Politics 2023

[Rusty Edge]

Another day and no Speaker of the House, they are supposed to vote some more tonight.
This means they can't do anything until that problem is solved. No swearing in of new members of Congress, no votes on
anything, including rules. All they can do is vote for Speaker and agree to adjourn. It could continue indefinitely, because it's kinda like having a government shutdown without the constituent heat, and many of them supported that.

Republicans have a narrow majority, but about 20 of them don't want Kevin McCarthy as the new Speaker. Many of them are in the Freedom Caucus, plus Mat Gaetz and Lauren Boebert. They don't want the Democrats in control, but 6 or 8 are Never McCarthy people, and McCarthy can only spare about 5 votes at most. They say McCarthy lied to, and about them, so they'll never give him their vote.

So it's up to McCarthy at this point. He can butt heads, or deal with the Democrats, or become a kingmaker, or pack up and go home.

[Rusty Edge]

Well, most of the House returned at 8PM EST to resume selecting a speaker.  Until one is chosen, a clerk presides over The Congress.

Somebody asked for a voice vote to adjourn until noon tomorrow. Presumably this was someone on the pro-McCarthy side, stalling for time for McCarthy to get his ducks in a row. Nobody could tell from the voice vote whether voting or adjournment had more support, so a roll call vote was asked for.

At first the 20 Republicans seemed to be refraining from voting, as the McCarthy people were voting to adjourn and the Jeffries people (Democrats) voting to vote while they were there and hopefully forcing the process forward. Then the 20 started voting, most of them getting votes in before the deadline. The Neas appeared to win the vote by two at the deadline, but some of the votes changed and they started going home. Then the presiding Clerk ruled that the Ayes had it. I'm not sure that the clerk handled that correctly. I think they were being too lenient. Since it was an adjournment vote rather than a Speaker vote it's not a big deal, but I hope she does better going forward.

It is pointed out that in the final count 4 of the 20 voted Nea, so they are the hardliner Never Kevins. So McCarthy has to work on 16 of them. If he gets most of them, some may vote "present" to save face and not be flip-floppers. But he can't have many "present" votes because it lowers the threshold for a Jeffries win.

[Buster's Uncle]

I can't say I want those KKKlowns to get organized, but this is not a sign of/conducive to good government.

[Rusty Edge]

It's all well and fine until there's a national or international emergency.

Matt Gaetz just gave [Sleezebag] his first vote for speaker. So, 1 vote for [Sleezebag] and 17 votes for Donalds ( a second term Rep from Florida). McCarthy can only afford 4 votes from Republicans for others. He's not going to get there. If he wants to be speaker he has to deal with the Democrats.

[Buster's Uncle]

I like the thought of him being bound by a few promises, there...

[Rusty Edge]

McCarthy lost his 8th round, in spite of [Sleezebag]'s endorsement and phone calls on his behalf. Actually it's up to 21 GOP votes note being cast for McCarthy.

I'm guessing he'll try for another adjournment next, but if a handful of Republicans smell blood and side with the Democrats to prevent that, we'll have more ballots until they get tired or hungry.

[Rusty Edge]

They're voting for the tenth time.

The chaos caucus is thriving in the spotlight.

[Buster's Uncle]

Green-Bobert-Gaetz?

GOD am I glad that at least the Hitler Youth Kid is no longer on that list.

[Rusty Edge]

Green-Bobert-Gaetz?

GOD am I glad that at least the Hitler Youth Kid is no longer on that list.

Well, Green was bought by McCarthy with a comittee assignment. Previously she had been stripped for I forget what. Supporting the insurrection? Insisting that the California wildfires were caused by the Jewish space lasers? I forget what the last straw was on her list of outrageous claims. Some such.

Bobert and Gaetz are leading the get Kevin crusade. They are all enjoying the spotlight. Probably fundraising off of it.
As Tim Miller, ( formerly Jeb Bush's communications director) described them -"grifters and performance artists"

Motion to Adjourn carried after the eleventh vote. It was close, appearing to be nay by voice vote, but when called to confirm electronically, the GOP swing block chose to adjourn for more negotiations.

[Rusty Edge]

AND ANOTHER THING

It's all well and fine for the January 6th Committee to recommend indictments for [Sleezebag], Rudi, John Eastman, Mark Meadows, and Jeffry Clark.
It's great that hundreds of Proud Boys and Oath Keepers have been prosecuted.

What about the co-conspirators in between? The Secret Service who failed to stuff [Sleezebag] in the suburban and drive him to a secure location the moment they saw guns in the crowd?  What about Roger Stone who coordinated with the militia groups?
What about propagandists like Steve Banon who knew about it in advance? What about Ginny Thomas, wife of Supreme court Justice Clarence Thomas, who raised the money to bus the crowds to the Elipse so that they could attend the rally for free?
What about that rat-[progeny of unmarried parents] senator of mine who delivered false electoral ballots to the capitol that day? Or the other polliticians and lawyers directly involved and in the know?

You can have a lying loser presidential candidate, and you can have some angry racist militias, but without all of the middle management work of the collaborators and coordinators, you got a loser throwing a plate of cheeseburger and fries at the wall in the White House, and a bunch of thugs bitchin in their beers around the country.

I'd like to see them prosecuted, and if there's not enough evidence to take it to a jury, have them placed on the no fly list.
Consequences.
Otherwise, it's not a failed coup, it's a training exercise.  [END RANT]

[Buster's Uncle]

Just this week, Mark Meadows got away with registering to vote in three states.

I'd be surprised and happy if any but the soldiers who rioted and killed the cops and crapped on desks were prosecuted.  It doesn't really matter if anyone is punished, as such - just that to function as a society, we need the deterrent against doing treason.  Gotta put the murder treasoners in jail for long terms, from the top down.

[Buster's Uncle]

-Or there will never be an end to it.

[Geo]

Tell me, if during one of those Speaker ballots a dozen or so Republicans in Congress voted for Jeffries, and the Democrats there too, would he become Speaker of Congress? Or is it only a vote for or against a proposed Speaker (McCarthy)

[Buster's Uncle]

I'm sure it's open to all.

Lauren [giggle] Bobert was nominated yesterday.

[Buster's Uncle]

This is Ms. Boebert:





She's the worst -or at least in four-way tie- person in congress, now that the Hitler Youth Kid is gone.

[She wouldn't be at all bad-looking if she ever shut her fool mouth.]