In a Washington Post op-ed today, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) offered House Republicans a “path to a better place” than the “dysfunction and rancor they have allowed to engulf the House.” Democrats have repeatedly offered both in public and in private to enter into a bipartisan governing coalition, he wrote, but under former House speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Republicans have “categorically rejected making changes to the rules [in order] to…encourage bipartisan governance and undermine the ability of extremists to hold Congress hostage.”
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.
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.
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/
Heather, Isn’t this the time to blast the airwaves with the real story about Gym Jordan? He is a right winger and a disgusting enabler of sexual abuse by a staff doctor “looking after” the wrestling team Gym coached! The kids testified! We know the truth, so why isn’t it out there in all caps???? Thank you, always, Heather. So much positive to be grateful for, but I had to mention this about Jordan....
He reminds me of Roland Freisler. That was the "judge" who sentenced Sophie Scholl and the White Rose to death in 1943. Watch the movie Sophie Scholl – The Final Days (2005) to get an idea of his courtroom demeanor. Jordan in a House committee acts the same way.
Gym Jordan sweats all over the place. Can this be that he is afraid the case could be re-opened in Ohio? I believe he was an assistant coach of "The Ohio State" wrestling team. A friend who attended "The Ohio State" told me that that is how the university wishes to be known.
Also, many Republicans are complaining that Democratic Senator John Fetterman (PA) often doesn't dress like a penguin(my name for the suit and tie group). I wonder if the Democrats in the House of Representatives are upset that Gym Jordan is often seen sans tie and coat and with his shirt sleeves rolled up.
I learned in a book by NBC science reporter Jacob Ward that whether a news story rises into the "blast" zone is often determined by algorithms designed by advertising conglomerates seeking our eyeballs and clicks. While you and I think more people need to see this story, some AI mathematics score calculates otherwise.
Jordan's story, as well as Matt Gaetz's, have gotten enough play for us to see and be disgusted, they're still under the radar enough for others to ignore or discount them.
Here's the book. I listened to it via my library's streamed audiobook app.
If you have a library card and a smartphone, you can listen to audiobooks for free. It's been a revelation for me to have access to streamed books without the execrable Audible.
The mythological "18 Biden district Republican moderates" aren't "moderate" by any traditional meaning of the term. They have been voting in lockstep with the MAGAts. And most of them know that if they do this, the MAGAt vote in their districts is enough to sink them, as if they have any likelihood of winning next year against a turned-out Democratic party. And the VRA wins in Alabama, and the coming tests in Texas and Louisiana where the situations are the same as what the SC said were violations of the VRA, if they are successful they will accomplish what one unreconstructed Alabama Confederate masquerading as a "Republican" said would happen: "Republicans will never win the House again." I think anyone who expects there to be five of these morons with brains enough to act for country over party had best not be holding their breath awaiting the outcome. Turning blue and dying is a tough way to go.
It’s a damned if they do, damned if they don’t moment for the lot of them. Finding a handful who might be considering retirement would be worth the effort.
109 voted with Democrats for the continuing resolution just a week ago. They all know they will be pilloried and labeled as traitors just for doing that, and likely primaried by the MAGAs. Jeffries keeping the Democratic caucus together to oust McCarthy was brilliant politics because it forced those 109 to take a stand. Now his opinion piece in the Post has offered the olive branch and only possible lifeline--and there are many other possible opportunities for resurrecting in 2026 those that join the democrats to elect a sane moderate bipartisan-inclined Speaker if Democrats trounce the crazies in 2024. Better to take a two year "sabbatical" and come back as a bipartisan on the side of the angels in 2026. Lots of opportunities for them to spend those two intervening years in the Biden administration.
II am not holding my breath but, the Coalition number is 217 not 218. D's have 213. Give or take those "present*.
There is a real threat of a November Shut Down as well as 'Assistant 'Wrestling' Ohio State Trainer, Gym Jordan (the underlying case continues) or David Duke Scalise.
Keep your head down and put one foot in front of the other. That was Churchill's prescription for getting through the first four years of World War II.
Do it every day, well not today actually. Went to my late husband's family reunion in rural area West of DFW. Chump caps and bumper stickers more visible than in urban area. Should have worn my "Make Racism Wrong Again" shirt, but I knew better. Since they have been kind to me for many years, I decided to just make an appearance and leave after a short while. Hard to believe the deliberate ignorance of such "godly" people. Cognitive dissonance everywhere. If Winston could do it, we can too.
As usual, the excellent Charles P. Pierce has a good take on things in his Saturday morning subscriber's email:
Over the past few weeks, I’ve wondered whether allowing the U.S. House of Representatives to set its own rules is a good idea. Perhaps someone else should be appointed to run the House in a kind of receivership until the current Republican majority calms down, gets its meds adjusted, or is not the majority anymore. I truly don’t see any other way out that’s remotely plausible.
The former president* seems content to allow Rep. Jim Jordan to act as his proxy in the Speaker’s chair. Current Majority whip Steve Scalise is simultaneously a proud right-wing belligerent — “David Duke without the baggage,” as he once called himself — and just enough of an Establishment figure to outrage the Angry Children’s Caucus that ran out former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
And the idea of any sort of power-sharing arrangement with the Democratic minority might as well be a proposal for an alliance with people from Venus.
You must get tired of being "right" so much. But it's the right kind of right. Jordan and Scalise are good only for chaos. And killing the investigations into chump. So wish the repubs who are sick and tired of their precious party sinking to new lows every day would form a new party to supplant the old one. It seems to bother them not at all that the party of Lincoln is an abomination. The word is like "conservative," a curse word. MSM could say it with a sneer, like I do. Of course, repubs have been saying democrat with a sneer for most of my long life.
My favorite cartoon is this New Yorker cartoon of two "intellectuals" (you can tell because the background is a wall of book cases, they have beards, and elbow patches on their corduroy jackets) and one says to the other: "Yes, those who fail to understand history are condemned to repeat it, but those of us who DO understand history are condemned to go along for the ride."
Teetering on the brink seems to be our world these days. Brought to you by republicans. Can anybody think of even one crisis facing us that has not been created or made worse by the repubs.
I was trying…they definitely worsened gun violence, climate change and other environmental problems, access to health care expecially for women…I guess I can’t necessarily blame them for our problems in public education.
Speaking of education, TN’s governor is considering rejecting $1.8B of federal education money because it comes with “strings attached,” like free lunch (remember they’re the pro-life party) and IDEA obligations.
This fall, state Superintendent Elsie Arntzen signed a textbook dealer agreement with Prager University, a conservative-leaning nonprofit that’s generating national controversy over its lessons on climate change, slavery and gender. By Alex Sakariassen
Surviving is a low goal— how about flourishing? If Biden wins in November 2024 and the house and Senate are led by democrats and the economy is chugging along nicely, we’ll all be happy.
No, the media won't be happy. They will be searching for and forecasting the economic dark cloud (tornado) that is right over the horizon. The MSM is a large part of the reason most Americans are so pessimistic these days.
Fox is at the forefront of that. I have given up on MSM for MSNBC and CNN. Cannot read local paper, only Times and WAPO. Meanwhile seeing what this informed crowd is saying and learning every day.
Just last night, I heard David Brooks (again) lament that Trump is still the favorite and most people are concerned about "the economy," which he seems to buy, too.
There is so much work to be done that needs bipartisan legislation. We will never be safe from fascism raising its ugliness again & again. For our democracy to survive we can never again be complacent.
As the consequences of climate change and determining an outcome in Putin's war become more pressing I would sleep better if Biden and his excellent team were at the helm, especially if there were a congress he was able to depend on for useful legislation.
If we survive now, we'll flourish then. Our forebears managed to do that through years of bad news in World War II, the Civil War and the Revolution. It should be somewhere in our DNA.
Gym Jordan, who has so much contempt for the House, that he refused to answer a subpoena from the House to testify in front of the J6 committee? That Gym Jordan, as Speaker of the House?
The mind boggles.
There is no depth to which these low-lifes won’t sink.
The world we have known turned upside down. Deliberately and with malice. We always had problems, but the Ronnie/Rupert brigade, and now Trump/ Bannon’s destruction derby bodes nothing but more chaos. Wake up AMERICA
WOWZER! Job numbers up, unemployment holding steady at 3.8%, inflation down, and wages up. No wonder the GQP hates the Biden Administration and other Democrats...
In Texas, in DFW area, there is construction, road repair and all kinds of infrastructure things happening. I pay attention to the parking areas. No Dem stickers on trucks, a few Trump Stickers. Not many people in Tx have bumper stickers, mainly for fear of vandalism, I would guess. But chump is still the bumper sticker winner, sad to say. Workers don’t seem to know, to say, thank you, Joe. Anybody want to guess where they get their news?
In Michigan our great Governor, Gretchen Whitmer ran on several things but, one of the main things was that we needed to fix "The Damn Roads". Our highways have been a total mess for many years. The problems are caused by many things: several republican administrations who said our taxes would go for fixing them and then always found other uses for the money (they probably lined their pockets), bad weather and of course, we allow huge semis to carry more weight across our state (I-94 is the main FREEway between Canada and Chicago). So, after a couple of decades of neglect the roads are getting fixed but, construction zones aren't popular either. Now, republicans in our state scream about all the construction. And we still see dumb people with bumper stickers advertising the orange cancer or attaching their massive fascist flags to their trucks and houses. George Orwell or Kurt Vonnegut would have a field day writing about this situation!
Flags for fascism, what a logo. I think Orwell did. I could never figure out why reoubs were so loathe to fix roads and bridges. Still can’t, unless it’s money they want for their own pockets.
Roads are SOOOO non-partisan. When the fascisti scream 'socialism!' I respond calmly, 'get off my roads you pathetic morons! And stop breathing my clean air and drinking my clean water and eating my non-toxic meat! And don't even THINK about visiting my national park!'
Doesn't get thru their skulls, but makes me feel a little better.
They should be non-partisan but as we have seen over the last couple of years roads, train tracks, bridges, clean water and air, and pesticides that are used have become VERY partisan. Vote Blue all the way through!
Here in red Utah, they've come up with some sort of work-around for the national parks (five big ones) that they claim the government should reimburse them for when it's all over. They can't admit that shutting down the federal government is shooting themselves in the foot.
I think the latter, Jeri. I also think their followers are too dumb to understand...that's not to say they are stupid just dumb to the world around them.
I took I-69 and crossed at Point Edward instead of staying I-94. Does it take longer to cross at Windsor into Canada than at Point Edward usually?
The Blue Water Bridge was under construction when I crossed last time and it took 45 minutes to get across the bridge at 1:30pm. The Canadian border patrol took about 30 seconds once I crossed the bridge.
I reluctantly removed my Democrat bumper stickers about two years ago after being harassed in broad daylight and on a busy road by an aggressive trumper. He tailgated my minivan and then drove in lane next to me. He was shouting and flipping me off. But it was his maniacal angry red face that shook me a bit. He sped off a bit ahead just to pull into shopping strip turn lane and stuck his full head out his window, still shouting and flipping me. My phone was in my purse in the back seat, so I could not call police. The whole time I chose not to even turn and look at him. I just kept my eyes on the road. Had he not turned into the mall, I would have driven to the police station instead of home. Actually, I had no idea why this man was behaving this way. After arriving home a bit shook, it dawned on me that I had Biden/Harris and Beto stickers. Tearfully, I removed my bumper stickers, but I had to think about my safety. BTW his entire truck back window was covered with stickers: trump, Marines, and other red propaganda!
Same here, they’re always so aggressive whether on the roads or in the stores, they always have to be in your face. I refuse to give them any attention but there is HOPE close to where I live. A neighbor down the road with large acreage, has had trump signs up & down his fence line, flags all over his house & outbuildings and bumper stickers plastered on every vehicle running or not for the past 9+ years. Earlier this summer all trace of the mess was removed from public eye. Even his flag flying neighbors have taken theirs down which has resulted in a much nicer drive thru that area. I have no idea what caused the shift or what goes on inside their homes but people don’t see it anymore. To me, that is a huge win and they can no longer spread their ideals on the rest of the community.
I'm not the least bit surprised. The vermin are no longer under the rocks, they are proud and armed. I've never had bumper stickers, but I've been tempted. No more. I would be a target in this neck of the woods.
Yes. That is such a bummer. I think they feel that they should be the only ones entitled to free speech. I was totally harassed by someone who was driving my car with my family I’m it to the airport. It was really upsetting! You need to take care of yourself. It sucks BIGLY!
The Dems better hold their collective noses and vote for one of them. By the 5th ballot the clamor for Trump will bring him into it. Which Republican will vote against him? None. And then we'll have an even bigger mess in the House and the most dangerous man in America very, very close to the White House. Without even showing his face to the American voter. All he has to do is look the other way while his Russian buddy's people do a couple of jobs over here. Trump has no problem looking the other way.
The 14th Amendment will keep tffg out of office. Tffg doesn’t want that battle taking place at this point. GOP would more than likely want to get it over with so they can put up a candidate that could actually hold office if she/he can win
Yet again, who's going to make the determination that the 14th Amendment applies? In the case, the obvious answer is the House itself. If he has a majority for election to the speakership, then he will also have a majority on the disqualification question.
One of them should be in jail for crimes against children, and both of them should be in jail for treason. How is it that those two people are competing for a high office in our government?
Employee participation (also referred to as co-determination) at management level ensures that employees are involved in any important financial planning and decision-making at the company. This rule applies to companies that have 500 or more employees and take the form of a share capital company (Kapitalgesellschaft), such as a stock corporation (Aktiengesellschaft) or a limited liability company (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, GmbH).
Employees have the right to elect representatives to the supervisory boards of these companies, where they are able to participate in the companys decision-making processes. Both company employees and trade union representatives may be elected to supervisory boards.
The supervisory board is responsible for monitoring the management of a company , and may require that its prior approval be obtained for certain actions.
They used to have that with Chrysler, after the bail-out in the 1970s. They had equity shares in the corporation! But they sold them off, taking the short-term gain and forgetting the long-term benefits.
We have completely lost that as a population. For Pete's sake, I get irritated when my computer doesn't load in the nanosecond I am used to. We've gotten programmed to instant results.
There have been some studies re delayed gratification in young children. I tried this when I was working in the schools giving a mmreward for every pencil stroke & then asking to wait until a word was completed. Many could & then others it was an impossible task for them, they immediately ate the mm
I think Hakeem Jeffries is thinking strategically by presenting non-MAGA Republicans a way to move away from tfg and the dangerous direction tfg's sect is taking the country. It will take only a handful of Republicans in Congress joining with the Democrats to effectively neutralize the GOP lunatic wing.
There is also the reality that none of tfg's various criminal/civil court proceedings are going his way. Although I am doubtful he will be in prison by November '24, if ever, there is a real possibility that his run for the presidency will be torpedoed, or at least out of gas ($), thus loosening his hold on some Republican legislators, and Jeffries is wise to give Republicans who want to bolt a place to go.
In any event, in the words of philosopher Jerry Lee Lewis, "There's a whole lotta shakin' goin' on!" right now and I don't think anyone knows how things will look when the dust finally settles.
Yes! We tend to think in all or nothing terms. We'd like to think Trump's legal woes will change everyone's minds. But life is more nuanced.
It could be that Trumps nonsense and convictions will simply cause a lot of people (Republicans and right leaning independents - there a lot of them) to stay home on November 5, 2024.
And WE WILL show up. And millions of new and younger voters WILL show up. I grow more hopeful and confident every day. There is nowhere for MAGA to go except down....
Bill, I read a post from a friend last night that said "The more you indict him, the better I like him." This guy is a cold war era veteran, a really good and honest man, and I cannot comprehend how he could believe anything like that. It boggles my mind and reaffirms to me that in their world, their sky is a different color.
Your friend could be like millions of others who feel that the political establishment has handed him a raw deal. Perhaps he sees Trump as an "outsider" who channels his rage.
Which is bizarre, because Trump is a card carrying member of the ruling class that has been plundering our system for decades.
In other words, he has a right to be furious! But he has the wrong enemy in his sights. Sadly ironic.
Yes! I always remember the line from Hunger Games - Know who your enemy is! (or something to that effect)! It was prescient there. It may turn out to be here too.
If the democrats can’t get any republicans to vote for Jefferies (which seems highly unlikely) perhaps a bipartisan coalition could agree on voting in Liz Cheney as speaker. That would be a huge upset I would love to see! MAGAs would go crazy!
Whoever the next speaker will be, the only way she or he is a D is if the job stays open until 2025. The best result for the country is a sorta-okay R who is willing to cut a deal along the lines Jeffries suggested. Cheney is a good choice; she's on the extremist side of her party (as opposed to the Screaming Monster Looney side) but has shown willingness to act in accordance with the Constitution and republican principles.
Cheney “betrayed” Trump by speaking up for democracy. Cheney is no holds a Congressional seat. Get real. Who is a current acting Congress person who could fill that role? Someone mentioned Don Bacon from Nebraska. Any other possibilities? Anyone?
EVERY member of the Rubbish caucus was willing to shut down the government, either out of loyalty to the Defendant or in fear of him. They are none of them trustworthy. There's no way the Ds can bargain with any of them, no way any of them can get us through the next fifteen months without more manufactured crises. Cheney is acceptable to the Ds, as can be seen by Pelosi's decision to put her on the January 6th committee, despite her abominable policy views. She MAY be acceptable to as many as five Rs for those very views. She would at least keep things together, get the bare minimum done, which McCarthy wasn't willing to do.
The best we can hope for is a Congress that will stagger along without doing much more damage for the next fifteen months. Ultimately, if we want a Congress that will push Biden, we've got to toss out every R we possibly can, and replace the with AOC, Ilhan Omar, and the like. But we've got to get there to do that.
Adam Kinzinger might even be a better choice but either one would be WAY better than the current choices. Both believe in the rule of law and the Constitution. Now just to find a few vertebrate Republicans in the House...
Totally Jeffries or Liz Cheney. I think Jeffries offer is brilliant though because they are going to have to reveal their positions and there must be a lot of fear because the main thing so many of them worry about is getting re-elected. Many of the Republicans must truly hate Liz Cheney though because of her truly effective and public leadership of the 1/06 hearings.
Hakeem Jeffries will become Speaker of the House and I pray it is in my lifetime. Having Jordan or Scalise at the helm only brings more uncertainty, anxiety, and great chaos. We must hang onto the successful indictments brought by competent prosecutors and attorney generals. Fake 45 and his army of deplorables will be brought down come hell or high-water!
I Heather’s “Democracy Awakening” novel really makes your heart pump even harder. Get it!
I feel more informed about what Hakeem Jeffries put forth today. He is a quiet giant in many ways. So thank you HCR for that. Liz Cheney is a Cheney but smart and loyal to the constitution. She was a brilliant vice chair.
Sadly, i feel the Gym Jordan's awareness and his blind eye to the sexual misconduct will not deter the MAGA base. We have seen how " grabbing them by the...." was not a negative factor and a sound byte played over and over. Gaetz and his antics. Clarence Thomas. Its sickening.
How can anyone who voted not to certify the election and who supported the insurrection be a candidate for anything. I can't square that. How is it that Ginny Thomas is unscathed. What deal has been made in some sidebar.
Maybe the tides are turning. Building the economy from the middle out and Biden economics will win over voters with the help of re-districting voting maps, Gen Z, etc. I find it hard to believe that all the elected officials in the house and senate who refuse to break with the maga extremism don't have younger family members and friends who know this is insane.
Olivia Troye spoke about what The Heritage Foundation and its 40 coalitions are doing to take control in a few years and that is very frightening. The White Christian - Prayer in School - etc etc base is a racist reality.
Classic Historian and current historian Heather Cox Richardson... has demonstrated the best grasp of our current situation. Buy her latest book. She has linked fascism to Trump, the GOP and MAGA-ism to fascism, and she understands what’s coming in 2024! VOTE BIDEN, VOTE DEMOCRAT, VOTE FOR ANYTHING THAT REJECTS TRUMP AND TODAY’S REPUBLICANS... I speak as a liberal Black loving white American male, frightened by racism in any form... I speak as a Wall Street expert with fear of the criminality of Goldman, Sachs arbitrage department going back decades, with a comprehensive knowledge of the dangerous power of Goldman to flip the nation... and the lies of Robert E. Rubin, a leading Democrat and a friend that will never tell the truth about his own behavior. Heather’s latest ends any concern about racism and the acute pain of our non-white fellow citizens. LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN and Heather Cox Richardson’s latest book must be read in every classroom in America...
Thank you. I subscribe to the Guardian, but I didn't see this, and I just posted this to my Facebook page, where until recently, I have stayed out of politics.
That's just because we are used to seeing gussied up photos of authors. I loved that you could see the shopping bags she totes to the store and, yes, her legs. And I think she has a fine face, full of character.
Thank you Heather and hooray for the benefits of Bidenomics. I can only hope more of us who work for a living will acknowledge these benefits - in comparison to Trump’s rhetoric and record - and vote accordingly.
As to Hakeem Jeffries’s offered olive branch to moderate Republicans… 🙏🏻
Because of extreme GOP gerrymandering, Republican House delegations from many Red States, represent a minority of voters in those states. The GOP majority in the House represents a minority of American voters. A power sharing agreement would make for a more functional House and a more representative one.
There is no 'David Duke without the baggage.' In 2003 Duke founded the National Organization For European American Rights, NOFEAR, and made Putin its bare chested poster boy for bald faced bigotry. Republicans are using America First to deny Ukraine aid. That's rich from a party for whom denying Americans essential and emergency services is creed. But it sounds better than 'stand up for white supremacist christian nationalism and unregulated greed.' Although that plays well with Republicans, from 'Putin fan boy Trump and the Proud Boys' to 'Charles Koch bagman Leonard Leo and the Supreme Extremes.'
America First denial of aid to Ukraine is debunked by the actual numbers. Ukraine, nine months of aid is 77billion. This year’s Halloween spending expected to be 12 billion dollars, was 10 billion last year. Ukraine aid is Five Per Cent of the defense budget. 0.3% of GDP, according to Paul Krugman. MAGAs want Putin to win.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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/
Heather, Isn’t this the time to blast the airwaves with the real story about Gym Jordan? He is a right winger and a disgusting enabler of sexual abuse by a staff doctor “looking after” the wrestling team Gym coached! The kids testified! We know the truth, so why isn’t it out there in all caps???? Thank you, always, Heather. So much positive to be grateful for, but I had to mention this about Jordan....
He reminds me of Roland Freisler. That was the "judge" who sentenced Sophie Scholl and the White Rose to death in 1943. Watch the movie Sophie Scholl – The Final Days (2005) to get an idea of his courtroom demeanor. Jordan in a House committee acts the same way.
Thank you for this
Was thinking of her the other day.
Thank you Clifford! In case I'm not the only one who didn't know this story:
https://legionmagazine.com/sophie-scholl-and-roland-freisler/
Gym Jordan sweats all over the place. Can this be that he is afraid the case could be re-opened in Ohio? I believe he was an assistant coach of "The Ohio State" wrestling team. A friend who attended "The Ohio State" told me that that is how the university wishes to be known.
Also, many Republicans are complaining that Democratic Senator John Fetterman (PA) often doesn't dress like a penguin(my name for the suit and tie group). I wonder if the Democrats in the House of Representatives are upset that Gym Jordan is often seen sans tie and coat and with his shirt sleeves rolled up.
I learned in a book by NBC science reporter Jacob Ward that whether a news story rises into the "blast" zone is often determined by algorithms designed by advertising conglomerates seeking our eyeballs and clicks. While you and I think more people need to see this story, some AI mathematics score calculates otherwise.
Jordan's story, as well as Matt Gaetz's, have gotten enough play for us to see and be disgusted, they're still under the radar enough for others to ignore or discount them.
Here's the book. I listened to it via my library's streamed audiobook app.
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-loop-how-technology-is-creating-a-world-without-choices-and-how-to-fight-back-jacob-ward/17426150?ean=9780316487207
Thank you, Lee. I’ll have a look at your link. I am in India and have no access to libraries online, Or anywhere, for that matter.....
If you have a library card and a smartphone, you can listen to audiobooks for free. It's been a revelation for me to have access to streamed books without the execrable Audible.
Some audiobooks....not all, for free, and often a wait time for popular books. I have Heather's new book on my iPod and it is great to hear her voice.
The mythological "18 Biden district Republican moderates" aren't "moderate" by any traditional meaning of the term. They have been voting in lockstep with the MAGAts. And most of them know that if they do this, the MAGAt vote in their districts is enough to sink them, as if they have any likelihood of winning next year against a turned-out Democratic party. And the VRA wins in Alabama, and the coming tests in Texas and Louisiana where the situations are the same as what the SC said were violations of the VRA, if they are successful they will accomplish what one unreconstructed Alabama Confederate masquerading as a "Republican" said would happen: "Republicans will never win the House again." I think anyone who expects there to be five of these morons with brains enough to act for country over party had best not be holding their breath awaiting the outcome. Turning blue and dying is a tough way to go.
It’s a damned if they do, damned if they don’t moment for the lot of them. Finding a handful who might be considering retirement would be worth the effort.
They all should be “retired.”
109 voted with Democrats for the continuing resolution just a week ago. They all know they will be pilloried and labeled as traitors just for doing that, and likely primaried by the MAGAs. Jeffries keeping the Democratic caucus together to oust McCarthy was brilliant politics because it forced those 109 to take a stand. Now his opinion piece in the Post has offered the olive branch and only possible lifeline--and there are many other possible opportunities for resurrecting in 2026 those that join the democrats to elect a sane moderate bipartisan-inclined Speaker if Democrats trounce the crazies in 2024. Better to take a two year "sabbatical" and come back as a bipartisan on the side of the angels in 2026. Lots of opportunities for them to spend those two intervening years in the Biden administration.
He’s learned quite well from Nancy...
I won’t be holding my breath. Big question is, how do we survive til Jan 2025, if sanity is in the future then.
II am not holding my breath but, the Coalition number is 217 not 218. D's have 213. Give or take those "present*.
There is a real threat of a November Shut Down as well as 'Assistant 'Wrestling' Ohio State Trainer, Gym Jordan (the underlying case continues) or David Duke Scalise.
No myths allowed.
Keep your head down and put one foot in front of the other. That was Churchill's prescription for getting through the first four years of World War II.
Do it every day, well not today actually. Went to my late husband's family reunion in rural area West of DFW. Chump caps and bumper stickers more visible than in urban area. Should have worn my "Make Racism Wrong Again" shirt, but I knew better. Since they have been kind to me for many years, I decided to just make an appearance and leave after a short while. Hard to believe the deliberate ignorance of such "godly" people. Cognitive dissonance everywhere. If Winston could do it, we can too.
As usual, the excellent Charles P. Pierce has a good take on things in his Saturday morning subscriber's email:
Over the past few weeks, I’ve wondered whether allowing the U.S. House of Representatives to set its own rules is a good idea. Perhaps someone else should be appointed to run the House in a kind of receivership until the current Republican majority calms down, gets its meds adjusted, or is not the majority anymore. I truly don’t see any other way out that’s remotely plausible.
The former president* seems content to allow Rep. Jim Jordan to act as his proxy in the Speaker’s chair. Current Majority whip Steve Scalise is simultaneously a proud right-wing belligerent — “David Duke without the baggage,” as he once called himself — and just enough of an Establishment figure to outrage the Angry Children’s Caucus that ran out former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
And the idea of any sort of power-sharing arrangement with the Democratic minority might as well be a proposal for an alliance with people from Venus.
You must get tired of being "right" so much. But it's the right kind of right. Jordan and Scalise are good only for chaos. And killing the investigations into chump. So wish the repubs who are sick and tired of their precious party sinking to new lows every day would form a new party to supplant the old one. It seems to bother them not at all that the party of Lincoln is an abomination. The word is like "conservative," a curse word. MSM could say it with a sneer, like I do. Of course, repubs have been saying democrat with a sneer for most of my long life.
My favorite cartoon is this New Yorker cartoon of two "intellectuals" (you can tell because the background is a wall of book cases, they have beards, and elbow patches on their corduroy jackets) and one says to the other: "Yes, those who fail to understand history are condemned to repeat it, but those of us who DO understand history are condemned to go along for the ride."
Teetering on the brink seems to be our world these days. Brought to you by republicans. Can anybody think of even one crisis facing us that has not been created or made worse by the repubs.
Allende's book re the fascism in Spain & then in Chile & the results are chilling & it could happen here! The R part in Chile's fascist take over.
Chilling describes me every day.
Me too!
Must read. Wish copies could go to CIA.
I was trying…they definitely worsened gun violence, climate change and other environmental problems, access to health care expecially for women…I guess I can’t necessarily blame them for our problems in public education.
Which party supported charter schools and tax cuts hurting public education? (I won’t even mention tfg’s Education Secretary).
Speaking of education, TN’s governor is considering rejecting $1.8B of federal education money because it comes with “strings attached,” like free lunch (remember they’re the pro-life party) and IDEA obligations.
Don't forget book banning and avoiding a WOKE curriculum.
Conservative nonprofit obtains Montana textbook license
This fall, state Superintendent Elsie Arntzen signed a textbook dealer agreement with Prager University, a conservative-leaning nonprofit that’s generating national controversy over its lessons on climate change, slavery and gender. By Alex Sakariassen
Except that Betsy Devos tried her dammdest to destroy public education.
Blame away!
Surviving is a low goal— how about flourishing? If Biden wins in November 2024 and the house and Senate are led by democrats and the economy is chugging along nicely, we’ll all be happy.
No, the media won't be happy. They will be searching for and forecasting the economic dark cloud (tornado) that is right over the horizon. The MSM is a large part of the reason most Americans are so pessimistic these days.
Fox is at the forefront of that. I have given up on MSM for MSNBC and CNN. Cannot read local paper, only Times and WAPO. Meanwhile seeing what this informed crowd is saying and learning every day.
CNN - the Cretin News Network. Zaslav and John Malone are still working to turn it into Faux Snooze Light.
Just last night, I heard David Brooks (again) lament that Trump is still the favorite and most people are concerned about "the economy," which he seems to buy, too.
Why can’t we get food and gasoline rationing and price controls? Would that “scare” us into anarchy? Stupidity rules!
There is so much work to be done that needs bipartisan legislation. We will never be safe from fascism raising its ugliness again & again. For our democracy to survive we can never again be complacent.
In a funny way, we need to thank Donald Trump for coming along and playing "Reveille" loud enough to wake us all up.
As the consequences of climate change and determining an outcome in Putin's war become more pressing I would sleep better if Biden and his excellent team were at the helm, especially if there were a congress he was able to depend on for useful legislation.
If we survive now, we'll flourish then. Our forebears managed to do that through years of bad news in World War II, the Civil War and the Revolution. It should be somewhere in our DNA.
It’s telling that one of those districts put GSantos in office. I think Dems should be careful about guessing what might come from those districts
Santos' co-conspirator has pled Guilty & cut a plea deal. Current House rules put restrictions on the "Indicted One".
Long Island District is humiliated & chastened.
Well done.
Gym Jordan, who has so much contempt for the House, that he refused to answer a subpoena from the House to testify in front of the J6 committee? That Gym Jordan, as Speaker of the House?
The mind boggles.
There is no depth to which these low-lifes won’t sink.
We would do well to remember that, shutdown is what many want. While many shudder at the thought (including me)
The Europeans are looking very gloomily at what's happening in America. "We've got to get used to the idea that we're about to lose our major ally."
The world we have known turned upside down. Deliberately and with malice. We always had problems, but the Ronnie/Rupert brigade, and now Trump/ Bannon’s destruction derby bodes nothing but more chaos. Wake up AMERICA
Shutdown is what the dark money owners of the R party want.
It won’t give them what they think it will, hopefully
Me too!
It would be easy to leave a coloured ink mark on that shirt. By accident.
WOWZER! Job numbers up, unemployment holding steady at 3.8%, inflation down, and wages up. No wonder the GQP hates the Biden Administration and other Democrats...
In Texas, in DFW area, there is construction, road repair and all kinds of infrastructure things happening. I pay attention to the parking areas. No Dem stickers on trucks, a few Trump Stickers. Not many people in Tx have bumper stickers, mainly for fear of vandalism, I would guess. But chump is still the bumper sticker winner, sad to say. Workers don’t seem to know, to say, thank you, Joe. Anybody want to guess where they get their news?
In Michigan our great Governor, Gretchen Whitmer ran on several things but, one of the main things was that we needed to fix "The Damn Roads". Our highways have been a total mess for many years. The problems are caused by many things: several republican administrations who said our taxes would go for fixing them and then always found other uses for the money (they probably lined their pockets), bad weather and of course, we allow huge semis to carry more weight across our state (I-94 is the main FREEway between Canada and Chicago). So, after a couple of decades of neglect the roads are getting fixed but, construction zones aren't popular either. Now, republicans in our state scream about all the construction. And we still see dumb people with bumper stickers advertising the orange cancer or attaching their massive fascist flags to their trucks and houses. George Orwell or Kurt Vonnegut would have a field day writing about this situation!
Flags for fascism, what a logo. I think Orwell did. I could never figure out why reoubs were so loathe to fix roads and bridges. Still can’t, unless it’s money they want for their own pockets.
Roads are SOOOO non-partisan. When the fascisti scream 'socialism!' I respond calmly, 'get off my roads you pathetic morons! And stop breathing my clean air and drinking my clean water and eating my non-toxic meat! And don't even THINK about visiting my national park!'
Doesn't get thru their skulls, but makes me feel a little better.
They should be non-partisan but as we have seen over the last couple of years roads, train tracks, bridges, clean water and air, and pesticides that are used have become VERY partisan. Vote Blue all the way through!
I'm hip...
Here in red Utah, they've come up with some sort of work-around for the national parks (five big ones) that they claim the government should reimburse them for when it's all over. They can't admit that shutting down the federal government is shooting themselves in the foot.
I think the latter, Jeri. I also think their followers are too dumb to understand...that's not to say they are stupid just dumb to the world around them.
Dumb to the world around them, well put and the most dangerous position
I recently drove I-94 from Chicago to Canada. It is going to be really nice, but it is messy right now.
Yes. Especially around Benton Harbor and Jackson!
I took I-69 and crossed at Point Edward instead of staying I-94. Does it take longer to cross at Windsor into Canada than at Point Edward usually?
The Blue Water Bridge was under construction when I crossed last time and it took 45 minutes to get across the bridge at 1:30pm. The Canadian border patrol took about 30 seconds once I crossed the bridge.
I reluctantly removed my Democrat bumper stickers about two years ago after being harassed in broad daylight and on a busy road by an aggressive trumper. He tailgated my minivan and then drove in lane next to me. He was shouting and flipping me off. But it was his maniacal angry red face that shook me a bit. He sped off a bit ahead just to pull into shopping strip turn lane and stuck his full head out his window, still shouting and flipping me. My phone was in my purse in the back seat, so I could not call police. The whole time I chose not to even turn and look at him. I just kept my eyes on the road. Had he not turned into the mall, I would have driven to the police station instead of home. Actually, I had no idea why this man was behaving this way. After arriving home a bit shook, it dawned on me that I had Biden/Harris and Beto stickers. Tearfully, I removed my bumper stickers, but I had to think about my safety. BTW his entire truck back window was covered with stickers: trump, Marines, and other red propaganda!
Same here, they’re always so aggressive whether on the roads or in the stores, they always have to be in your face. I refuse to give them any attention but there is HOPE close to where I live. A neighbor down the road with large acreage, has had trump signs up & down his fence line, flags all over his house & outbuildings and bumper stickers plastered on every vehicle running or not for the past 9+ years. Earlier this summer all trace of the mess was removed from public eye. Even his flag flying neighbors have taken theirs down which has resulted in a much nicer drive thru that area. I have no idea what caused the shift or what goes on inside their homes but people don’t see it anymore. To me, that is a huge win and they can no longer spread their ideals on the rest of the community.
I'm not the least bit surprised. The vermin are no longer under the rocks, they are proud and armed. I've never had bumper stickers, but I've been tempted. No more. I would be a target in this neck of the woods.
Yes. That is such a bummer. I think they feel that they should be the only ones entitled to free speech. I was totally harassed by someone who was driving my car with my family I’m it to the airport. It was really upsetting! You need to take care of yourself. It sucks BIGLY!
So the choice Reps have is between a MAGA white supremacist and a white supremacist. Tough choice.
I trust none of the Ds will vote for either of them, not even on the 35th ballot...
The Dems better hold their collective noses and vote for one of them. By the 5th ballot the clamor for Trump will bring him into it. Which Republican will vote against him? None. And then we'll have an even bigger mess in the House and the most dangerous man in America very, very close to the White House. Without even showing his face to the American voter. All he has to do is look the other way while his Russian buddy's people do a couple of jobs over here. Trump has no problem looking the other way.
The Dems need to make sure this never happens.
'Doin' a couple jobs' is my favorite new euphemism of the week.
The 14th Amendment will keep tffg out of office. Tffg doesn’t want that battle taking place at this point. GOP would more than likely want to get it over with so they can put up a candidate that could actually hold office if she/he can win
Yet again, who's going to make the determination that the 14th Amendment applies? In the case, the obvious answer is the House itself. If he has a majority for election to the speakership, then he will also have a majority on the disqualification question.
https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2023/09/11/how-the-14th-amendment-could-block-donald-trump-from-becoming-president
Robert Hubbell pointed out that he cannot be made speaker, by the Rs' own rules, because being under indictment disqualifies him.
One of them should be in jail for crimes against children, and both of them should be in jail for treason. How is it that those two people are competing for a high office in our government?
One was also complicit in sexual abuse while coaching at Ohio State.
crimes against children?
Next time around, the UAW ought to demand meaningful representation on each of the Boards of all three corporations.
That’s similar to how it works in Germany.
Employee participation on supervisory boards
Employee participation (also referred to as co-determination) at management level ensures that employees are involved in any important financial planning and decision-making at the company. This rule applies to companies that have 500 or more employees and take the form of a share capital company (Kapitalgesellschaft), such as a stock corporation (Aktiengesellschaft) or a limited liability company (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, GmbH).
Employees have the right to elect representatives to the supervisory boards of these companies, where they are able to participate in the companys decision-making processes. Both company employees and trade union representatives may be elected to supervisory boards.
The supervisory board is responsible for monitoring the management of a company , and may require that its prior approval be obtained for certain actions.
https://verwaltung.bund.de/leistungsverzeichnis/EN/rechte-und-pflichten/102837998
They used to have that with Chrysler, after the bail-out in the 1970s. They had equity shares in the corporation! But they sold them off, taking the short-term gain and forgetting the long-term benefits.
We need to build delayed gratification into our people, everything is too instant
We have completely lost that as a population. For Pete's sake, I get irritated when my computer doesn't load in the nanosecond I am used to. We've gotten programmed to instant results.
There have been some studies re delayed gratification in young children. I tried this when I was working in the schools giving a mmreward for every pencil stroke & then asking to wait until a word was completed. Many could & then others it was an impossible task for them, they immediately ate the mm
Interesting.
I think Hakeem Jeffries is thinking strategically by presenting non-MAGA Republicans a way to move away from tfg and the dangerous direction tfg's sect is taking the country. It will take only a handful of Republicans in Congress joining with the Democrats to effectively neutralize the GOP lunatic wing.
There is also the reality that none of tfg's various criminal/civil court proceedings are going his way. Although I am doubtful he will be in prison by November '24, if ever, there is a real possibility that his run for the presidency will be torpedoed, or at least out of gas ($), thus loosening his hold on some Republican legislators, and Jeffries is wise to give Republicans who want to bolt a place to go.
In any event, in the words of philosopher Jerry Lee Lewis, "There's a whole lotta shakin' goin' on!" right now and I don't think anyone knows how things will look when the dust finally settles.
And isn’t it interesting that McConnell is strangely silent now at least to the media—
He's consistently silent, IMO, either out of conviction or infirmity.
Yes! We tend to think in all or nothing terms. We'd like to think Trump's legal woes will change everyone's minds. But life is more nuanced.
It could be that Trumps nonsense and convictions will simply cause a lot of people (Republicans and right leaning independents - there a lot of them) to stay home on November 5, 2024.
And WE WILL show up. And millions of new and younger voters WILL show up. I grow more hopeful and confident every day. There is nowhere for MAGA to go except down....
Jeffries is brilliant.
“Jeffries is brilliant.“
Indeed, and, methinks, he’s on the phone at least once a day with Nancy Pelosi.
Bill, I read a post from a friend last night that said "The more you indict him, the better I like him." This guy is a cold war era veteran, a really good and honest man, and I cannot comprehend how he could believe anything like that. It boggles my mind and reaffirms to me that in their world, their sky is a different color.
Your friend could be like millions of others who feel that the political establishment has handed him a raw deal. Perhaps he sees Trump as an "outsider" who channels his rage.
Which is bizarre, because Trump is a card carrying member of the ruling class that has been plundering our system for decades.
In other words, he has a right to be furious! But he has the wrong enemy in his sights. Sadly ironic.
Yes! I always remember the line from Hunger Games - Know who your enemy is! (or something to that effect)! It was prescient there. It may turn out to be here too.
Jerry Lee was right…
If the democrats can’t get any republicans to vote for Jefferies (which seems highly unlikely) perhaps a bipartisan coalition could agree on voting in Liz Cheney as speaker. That would be a huge upset I would love to see! MAGAs would go crazy!
Whoever the next speaker will be, the only way she or he is a D is if the job stays open until 2025. The best result for the country is a sorta-okay R who is willing to cut a deal along the lines Jeffries suggested. Cheney is a good choice; she's on the extremist side of her party (as opposed to the Screaming Monster Looney side) but has shown willingness to act in accordance with the Constitution and republican principles.
Clifford, except when it comes to abortion. Then all bets are off....but I mostly agree about here for speaker. She knows the law, at least. OMG.
OMG is right, what a pickle we are in
Cheney “betrayed” Trump by speaking up for democracy. Cheney is no holds a Congressional seat. Get real. Who is a current acting Congress person who could fill that role? Someone mentioned Don Bacon from Nebraska. Any other possibilities? Anyone?
EVERY member of the Rubbish caucus was willing to shut down the government, either out of loyalty to the Defendant or in fear of him. They are none of them trustworthy. There's no way the Ds can bargain with any of them, no way any of them can get us through the next fifteen months without more manufactured crises. Cheney is acceptable to the Ds, as can be seen by Pelosi's decision to put her on the January 6th committee, despite her abominable policy views. She MAY be acceptable to as many as five Rs for those very views. She would at least keep things together, get the bare minimum done, which McCarthy wasn't willing to do.
The best we can hope for is a Congress that will stagger along without doing much more damage for the next fifteen months. Ultimately, if we want a Congress that will push Biden, we've got to toss out every R we possibly can, and replace the with AOC, Ilhan Omar, and the like. But we've got to get there to do that.
Adam Kinzinger might even be a better choice but either one would be WAY better than the current choices. Both believe in the rule of law and the Constitution. Now just to find a few vertebrate Republicans in the House...
I don't think that search will yield any results.
Totally Jeffries or Liz Cheney. I think Jeffries offer is brilliant though because they are going to have to reveal their positions and there must be a lot of fear because the main thing so many of them worry about is getting re-elected. Many of the Republicans must truly hate Liz Cheney though because of her truly effective and public leadership of the 1/06 hearings.
Re Cheney: You know she is a snake before you take her in. If you get bit, do not blame it on her. It is her nature as a snake.
Raskin...
Liz, with TFG’s hatred of Cheney, they might be better off voting for Jeffries.
Hakeem Jeffries will become Speaker of the House and I pray it is in my lifetime. Having Jordan or Scalise at the helm only brings more uncertainty, anxiety, and great chaos. We must hang onto the successful indictments brought by competent prosecutors and attorney generals. Fake 45 and his army of deplorables will be brought down come hell or high-water!
I Heather’s “Democracy Awakening” novel really makes your heart pump even harder. Get it!
https://penguinrandomhousehighereducation.com/book/?isbn=9780593652961
It’s not a novel
Fine, then…
I feel more informed about what Hakeem Jeffries put forth today. He is a quiet giant in many ways. So thank you HCR for that. Liz Cheney is a Cheney but smart and loyal to the constitution. She was a brilliant vice chair.
Sadly, i feel the Gym Jordan's awareness and his blind eye to the sexual misconduct will not deter the MAGA base. We have seen how " grabbing them by the...." was not a negative factor and a sound byte played over and over. Gaetz and his antics. Clarence Thomas. Its sickening.
How can anyone who voted not to certify the election and who supported the insurrection be a candidate for anything. I can't square that. How is it that Ginny Thomas is unscathed. What deal has been made in some sidebar.
Maybe the tides are turning. Building the economy from the middle out and Biden economics will win over voters with the help of re-districting voting maps, Gen Z, etc. I find it hard to believe that all the elected officials in the house and senate who refuse to break with the maga extremism don't have younger family members and friends who know this is insane.
Olivia Troye spoke about what The Heritage Foundation and its 40 coalitions are doing to take control in a few years and that is very frightening. The White Christian - Prayer in School - etc etc base is a racist reality.
Yes, “grabbing them by the *” was tolerated, but this is male-on-male abuse. Surely that should repulse the homophobes.
That’s what I was about to write. Messing with women is OK, it’s what “real men”are entitled to. Messing with young male athletes is disgusting!
Very good point.
Classic Historian and current historian Heather Cox Richardson... has demonstrated the best grasp of our current situation. Buy her latest book. She has linked fascism to Trump, the GOP and MAGA-ism to fascism, and she understands what’s coming in 2024! VOTE BIDEN, VOTE DEMOCRAT, VOTE FOR ANYTHING THAT REJECTS TRUMP AND TODAY’S REPUBLICANS... I speak as a liberal Black loving white American male, frightened by racism in any form... I speak as a Wall Street expert with fear of the criminality of Goldman, Sachs arbitrage department going back decades, with a comprehensive knowledge of the dangerous power of Goldman to flip the nation... and the lies of Robert E. Rubin, a leading Democrat and a friend that will never tell the truth about his own behavior. Heather’s latest ends any concern about racism and the acute pain of our non-white fellow citizens. LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN and Heather Cox Richardson’s latest book must be read in every classroom in America...
"in 2024! VOTE BIDEN, VOTE DEMOCRAT, VOTE FOR ANYTHING THAT REJECTS TRUMP AND TODAY’S REPUBLICANS."
Vote Democratic.
Voting 'anything else' splits the opposition vote - and helps elect Trump et al. There is a reason Steve Bannon et al support No Labels.
Well said.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/oct/07/american-democracy-heather-cox-richardson-trump-biden
In the Guardian
Thanks so much for the article. It is a wonderful interview of Heather!
Thank you. I subscribe to the Guardian, but I didn't see this, and I just posted this to my Facebook page, where until recently, I have stayed out of politics.
Thank you for the link. Great article. Terrible photo of Heather.
That's just because we are used to seeing gussied up photos of authors. I loved that you could see the shopping bags she totes to the store and, yes, her legs. And I think she has a fine face, full of character.
I wish I had looked that good when I was 60.
I’d missed this article—thanks!
Thank you Heather and hooray for the benefits of Bidenomics. I can only hope more of us who work for a living will acknowledge these benefits - in comparison to Trump’s rhetoric and record - and vote accordingly.
As to Hakeem Jeffries’s offered olive branch to moderate Republicans… 🙏🏻
Let's move just a little step, away from Trump and towards sanity and common sense and working together. Let's move on.
Because of extreme GOP gerrymandering, Republican House delegations from many Red States, represent a minority of voters in those states. The GOP majority in the House represents a minority of American voters. A power sharing agreement would make for a more functional House and a more representative one.
There is no 'David Duke without the baggage.' In 2003 Duke founded the National Organization For European American Rights, NOFEAR, and made Putin its bare chested poster boy for bald faced bigotry. Republicans are using America First to deny Ukraine aid. That's rich from a party for whom denying Americans essential and emergency services is creed. But it sounds better than 'stand up for white supremacist christian nationalism and unregulated greed.' Although that plays well with Republicans, from 'Putin fan boy Trump and the Proud Boys' to 'Charles Koch bagman Leonard Leo and the Supreme Extremes.'
America First denial of aid to Ukraine is debunked by the actual numbers. Ukraine, nine months of aid is 77billion. This year’s Halloween spending expected to be 12 billion dollars, was 10 billion last year. Ukraine aid is Five Per Cent of the defense budget. 0.3% of GDP, according to Paul Krugman. MAGAs want Putin to win.