you guys could get behind what's actually happening instead of intellectually blowing up your own negatory perceptions of current events by throwing shade on popular liberal beliefs with your skewed made up stories. You're both pretty good writers, why not figure out a way we can work for the goodness of Democracy within the system we have rather than just trashing everything? That would be way more helpful than sending us links to some cleverly written conspiracy crap.
John, yes I agree. As superficial as the GOP has been in the last months, The House can actually move humanity forward in the US way. Collectively, we disagree on the precise way. If properly led, the House could do some good. At the moment gerrymandering and education/mis education and selfish interests are in the way. A big picture view is needed and we do not have it. God help us.
I agree. Jordan, like Steve Bannon, is not a builder. He’s a destroyer. Jorden elected as Speaker, or simply ad nauseumly under a vote, achieves the same thing: Government disfunction/inaction. THAT is the Mission. If you cannot stop it by legitimate votes through the congressional process, find another way. The government is shut down effectively by the gop having this inter-fighting. In fact that may be the strategy.
MLRGRMI, Pls define another way besides Congress to get their act together besides Martial Rule. I find our present system of government quite ineffective and messy. What would be your suggestion?
PI’s as a group have “another way?” Do you mean besides the gop destroy it vs the dem Fix-it? I believe everyone acknowledges we live in a version of democracy that is ineffective and messy. How do PI’s —as a group- define another way?
How can you get worse optics than chump? Chump blathers his word salad like an orator, and Jordan is just an all-around thug. Yep, I see the difference
My guess (and it’s just a guess) is that people support pervert Gym only because of his unconditional allegiance to chump, so there might be a bloc of magats who would like the optics of chump as speaker but not like the optics of the pervert as speaker. That guess is the basis of my remark. I don’t claim to know for sure but think it plausible that a Jordan speakership could hurt Republican prospects just a little. That could be important. Even 0.1% could be the difference between giving democracy a chance and ensuring the devastation of the planet.
Tom I recall, when the Japanese strafed an American gunboat in China in, I believe, 1937, we hunkered down. Presently in the Middle East we are not immediately ‘seriously impaired.’ As far as Ukraine (and Taiwan), a number of Republicans are acting irresponsibly.
It's all related to Trump. These extremist Republicans are only concern about their self-centered interest and Trumps agenda. Screw the people and this country. They want a dictatorship not a democracy.
Zella, in each of the cases you mention, the common thread is that one side doesn't believe the other should exist. That's Republicans believing that Democrats have no legitimacy to govern, Russia believing Ukrsine has no legitimate independence, and Hamas believing that Israel must be destroyed. This is the normal way or blue orb has been spinning since humans were created in god's image.
What a sad day, and sad week it's been. Mild relief that Jordan did not become Speaker today, but the news has been just horrifying since the Hamas attack 11 days ago. I can't even imagine how terrible life has become for those caught up in the misery of the Middle East region. I've stepped back from reading my Substack subscriptions for my own mental health these past few days since a few hundred people at my level were laid off last weekend by the company I work for. I just don't have the emotional bandwidth right now.
I appreciate Dr. Heather for continuing to write these LFAAs.
Just Janice….sending you some “juice” to replenish your depleted stores. Hang in, achieve balance if you can, but keep manning the guardrails of democracy!
Thank you for noting that stepping back from reading all the awful news of the world is sometimes necessary- and very important. I’m an artist with three more big shows to do this year. Normally, I listen to some political podcast or commentary for an hour while in my studio. Not this week! Immersing myself in color and quiet helps me regain perspective. Sending some of that your way!! Hang in there.
It was my habit too to listen only to political podcast while I melted glass, my medium of choice. I am now working in silence too. Normally I am an upbeat, bright color kind of lady. Today I feel so sad and smiling is difficult.
Take good care and good luck at your shows Sheila.
☮️💟 to you Just Janice--please be kind to yourself. I know how that darkness feels, but things WILL get better: I hope much, much sooner for you and your colleagues. Best 💕
Self-care is critical, JustJanice. Thank you from taking care of yourself, and I hope that your work situation improves. Get out in nature, bury yourself in a favorite hobby, do whatever eases your mind. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Draft behind someone if you need to for a while.
And then there's the 10 minute call during the insurrection he had with TFFG that he refuses to revel the contents of.
Part of me wants him to become speaker just to put another nail in the coffin of the Republican Fascist Party, but too many people will be victims of his shenanigans.
Like HCR mentions, the news form Gaza cannot be confirmed so I just won't watch it until weeks have passed and we know the truth.
I hear you JustJanice. It does feel as if there are next to no “adults in charge” of most everything/anything important. I believe there are times we must protect our psych and tend to those closest to us and believe our leaders on the world stage can remain strong & committed to our democracy until we can make a difference with our vote. We are so fortunate to have Heather to do the hard lifting of clarity in a time of seeming insanity and total chaos.
Dear JustJanice, I hope you will hang in there! I went through several corporate "right sizing" in my career and I understand completely how that feels. Even though I always made it through (sort of) you still feel awful seeing what it does to your friends. My advice, stay away from main stream news if you can because it is horrible, read HCR, donate to WCK since they are already there providing meals for people in the war zones and read a funny book or watch a silly sitcom until your energy banks are restored.
Thoughts and prayers always sounds sounds so hollow, but with todays news, both I. The Middle East and the chaos and terror with the speaker fiasco, I’m on my knees praying with some fierce thoughts and entreaties ...
They may soothe the soul but praying doesn’t change anything. If it allows an individual to gather strength and calm...to continue another day...that is a good thing! ❣️
Thank you. Your astute summaries, enlightening, if not uplifting. Praying for Biden’s safety as well as his success in calming the Middle Eastern waters. Re the Jordan mess in congress, praying that saner minds will prevail. I shudder to imagine how things will be if he gets the speakership.😱
You are so right. I would call them the 3 stooges, but the 3 stooges were actually sane and more intelligent than Jordan, Gaetz, and TUMP. Anyway, i think it's an insult to the stooges by comparing them to Gaetz, Jordan, and TUMP.
I agree with you G. Professor Richardson is my go to person for clarity and a broad vision on history as we experience history unfolding. There are many forms of “praying,” according to our belief systems and any form of adding positive energy to the unfolding drama we are living in is of benefit.
Well, my spineless, useless, self-enriching representative, Chuck Fleischmann, TN-3 (he has only received notoriety for enriching himself with health care stock purchases with votes in Congress that correspond remarkably close to specific purchases he makes), was one of the 200 who voted for Jordan, after voting for Scalise previously.
Chuckles has distinguished himself by doing nothing of distinction while in Congress; he is a “company” man who keeps his head down and votes/says exactly what he is told to say by the GOP. He has held no town halls for more than a decade, and I have seen video of him literally running from constituents who try to ask him questions. 🙄
He got this email from me last night:.
“You voted for an insurrectionist as Speaker of the House.
Let me repeat that.
You. voted. for. an. insurrectionist. for. Speaker. Of. the. House.
You voted for an insurrectionist to be 2nd in line to the Presidency.
Just letting you know that we all know this about you.
My seditionist rep (MI-1) follows the same playbook. No townhalls. No representation. But we have 2 excellent Democratic candidates already crisscrossing our huge district,and Dr. Heather spoke to an enthusiastic sold out crowd here in Traverse City last night! Feeling the hope that Democracy is Awakening!
IF you have the time today, watch and listen to the speeches priorr to the votes for the speaker of the house. My recommendation is CSPAN. It is the only way to get an understanding of what is going on with the floor. The networks are paid to talk and I have seen at times the interruption of key government officials like Nancy Pelosi during a speech to say “what Nancy is saying”.
Their are quite a few diamonds in the rough, and one is Mikie Sherrill. She is Navy academy Grad, flown combat helicopter and a mother of four. She speaks all the time locally when she really doesn’t have to.
But Gaetz gets the camera.
As for Ukraine, the Abrams and mid range missles are game changers but with Putin talking with China, we might be seeing new technology coming their way. Technology that China is wanting to test out. Not like the missle systems going to Hamas with 30% falling upon themselves and quite possibly the hospital yesterday.
Again, Jordan is an embarrassment to Ohio. The Ohioans who voted for him are an embarrassment. Well, actually, Jordan is an embarrassment to the whole country.
If you are of the mind, say some prayers for Biden as he heads to Israel.
Weaponizing Jim Jordan is lock step with Trump on the BIE LIE on the 2020 presidential election, the 1/6 insidious conspiracy, finding Trump unimpeachable, and other MAGA nonsense.
Short of the 217 votes needed to be speaker, he is personally threatening ‘moderate’ Republicans with being ‘primaried,’ if they don’t support him.
I personally find Jordan despicable and recall his role in the Hillary Clinton Benghazi charade. I find it unimaginable that Jordan, as speaker, could/would act responsibly in supporting legislation related to continuing funding of the United States government after November 15th, financing our commitments to Ukraine, and other essential actions that could gain Senate assent and President Biden’s signature.
In brief, Jordan as speaker would bring Trump’s presidential campaign on to the floor of the House.
If not Jordan, who? Dunno.
Personally I believe that George Santos has the unique character that would make him an excellent Republican House speaker. He has all of the negative qualities that should make him a shoo in. And he has only been indicted 31 times (so far), far below Trump’s nearly 100 indictments.
They may not have the spines to stand up now...worried about being “primaried” however they will be voted out because they did not have the courage to speak up!
Thank you, Dr. Richardson. Hooray for Ukraine using long range missiles on "military" targets; showing the world how lawful countries respect the lives on non-combatants. So opposite from Putin whose only concern is for himself and his aggrandizement.
Great response from Pete Aguilar. He said exactly what needed to be said of lowlife Jordan. Congratulations to the 20 Adult, Republican Congress persons who put country ahead of party and voted against Jordan. It's also heartening to note Hakeem Jeffries got more votes than dimwitted Jordan.
The attack on the hospital in Gaza was disgusting, those poor people, patients and medical staff. Whether the explosion was erroneous or deliberate, of Israeli or Palestinian origin it is unforgivable.
Looking at maps of Israel and Palestine I can't understand the stupidity of the way Palestine was split with Gaza a small portion of land and the rest of Palestine miles away through Israel to the North East. Whoever was responsible for drawing the borders in 1947 to 1949 were stupid beyond redemption . Israelis deserved a land of their own, they have been abused and disbursed for centuries for no reason other than their success in business and prosperity. But Palestinians should have been given a secure undivided area in which to live peacefully. Between the hatred for Jews and the stupidity of the UN these wars were predictable from the onset. If the Muslim nations had not immediately and frequently attacked Israel they could have lived prosperously and peacefully side by side. Had the UN set up two adjacent Nations without separating the Palestinians, they could have had a better start. And if Netanyahu were a decent man dedicated to Israel and not himself, things could have been better. The best we can hope for now is the Israelis will kill all Hamas leadership and return to governing Israel, with no further conflict.
"The best we can hope for... kill all Hamas leadership" will not lead to less conflict. The best we can hope for now is that Israelis wake up to the dead end that Netanyahu has led them into. There are more dead Jews under his watch than any leader since Golda Meier. A return to the Oslo Accords with an unceremonious boot to the settlements that have been established since they were signed is the best way out. The alternative is one country which will have a Palestinian majority. Joe Biden should not be talking to the leader of a coalition that includes Itamar Ben-Gvir and Beelzebub Smoltrich.
The UN proposed partition called for a narrow connection for the Palestinian sector. The separation was a product of the Arab war against Israel in 1948. /Users/leonardlubinsky/Desktop/Map1_UN47-002.jpg
Ariel Sharon made a gesture of peace to the Palestinians. He removed all of his troops from the Gaza and moved them to the perimeter. However, this gesture was not enough, because the Palestinians were still hemmed into a 25 mile narrow strip. It was a gesture that failed along with the efforts of 4 American presidents' Sharon's peace gesture got Hamas in return. All efforts will fail as long as Iran is pulling the strings. Hamas and Hezbollah are being funded, trained and supplied with weapons by Iran. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2023/10/hamas-covenant-israel-attack-war-genocide/675602/
I share your sympathies dear Fay; For the innocents, Israeli and Palestinians. At the end of any day, I have to ponder why the West Bank Palestinians choose Hamas as their leaders who initiated this conflict, and Jordan has a king that is bossed around by Hezbollah. All those facts temper some sympathies.
Hamas initiated this conflict? Have you been following what has been happening in Jerusalem and the West Bank since Netanyahu came back into power? Under Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich Palestinian villages have been torched and thugs have interrupted services at the Dome of the Rock. If you beat on a people long enough, they will fight back.
Hamas started this battle by invading southern Israel and massacring hundreds of innocents. There is no justification for this evil. The wages of this aggression will be on their heads.
Israel deserves the right to defend itself, though it's true that the Israeli far right has been mean and stupid.
Before Hamas was elected in Gaza, its border was more open and Palestinians living there had more opportunities to build a decent life. Now no more.
Since I have belief in humanity, I will continue to believe that gerrymandering, and some laziness of those who didn't vote, is responsible for that.
This drives me to write postcards/letters to voters with encouragement!
(For those who can't afford the ever increasing postage, the voteforward.org campaign will supply you with stamps/supplies. You need only volunteer your time.)
Hamas is actually located in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Palestinian people have been impoverished for years, long before Israel was carved out. They had not employed modern farming methods most were poorly educated. Like a lot of dominating religions, the religious leaders of the Palestinians, proposed keeping the 'peasant' classes in ignorance and feeding them fear and promises. The Jewish people, who like the Palestinians are Semites, on the other hand insisted the young boys of the community be capable of reading, writing. basic arithmetic and trade. I won't hazard a guess as to if this is the basis for the general prosperity of Jewish communities through the ages. I do know from my reading of history the Jews were despised, not for their religious beliefs but for their prosperity. Envy of this, in my opinion, is the cause of most anti Jewish pogroms and movements. One of the many reasons I find the American white supremacists chant "The Jews will not replace us" so laughable. The Jews are so much more intelligent, artistic and prosperous than those morons that they, the Jews, could have no reason to wish to replace them. And no, I am not Jewish. I admire, but do not envy them.
Looking back on my comment, I did make one error in that I was thinking 'Gaza' strip and wrote 'West Bank'. I'd agree on your points; I chose to not be as expansive as I was focused on first things first regarding the current conflagration. Hamas started the fight from the Gaza Strip, furthering misery of the innocents in Gaza and Israel.
Think MAGA republicans, and you may begin to understand. First they attract them by legitimate grievance, then they accustom them to solving the problem with violence, which is not difficult to accept when you are an occupied people. Then the threat of thinking differently could get you or your family visited on by the equivalent of Brownshirts. There is no choice for many of them.
Thank you, Heather, for leading with news from Ukraine. Events in the Middle East and the Keystone Kops show by House Republicans have diverted attention away from that important situation. I'm glad to see that our support is enabling Ukraine to keep Russian forces on their back feet. It is critical that that help continue. Which brings us to...
It was with a sigh of relief that I learned that Jim Jordan failed to attain the House speakership on the first vote, and that the second vote has been postponed. As Jordan negotiates for the votes of holdouts, he weakens his presumed eventual leadership, (See McCarthy, Kevin) and may yet fail altogether. Indications of evolving independent backbones in a few House Republicans are encouraging.
Meanwhile, from Senate Republican leadership, a deafening silence. Is that merely to avoid another embarrassing public brain-fade from Mitch McConnell?
It seems the Republican train, with its yellow-haired engineer, is rushing full-throttle backward into the looming 2024 election.
From MSM coverage, I doubt that many minds have been awakened by the coverage. Perhaps they should tell of the tactics Jordan’s thugs are using to browbeat reluctant members to support him
I caught a short clip on MSNBC the other day detailing Jordan’s bullying tactics over the week-end, including the involvement of Sean Hannity...so it’s out there but is anyone listening/watching?!
I'm struck by the ironic feeling that the Ukraine-Russia conflict is now the most conventional sequence of events amongst the current darlings of the press; that also includes Gaza and the US House of Representatives. And then there's His Orangeness, who would like us all to believe that none of these things would be happening were he "in charge"...
One only has to look at how TFFG negotiated with the Taliban to turn Afghanistan over to them after the election. Unfortunately, Joe gets blamed by the MAGAts for Trump's fiasco in Afghanistan.
Let's face it, Trump couldn't negotiate a deal to buy a used car without effing it up.
Having heard Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speak with integrity, anyone in their right mind would support him for Speaker. Alas, “right minds” are elsewhere…
'Jim Jordan’s Speaker Bid in Jeopardy After He Accidentally Locks Himself in Bathroom'
'WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Rep. Jim Jordan’s bid to become Speaker of the House faced a new obstacle after news spread that he had accidentally locked himself in his congressional bathroom.'
'The Ohio congressman, who had been expected to meet with holdouts opposing his candidacy, was missing for hours before aides noticed a desperate bellowing sound from inside his office’s water closet.'' Jordan’s inability to engineer an exit from his own restroom raised fresh questions about his fitness to be Speaker, with some questioning whether he should be trusted with a large, potentially dangerous wooden hammer.'
'But, supporters like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene pronounced Jordan’s self-imprisonment in his bathroom irrelevant. “I accidentally lock myself in my bathroom three, four times a week, and it hasn’t kept me from being an excellent leader,” she said.' (Satire, NEWYORKER)
Sorry, but she is an idiot. Imagine people actually voted for her, and the likes of JJJJ and trump. There lies the real problem in this country. JJJJ=Jacket-less the jackass Jim Jordan
It struck me that he was wearing his jacket yesterday. It was so new he hadn’t taken the price tag off... I think he plans to return it...,
I think Jordan needs a matched pair of bracelets connected by a chain as a fashion accessory to insurrection.
You're being kind.
Hilarious!
Oh thank you! I needed a laugh.
Things feel pretty dire.
One can only hope that as the Rethugs dig themselves ever deeper into the morass of obstructionism and extremism, that there will be enough people who finally say, "enough".
We all need a good laugh but you’re correct. Things are very dire on so many levels!
Thank you, Cynthia. First laugh of the am.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
🤣🤣🤣
Thanks, Fern! Needed that!
MaryPat, I am so heavy with the deaths, hostages, absence of food, water, living space and medicine in Gaza and what may happen beyond; it wasn't until I landed on Andy Borowitz's, Jim Jordan, that there was any laugh in sight. So glad he lifted you and other LFAAers!
Thank you Fern. As Americans I just don't think we are equipped to see the horror and the chaos day in and day out. Our hearts break for all the innocents that are hurt or killed whether they are in Ukraine, Israel or Gaza. We yearn for sanity and clarity and it keeps feeling like we are running up a steep hill and the wind keeps trying to push us back. The HCR letter helps, the comments from thoughtful people like you and so many others do too. But in the end, we must stay strong and try to get everyone who is like minded to VOTE!
And laugh both before and after.
I completely agree with you, Fern. These are heavy times, and the bit from Andy Borowitz lightened things up a little.
I wonder if Randy Rainbow will come up w/a song...
Fern will find it for us!
Very much appreciate both your serious and humorous posts, Fern. For the past 2 months I've been doing something I never did before - watch Hallmark movies. Every night has a happy (if really corny) ending now.
Ii
Jordan is meaner, nastier and dumber than Newt Gingrich. Let that one sink in. Jordan is a thug, an irreverent bully.
Hard to imagine anyone nastier than Newt Gingrich. Jordan is more stupid than nasty.
Yet, cut from the same cloth.
Vince, at least a small part of Gingrich's brain was functional. I know you remember the Contract with America....
I can only verify 2 brain cells in gym's head--one to make his mouth move, and one to keep his tailpipe closed. That's one more brain cell than his boss....
That is why I opted for "dumber" than. I don't recall enough about Gingrich at this point to address how smart or dumb he is. Jordan is out of his league; over his head. Gingrich was strategic to a point, but quite lethal. (And heartless, which is a requirement for Republicans.) I called his "Contract for America" the Contract against America.
Thank you, Dr. Koch. When did you last examine his pipes?
Now Fern, you know I can't discuss patient confidential information. Like, you know--bone spurs...
❤️
Up to your Hippocratic ways, are you! I shall find a way to pry you loose someday.
Fern thanks for the laugh!😅
🤣
Thank you Fern, Andy, and the New Yorker! What a catharsis. For a moment.
Fern, you're a treasure. You and Borowitz made me laugh, which, when I got up this morning, appeared to be an impossible task. Thanks!!!
I felt exactly as you did this morning, Nancy. Thank you!
This would be just funny, if it weren't highly possible, given the intellectual waste land that is the Republican extremist wing.
They, jj and mtg should have been left in their wc!
When you think of Jim Jordan, does the word 'inept' come to mind?
Yes, Julia, inept and a whole slew of other words, none of them flattering.
Julia, when I first saw Jordan on TV years ago, I thought he belonged in an Anime adventure as a bumbling villain. His persona is so alien to my reality, that I have trouble believing such a person exists. He shouldn't, really.
Fern, thank you, so much! I laughed out loud, nay, I guffawed. I think I frightened the cat.
A belt of Andy B in the morning is better than a tranquilizer. 😂😂😂😂
Thank you so much, Fern, for injecting some humor into an otherwise tense, fraught, outrageous situation. We all need this right now. Spot-on!!
😂😂😂 Just spit out my coffee.
Thankfully, I have learned that when Fern posts The Borowitz Report, I have to put the coffee down to avoid the inevitable dispersal of liquid towards my keyboard.
I saw Borowitz yesterday and instantly saw Gym locked in a sweaty smelly gym bathroom...and that's where he should be for eternity.
Hahahahaha! You can always count on Borowitz for a good laugh, which is so often needed in such dire circumstances.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🤷♂️😎
Fern, you are obviously working in the tradition that Pete Davidson “unleashed” on SNL. Thank you and thank the Greeks, in particular, Aristophanes!
Key words spoken here. “Right minds”, which are only in the Democratic side of the aisle. I’m just praying 5 of the opposite side will smarten up and vote for Jeffries as Speaker. Put Jim Jordan in his place, then expel him, and all the others.
Happy thought; wishful thinking. Every last one considers working with Dems going to the dark side. Bobbleheads all. It could not be more terrifying.
Unless one lives in Israel and Gaza.
Or Ukraine!
Yes, Marge, for certain.
And in so many war-torn, disaster-ridden areas where human beings suffer. It overwhelms. As I sit in my comfortable home on a beautiful fall morning, with electricity, water, food, and medicine I ask all the why and what-if questions we all must ask.
There, but for the grace of God, go I."
If Jordan is an unnamed co-conspirator in the Capitol insurrection trial, is it now a good time to call out his name?
I have been screaming it from the rooftops and emailing the news. Anyone who did not recognize Biden as winning the election should NOT be Speaker of the House. He is liable not to certify the election if Biden wins!
Yes!
On the House Floor the political Dynamics are more complex than "smarten up" Go deeper into the List of 20 posted by Georgia.
Wednesday Update: 2nd Lost Speaker Vote. Now 21 R's Vote against the flamethrower.
I have already sent a note to our "representative" from SW Michigan. Of course he voted for Jordan...what a marroon!
What is his name? We should ALL CALL! I called the Republicans who were vulnerable where they represent the district Biden won.
His name is Bill Huizenga. He replaced Fred Upton who was a definite putz but Huizenga is even worse.
I will start looking at others that I can send notes to!
I had included a list with phone numbers to make it easier to call in Monday’s post I think it was.
Remember this his next election
I always do!
Yes, reducing them to caricatures is not a good strategy, or wise political thinking. Thank you for the reminder.
Hope is all we have at the moment. Plus Pete Aquilar, who speaks the truth to all and recognizes idiots when he sees them. Come on, Hakeem. Let's do this!
Liz Cheney put her country first. It's up to moderate Republicans to stand up and do the same. We can't afford to have an extremist Republican Speaker who aided Trump with the insurrection on Jan 6th. It would be a disaster for the people and this country!
Yes, it will be. I fear this if Jordan gets Speaker. He’s pulling out all stops, including intimidation, and threats, to get his vote.
He’s already started. The private phone numbers of those who opposed him were publicized. They received death threats! Nice, isn’t it?
Daniel, While I rarely claim to be certain of anything, I unequivocally would submit that your prayers won’t be answered. Accordingly, a substantial bloc of Democrats, including Jeffries, are urging so-called traditional Republicans to serve up a Republican institutionalist (Jeffries has asserted there are several), for whom enough Democrats would vote, to restore regular order to the House.
Don’t forget how scared Republicans are of the extremists constituency they helped build up. They fear attacks if they choose a Democrat.
Extremist terrorists are losing their jobs and going to prison. The Pretenders are thinking twice. I know that some radicals might continue, but I’m hopeful the throng has been subdued considerably
Live by the sword, figuratively die by the sword. When they decided to side with the obstructionist flame thrower block of the GOP, they should have known it would eventually come to this.
I think that they, like the elites whose money bought them a seat in Congress, think they are immune to consequences.
Yes, and up to this point in time, they’d be right. For those with money, it appears fairly straightforward to tie the US Justice System up in knots to avoid consequences indefinitely.
If nothing else, Chump knows how to play the US Justice System like a fiddle. He tried to overthrow our government. People died. And he gets a few felony charges that could take years to play out? Seriously??
Dave, you can bet your last dollar that Jordan and Trumputin have a plan, if he can get Jordan in as Speaker, it will be out in motion.
You got that right. First order of business:
Shutdown the government. Cause chaos.
Second order of business:
to NOT certify the election if Biden wins
Politician or not, Honesty is important to me.
Yes! Character matters.
Thoughts become words
Words become actions
Actions become habits
Habits become character
Character is everything!
Exactly!!!
The danger of Jim Jordan becoming Speaker of the House cannot be overstated. It may be the "straw that breaks the camel's back" of American democracy. Christopher Steele has declared that Putin has been blackmailing Trump with photos of Trump's trysts in Moscow hotel rooms with Russian beauties and that there is a correlation between Putin's close associates mysteriously disappearing and Trump's access to highly classified national security documents. I've believed that all along, particularly given Trump's obsequious performance with Putin at Helsinki following their two hour meeting in which Trump seized the interpreter's notes and instructed her to say nothing about what had been discussed. This is what Jordan supports along with many of his MAGA Republican representatives. It is, in my view, teetering on the brink of disaster for democracy.
Richard, can you share the source or sources, which indicated evidence that Putin has been blackmailing Trump and the 'correlation between Putin's s close associates disappearing '...and Trump's access to highly classified national security documents'? That 'information' is of serious interest. As for a source, were you referring to Christopher David Steele a '...British former intelligence officer with the Secret Intelligence Service from 1987 until his retirement in 2009. He ran the Russia desk at MI6 headquarters in London between 2006 and 2009'? Trump is suing him. See link to WAPO article below. Unfortunately, it is not gifted.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/16/trump-steele-dossier-sue-britain/
Good morning, Fern. Trump is being prosecuted for his taking national security documents, 48 of which are known to be missing. Christopher Steele recently made an announcement about Trump's being a national security threat. There are many sources that you can google for this, but here's one: https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/trump-committed-egregious-intelligence-breach-ex-uk-spy-tells-court-2023-10-17/
The "coincidence" between Trump's having access to documents that contained the identities of foreign information sources and the close Putin associates who kept falling out of windows last summer raises suspicions.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/17/russian-sources-disappeared-after-trump-declassified-ex-spys-evidence-uk-court-told
Guardian has no paywall and no ads. Similar info to Reuters.
Thank you, Richard.
https://wapo.st/3S316Nk
Should be a gift article.
This article reads like a Borowitz report.
Yes, that's it. THANK YOU!
We cannot allow him to be in that position. He can’t be trusted to do what is best for our country.
True, what Jordan can be trusted to do is to wreak havoc and destruction on the country. Already the stock market is in a nose dive because of the Republicans.
But they will blame it on Biden. They blame everything on Biden; even the war in Israel.
Confirmation bias.
Hakeem Jeffries received MORE votes than Jordan. Jim Jordan as Speaker WOULD NOT CERTIFY BIDEN if he won! That is the scariest thing besides being SECOND in line for the Presidency.
Maybe we need to get a movement going that demands the Speaker of the House have NO TIES to the insurrection or ANY involvement in overturning the results of the election.
So true.
After yesterday’s vote, I, like probably every Democrat in America, heaved a huge sigh of relief. I felt a brief moment of almost giddiness that there were a handful of TWENTY rational Republicans who would save our nation from a 15-month-long paralysis of legislative work, weaponization and impeachment circuses, destruction of government institutions, and vicious cuts aimed at the vulnerable and working class in this nation. There were more voting against Jordan than had been against McCarthy in his initial round of voting!!!
I was exhausted. I took a nap.
When I woke up, I felt uneasy. I googled to see who was on the list of TWENTY. I wanted to see which Republicans voted against Jordan and who they voted for. I wanted to see the possibilities for a consensus speaker.
Here is the list from CNN:
1. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska voted for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy
2. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon voted for McCarthy
3. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito of New York voted for former Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York
4. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida voted for Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana
5. Rep. Jake Ellzey of Texas voted for Rep. Mike Garcia of California
6. Rep. Andrew Garbarino of New York voted for Zeldin
7. Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida voted for McCarthy
8. Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas voted for Scalise
9. Rep. Kay Granger of Texas voted for Scalise
10. Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania voted for Scalise
11. Rep. Jennifer Kiggans of Virginia voted for McCarthy
12. Rep. Nick LaLota of New York voted for Zeldin
13. Rep. Mike Lawler of New York voted for McCarthy
14. Rep. John Rutherford of Florida voted for Scalise
15. Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho voted for Scalise
16. Rep. Steve Womack of Arkansas voted for Scalise
17. Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado voted for Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota
18. Rep. John James of Michigan voted for Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma
19. Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California voted for McCarthy
20. Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana voted for Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky
If you are a constituent of any of these, and you believe they are looking for sanity, please show your support and urge them to hold the line.
Who are the twenty Republicans looking at instead of Jordan? McCarthy got 6 votes, Scalise got 7, Lee Zeldin of NY, who lost his last race for the House (in a district that includes the Hamptons with a median family income of over $125,000), got 3 all from the NY delegation, with Mike Garcia, Tom Emmer, Tom Cole, and Tom Massie getting one each.
Thirteen of these votes are pure “FU” votes to stick it back to Jordan for leading the party into this circus.
To get a reading on who, of Zeldin and the others, might be the most amenable to a working bipartisan speakership, I turned to the data at Voteview. Voteview is a database that has analyzed the voting records of members of Congress and classified them along an ideology metric from liberal to conservative based on their voting records in the current Congress. You can see graphics supporting these conclusions on my substack.
I read the data as Cole being the most amenable to bipartisanship. At this point, all of the alternative nominees in the circus voted for Jordan. To get a reading on Zeldin, I have to go back into the data for the 117th Congress, but given the district Zeldin represented, you might have an inkling of what I expect the result to be.
The bigger question is, where are those who cast the votes against Jordan on the ideological scale?
What I can glean from this is that the less doctrinaire conservatives, whom I have dubbed “remnants” in my Substack analysis of the fracturing of the FRG (Former Republican Party) are not yet showing any evidence of coalescing around a consensus candidate that would work with Democrats in a bid for sanity. The 10 with the least conservative Voteview ideological rankings voted for McCarthy, Scalese or Zeldin. Also interesting was that not a single one of the Republicans who had bruited around extending McHenry’s powers nominated him.
As we wait for the wheel to turn, I will be working with the Voteview database to try to pull out other insights.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/17/politics/republicans-who-voted-against-jim-jordan/index.html
https://voteview.com/data
Lewis, Jeffrey B., Keith Poole, Howard Rosenthal, Adam Boche, Aaron Rudkin, and Luke Sonnet (2021). Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database.
https://georgiafisanick.substack.com/p/who-was-not-on-the-list
Just a personal note. I am writing exclusively about US politics. I am not ignoring the crises in the rest of the world. I am a second generation Ukrainian-American and I have worked closely with Palestinian and Israeli colleagues. during my research career. All of that just cuts too close to the bone for me.
Georgia, this is invaluable research. I love your passion, which wakes you in the dead of the night and you interpret your dream/sleep state into action. THESE New York Republicans are particularly endangered, for the most part they won swing districts. I will call their offices by the end of the week, to say ....,
"I offer my support for your courageous stance against the threats to our Democracy posed by Jim Jordan and the rest of your conservative party. Please stand true and do not cowar to this threat to our Democracy."
btw, I have great respect now, for your state (of Georgia!
Frederick, good idea! I will do the same!
Thanks, Georgia, for doing our work for us. I appreciate you.
And Georgia, That should be too close to the bone for all of us.
Where is our collective mind? This is totally loony tuney and I personally can’t even joke about any of it .
At we tally blind? This empire is exploding .
I have a similar reaction, but I'm into the Buddhist teaching about a "don't know mind." There are so many imponderables.
Are we totally blind .... my Apple 14 phone can’t follow directions!!!!
Georgia, FYI, my detailed comments on 6 of the 20 you listed as context for House tactics foday was apparently deleted by Substack Inc. ??
Did you try to edit your post? I have found that Substack frequently seems to lose text when I go back in to edit a a previously posted comment. Are you referring to your post from 6:30 am ish that ended with the 11 am call to the House? I see it in my feed here.
Well, that's interesting: a couple of nights ago I woke up and looked at my phone. There were two or three really nasty reactions to what I'd said about the jacketless one. I'd already received shovelfuls of hearts, but it upset me. Next morning I checked my laptop - and they were gone.
Thank you. I do not think you can use the Edit Tool on reply's. YES on 11 am ending Comment.
This is a test of editing a typo in this reply.
EDIT: It allowed me to fix the typo.
Thank you but, not my tools.
I have found if I go back and edit something, once I hit "save" the edited version doesn't always immediately show up, especially if I edit more than once. What I tend to do is go back and re-load the entire Letter again and look up my post, or check "New first" rather than "Top first". I've always found anything I edit DOES eventually show up corrected. Oh, BTW sometimes if your post is down toward the bottom of the feed, directly above "Load more", if you're working on a comment, or editing, and somebody way up above adds something (and the whole page shifts down, what you were writing will disappear forever. I always make sure whatever I'm writing is well up in the body of the whole feed. Substack is far from perfect and can get a bit squirrelly sometimes, but in my experience it rarely eats what I'm writing. One CAN always write your comment on Notebook or Word (on PCs) or whatever and then copy & paste the whole thing into the comments section at one go. The word processing functions of your computer can be a little easier to deal with sometimes than Substack!
200 Republicans voted for jj. How frightening!
Some may have even voted for him reluctantly, perhaps not fearing for their jobs, but for their lives, or for those of their families. They may not have wanted to appear on some "hit list" on Truth Social by Gag Man.
My rep voted for Jordan. He is only interested in his personal political career. He is part of the sedition caucus, votes in lockstep with the FRG, and does NOTHING to help my rural district.
Pretty ignorant to be afraid of this jerk BUT will allow him to be speaker of the house & in "charge"? Might say short term thinking.
Thank you, Georgia for giving us both the list and locations of the adult Republicans, and for whom they voted. I hope the 119th Congress will see the end of most of the squalling toddlers.
Makes you wonder how does Jordan's district keep electing him. He does nothing but perform for right wing media. He is a waste of a salary.
Thank You Georgia. So, not surprisingly, my Republican oil-owned seditionist congressman, representing northern Michigan and the U.P., voted for Jordan the seditionist. But, the tide may be turning! Last night here in "red" Traverse City, Dr. Heather Cox Richardson spoke to our sold out crowd about her book "Democracy Awakening!" We are inspired to work even harder to oust Rep. Bergman. Thomas Paine would be so proud!
Darn it! I didn't know! Some of our very best friends live in TC and would have loved to hear her in person...we live in Michigan too but are out of the country right now. If I had been there I would have driven the 4 hours to see and hear her speak!
Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/live/1otD0Q4r4MM?si=cZ-3p0sup3gU_Zp_
Thank you, thank you, thank you Mary Pat! I hope you were lucky enough to score a ticket or two! We (my history teacher husband and I watched the whole 1:39!) It was great!!! We are in Spain right now so, it was just such a pleasure to see the interview. I bought the book for the Kindle since bringing books back and forth are too heavy but I will definitely buy the hard copy when we come back to Michigan!
So glad to help! Yes, I scored 2 tickets. Being an NWS member meant I got an alert the minute they became available. Well worth the dues! Happy Trails to you and yours!
If it is any consolation, tickets were sold out the first day (maybe hour).
Everyone,
Please DO notice all the Hispanic and Latino last names who voted against Jim Jordan. Please DO notice who has REAL courage in America.
Next time someone disparages an immigrant in your presence, take them on directly and with gusto.
Georgia, thank you for your due diligence.
Thank you so much,Mike, for pointing this out! What a great way to fight back against the anti-immigration forces in this country.
Georgia,,
Dr. Richardson's new book, along with the 1619 Book Project, have also highlighted the important role that immigrants and descendants of former slaves have played here. They have been the champions of Democracy in this country, Dutifully slogging along at the bottom of the economic pile while keeping hope for a better future alive.
Thank you Georgia. We are watching all of this while holding our breath or alternatively gasping for air...what a circus!
Georgia, you are amazing! Thanks for the deep dive. The NY Times had intimated that the New York delegation would be unwilling to support the wrestling coach (who allowed his colleague to abuse his own students with impunity) and, being a former New Yorker of long standing, and one who lived in a Republican district, I am well aware of why that is: the Republicans in New York are in a tight spot. Most of them come from some of the poorest districts in the state (Allegany and Steuben Counties for instance) or the wealthy Long Island suburbs. They are not a unified group working toward a common goal. They are clawing to stay ahead. So between "George" Santos (George is not his real name) and the clown car act in Washington, NY Repubs are feeling (in the words of Tom Lehrer) like a Christian Scientist with appendicitis.
Never thought I would contact Kay Granger again about anything after she hung up on me during a phone town hall (when I said war against Iraq was folly). But I’ll try again. So surprised that she wasn’t gung ho for Jordan. She was one of the Moscow eight in July 2018.
I was thinking the same thing - Really surprised. But HAPPY to see.
She has been a chumpette all along. And she and her son are pulling a fast one with the Panther Island Project in FW. Greedy politicians have so many paths greased to get undeserved money and glory. Adding you in here Menendez
Just another nasty GOP power/money grab in Texas.....
Watching in horror at the numerous "Special Sessions" by BULLY Abbott for private and religious school choice,$8000 per child, school vouchers. Texas funds its public school's for less ($6600 ish per child)
And the BULLY has stated he will continue having Special Sessions until the issue is passed. Tell me that isn't bullying .............
One thing Texas is awash in is Texas-sized bullies. He is on a mission to destroy public schools.
TX isn't the only state involved with that plot to kill public education- NH has the Commissioner of Education, who's NEVER attended public schools and attended a conservative college, is all for school vouchers including religious ones and home schoolers. The legislature has been diverting public ed. monies to the vouchers. Unfortunately we have a Repug quadrafecta (in addition to the usual trifecta of Governor, and the two houses of the legislature, we have an Executive Council which "advises" the governor on the dispersal of funds/contracts.) We also have members of a ultra libertarian group in the legislature who don''t necessarily let it be known they belong to the group.
What a great deep dive--thank you. McCarthy and Scalise voted for Jordan?
For the first ballot. They both probably signed on for the first ballot only as a sign of "party unity". The animosity runs deep.
🙏🏼 Hoping the second ballot straightens those spaghetti spines. I’m wondering if there were any Republicans listening to Pete Aguilar’s on target speech. Ignoring common sense is what republicants do best.
The (likely) only way out of this as I see it is for 5 goppers in districts that went for Biden to switch parties and become Dems supporting Jeffries. This would likely spell the end of their career, but that may be a fait accompli anyway.
It's politics. I would have no doubt that they would find homes as appointees in a second Biden administration, ambassadors, members of commissions or appointments to various Federal agencies. There is still patronage out there in both parties.
Georgia, Yes, there is life beyond elected office if there are contacts that could be monetized. CNN, MSNBC, Blogs, books, etc. are some suggestions. Without a solid funding arm the House is a one term job so it depends on character to do the right thing. Remember when that was the central requirement a long time ago? At the moment this country is in a trough of limited commitment/dedication to sanity. God help us.
What irony. Looking back at the late sixties and early seventies when hordes of Democrats moved Republican over civil rights.
Those were pretty much unhappy (fake) Democrats for a long time anyway -- the Blue Dogs.
I called every NO vote on Jordan yesterday.It took less than an hour and was able to speak with several “live” people who were appreciative.Some didn’t even ask where I live including many of the message prompts. Jess Craven/Chop Wood/Carry Water has list of phone #’s to make it easy!
⬇️
Call the “No On Jordan” Republicans 📲
https://open.substack.com/pub/chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions/p/chop-wood-carry-water-1017-27e?r=fqsxl&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
This is the direct link to the list:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AX1ejXbIc-jFDbSNIaN6WTdjV5pp3BH4Ou4XZuGgpbo/edit
Is is okay if I post this link on FB? I don't think your name will be attached to it.
👍
Great work, Georgia. It is well appreciated by me.
Bacon, R, Ne. seems like he might have some sanity. I think it's also notable that every Ohio republican congress critter voted 'for' Jordan. *Thanks Georgia...
I can see the Dems campaign message in Ohio for 2024,
"Your President Joe Biden and U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown stand behind our Democracy with sanity and maturity - and firmly against the clown car driven by Republican leaders (State Prez candidate) and Rep. Congressional leader Jim Jordan."
Screen shows these faces driving the clown car of elephants ....
Gym's district is so gerrymandered it looks like the archetypal lizard - oh, that HE is!
Georgia, thank you for posting the CNN list of the 20.
Among the Latina & Latino Representatives (Reps Nos: 2,4,7, & 8) is MARIO DIAZ-BALART who has signaled his current willingness to work with D's to elect the Temporary House Speaker to revive the House after the 14 Day Shutdown Note, also, that the 2nd round of the R vote for Speaker scheduled for 4:30 PM Eastern yesterday was cancelled simply because,Jordan the does NOT have the needed 217 votes.
Note, that Rep #9, the very "conservative" Fort Worth, TX-R. Chairwoman, KAY GRANGER, of the House Appropriations Committee has watched her House budget work trashed.
Note also, the extreme personal pressures & a personal toll on R-House Representatives as DEBBIE LESLIE, will announced she will NOT run again for her R-AZ seat so there is NO leverage on her.
The House quorum will be called TODAY at 11 am Eastern. There are other strategies at play.
UPDATE: Per NBC, Former Speakers Boehner ,& Gingrich now back voting for the current Temporary.Speaker.
For the record, Debbie LESKO, R-AZ is the one who will retire from Congress at the end of her term.
Can you cite sources for this.|? What I found in yesterday's research was that Victoria Spartz who was born in Ukraine was the only Representative who had announced that she was not seeking re-election. Of course things are changing quickly.
I found the news about Debbie Lesko at apnews.com. Also, the Phoenix newspaper is already reporting about the questionable characters who are lining up to run for her seat. See azcentral.com
I like Spartz. She is quite smart. Her district is mostly farmland so those folks are mostly hard liners and hard to convince unless there are Ag issues involved. That is the most difficult segment to penetrate with a world view. They have limited education beyond HS and focus is limited as well. GOP has done their job well since the 70s to isolate those folks who are hard to reach beyond the church.
Thank you Mary, LESKO.
Thanks.
Thanks, so much, Georgia, for researching, evaluating, and sharing this important information with us.
Does this mean that the 3 non-voting representatives of Puerto Rico, Guam, and American Samoa, all voted for Jordan? Excellent post by the way. It is sad and very disconcerting that the Republican Caucus can't even get their preferred leaders to run for House Speaker.
The "non-voting" Republican delegates can vote in the Republican conference to choose their nominee for Speaker, but they do not have a vote in the House as a whole.
Dr, Richardson ~ every day you give us these elegant missives that keep us apprised of the most pressing conversations and events changing our lives. As a fellow writer, the process of delivering such exquisite clarity without the bells and whistles is extremely challenging work, not to mention gut-wrenching and maddening as you deftly wade through the details of suffering and chaos to bring us the lede. Every. Single. Day. I am in constant awe of your grace and fortitude under such pressure, and beyond grateful for everything about you and the support you have that bolsters you (beautiful landscapes + Buddy). Please keep self-care high on your list. Your flame is the light I seek every day.
Nice words late st night here
There has never been a time in US history before now when the US government was seriously impaired while facing a hugely important foreign crisis that has every possibility spiraling into a conflict with enormous possible negatives. Never before.
And that is tragic. Only the idea of Jordan as House Leader could make things worse. Yet again, the failure to identify any moves by those who opposed Jordan to put forth a Republican prepared to govern is a sign of little progress. Worst, is that this crisis is being pushed by a former president who is defying court orders and watching as his tactics are carrying the day within the Republican caucus - bully, lie, rally the base.
DJT needs to be in jail. Reportedly he was in Iowa. Disconcerting is a mild word to define the situation.
Yes, Jordan as House Speaker is a disgrace but not more than that. He could not accomplish anything even if were inclined to, and it’s unlikely that any other Speaker could get anything past the 10 or 12 true loonies that the people of their districts put in high positions for the purpose of doing things that appeal only to loonies. So, it’s bad but functionally equivalent to all the other realistic possibilities. The plus side is that the bad optics of an insurrectionist as Speaker cannot help and might hurt Republican election prospects.
He does not want to accomplish anything, it’s all burn it down. And he knows well how to do that. Worse than having chump in the slot.
The problem here is much, much more tha optics. The clock is running on the budget, Ukraine and now Israel needs our help, no working person in government should have to endure the consequences of a shut down.
Oh! And did I mention voting rights, climate, women’s healthcare, immigration reform, guns and violence, US citizens held by Hamas, China’s support of Putin,....?
Couldn’t agree more. But optics matter to Fox and cult nuts. Seems it’s all that does. I have a dog in this fight since my retirement check will be held up and I have a gdaughter who is gay. Yes, I am painfully aware of the many issues that hurt everyone. Wish repubs gave a damn.
We watched the Alexandra Pelosi January 6th documentary last night. It really gives an insight into what these people think and feel about TFFG.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/alexandra-pelosis-january-6th-doc-the-insurrectionist-next-door-unveils-hbo-premiere-date-trailer/ar-AA1i071s
All hope is lost because MAGAts are moronic sheeple.
Hugs to you. A different orientation is not a crime. Just needs toleration. Some folks do not have that capacity. Synergy takes place on a glacial scale is all I can offer. Peace.
Israel needs our help? Really?
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/israel-is-just-a-nonstop-bombing
Is Caitlin your girlfriend or something? Torture & violent murder of innocent civilians, women, children, elderly, even men in mass is never ok - whom ever is deemed good or bad. I think you two just like to throw your wits about making us all wrong for what ever reason. It's a big fat waste of our time. Burning down the system doesn't help anything but clear a path for fascism. I'd rather get the truth from Dr. Richardson and read Rachel Maddow's new book, Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism. It would be helpful if you guys could get behind what's actually happening instead of intellectually blowing up your own negatory perceptions of current events by throwing shade on popular liberal beliefs with your skewed made up stories. You're both pretty good writers, why not figure out a way we can work for the goodness of Democracy within the system we have rather than just trashing everything? That would be way more helpful than sending us links to some cleverly written conspiracy crap.
10 billion....really?? Israel is in the top 20 economies. They can fund their own "war".
What. exactly, were they intending to do with Gaza after they turn it to rubble? Go on living with/near the angry peasants who don't like their deal?
I subscribed to Caitlin (so far, the gratis deal, until I get hooked)
John, yes I agree. As superficial as the GOP has been in the last months, The House can actually move humanity forward in the US way. Collectively, we disagree on the precise way. If properly led, the House could do some good. At the moment gerrymandering and education/mis education and selfish interests are in the way. A big picture view is needed and we do not have it. God help us.
I agree. Jordan, like Steve Bannon, is not a builder. He’s a destroyer. Jorden elected as Speaker, or simply ad nauseumly under a vote, achieves the same thing: Government disfunction/inaction. THAT is the Mission. If you cannot stop it by legitimate votes through the congressional process, find another way. The government is shut down effectively by the gop having this inter-fighting. In fact that may be the strategy.
I believe it is exactly the strategy
MLRGRMI, Pls define another way besides Congress to get their act together besides Martial Rule. I find our present system of government quite ineffective and messy. What would be your suggestion?
PI’s as a group have “another way?” Do you mean besides the gop destroy it vs the dem Fix-it? I believe everyone acknowledges we live in a version of democracy that is ineffective and messy. How do PI’s —as a group- define another way?
That’s arguably correct, but I think Jordan is even worse optics that chump.
How can you get worse optics than chump? Chump blathers his word salad like an orator, and Jordan is just an all-around thug. Yep, I see the difference
My guess (and it’s just a guess) is that people support pervert Gym only because of his unconditional allegiance to chump, so there might be a bloc of magats who would like the optics of chump as speaker but not like the optics of the pervert as speaker. That guess is the basis of my remark. I don’t claim to know for sure but think it plausible that a Jordan speakership could hurt Republican prospects just a little. That could be important. Even 0.1% could be the difference between giving democracy a chance and ensuring the devastation of the planet.
Catastrophic
And that says way more than all the blather on tv news. Seems that they focus on the minutiae And miss the big picture, all day every day.
Tom I recall, when the Japanese strafed an American gunboat in China in, I believe, 1937, we hunkered down. Presently in the Middle East we are not immediately ‘seriously impaired.’ As far as Ukraine (and Taiwan), a number of Republicans are acting irresponsibly.
And today, I believe, Putin and Xi are meeting. Great time to make moves on Taiwan.
Hate to hit "like" of your message, TC, I wish we had the option of "agree"
Oh yeah, totally.
It's all related to Trump. These extremist Republicans are only concern about their self-centered interest and Trumps agenda. Screw the people and this country. They want a dictatorship not a democracy.
Well said, TC.
Zella, in each of the cases you mention, the common thread is that one side doesn't believe the other should exist. That's Republicans believing that Democrats have no legitimacy to govern, Russia believing Ukrsine has no legitimate independence, and Hamas believing that Israel must be destroyed. This is the normal way or blue orb has been spinning since humans were created in god's image.
What a sad day, and sad week it's been. Mild relief that Jordan did not become Speaker today, but the news has been just horrifying since the Hamas attack 11 days ago. I can't even imagine how terrible life has become for those caught up in the misery of the Middle East region. I've stepped back from reading my Substack subscriptions for my own mental health these past few days since a few hundred people at my level were laid off last weekend by the company I work for. I just don't have the emotional bandwidth right now.
I appreciate Dr. Heather for continuing to write these LFAAs.
Just Janice….sending you some “juice” to replenish your depleted stores. Hang in, achieve balance if you can, but keep manning the guardrails of democracy!
Self care is necessary and important for all of us so we can vote next year. You are smart to take the time for yourself, Janice ⭐️😎💪🏻❤️☀️🕶️🌻
The pain so many are suffering is plenty unbearable for those of us watching. So many repubs can’t wait to bring it home, circuitously if not direct.
Thank you for noting that stepping back from reading all the awful news of the world is sometimes necessary- and very important. I’m an artist with three more big shows to do this year. Normally, I listen to some political podcast or commentary for an hour while in my studio. Not this week! Immersing myself in color and quiet helps me regain perspective. Sending some of that your way!! Hang in there.
You sound like my clone.
It was my habit too to listen only to political podcast while I melted glass, my medium of choice. I am now working in silence too. Normally I am an upbeat, bright color kind of lady. Today I feel so sad and smiling is difficult.
Take good care and good luck at your shows Sheila.
Marj, I'm a beadweaver. Thousands of tiny, colorful bits of glass!! (and stones, pearls, metals, found objects, and, and, and. :-)
☮️💟 to you Just Janice--please be kind to yourself. I know how that darkness feels, but things WILL get better: I hope much, much sooner for you and your colleagues. Best 💕
Hang in there!
All The Best, JustJanice. And 2 words: "Hallmark Movies." Never watched them before, now every night has a happy ending.
I'm taking a break too.
Self-care is critical, JustJanice. Thank you from taking care of yourself, and I hope that your work situation improves. Get out in nature, bury yourself in a favorite hobby, do whatever eases your mind. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Draft behind someone if you need to for a while.
As we recall Jim Jordan repeatedly pushed the false electors scheme in January, 2021.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/09/politics/jim-jordan-january-6-2020-election/index.html
And then there's the 10 minute call during the insurrection he had with TFFG that he refuses to revel the contents of.
Part of me wants him to become speaker just to put another nail in the coffin of the Republican Fascist Party, but too many people will be victims of his shenanigans.
Like HCR mentions, the news form Gaza cannot be confirmed so I just won't watch it until weeks have passed and we know the truth.
Gary, Gym uses the same system as Trump. That is not productive of anything, imo. I wonder about the mental health of those who only destroy.
I hear you JustJanice. It does feel as if there are next to no “adults in charge” of most everything/anything important. I believe there are times we must protect our psych and tend to those closest to us and believe our leaders on the world stage can remain strong & committed to our democracy until we can make a difference with our vote. We are so fortunate to have Heather to do the hard lifting of clarity in a time of seeming insanity and total chaos.
Dear JustJanice, I hope you will hang in there! I went through several corporate "right sizing" in my career and I understand completely how that feels. Even though I always made it through (sort of) you still feel awful seeing what it does to your friends. My advice, stay away from main stream news if you can because it is horrible, read HCR, donate to WCK since they are already there providing meals for people in the war zones and read a funny book or watch a silly sitcom until your energy banks are restored.
Thoughts and prayers always sounds sounds so hollow, but with todays news, both I. The Middle East and the chaos and terror with the speaker fiasco, I’m on my knees praying with some fierce thoughts and entreaties ...
Thoughts and prayers can be useful. But don't rely on them too much.
They may soothe the soul but praying doesn’t change anything. If it allows an individual to gather strength and calm...to continue another day...that is a good thing! ❣️
Ditto
Thank you. Your astute summaries, enlightening, if not uplifting. Praying for Biden’s safety as well as his success in calming the Middle Eastern waters. Re the Jordan mess in congress, praying that saner minds will prevail. I shudder to imagine how things will be if he gets the speakership.😱
Other than Donald TUMP, Gym Jordan is the most despicable sleaze bag in the Fascist GQP. I wish him the WORST.
Jordan, Gaetz, and trump triplets of the most evil kind.
You are so right. I would call them the 3 stooges, but the 3 stooges were actually sane and more intelligent than Jordan, Gaetz, and TUMP. Anyway, i think it's an insult to the stooges by comparing them to Gaetz, Jordan, and TUMP.
I agree with you G. Professor Richardson is my go to person for clarity and a broad vision on history as we experience history unfolding. There are many forms of “praying,” according to our belief systems and any form of adding positive energy to the unfolding drama we are living in is of benefit.
Well, my spineless, useless, self-enriching representative, Chuck Fleischmann, TN-3 (he has only received notoriety for enriching himself with health care stock purchases with votes in Congress that correspond remarkably close to specific purchases he makes), was one of the 200 who voted for Jordan, after voting for Scalise previously.
Chuckles has distinguished himself by doing nothing of distinction while in Congress; he is a “company” man who keeps his head down and votes/says exactly what he is told to say by the GOP. He has held no town halls for more than a decade, and I have seen video of him literally running from constituents who try to ask him questions. 🙄
He got this email from me last night:.
“You voted for an insurrectionist as Speaker of the House.
Let me repeat that.
You. voted. for. an. insurrectionist. for. Speaker. Of. the. House.
You voted for an insurrectionist to be 2nd in line to the Presidency.
Just letting you know that we all know this about you.
You do not support democracy. Please retire.”
My seditionist rep (MI-1) follows the same playbook. No townhalls. No representation. But we have 2 excellent Democratic candidates already crisscrossing our huge district,and Dr. Heather spoke to an enthusiastic sold out crowd here in Traverse City last night! Feeling the hope that Democracy is Awakening!
Michigan gop reps seem to all be cut from the same cloth.
That sure is the truth but luckily, we voted most of them out in the last election! Now we just need to get rid of the rest of them!
Cathy, Chuck has his own career path in mind. It doesn't have you or the American people in mind. God help us.
“ a twice-impeached former president with more than 90 pending felony charges.”
No one can claim that Trump isn't exceptional.
Yes, but in all the wrong ways!
CSPAN
IF you have the time today, watch and listen to the speeches priorr to the votes for the speaker of the house. My recommendation is CSPAN. It is the only way to get an understanding of what is going on with the floor. The networks are paid to talk and I have seen at times the interruption of key government officials like Nancy Pelosi during a speech to say “what Nancy is saying”.
Their are quite a few diamonds in the rough, and one is Mikie Sherrill. She is Navy academy Grad, flown combat helicopter and a mother of four. She speaks all the time locally when she really doesn’t have to.
But Gaetz gets the camera.
As for Ukraine, the Abrams and mid range missles are game changers but with Putin talking with China, we might be seeing new technology coming their way. Technology that China is wanting to test out. Not like the missle systems going to Hamas with 30% falling upon themselves and quite possibly the hospital yesterday.
Peace to all, we sure can use it.
JB
Again, Jordan is an embarrassment to Ohio. The Ohioans who voted for him are an embarrassment. Well, actually, Jordan is an embarrassment to the whole country.
If you are of the mind, say some prayers for Biden as he heads to Israel.
Weaponizing Jim Jordan is lock step with Trump on the BIE LIE on the 2020 presidential election, the 1/6 insidious conspiracy, finding Trump unimpeachable, and other MAGA nonsense.
Short of the 217 votes needed to be speaker, he is personally threatening ‘moderate’ Republicans with being ‘primaried,’ if they don’t support him.
I personally find Jordan despicable and recall his role in the Hillary Clinton Benghazi charade. I find it unimaginable that Jordan, as speaker, could/would act responsibly in supporting legislation related to continuing funding of the United States government after November 15th, financing our commitments to Ukraine, and other essential actions that could gain Senate assent and President Biden’s signature.
In brief, Jordan as speaker would bring Trump’s presidential campaign on to the floor of the House.
If not Jordan, who? Dunno.
Personally I believe that George Santos has the unique character that would make him an excellent Republican House speaker. He has all of the negative qualities that should make him a shoo in. And he has only been indicted 31 times (so far), far below Trump’s nearly 100 indictments.
They are threatened with more than political harassment. Tell it MSM
They may not have the spines to stand up now...worried about being “primaried” however they will be voted out because they did not have the courage to speak up!
Thank you, Dr. Richardson. Hooray for Ukraine using long range missiles on "military" targets; showing the world how lawful countries respect the lives on non-combatants. So opposite from Putin whose only concern is for himself and his aggrandizement.
Great response from Pete Aguilar. He said exactly what needed to be said of lowlife Jordan. Congratulations to the 20 Adult, Republican Congress persons who put country ahead of party and voted against Jordan. It's also heartening to note Hakeem Jeffries got more votes than dimwitted Jordan.
The attack on the hospital in Gaza was disgusting, those poor people, patients and medical staff. Whether the explosion was erroneous or deliberate, of Israeli or Palestinian origin it is unforgivable.
Looking at maps of Israel and Palestine I can't understand the stupidity of the way Palestine was split with Gaza a small portion of land and the rest of Palestine miles away through Israel to the North East. Whoever was responsible for drawing the borders in 1947 to 1949 were stupid beyond redemption . Israelis deserved a land of their own, they have been abused and disbursed for centuries for no reason other than their success in business and prosperity. But Palestinians should have been given a secure undivided area in which to live peacefully. Between the hatred for Jews and the stupidity of the UN these wars were predictable from the onset. If the Muslim nations had not immediately and frequently attacked Israel they could have lived prosperously and peacefully side by side. Had the UN set up two adjacent Nations without separating the Palestinians, they could have had a better start. And if Netanyahu were a decent man dedicated to Israel and not himself, things could have been better. The best we can hope for now is the Israelis will kill all Hamas leadership and return to governing Israel, with no further conflict.
"The best we can hope for... kill all Hamas leadership" will not lead to less conflict. The best we can hope for now is that Israelis wake up to the dead end that Netanyahu has led them into. There are more dead Jews under his watch than any leader since Golda Meier. A return to the Oslo Accords with an unceremonious boot to the settlements that have been established since they were signed is the best way out. The alternative is one country which will have a Palestinian majority. Joe Biden should not be talking to the leader of a coalition that includes Itamar Ben-Gvir and Beelzebub Smoltrich.
Excuse me, it should have been" Bezalel Smotrich". "A rose by another name..."
Bibi lit the fire this last go around
He added fuel and he should be ousted, but that doesn't justify what Hamas is trying to do.
He pretends to be a righteous human, I don’t think Hamas ever has pretended to be other than they are, haters to the core.
The UN proposed partition called for a narrow connection for the Palestinian sector. The separation was a product of the Arab war against Israel in 1948. /Users/leonardlubinsky/Desktop/Map1_UN47-002.jpg
Ariel Sharon made a gesture of peace to the Palestinians. He removed all of his troops from the Gaza and moved them to the perimeter. However, this gesture was not enough, because the Palestinians were still hemmed into a 25 mile narrow strip. It was a gesture that failed along with the efforts of 4 American presidents' Sharon's peace gesture got Hamas in return. All efforts will fail as long as Iran is pulling the strings. Hamas and Hezbollah are being funded, trained and supplied with weapons by Iran. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2023/10/hamas-covenant-israel-attack-war-genocide/675602/
I share your sympathies dear Fay; For the innocents, Israeli and Palestinians. At the end of any day, I have to ponder why the West Bank Palestinians choose Hamas as their leaders who initiated this conflict, and Jordan has a king that is bossed around by Hezbollah. All those facts temper some sympathies.
Hamas initiated this conflict? Have you been following what has been happening in Jerusalem and the West Bank since Netanyahu came back into power? Under Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich Palestinian villages have been torched and thugs have interrupted services at the Dome of the Rock. If you beat on a people long enough, they will fight back.
Hamas started this battle by invading southern Israel and massacring hundreds of innocents. There is no justification for this evil. The wages of this aggression will be on their heads.
Israel deserves the right to defend itself, though it's true that the Israeli far right has been mean and stupid.
Before Hamas was elected in Gaza, its border was more open and Palestinians living there had more opportunities to build a decent life. Now no more.
IOW, Humans wish to survive, yes?
Look who we US citizens ‘chose’ as our leader(s)... in very recent years... arghh
Since I have belief in humanity, I will continue to believe that gerrymandering, and some laziness of those who didn't vote, is responsible for that.
This drives me to write postcards/letters to voters with encouragement!
(For those who can't afford the ever increasing postage, the voteforward.org campaign will supply you with stamps/supplies. You need only volunteer your time.)
https://help.votefwd.org/article/40-who-pays-for-the-stamps
Indeed, Hamas probably cheated like some homegrown terrorists we know. The cretins rule Texas by hook, crook, and vile deception.
Hamas is actually located in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Palestinian people have been impoverished for years, long before Israel was carved out. They had not employed modern farming methods most were poorly educated. Like a lot of dominating religions, the religious leaders of the Palestinians, proposed keeping the 'peasant' classes in ignorance and feeding them fear and promises. The Jewish people, who like the Palestinians are Semites, on the other hand insisted the young boys of the community be capable of reading, writing. basic arithmetic and trade. I won't hazard a guess as to if this is the basis for the general prosperity of Jewish communities through the ages. I do know from my reading of history the Jews were despised, not for their religious beliefs but for their prosperity. Envy of this, in my opinion, is the cause of most anti Jewish pogroms and movements. One of the many reasons I find the American white supremacists chant "The Jews will not replace us" so laughable. The Jews are so much more intelligent, artistic and prosperous than those morons that they, the Jews, could have no reason to wish to replace them. And no, I am not Jewish. I admire, but do not envy them.
Looking back on my comment, I did make one error in that I was thinking 'Gaza' strip and wrote 'West Bank'. I'd agree on your points; I chose to not be as expansive as I was focused on first things first regarding the current conflagration. Hamas started the fight from the Gaza Strip, furthering misery of the innocents in Gaza and Israel.
Think MAGA republicans, and you may begin to understand. First they attract them by legitimate grievance, then they accustom them to solving the problem with violence, which is not difficult to accept when you are an occupied people. Then the threat of thinking differently could get you or your family visited on by the equivalent of Brownshirts. There is no choice for many of them.
Thank you, Heather, for leading with news from Ukraine. Events in the Middle East and the Keystone Kops show by House Republicans have diverted attention away from that important situation. I'm glad to see that our support is enabling Ukraine to keep Russian forces on their back feet. It is critical that that help continue. Which brings us to...
It was with a sigh of relief that I learned that Jim Jordan failed to attain the House speakership on the first vote, and that the second vote has been postponed. As Jordan negotiates for the votes of holdouts, he weakens his presumed eventual leadership, (See McCarthy, Kevin) and may yet fail altogether. Indications of evolving independent backbones in a few House Republicans are encouraging.
Meanwhile, from Senate Republican leadership, a deafening silence. Is that merely to avoid another embarrassing public brain-fade from Mitch McConnell?
It seems the Republican train, with its yellow-haired engineer, is rushing full-throttle backward into the looming 2024 election.
From MSM coverage, I doubt that many minds have been awakened by the coverage. Perhaps they should tell of the tactics Jordan’s thugs are using to browbeat reluctant members to support him
I caught a short clip on MSNBC the other day detailing Jordan’s bullying tactics over the week-end, including the involvement of Sean Hannity...so it’s out there but is anyone listening/watching?!
"...is anyone listening/watching?!'
Apparently someone is. NY Times reports that Jordan got less support in losing a second floor vote.
I'm struck by the ironic feeling that the Ukraine-Russia conflict is now the most conventional sequence of events amongst the current darlings of the press; that also includes Gaza and the US House of Representatives. And then there's His Orangeness, who would like us all to believe that none of these things would be happening were he "in charge"...
What crap, they wouldn’t be happening because he would have handed us over on day one of a second go around. Remember Helsinki.
One only has to look at how TFFG negotiated with the Taliban to turn Afghanistan over to them after the election. Unfortunately, Joe gets blamed by the MAGAts for Trump's fiasco in Afghanistan.
Let's face it, Trump couldn't negotiate a deal to buy a used car without effing it up.
I think it's also notable that every Ohio republican congress critter voted 'for' Jordan.