Thank you, Buddy, for the beauty of the sky, shore, and dimly revealed boats on the glimmering water. Thank you, Heather Cox Richardson, for your steady mind through the anguish here in the US; the survival of Ukraine as a democracy; the pain and terror in Israel, along with deaths (many of them children), bloodshed and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The demands for a keen mind and for moral clarity could hardly be more difficult.
I make infrequent comments, but I want to speak my appreciation of the goodwill I experience, and have come to trust will be there, reading comments in the HCR community. That, and HCR’s words herself, tap my Hope spigot. Thanks to all for the beautiful and shared spirit.
For those of you who need a break from the crazy skip this post.
Nine nominal Republicans are vying for the title of Speaker Designee in a beauty pageant in the conference of the FRG (Former Republican Party). Based on where they are on the VoteView ideological spectrum, six of them are clustered to the left of Jim Jordan but are still to the right of the median conservative in the conference. Meuser (PA 9) sits right on the median line. Two, Emmer (MN 6) and Bergman (MI 1) are to the left of the median. Emmer is the current Majority Whip. The other contestant with some conference leadership experience is Mike Johnson (LA 4), who is Vice Chairman of the House Republican Conference. The conference’s function is to communicate the party's message to its members.
The others in the beauty contest appear to be vanity candidates trying to get some national exposure. If they were trying to reach a consensus, they had plenty of time to talk amongst themselves and choose one of them to represent their right of the center of the FRP viewpoint.
Politico reports that Trump surrogates are spreading the word that he does not support Tom Emmer. Given that the secret vote to boot Jim Jordan from the Speaker Designeeship was 86-112 with 23 unaccounted for, it looks like Trump is losing his cache in the Conference, at least temporarily. Emmer would be the most likely choice to be acceptable to Democrats since he has deep experience with how the legislative process is supposed to work, is not in the MAGA acolyte wing, and did not vote against the certification of Biden’s election. The other ideological possibles, Meuser and Bergman, did vote against certification.
The pageant will take place on Monday. The hope is that on Tuesday at 9 am the Conference will make its choice. I’ve written extensively that the best and fastest way for the speaker issue to be resolved would be to have ranked-choice voting both for the Republican Speaker Designee and within the House for the whole Speaker vote. But if the FRP does not go that route, we may be in for a long wait for the outcome.
To truly appreciate the level of dysfunction in the conference, the Hill reported that former Speaker Newt Gingrich said on Fox News, “There’s a very real danger that [the House will] elect somebody, and three or four or five weeks from now, you’re going to have a group of people blow up and decide to go back into the same mess,” “So they need to pick somebody to get stability.” That’s just in time for the November 17 deadline for appropriations, and if history repeats itself, another Speaker would be immolated for getting another CR passed.
Gingrich’s hopes for party cohesion are simultaneously extremely ambitious and very modest. “Bring food in and stay there. Again, very simple test — can you get the 217 votes? They shouldn’t bring anybody out until they have 217. And second, that 217 has to be committed not just to elect a Speaker, but to stick together for the next five or six months.” That date is right before the primary season and the current DC trial date for Trump’s J6 trial in front of Judge Chutkin, so expect a change in leadership heading into the elections.
To try to make Gingrich’s warning about the House vote moot, there is a move afoot for Republicans to sign a “unity pledge” to support whoever is the Speaker Designee on the House Floor. As of 9:30 last night, Emmer and Donalds had not yet signed the pledge. And if you haven’t already guessed, the Freedom Caucus is against it. They surely will not give up their chance at more time in the media limelight.
Note that no member of the FRG is putting forward a pledge to remove the motion to vacate rule to moot the second part of Gingrich’s warning. That unsettles me because it engenders thoughts that this whole circus is a purposeful ploy to stall for time and dysfunction, and that leads down the road to thoughts of who would benefit. And that is a place that is very dark.
Spending my childhood on Long Island, with its south shore facing the Atlantic Ocean, I always felt this sense of being on the edge of the world... that there was us (U.S.), the ocean, and then the rest of the world... I wonder what goes through Buddy's mind when he looks out on the water? Is there a singular impression that simply expresses itself differently each time? If so, what would that be?
Republicans Are Breaking America’s Ancient Constitution
Parliaments have mechanisms for resolving the impasse in the House of Representatives. The U.S. does not.
The two-party duopoly doesn’t erase the kind of ideological differences that create multiple parties in other countries, of course. Instead, it means that both American parties are unwieldy coalitions.
"The wheeling and dealing of parliamentary negotiation can be quite grubby, but it also tends to create a less polarized political culture."
Tranquility, so healing in turbulent times.
Thank you, Buddy, for the beauty of the sky, shore, and dimly revealed boats on the glimmering water. Thank you, Heather Cox Richardson, for your steady mind through the anguish here in the US; the survival of Ukraine as a democracy; the pain and terror in Israel, along with deaths (many of them children), bloodshed and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The demands for a keen mind and for moral clarity could hardly be more difficult.
I make infrequent comments, but I want to speak my appreciation of the goodwill I experience, and have come to trust will be there, reading comments in the HCR community. That, and HCR’s words herself, tap my Hope spigot. Thanks to all for the beautiful and shared spirit.
Immersed in the Audible version of your new book. Thank. You. 🙏
Peacefully beautiful 😊
Our moment of zen
Can you please remind me of the name of the pollster that you follow for more accurate numbers?
I need to stay away from all of the current doom and gloom polls. Thank you.
For those of you who need a break from the crazy skip this post.
Nine nominal Republicans are vying for the title of Speaker Designee in a beauty pageant in the conference of the FRG (Former Republican Party). Based on where they are on the VoteView ideological spectrum, six of them are clustered to the left of Jim Jordan but are still to the right of the median conservative in the conference. Meuser (PA 9) sits right on the median line. Two, Emmer (MN 6) and Bergman (MI 1) are to the left of the median. Emmer is the current Majority Whip. The other contestant with some conference leadership experience is Mike Johnson (LA 4), who is Vice Chairman of the House Republican Conference. The conference’s function is to communicate the party's message to its members.
The others in the beauty contest appear to be vanity candidates trying to get some national exposure. If they were trying to reach a consensus, they had plenty of time to talk amongst themselves and choose one of them to represent their right of the center of the FRP viewpoint.
Politico reports that Trump surrogates are spreading the word that he does not support Tom Emmer. Given that the secret vote to boot Jim Jordan from the Speaker Designeeship was 86-112 with 23 unaccounted for, it looks like Trump is losing his cache in the Conference, at least temporarily. Emmer would be the most likely choice to be acceptable to Democrats since he has deep experience with how the legislative process is supposed to work, is not in the MAGA acolyte wing, and did not vote against the certification of Biden’s election. The other ideological possibles, Meuser and Bergman, did vote against certification.
The pageant will take place on Monday. The hope is that on Tuesday at 9 am the Conference will make its choice. I’ve written extensively that the best and fastest way for the speaker issue to be resolved would be to have ranked-choice voting both for the Republican Speaker Designee and within the House for the whole Speaker vote. But if the FRP does not go that route, we may be in for a long wait for the outcome.
To truly appreciate the level of dysfunction in the conference, the Hill reported that former Speaker Newt Gingrich said on Fox News, “There’s a very real danger that [the House will] elect somebody, and three or four or five weeks from now, you’re going to have a group of people blow up and decide to go back into the same mess,” “So they need to pick somebody to get stability.” That’s just in time for the November 17 deadline for appropriations, and if history repeats itself, another Speaker would be immolated for getting another CR passed.
Gingrich’s hopes for party cohesion are simultaneously extremely ambitious and very modest. “Bring food in and stay there. Again, very simple test — can you get the 217 votes? They shouldn’t bring anybody out until they have 217. And second, that 217 has to be committed not just to elect a Speaker, but to stick together for the next five or six months.” That date is right before the primary season and the current DC trial date for Trump’s J6 trial in front of Judge Chutkin, so expect a change in leadership heading into the elections.
To try to make Gingrich’s warning about the House vote moot, there is a move afoot for Republicans to sign a “unity pledge” to support whoever is the Speaker Designee on the House Floor. As of 9:30 last night, Emmer and Donalds had not yet signed the pledge. And if you haven’t already guessed, the Freedom Caucus is against it. They surely will not give up their chance at more time in the media limelight.
Note that no member of the FRG is putting forward a pledge to remove the motion to vacate rule to moot the second part of Gingrich’s warning. That unsettles me because it engenders thoughts that this whole circus is a purposeful ploy to stall for time and dysfunction, and that leads down the road to thoughts of who would benefit. And that is a place that is very dark.
WOW! Was just signing off of a long day at the home office and this gift came to help me into a peaceful rest. Gorgeous! Thank you.
Peace and the world is on fire. Wishing peace to the innocent souls trapped in Gaza tonight.
Spending my childhood on Long Island, with its south shore facing the Atlantic Ocean, I always felt this sense of being on the edge of the world... that there was us (U.S.), the ocean, and then the rest of the world... I wonder what goes through Buddy's mind when he looks out on the water? Is there a singular impression that simply expresses itself differently each time? If so, what would that be?
Thank you, Heather. Buddy was exactly what I had in mind!
Short and sweet does the trick and saves your noodle.
I love the hues of blue and grey. Great shot !
This calm and peacefulness is a meditation in itself. Thank you!
Republicans Are Breaking America’s Ancient Constitution
Parliaments have mechanisms for resolving the impasse in the House of Representatives. The U.S. does not.
The two-party duopoly doesn’t erase the kind of ideological differences that create multiple parties in other countries, of course. Instead, it means that both American parties are unwieldy coalitions.
"The wheeling and dealing of parliamentary negotiation can be quite grubby, but it also tends to create a less polarized political culture."
https://prospect.org/politics/2023-10-20-republicans-breaking-americas-ancient-constitution/