Today, the United States House of Representatives elected a new speaker to replace former speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who was ousted by Republican extremists. The new speaker, Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana, had an advantage over rivals because he has been a backbencher in the House fewer than eight years, too invisible to have made many enemies. He is the least-experienced speaker in more than a century.
Thinking about you and all the residents of Maine tonight. I’m so so sorry 💔 I’m watching interviews with the local residents and it’s so heartening to see their strong resolve and finding the silver lining of communities uniting in tragedy.
Hakeem Jeffries is a huge blessing and God willing he’s right about THIS CURRENT ADVERSITY. but it is totally necessary that every last one of us ‘pitch in’ with our checkbooks, voices and GOVT vote efforts….we are all in this together and the cost of losing our democracy, far too high for inaction.
It’s time to get educated on the positions of the new Speaker, Mike Johnson, who is just two heartbeats away from the Presidency, and every one of the current Republicans in Congress, and all of the Republican and Libertarian candidates in state legislatures and local elections down the ballot.
2024 will clearly be the most consequential election for America since the Civil War. Every one of us will have to become persuasive advocates in the fight against authoritarianism.
Online polemics are a waste of time and energy. The only way we can safeguard our Democracy is to cut through the jungle of media clickbait and engage in face-to-face human-to-human conversation.
Listen to what your Republican neighbors are saying about their concerns. Personalize your own, like the rising cost of drugs if you are on Medicare. Learn the facts you can use to rebut their premises. Speak the truth. Work to change someone’s mind, calmly and using common sense. Find the common ground.
Make it your goal to spend some time researching an issue every day. Then reach out to a Republican or Independent or someone who is apathetic. If we can each make an impact on just one voter over the next year, we can collectively make sure that Democracy will win.
Upon diving just a bit deeper than the shallow waters of first glance at the new Speaker, it appears more and more that he is basically Jim Jordan without the nasty snarl. The late, great Gore Vidal once opined that if America were ever to have a dictator, it would not be a fire breathing type but rather someone like Arthur Godfrey, a popular television host in the 50s and 60s.
I do not mean to imply that Mike Johnson as Speaker is akin to a dictator, but I do mean to state that in that powerful position his soft spoken demeanor and modicum of McGuffey Reader era intelligence will work mischief that others might not have been able to.
And let us get something straight once and for all----ANYONE who claims that "God is the one that raises up those in authority" has NO PLACE in American politics. That statement is as egregiously erroneous, as it is wholly at variance with the very essence of American political philosophy, and the clear nature of our revolutionary history. The Nation that was born in a promise of liberty and justice for All was most certainly not born in waters theocratic. In fact, the very concept of "rights" had its origins in the Enlightenment's thinkers belief in human reason and its ability to construct social contracts beneficial to all, in direct opposition to purported "divinely authorized" political leaders, be they kings, priests or otherwise.
God, as the former Senator from Heather's tragedy ridden (the site of our most recent gun massacre) State of Maine once said, "does not take sides in American politics". George Mitchell was right then, and right now, because we are most assuredly NOT a theocracy, and we most assuredly need NOT obey the dogmas and dictates of any religion here in our temporal, and still fruited plain.
I truly hope that my fears that newly minted Speaker Johnson is a wolf in sheep's clothing are overwrought, but .........
Perhaps this is a grand exercise in creative destruction. It will be interesting to see how this impacts the spending plans of the RNC over the next year. If they double down on funding extremist candidates in the primaries and manage to get them to advance, that could setup one of the bigger general election debacles any party has ever suffered. The next year is not going to be boring. Few things energize voters to get to the polls more than voting against something they really don't like.
To quote Bugs Bunny, "Lettuce Prey" Scary times require a strong spirit and sense of humor. Thank you Heather for keeping us supplied with both. Great discussion on Big Tent this afternoon.
I've been watching Jeffries throughout this speaker chaos. He's been offering good solutions to our legislative problems. I hope his work in the background gets up to the standard of Nancy Pelosis. We need good leadership from him because maga has an inexperienced leader who will do what he's told.
And here we are now saddled with a guy second in line for the presidency who believes the founders wanted a “biblical republic,” opposes abortion and gay marriage, wants to slash Medicare and Social Security, and is Trump’s lackey.
But how long will he last as speaker? Long enough to help cause a government shutdown? Block aid to Ukraine?
They all know they’re digging a deeper hole from which they well lose control of the House. But I’m convinced they don’t care.
Gun control politics is why I have no patience for the GOP. The election stuff triggers my history brain and I find it more interesting than offensive, but the gun stuff touches a dark part of the human soul and I don't tolerate it.
A state senator from WA just got arrested in HK because he “forgot” he had a pistol in his briefcase and it somehow made its way onto an airplane.
Anyway, I try to remain apolitical here, but I hope any GOP followers I have here look themselves in the mirror and ask “what is the point?”
I like reading what Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said and how he says it. The man is a leader.
Thinking about you and all the residents of Maine tonight. I’m so so sorry 💔 I’m watching interviews with the local residents and it’s so heartening to see their strong resolve and finding the silver lining of communities uniting in tragedy.
And yet, Jeffries speech was heckled by MTG. What a disgusting lot they are! No class whatsoever.
Great seeing you last night, Heather, under the Big Tent!,
Okay, everybody. We have our "marching orders" from Hakeem Jeffries. Let's work to make it happen in every election from now until 2024, and beyond!
Amen Dr. Richardson. Thank you for directing our attention to the heartening works of Hakeem Jeffries.
Hakeem Jeffries is a huge blessing and God willing he’s right about THIS CURRENT ADVERSITY. but it is totally necessary that every last one of us ‘pitch in’ with our checkbooks, voices and GOVT vote efforts….we are all in this together and the cost of losing our democracy, far too high for inaction.
justfacts.votesmart.org/about
It’s time to get educated on the positions of the new Speaker, Mike Johnson, who is just two heartbeats away from the Presidency, and every one of the current Republicans in Congress, and all of the Republican and Libertarian candidates in state legislatures and local elections down the ballot.
2024 will clearly be the most consequential election for America since the Civil War. Every one of us will have to become persuasive advocates in the fight against authoritarianism.
Online polemics are a waste of time and energy. The only way we can safeguard our Democracy is to cut through the jungle of media clickbait and engage in face-to-face human-to-human conversation.
Listen to what your Republican neighbors are saying about their concerns. Personalize your own, like the rising cost of drugs if you are on Medicare. Learn the facts you can use to rebut their premises. Speak the truth. Work to change someone’s mind, calmly and using common sense. Find the common ground.
Make it your goal to spend some time researching an issue every day. Then reach out to a Republican or Independent or someone who is apathetic. If we can each make an impact on just one voter over the next year, we can collectively make sure that Democracy will win.
We can do this!
Upon diving just a bit deeper than the shallow waters of first glance at the new Speaker, it appears more and more that he is basically Jim Jordan without the nasty snarl. The late, great Gore Vidal once opined that if America were ever to have a dictator, it would not be a fire breathing type but rather someone like Arthur Godfrey, a popular television host in the 50s and 60s.
I do not mean to imply that Mike Johnson as Speaker is akin to a dictator, but I do mean to state that in that powerful position his soft spoken demeanor and modicum of McGuffey Reader era intelligence will work mischief that others might not have been able to.
And let us get something straight once and for all----ANYONE who claims that "God is the one that raises up those in authority" has NO PLACE in American politics. That statement is as egregiously erroneous, as it is wholly at variance with the very essence of American political philosophy, and the clear nature of our revolutionary history. The Nation that was born in a promise of liberty and justice for All was most certainly not born in waters theocratic. In fact, the very concept of "rights" had its origins in the Enlightenment's thinkers belief in human reason and its ability to construct social contracts beneficial to all, in direct opposition to purported "divinely authorized" political leaders, be they kings, priests or otherwise.
God, as the former Senator from Heather's tragedy ridden (the site of our most recent gun massacre) State of Maine once said, "does not take sides in American politics". George Mitchell was right then, and right now, because we are most assuredly NOT a theocracy, and we most assuredly need NOT obey the dogmas and dictates of any religion here in our temporal, and still fruited plain.
I truly hope that my fears that newly minted Speaker Johnson is a wolf in sheep's clothing are overwrought, but .........
Thank you for highlighting Jeffries’ hopeful message.
Fabulous PBS interview tonight! Judy Woodruff is a treasure and so are you!!!
Perhaps this is a grand exercise in creative destruction. It will be interesting to see how this impacts the spending plans of the RNC over the next year. If they double down on funding extremist candidates in the primaries and manage to get them to advance, that could setup one of the bigger general election debacles any party has ever suffered. The next year is not going to be boring. Few things energize voters to get to the polls more than voting against something they really don't like.
To quote Bugs Bunny, "Lettuce Prey" Scary times require a strong spirit and sense of humor. Thank you Heather for keeping us supplied with both. Great discussion on Big Tent this afternoon.
I've been watching Jeffries throughout this speaker chaos. He's been offering good solutions to our legislative problems. I hope his work in the background gets up to the standard of Nancy Pelosis. We need good leadership from him because maga has an inexperienced leader who will do what he's told.
I am holding you and other Mainers in my heart tonight.
And here we are now saddled with a guy second in line for the presidency who believes the founders wanted a “biblical republic,” opposes abortion and gay marriage, wants to slash Medicare and Social Security, and is Trump’s lackey.
But how long will he last as speaker? Long enough to help cause a government shutdown? Block aid to Ukraine?
They all know they’re digging a deeper hole from which they well lose control of the House. But I’m convinced they don’t care.
Gun control politics is why I have no patience for the GOP. The election stuff triggers my history brain and I find it more interesting than offensive, but the gun stuff touches a dark part of the human soul and I don't tolerate it.
A state senator from WA just got arrested in HK because he “forgot” he had a pistol in his briefcase and it somehow made its way onto an airplane.
Anyway, I try to remain apolitical here, but I hope any GOP followers I have here look themselves in the mirror and ask “what is the point?”