While I am grateful for a pragmatic bipartisan attempt at reason by Rep. Jeffries, I am reminded of a quote by JFK. “We cannot negotiate with people who say what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is negotiable.” -President John F. Kennedy
While I am grateful for a pragmatic bipartisan attempt at reason by Rep. Jeffries, I am reminded of a quote by JFK. “We cannot negotiate with people who say what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is negotiable.” -President John F. Kennedy
This is one reason I subscribe to the Guardian, both the US and UK editions. That really is an excellent interview. OTOH, with HCR all an interviewer has to do is ask a good question or two and then get out of the way.
So much agreement. It's clear that bi-partisan is the best, indeed the only, way forward. But agreeing to it takes courage and the ability to "do the right thing" in spite of potential consequences. Politicians as a breed are among the least likely of human beings to show such inclinations.
I wrote Don Bacon (R-NE2) this morning since he doesn't support Trump, is almost a moderate, is reasonably intelligent and is in a district that voted for Biden.
I urged him to not shut down the government, do not cut benefits to the disadvantaged and elderly and raise the corporate tax rate to at least 25%.
Urge your red Congresscritters to pick a speaker that gives a damn about their constituents and isn't Jordan and Scallise.
K ~ you are not writing/emailing or calling to get a response. You are writing, emailing and calling to send a message that you are out there and you are watching her. Funny thing I learned about my experience with Ryan Costello, they are required to log all of the calls and those logs become “record” which means they have to be preserved and acted upon. So if you don’t mind receiving a computer generated letter from her office, they have to respond. I printed up a batch of the same letter, left the date blank and would fill it in before mailing them. Look at it as job security for the administrative assistant.
Absolutely! Legislators start a "file" when they receive several comments. I learned this when pushing to get a bill passed. THIS IS YOUR RIGHT, YET! Speak up and contact these legislators!
I also appreciate knowing how writing my representative works. Mine is Cathy McMorris Rodgers. She had announced she would not vote to certify the election of Biden, then reversed her decision after the storming of the capitol, so maybe there’s a modicum of hope. MTG makes CMR look like a moderate.
I sent her an email to pass the budget & got a reply that she's concerned about the debt we're leaving our children/grandchildren. Yet she voted FOR the 2017 tax cut!
She's for veterans but votes against most of the bills that will help them. I wish Eastern Washington voters could see the difference between what she says and what she does.
I keep hoping that Republican folks in Eastern Washington will start paying attention to how her vote actually hurts them and make a different choice, but then I remember how many people were ok with Reaganomics.
"Reduced spending", I've been told, is a MAGA dog whistle for tax cuts to wealthy. There seems to be a correspondence between these two threads. Surely repeated kicking the can down the road or burning down the house can not be considered the most effective tools of government.
Calling, if you ask for a response, has the same effect. They must log your call – I always call the local office, not Washington DC – and will send a letter if you request it.
There have been times when I have called Senator Collins' Augusta, Maine office weekly.
I have also called her office on many occasions. I email her when I want to rant, like when she voted to confirm Kavanaugh. Leonard Leo raised millions for her reelection most of it from outside ME. She needs to go even though she is better tan many Republicant Senators.
Haven't heard a peep out of her this week, which is a blessing, but it makes me wonder what she's up to. I also urge you to contact the head of the Democratic Party in your district and ask them to nominate a viable opponent for her, if one can be found.
Cannot believe that Jordan, who supported the insurrection and other Trump illegal activities, is even considered to be Speaker of the House...and Scallise seems proud to be recognized as racist...What kind of choice is this? Tragic...
Gary, We would all be wise to get Jerry Weiss’s comments on step by step way to get this done in the House.
He has spent months thinking through and preparing actual plans on how best to ease this transition through so moderate or “old time Republicans” can help get the House in order for business for the American people.
Let’s toss our rattles out of the playpen of MAGA infants and take hold of the adult GAVEL with both Republican and Democrats hands.
There is not much that is harder to do than to get an undisciplined child to figure out how to “ grow up.” Are there enough adults out there to start to build the road to adulthood?
Unfortunately, our congress critter is one of the chaos/sedition caucus: Tim Burchett 😕 Tennessee. He doesn't see any need to help his constituents because his job is so secure in our Red state.
Although it wasn't always like this. Party before country, the extreme concentration of wealth, the erosion of education, and the almost non-existent Fourth Estate are rapidly choking any aspiration of a healthy representative democracy in the U.S. system.
The absent 4th estate is what happens when profit comes before principle. Once news divisions were moved into the entertainment parts of the major networks, facts began to lose and if it bleeds it leads dominated.
I agree that the media , as constructed today, is only further polarizing our country. The equal time rule needs to brought back and the FCC authority needs to be expanded to cover cable tv and some control on internet platforms , should be on the table. Long ago news departments were not expected to be profitable, but they did enable the station to keep its broadcasting license. Now profit from the “ news” is the top priority, and this is accomplished by opinion shows that are only propaganda in disguise.
And if you are looking for a vast wasteland , just go to the radio programs that blanket most of the country. There is a lack of diversity of opinions out there. It was not that way fifty years ago. I was there, I remember.
The former Republican Party stood for fiscal responsibility, limited government and individual rights. Reagan started the change by giving massive tax breaks to the wealthy and large corporations, running the national debt up from $1 trillion to $33 trillion today because the big corporations and wealthy pay little of their wealth in taxes, leaving our children, grandchildren and succeeding generations with mountains of debt. This has been possible because the oligarchs found a way to dupe the white Christians with wedge issues - abortion, prayer in school, anti-Black, women's rights and immigration.
As to the auto workers, they are feeding on the last remains of a dinosaur - the internal combustion engine (and they know it..) When electric vehicles go into mass production, far fewer workers will be needed to make them and the auto service shops that we see today (Jiffy Lube, etc.) will go the way of the village blacksmith.
Did Reagan start the change? I don't think so. Nixon started the change with his "southern strategy," which resulted in the "solid (white) South" flipping from Democrat to Republican. The influx of the old "Southern Democrats" surely contributed to the transformation of the GOP -- but the seeds were already there. "Limited government" and "states' rights" were kissin' cousins from the get-go.
Republicants may have mouthed “fiscal responsibility” but have NEVER done anything to implement such since after Eisenhower. Reagan was the apotheosis of that.
Particularly since the ascension of the reptilian Newt to SoTH, the republicants have had no interest in governance spanning the breadth of the American people beyond subjugation. Whatever “governance” they have implemented has been in service to the rich and powerful. That’s an entire GENERATION ago. No small wonder that a lot of people feel “left behind.” They have been, by dread intent, by those dedicated to “protect and serve” or “protect and defend”the propertied and wealthy. However, this is beyond the ken of the MAGATs because it’s serious mental work, which, it appears few have the will or preparation to do.
I like Mr. Jeffries’ statement of the kind of governance that the Democrats seek and in whose service it would be directed. He speaks to me in that. You see, I remember years BR, Before Reagan. I saw the efforts straining for The Great Society.
However, that language is as foreign to people who have been indoctrinated to the core of their being that “the lowest white man is better than the best black man” as would be Homer’s Greek. That characterization of people is the real “heritage” of the Antebellum southern society. I have lived in five of the reconstructed states of the South for more than 55 of my 71 years with plenty of opportunity to observe. I know whereof I speak.
All this, brutal as some of it is, to say that I expect no rush to heed Mr. Jeffries’s clarion call to what we know is the correct thing to do in a democracy. He has clearly articulated what we’re about. But we’re the only ones listening or prepared to understand what he’s saying.
Being 72, I also remember the years BR. A while back it dawned on me that you have to be in your very late 50s to have firsthand memories of the U.S. before Reagan. I was basing this on an unsubstantiated hunch that people start paying attention to national politics in their mid-teens. Some start earlier, and some never start, so who really knows.
About "fiscal responsibility" -- I know what it *could* mean but in practice it's usually code for cutting social programs, especially those that benefit people of color. The fact that these programs benefit even more white people than they do people of color seems totally lost on the right-wingers, including the ones who benefit from these programs.
Yes, the plundering of our national treasury began under Reagan. Start counting all of the tax cuts that started with Reagan. It was tax cut after tax cut for the wealthy and large corporations and as a result the deficit (national debt) ballooned from less than $1 trillion when Reagan took office to the $33 trillion that it is today ($8.2 trillion added by Trump and the Republicans.)
You're correct in that Nixon started this with luring the "Dixiecrats" out of the Democratic party and (along with wooing the evangelicals) into the Republican't Party. Great assessment of the juxtaposition of "limited government" and "states rights". Civil War II may just be in the works.
David Corn's book American Psychosis documents the track of the Konservative rise to power. It goes back to the foundations of white supremacy, and other core beliefs that most political parties exploited in their quests for power. It's a pretty depressing read, but seeing how deep these roots go is important to recognizing how it's working today.
I'm looking forward to her book, but having lived through the Reagan administration as a reasonably sentient adult I don't expect to be very surprised.
Oh, absolutely. In fact, in the world that up until recently I thought still existed, that’s the way it’s always been. Compromise, both parties dissatisfied but a good solution reached in the end.
"It wasn't always like this" -- you're talking about white people, right? The move to include people of color in representative democracy -- to make it healthier, IOW -- is what kicked off the "southern strategy" which led to Reaganism which led to all that other ugly stuff.
I was providing historical insights with respect to a government that might have disagreements on foreign policy, domestic policy, etc. however would work together toward a compromise (instead of working to destroy the system from within).
So no, not talking about race. However, to your point there are far too many mired in racism, hate, and fear who rabidly embrace the idea of authoritarian-led white nationalism.
But that government you're talking about was rigged in favor of white people, so you *are* talking about race, perhaps without realizing it? Take a look at Congress between the end of Reconstruction and the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts of the 1960s. It was dominated by (white) Southern Democrats who accumulated seniority, and thus power, because the (white) South was essentially a one-party mini-state and they ran unopposed until they decided to step down. Racism really is systemic. It's not just about individuals with racist attitudes.
Isn't a math problem right now? I understand that to control this Congress AND to reform the House rules i217 votes are needed not 218. Dems/Jeffries have 213 assuming all are present & voting.
There are a number of different tactics to get to a sane Governing Colition Indeed, a LFAA Reader is looking for 1 vote in California House District #5 controlled by R's.
Any R looking for a sane & working Federal government in their district and/ or keeping her/his Job is in the possible mix.
R's sent all their members out of DC for a week. Who stayed in town? What is your Congressional Rep doing?
Oregon's recent gain in population has given us a new US Representative; the messing with redrawing district lines made this new spot a lock-in Republican't district (Michele, who is a LFAA regular, now lives in this district that she describes as "gerrymandered".)
I just looked up the new districting map. I honestly do not understand how they came up with the decision that they did.
In November 2021 there was litigation in OREGON that upheld the 2021 Congressional Map Retired Judge, Breithaup, relying on OREGON's Dept of Justice's info held that districts must have "roughly equal populations, be contiguous & use existing transportation, political, and geographic boundaries" & also opined that "lawmakers cannot unduly split communities of common interest". Officer I recommend a consultation with a battle tested 2021 Map litigant.
Bipartisanship is like any other tool; it can be used for good, or evil. Since 1980, every tax cut, which always benefited the wealthy over the poor and working class, has been bipartisan. Same with every vote to go war to fill the coffers of the MIC and buttress American hegemony, never mind the destruction, misery, and chaos we leave in its wake. Bipartisan. Same with most all of the legislation passed that always, always, is written by lobbyists to benefit monied interests, even legislation like the ACA.
Until we break the shackle that monied interests hold on the legislative process, nothing will change, no matter who is in charge. Pelosi was every bit the authoritarian McCarthy was. She did the bidding of donors, just like he did. The House needs rules reform badly, but just watch, if Jeffries wins the Speaker’s gavel, he will continue to consolidate power in the leadership, rather than disperse it to individual members.
Whatever you say about some GOP ‘extremists’, at least their thrust to break the continuing resolution budget strategy is worthwhile. If we keep lumping funding for proxy wars into legislation for school lunches, the voting public never gets a chance to hold their representatives accountable, and the rot continues, unabated.
Requiring 72 hours for Representatives to read any bill before a vote was also an excellent move. (Then former Speaker Kevin refused to give Dems even 72 minutes to read the continuing resolution last week. Fortunately, Jeffries and Clark maneuvered the time despite that.)
Yes, Tribalism likely wins the day, but maybe not, and yes, this would represent a steep fissure in the House side of the GOP, and to be honest, that would likely be the best outcome for them and America as well.
True, but it was the emergence of science and rationality from superstition. It’s what gave rise to “all men are created equal,” the greatest aspirational statement ever conceived and written. It is the distillation of the best in human imagination.
We'll get there. A few will agree and then more will join them until there are enough for a comfortable majority. WE need to tell Our Representatives that we support the Process and then give them the space they need to make it happen. It is hard work but it is also the reason we have A House Of Representatives.
..and he was right at that time but we've only become more polarized over the decades to the point that governments at all levels have degraded in their ability to govern effectively.
I wish JFK had added at the end "...so let's learn to share." That's what everyone is afraid of trying to initiate because it would cause emotional trauma to folks on both sides locked into things that aren't really true.
As a liberal it hurts to admit I've spent decades locked into "truisms" that were emotionally satisfying but were deadends for bringing lasting political peace. Don't get me wrong, both sides are not equal in blame today and the GOP is on the road to hell. Liberal/Progressives need to at least get a hand on the steering wheel to pull us away from the ditch. Democrats have been on the wrong side of what's best their fair share but we tend to forget that and that is only normal.
A better future will require bending on things like immigration where the red states called our bluff and now Eric Adams has to go south of the border to tell immigrant hopefuls there is no more room in the shelters or the money to pay for them. We can't take them all but we can't completely shut them out. Canada is more selective than we are with immigration but has more thriving immigrant communities that are assimilated and cherished.
If you want what's left of the reasonable right to bend you have to give them something. Build more of the damn wall to quell some of that anger. Eventually they'll see a wall is not a solution and can be taken down in most places if not everywhere. I don't know how we will overcome the impact on the necessary migration of wildlife but that's what we're famous for doing, finding simple solutions to complex problems.
Governing is the art of compromise. Kennedy may have been right to a degree but with that quote he needs a revision. We can no longer afford the luxury of agreeing to disagree
JFK got Cuba to move its missiles. HOW? Not strong arm tactics, or bravado. THE U.S. MOVED ITS MISSILES FROM TURKEY AND ITALY! Compromise! Not building "walls" to appease but with each side "giving a little!"
That's international relations, here we're talking about political compromise. It was easy in those days when Democrats and Republicans could go out for drinks together after arguing on the floor all day. The quote I was replying to was a definite line drawn in the sand implying there is no compromise.
"Build more of the damn wall to quell some of that anger."
No. The section of wall being built is because the money has been allocated and had been sitting for years, and there is no way to un-allocate it. Biden made it clear that this is the reason , and not appeasement for the MAGAs.
But it’s amazing how the truth about the allocation existing and no way to un-allocate it is being left out of the conversation. Last night Bill Maher did exactly that, left it out of the conversation and then went on to spout about what a hypocrite Biden is for allowing the continuation of building the wall. If anything Maher is the hypocrite as he claims to be critical of both sides.
Had Maher exposed the truth about the allocation and there being no way around it, he would have blasted the right wing media for calling Biden a hypocrite. Instead he joined forces with them and regurgitated their misrepresentation.
It's like the Iran money that was returned to the country, to be used for humanitarian aid. The GOP claimed it was "treasonous" and that Biden should be impeached for it.
As for Maher, I threw that asshole under the bus years ago. The only thing he cares about is his success, not truth.
I assumed, wrongly, most people know it's money already allocated but technically is is building new wall, just not wall authorized by Biden. You rarely, if ever, hear it reported accurately, the media creates controversy by focusing on the blowback from Democrats and hiding the fact Biden's hands were tied. Though, if the situation were reversed I bet Trump would cancel something authorized by his predecessor and people would call it being strong.
Interestingly, comprise over multiple generations has moved the GOP to the far right, first Reagan, then the “Tea Party”, and finally a fringe group simply seeking to destroy the system from within.
I do agree that reason, diplomacy, and compromise are vital. Yet now there is a progressive left calling for reasonable policies that might have once been characterized as centrist. Moderate dems who have shifted to the right. A few endangered species republicans still embracing some form of representative democracy, and the MAGA lunatic fringe right who are not conservatives at all but extremists working to burn it all down.
I wouldn't consider what Reagan did as compromise. Heather does a fantastic job in Democracy Awakening of describing the GOP from the 60's forward and compromise does't play a major role. It was built on emotionally deceiving the people by casting Democrats as the enemy of the people and freedom by glorifying the cowboy ethos of everyone for themselves and keep the government out of my life as much as possible.
I guess you can say that after they brainwashed generations of their voters, the voters compromised themselves to keep heading down the one-way road to the hell they find themselves today.
If there was any compromise it was Democrats compromising to their own detriment when they tried playing along with the popular Reagan government.. That's how Clinton got elected and despite the tech boom economy blew the opportunity of a century.
Fine. We don’t need a working Congress anyway. Military can just promote and pay themselves and Federal workers can always donate their time to their jobs during the day and work paying jobs at night. Also, legislation schmegislation.
A well-informed, well-educated, and actively engaged base of voters would not elevate people committed to attacking the very system from within. Putting people like Boebert, Jordan, Santos, Taylor-Greene, Biggs, and Gosar into the House, or people like Scott, Hawley, Cotton, and Cruz into the U.S. Senate. Gerrymandering, voter suppression, dark money, and voters have turned the American system against itself, while criminals like Putin couldn't be more delighted.
Rosendale is alive & well in MT! Part of the Maga group with a campaign to out our only democratic senator Jon Tester by another Seal( supporting trump like Zinke) to unseat him . Jim Jordan if elected speaker would be 3rd in line to the Presidency which is a very very scary .
He is running against Monica Tranel . Monica almost beat him & given he is in the "more liberal" side of MT, his seat is @ risk. He is laying low being a sheep in wolf clothing
I may be a bit naive in these matters, but I felt Jeffries was talking mainly to those republican congresspeople from districts Joe Biden won handily. They might be able to get something going there - mainly a non extreme candidate. I have seen a couple of names mentioned. It sounded hopeful to me. Of course, he also wanted to show our fellow citizens that the dems were willing to be bipartisan on this issue.
It's a good strategy and hope it is successful. Unfortunately so many of what I characterize as the "endangered species" Republicans (like Liz Cheney) who have the courage to put the national interest over party politics have left Congress. To your point Linda -there might still be a handful willing to work cooperatively.
Perhaps you are very young. There was a time when moderate Republican did exist and did work for the common good. Remember that Abe Lincoln was a Republican.
You don't need to persuade me. I'm with you. I did however, grow up in a Republican household. It was only after seeing the overt policy positions (party platforms) that I finally bailed. I call myself Independent but many would call me an ardent liberal activist. As a scientist, I split my efforts between the environment and acting as science and experience-based public commentator on regaining wellness from Long COVID and similar viral diseases.
I hope that others read your comments. Thanks for taking the time to post.
My substack blog on Long COVID is free to anyone who wishes to subscribe. (I do accept paid subscriptions, but they are optional.) I'm a Dartmouth Medical School trained scientist with focus on innate and adaptive immunity. My recovery from Long COVID is based on careful reflection on well researched science. Comments from those who follow my protocol are encouraging. Bottom line, please pass the link along to anyone with this condition. It is treatable and in my view curable over the long term. But understanding it is the key. https://longcovidjourney2wellness.substack.com/
Thank you Heather.
While I am grateful for a pragmatic bipartisan attempt at reason by Rep. Jeffries, I am reminded of a quote by JFK. “We cannot negotiate with people who say what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is negotiable.” -President John F. Kennedy
IF the GOP had pronouns, there is no doubt they’d be he/him/MINE.
Glad I wasn't drinking my coffee while reading, it would be a "clean-up on aisle 7" situation. :)
My keyboard got a drop...
I haven't scanned the 300+ present comments to see if this has been flagged elsewhere, but The Guardian's David Smith did a great interview with HCR today that provided some good insight into our enigmatic heroine HCR: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/oct/07/american-democracy-heather-cox-richardson-trump-biden
And thanks for the coffee Mr P; it went well with the cookie crumbs already collected in my kbd;
This is one reason I subscribe to the Guardian, both the US and UK editions. That really is an excellent interview. OTOH, with HCR all an interviewer has to do is ask a good question or two and then get out of the way.
Yes, it is a wonderful interview with HCR. Guardian has no paywall and no ads.
Thank you LeMoine! This interview has all the talking points one needs to draw a clear contrast between trump & the Republicans and President Biden.
Thank you for the link. A great and uplifting read.
"Me/myself/I" also works.
... I / Me / Mine ...!!
Reminds me of Dr Seuss book, the Sneches.
That one is good too. I think it is the most descriptive.
And my laughter continues. Thanks Susanna J Sturgis. I am still laughing at those pronouns. 😂😂😂😂😂🤪
That is perfect! And very funny.
LOL!
They say laughter is the best medicine. 😂😂😂 Thank you for that.
Ha! I penned a cartoon with a very similar thought, albeit directed toward the Odious Beast
So much agreement. It's clear that bi-partisan is the best, indeed the only, way forward. But agreeing to it takes courage and the ability to "do the right thing" in spite of potential consequences. Politicians as a breed are among the least likely of human beings to show such inclinations.
I wrote Don Bacon (R-NE2) this morning since he doesn't support Trump, is almost a moderate, is reasonably intelligent and is in a district that voted for Biden.
I urged him to not shut down the government, do not cut benefits to the disadvantaged and elderly and raise the corporate tax rate to at least 25%.
Urge your red Congresscritters to pick a speaker that gives a damn about their constituents and isn't Jordan and Scallise.
my congressman is marjorie Greene , she is unresponsive
Write her anyway, the more letters from her constituents she gets that clearly state their opposition to the extremists the better.
K ~ you are not writing/emailing or calling to get a response. You are writing, emailing and calling to send a message that you are out there and you are watching her. Funny thing I learned about my experience with Ryan Costello, they are required to log all of the calls and those logs become “record” which means they have to be preserved and acted upon. So if you don’t mind receiving a computer generated letter from her office, they have to respond. I printed up a batch of the same letter, left the date blank and would fill it in before mailing them. Look at it as job security for the administrative assistant.
Absolutely! Legislators start a "file" when they receive several comments. I learned this when pushing to get a bill passed. THIS IS YOUR RIGHT, YET! Speak up and contact these legislators!
thanks. I will write her.
I also appreciate knowing how writing my representative works. Mine is Cathy McMorris Rodgers. She had announced she would not vote to certify the election of Biden, then reversed her decision after the storming of the capitol, so maybe there’s a modicum of hope. MTG makes CMR look like a moderate.
I sent her an email to pass the budget & got a reply that she's concerned about the debt we're leaving our children/grandchildren. Yet she voted FOR the 2017 tax cut!
She's for veterans but votes against most of the bills that will help them. I wish Eastern Washington voters could see the difference between what she says and what she does.
I keep hoping that Republican folks in Eastern Washington will start paying attention to how her vote actually hurts them and make a different choice, but then I remember how many people were ok with Reaganomics.
"Reduced spending", I've been told, is a MAGA dog whistle for tax cuts to wealthy. There seems to be a correspondence between these two threads. Surely repeated kicking the can down the road or burning down the house can not be considered the most effective tools of government.
The media should be exposing this clearly and repeatedly. Please tell your local radio, tv, papers and social media sources.
Calling, if you ask for a response, has the same effect. They must log your call – I always call the local office, not Washington DC – and will send a letter if you request it.
There have been times when I have called Senator Collins' Augusta, Maine office weekly.
I have also called her office on many occasions. I email her when I want to rant, like when she voted to confirm Kavanaugh. Leonard Leo raised millions for her reelection most of it from outside ME. She needs to go even though she is better tan many Republicant Senators.
While she cloaks as "better than," she only votes against the kooks when they're guaranteed to carry the day without her.
Do you know which is more effective? Calling, email, snai mail?
I think it depends on the Congressman or Senator. With most, I usually get a response if I email.
Haven't heard a peep out of her this week, which is a blessing, but it makes me wonder what she's up to. I also urge you to contact the head of the Democratic Party in your district and ask them to nominate a viable opponent for her, if one can be found.
There is a retired Army general, Shawn Harris, who is planning a run against her. shawnforgeorgia.com
Thank you for this link. I just donated!
There are already four Democrats running against her.
I know of only one, a Black retired army general. Who are the others?
I did smile because it sounds like Gangrene is in a coma and maybe she is.
You have my condolences.
I think you must mean congresscultist in that case ...
Cannot believe that Jordan, who supported the insurrection and other Trump illegal activities, is even considered to be Speaker of the House...and Scallise seems proud to be recognized as racist...What kind of choice is this? Tragic...
ITS CALLED , "NO CHOICE !! " ( SWILLPOTT SALLYS ' ! )
Congress critters.. love that.
A long standing nickname for them. It kinda goes along with the group name for a certain bird - a Congress of Vultures.
Westtrekker ! , 'HOW"BOUT ----A MURDER, OF CROWS ? ( bUNCH A' MAGPIES !, SEE !,, YEAH ! )
Gary, We would all be wise to get Jerry Weiss’s comments on step by step way to get this done in the House.
He has spent months thinking through and preparing actual plans on how best to ease this transition through so moderate or “old time Republicans” can help get the House in order for business for the American people.
Let’s toss our rattles out of the playpen of MAGA infants and take hold of the adult GAVEL with both Republican and Democrats hands.
There is not much that is harder to do than to get an undisciplined child to figure out how to “ grow up.” Are there enough adults out there to start to build the road to adulthood?
Nothing as interesting as a real GROWN UP!
Congresscritters ....love it!
Unfortunately, our congress critter is one of the chaos/sedition caucus: Tim Burchett 😕 Tennessee. He doesn't see any need to help his constituents because his job is so secure in our Red state.
Similar situation AL-05 with Dale Strong
LORD !, HAVE MERCY !, Susan !
Although it wasn't always like this. Party before country, the extreme concentration of wealth, the erosion of education, and the almost non-existent Fourth Estate are rapidly choking any aspiration of a healthy representative democracy in the U.S. system.
The absent 4th estate is what happens when profit comes before principle. Once news divisions were moved into the entertainment parts of the major networks, facts began to lose and if it bleeds it leads dominated.
Moved to entertainment AND expected to be a profit center
It happened under Reagan, may he continue to rot in whatever hell there is.
I agree that the media , as constructed today, is only further polarizing our country. The equal time rule needs to brought back and the FCC authority needs to be expanded to cover cable tv and some control on internet platforms , should be on the table. Long ago news departments were not expected to be profitable, but they did enable the station to keep its broadcasting license. Now profit from the “ news” is the top priority, and this is accomplished by opinion shows that are only propaganda in disguise.
And if you are looking for a vast wasteland , just go to the radio programs that blanket most of the country. There is a lack of diversity of opinions out there. It was not that way fifty years ago. I was there, I remember.
I remember also. Current radio is propaganda and disinformation.
Free Speech TV has
Thom Hartman, Stephanie Miller, Randy Rhodes, Amy Goodman and others. Support Free Speech TV
Support Free Speech TV.
So very true. If substack had a "love this comment" I would have clicked.
The former Republican Party stood for fiscal responsibility, limited government and individual rights. Reagan started the change by giving massive tax breaks to the wealthy and large corporations, running the national debt up from $1 trillion to $33 trillion today because the big corporations and wealthy pay little of their wealth in taxes, leaving our children, grandchildren and succeeding generations with mountains of debt. This has been possible because the oligarchs found a way to dupe the white Christians with wedge issues - abortion, prayer in school, anti-Black, women's rights and immigration.
As to the auto workers, they are feeding on the last remains of a dinosaur - the internal combustion engine (and they know it..) When electric vehicles go into mass production, far fewer workers will be needed to make them and the auto service shops that we see today (Jiffy Lube, etc.) will go the way of the village blacksmith.
Very true. You can draw a line from the Lewis Powell Memo to Reagan to Heritage’s Project2025.
Thank you, Richard. Powell was a cold fish who cared not a fig for hoi poloi. (Spell check had a terrible time with a bit of Greek.)
Did Reagan start the change? I don't think so. Nixon started the change with his "southern strategy," which resulted in the "solid (white) South" flipping from Democrat to Republican. The influx of the old "Southern Democrats" surely contributed to the transformation of the GOP -- but the seeds were already there. "Limited government" and "states' rights" were kissin' cousins from the get-go.
Republicants may have mouthed “fiscal responsibility” but have NEVER done anything to implement such since after Eisenhower. Reagan was the apotheosis of that.
Particularly since the ascension of the reptilian Newt to SoTH, the republicants have had no interest in governance spanning the breadth of the American people beyond subjugation. Whatever “governance” they have implemented has been in service to the rich and powerful. That’s an entire GENERATION ago. No small wonder that a lot of people feel “left behind.” They have been, by dread intent, by those dedicated to “protect and serve” or “protect and defend”the propertied and wealthy. However, this is beyond the ken of the MAGATs because it’s serious mental work, which, it appears few have the will or preparation to do.
I like Mr. Jeffries’ statement of the kind of governance that the Democrats seek and in whose service it would be directed. He speaks to me in that. You see, I remember years BR, Before Reagan. I saw the efforts straining for The Great Society.
However, that language is as foreign to people who have been indoctrinated to the core of their being that “the lowest white man is better than the best black man” as would be Homer’s Greek. That characterization of people is the real “heritage” of the Antebellum southern society. I have lived in five of the reconstructed states of the South for more than 55 of my 71 years with plenty of opportunity to observe. I know whereof I speak.
All this, brutal as some of it is, to say that I expect no rush to heed Mr. Jeffries’s clarion call to what we know is the correct thing to do in a democracy. He has clearly articulated what we’re about. But we’re the only ones listening or prepared to understand what he’s saying.
I would truly celebrate being proven wrong.
Being 72, I also remember the years BR. A while back it dawned on me that you have to be in your very late 50s to have firsthand memories of the U.S. before Reagan. I was basing this on an unsubstantiated hunch that people start paying attention to national politics in their mid-teens. Some start earlier, and some never start, so who really knows.
About "fiscal responsibility" -- I know what it *could* mean but in practice it's usually code for cutting social programs, especially those that benefit people of color. The fact that these programs benefit even more white people than they do people of color seems totally lost on the right-wingers, including the ones who benefit from these programs.
I completely agree! Thanks for extending the conversation.
Yes, the plundering of our national treasury began under Reagan. Start counting all of the tax cuts that started with Reagan. It was tax cut after tax cut for the wealthy and large corporations and as a result the deficit (national debt) ballooned from less than $1 trillion when Reagan took office to the $33 trillion that it is today ($8.2 trillion added by Trump and the Republicans.)
You're correct in that Nixon started this with luring the "Dixiecrats" out of the Democratic party and (along with wooing the evangelicals) into the Republican't Party. Great assessment of the juxtaposition of "limited government" and "states rights". Civil War II may just be in the works.
And if Civil War II is in the works, it would appear that African American Jeffries could not become the Speaker of the House.
Precisely.
David Corn's book American Psychosis documents the track of the Konservative rise to power. It goes back to the foundations of white supremacy, and other core beliefs that most political parties exploited in their quests for power. It's a pretty depressing read, but seeing how deep these roots go is important to recognizing how it's working today.
HCR explains Reagan's shenanigans in her new book!
I'm looking forward to her book, but having lived through the Reagan administration as a reasonably sentient adult I don't expect to be very surprised.
The Republican Party hasn’t stood for fiscal responsibility since the Two Santa Claus theory in the 70s. Look it up.
But some people believe that crap. Part of how we got here.
and what new industries will take their place? Usually are!
And that, Julie, is the $64 trillion question.
Oh, absolutely. In fact, in the world that up until recently I thought still existed, that’s the way it’s always been. Compromise, both parties dissatisfied but a good solution reached in the end.
Yes, that and a politicized right-wing SCOTUS and we pretty much have a non-functioning legislative situation here.
"It wasn't always like this" -- you're talking about white people, right? The move to include people of color in representative democracy -- to make it healthier, IOW -- is what kicked off the "southern strategy" which led to Reaganism which led to all that other ugly stuff.
I was providing historical insights with respect to a government that might have disagreements on foreign policy, domestic policy, etc. however would work together toward a compromise (instead of working to destroy the system from within).
So no, not talking about race. However, to your point there are far too many mired in racism, hate, and fear who rabidly embrace the idea of authoritarian-led white nationalism.
But that government you're talking about was rigged in favor of white people, so you *are* talking about race, perhaps without realizing it? Take a look at Congress between the end of Reconstruction and the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts of the 1960s. It was dominated by (white) Southern Democrats who accumulated seniority, and thus power, because the (white) South was essentially a one-party mini-state and they ran unopposed until they decided to step down. Racism really is systemic. It's not just about individuals with racist attitudes.
Yes, I do agree, racism is systemic and unlike the SCOTUS decision the U.S. has never been a post-race society.
And therein lies the crux of the matter.
Isn't a math problem right now? I understand that to control this Congress AND to reform the House rules i217 votes are needed not 218. Dems/Jeffries have 213 assuming all are present & voting.
There are a number of different tactics to get to a sane Governing Colition Indeed, a LFAA Reader is looking for 1 vote in California House District #5 controlled by R's.
Any R looking for a sane & working Federal government in their district and/ or keeping her/his Job is in the possible mix.
R's sent all their members out of DC for a week. Who stayed in town? What is your Congressional Rep doing?
you would think that those in districts with military bases would not want to shutdown the government
Oregon's recent gain in population has given us a new US Representative; the messing with redrawing district lines made this new spot a lock-in Republican't district (Michele, who is a LFAA regular, now lives in this district that she describes as "gerrymandered".)
I just looked up the new districting map. I honestly do not understand how they came up with the decision that they did.
In November 2021 there was litigation in OREGON that upheld the 2021 Congressional Map Retired Judge, Breithaup, relying on OREGON's Dept of Justice's info held that districts must have "roughly equal populations, be contiguous & use existing transportation, political, and geographic boundaries" & also opined that "lawmakers cannot unduly split communities of common interest". Officer I recommend a consultation with a battle tested 2021 Map litigant.
I'd love to find one.
Litigation & the court file (digital access) is in Salem.
Hiding
Mine is a Democrat and she just buried her husband who was killed in a plane accident.
Bipartisanship is like any other tool; it can be used for good, or evil. Since 1980, every tax cut, which always benefited the wealthy over the poor and working class, has been bipartisan. Same with every vote to go war to fill the coffers of the MIC and buttress American hegemony, never mind the destruction, misery, and chaos we leave in its wake. Bipartisan. Same with most all of the legislation passed that always, always, is written by lobbyists to benefit monied interests, even legislation like the ACA.
Until we break the shackle that monied interests hold on the legislative process, nothing will change, no matter who is in charge. Pelosi was every bit the authoritarian McCarthy was. She did the bidding of donors, just like he did. The House needs rules reform badly, but just watch, if Jeffries wins the Speaker’s gavel, he will continue to consolidate power in the leadership, rather than disperse it to individual members.
Whatever you say about some GOP ‘extremists’, at least their thrust to break the continuing resolution budget strategy is worthwhile. If we keep lumping funding for proxy wars into legislation for school lunches, the voting public never gets a chance to hold their representatives accountable, and the rot continues, unabated.
Requiring 72 hours for Representatives to read any bill before a vote was also an excellent move. (Then former Speaker Kevin refused to give Dems even 72 minutes to read the continuing resolution last week. Fortunately, Jeffries and Clark maneuvered the time despite that.)
Very valid observations.
Yes, Tribalism likely wins the day, but maybe not, and yes, this would represent a steep fissure in the House side of the GOP, and to be honest, that would likely be the best outcome for them and America as well.
This sounds pretty hopeless. It's very scary to watch staunch followers of the embodiment of the Antichrist wield such power....
Yes. The Odious Beast considers Jesus to be “a loser”.
Exactly! Pure and utter projection....
It’s part and parcel of that mentality.
"Jesus was captured and crucified. I like prophets who weren't killed. What a loser."
The farther we get from “The Age Of Reason” (18th century), the more unreasonable we seem to become.
Of course that’s a frivolous statement - there are lots of reasonable people- but we need more of them than before as there are more of us.
Although one can also observe that the age of reason was not a particularly peaceful age. ;-)
True, but it was the emergence of science and rationality from superstition. It’s what gave rise to “all men are created equal,” the greatest aspirational statement ever conceived and written. It is the distillation of the best in human imagination.
We'll get there. A few will agree and then more will join them until there are enough for a comfortable majority. WE need to tell Our Representatives that we support the Process and then give them the space they need to make it happen. It is hard work but it is also the reason we have A House Of Representatives.
I dunno. It feels like we are ever closer to the tipping point. Let's hope reason rules.
Fingers crossed
Perhaps this point in time mat benefit best from giving the republicans a pragmatic out..for the people
Nor can you negotiate with terrorists.
..and he was right at that time but we've only become more polarized over the decades to the point that governments at all levels have degraded in their ability to govern effectively.
I wish JFK had added at the end "...so let's learn to share." That's what everyone is afraid of trying to initiate because it would cause emotional trauma to folks on both sides locked into things that aren't really true.
As a liberal it hurts to admit I've spent decades locked into "truisms" that were emotionally satisfying but were deadends for bringing lasting political peace. Don't get me wrong, both sides are not equal in blame today and the GOP is on the road to hell. Liberal/Progressives need to at least get a hand on the steering wheel to pull us away from the ditch. Democrats have been on the wrong side of what's best their fair share but we tend to forget that and that is only normal.
A better future will require bending on things like immigration where the red states called our bluff and now Eric Adams has to go south of the border to tell immigrant hopefuls there is no more room in the shelters or the money to pay for them. We can't take them all but we can't completely shut them out. Canada is more selective than we are with immigration but has more thriving immigrant communities that are assimilated and cherished.
If you want what's left of the reasonable right to bend you have to give them something. Build more of the damn wall to quell some of that anger. Eventually they'll see a wall is not a solution and can be taken down in most places if not everywhere. I don't know how we will overcome the impact on the necessary migration of wildlife but that's what we're famous for doing, finding simple solutions to complex problems.
Governing is the art of compromise. Kennedy may have been right to a degree but with that quote he needs a revision. We can no longer afford the luxury of agreeing to disagree
JFK got Cuba to move its missiles. HOW? Not strong arm tactics, or bravado. THE U.S. MOVED ITS MISSILES FROM TURKEY AND ITALY! Compromise! Not building "walls" to appease but with each side "giving a little!"
That's international relations, here we're talking about political compromise. It was easy in those days when Democrats and Republicans could go out for drinks together after arguing on the floor all day. The quote I was replying to was a definite line drawn in the sand implying there is no compromise.
"Build more of the damn wall to quell some of that anger."
No. The section of wall being built is because the money has been allocated and had been sitting for years, and there is no way to un-allocate it. Biden made it clear that this is the reason , and not appeasement for the MAGAs.
But it’s amazing how the truth about the allocation existing and no way to un-allocate it is being left out of the conversation. Last night Bill Maher did exactly that, left it out of the conversation and then went on to spout about what a hypocrite Biden is for allowing the continuation of building the wall. If anything Maher is the hypocrite as he claims to be critical of both sides.
Had Maher exposed the truth about the allocation and there being no way around it, he would have blasted the right wing media for calling Biden a hypocrite. Instead he joined forces with them and regurgitated their misrepresentation.
It's like the Iran money that was returned to the country, to be used for humanitarian aid. The GOP claimed it was "treasonous" and that Biden should be impeached for it.
As for Maher, I threw that asshole under the bus years ago. The only thing he cares about is his success, not truth.
Here is the story:
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-claims-choice-build-trumps-border-wall/story?id=103757017
I assumed, wrongly, most people know it's money already allocated but technically is is building new wall, just not wall authorized by Biden. You rarely, if ever, hear it reported accurately, the media creates controversy by focusing on the blowback from Democrats and hiding the fact Biden's hands were tied. Though, if the situation were reversed I bet Trump would cancel something authorized by his predecessor and people would call it being strong.
Interestingly, comprise over multiple generations has moved the GOP to the far right, first Reagan, then the “Tea Party”, and finally a fringe group simply seeking to destroy the system from within.
I do agree that reason, diplomacy, and compromise are vital. Yet now there is a progressive left calling for reasonable policies that might have once been characterized as centrist. Moderate dems who have shifted to the right. A few endangered species republicans still embracing some form of representative democracy, and the MAGA lunatic fringe right who are not conservatives at all but extremists working to burn it all down.
I wouldn't consider what Reagan did as compromise. Heather does a fantastic job in Democracy Awakening of describing the GOP from the 60's forward and compromise does't play a major role. It was built on emotionally deceiving the people by casting Democrats as the enemy of the people and freedom by glorifying the cowboy ethos of everyone for themselves and keep the government out of my life as much as possible.
I guess you can say that after they brainwashed generations of their voters, the voters compromised themselves to keep heading down the one-way road to the hell they find themselves today.
If there was any compromise it was Democrats compromising to their own detriment when they tried playing along with the popular Reagan government.. That's how Clinton got elected and despite the tech boom economy blew the opportunity of a century.
Fine. We don’t need a working Congress anyway. Military can just promote and pay themselves and Federal workers can always donate their time to their jobs during the day and work paying jobs at night. Also, legislation schmegislation.
A well-informed, well-educated, and actively engaged base of voters would not elevate people committed to attacking the very system from within. Putting people like Boebert, Jordan, Santos, Taylor-Greene, Biggs, and Gosar into the House, or people like Scott, Hawley, Cotton, and Cruz into the U.S. Senate. Gerrymandering, voter suppression, dark money, and voters have turned the American system against itself, while criminals like Putin couldn't be more delighted.
Rosendale is alive & well in MT! Part of the Maga group with a campaign to out our only democratic senator Jon Tester by another Seal( supporting trump like Zinke) to unseat him . Jim Jordan if elected speaker would be 3rd in line to the Presidency which is a very very scary .
As corrupt as Zinke is, it's surprising he didn't throw his hat into the GOP Presidential arena. It is scary and maddening.
He is running against Monica Tranel . Monica almost beat him & given he is in the "more liberal" side of MT, his seat is @ risk. He is laying low being a sheep in wolf clothing
Money to Monica.
I may be a bit naive in these matters, but I felt Jeffries was talking mainly to those republican congresspeople from districts Joe Biden won handily. They might be able to get something going there - mainly a non extreme candidate. I have seen a couple of names mentioned. It sounded hopeful to me. Of course, he also wanted to show our fellow citizens that the dems were willing to be bipartisan on this issue.
It's a good strategy and hope it is successful. Unfortunately so many of what I characterize as the "endangered species" Republicans (like Liz Cheney) who have the courage to put the national interest over party politics have left Congress. To your point Linda -there might still be a handful willing to work cooperatively.
Very true. Or will celebrate and take credit when an infrastructure project is funded on a bill they voted against. Disgusting hypocrisy.
Hi Gail H,
Perhaps you are very young. There was a time when moderate Republican did exist and did work for the common good. Remember that Abe Lincoln was a Republican.
Honest Abe wouldn't be a Republican today.
And, more recently, so was Eisenhower.
Just exactly why I pointed to how far back on that side one must go to find someone who was effective in governance for the people.
Hi Gail,
You don't need to persuade me. I'm with you. I did however, grow up in a Republican household. It was only after seeing the overt policy positions (party platforms) that I finally bailed. I call myself Independent but many would call me an ardent liberal activist. As a scientist, I split my efforts between the environment and acting as science and experience-based public commentator on regaining wellness from Long COVID and similar viral diseases.
I hope that others read your comments. Thanks for taking the time to post.
My substack blog on Long COVID is free to anyone who wishes to subscribe. (I do accept paid subscriptions, but they are optional.) I'm a Dartmouth Medical School trained scientist with focus on innate and adaptive immunity. My recovery from Long COVID is based on careful reflection on well researched science. Comments from those who follow my protocol are encouraging. Bottom line, please pass the link along to anyone with this condition. It is treatable and in my view curable over the long term. But understanding it is the key. https://longcovidjourney2wellness.substack.com/