Thanks Jerry and thanks especially for the tip on Mr. Snyder's book. It's on my Amazon list now.
What prevents Mr. Jeffries from publicly presenting the clean CR that most Americans and majorities in both houses want to see? Having something specific to call and write about would help the opposition coalesce and maybe even get some media attention outside of Substack. I know that it wouldn't get a legislative calendar number but a title and a brief descriptor would be more concrete than what we have now and a finite process might encourage some action.
Happy to share the book, Dave. It's really instructive.
I don't know the answer to your question, but there's a tangled web of rules and procedures that govern the House. Mostly, the Speaker decides what comes to floor. And I suspect that Mr. Jeffries is meticulous about following the rules, while working quietly behind the scenes to line up support for the clean CR.
As I write this, it just passed with 209 D's and 127 R's. So whatever he did, it worked.
I'm happy to know that we aren't a completely sealed bubble here. Democrats believe in diversity, but sometimes forget that the strength of our democracy lies in diversity of opinion as well as diversity of identity.
Thank you for a wonderful commentary today! There is HOPE! And that's what your "feathers" are all about! We must never lose hope. These are troubling times, all over the world, it seems. It is heart-wrenching to read about the people of Gaza, and the Afghanistanis being expelled from Pakistan! We are so lucky to live in the United States of America, and that we are FREE to express our thoughts--something so simple, yet something someone could be arrested for (e.g., Iran).
I call my D.C. reps a lot, and next year, I will be writing a ton of postcards to ensure a Democratic outcome in November of 2024.
BTW, it irritates the heck out of me, that I can't even send a comment to a legislator who is outside my district. Tried to call a "moderate Republican" to say "Thank you" and couldn't even leave comment because their computer knew I was a thousand miles away. Gr-r-r-rrrrrr.
I'm glad you brought that up. It is frustrating to not be able to voice your opinion to anyone other than your own representatives. Maybe there's a better way?
Thanks for your encouragement, Catherine. It's really helpful.
It's true that the email system used by representatives is designed to filter out comments from those who aren't constituents. But you can call them on the phone, and more often than not talk to a real person in their office. And if you want to be really radical, you can write a letter on paper and put it in the mail.
Just one thing to keep in mind when calling on the phone. Some offices will ask if you are a resident of the member's district. I alway answer truthfully that I am not, but the issue I'm calling about affects every resident of every district. It doesn't hurt to also throw in a compliment here, saying something like "I know that Rep. __ is very influential so I want to share my opinion with them."
Some offices have an automated system that asks the caller to click on one number for district residents and another for those who are not. I click on resident just to get through to a person. Again if asked, I answer as above. I've never had an aide refuse to talk with me just because I'm not a district resident.
This is a really helpful analysis. We can't wait for the 2024 election and we who are not extremists have to work together. I'm very tired of being bullied by the "Freedom Caucus" and I hope moderate Republicans are also beginning to feel the same way.
Thanks, Susan. You can be sure they are, and we're seeing the result. Now if we can just convince them to take the next step and join with Democrats to form a true governing majority, we'd see a fully functioning House of Representatives instead of one dominated by an extremist minority.
Thank you Jerry. Indeed there are moderate Republicans. I know because my husband is one, but is disgusted with the Republican party since Trump and his extremists came along. He has been voting for Democrats since 2015, and will be voting for Joe Biden for a second time.
We definitely should not alienate Moderate Republicans. It's going to take all of us to get the MAGA extremists out. As the old saying goes, "All hands on deck."
Thank you for your realistic and hopeful commentary.
I believe that your husband, if he feels like I do, is not so much disgusted at the republican party as a whole, but at the cancer with which it is currently afflicted (maganoma).
It's very encouraging to know that there are so many sensible moderate Republicans. In fact, it's they who really have to do the heavy lifting when it comes to salvaging their party. If I were one, I'd be loudly calling out the extremists as the real RINO's, who've betrayed Republican principles.
Thanks Jerry and thanks especially for the tip on Mr. Snyder's book. It's on my Amazon list now.
What prevents Mr. Jeffries from publicly presenting the clean CR that most Americans and majorities in both houses want to see? Having something specific to call and write about would help the opposition coalesce and maybe even get some media attention outside of Substack. I know that it wouldn't get a legislative calendar number but a title and a brief descriptor would be more concrete than what we have now and a finite process might encourage some action.
Happy to share the book, Dave. It's really instructive.
I don't know the answer to your question, but there's a tangled web of rules and procedures that govern the House. Mostly, the Speaker decides what comes to floor. And I suspect that Mr. Jeffries is meticulous about following the rules, while working quietly behind the scenes to line up support for the clean CR.
As I write this, it just passed with 209 D's and 127 R's. So whatever he did, it worked.
And now if he can work the same magic on the supplemental appropriation, we'll have something approaching a functioning legislature.
As a moderate Republican, I thank you for this post.
And I thank you for reading it, Mark.
I'm happy to know that we aren't a completely sealed bubble here. Democrats believe in diversity, but sometimes forget that the strength of our democracy lies in diversity of opinion as well as diversity of identity.
Thank you for a wonderful commentary today! There is HOPE! And that's what your "feathers" are all about! We must never lose hope. These are troubling times, all over the world, it seems. It is heart-wrenching to read about the people of Gaza, and the Afghanistanis being expelled from Pakistan! We are so lucky to live in the United States of America, and that we are FREE to express our thoughts--something so simple, yet something someone could be arrested for (e.g., Iran).
I call my D.C. reps a lot, and next year, I will be writing a ton of postcards to ensure a Democratic outcome in November of 2024.
BTW, it irritates the heck out of me, that I can't even send a comment to a legislator who is outside my district. Tried to call a "moderate Republican" to say "Thank you" and couldn't even leave comment because their computer knew I was a thousand miles away. Gr-r-r-rrrrrr.
I'm glad you brought that up. It is frustrating to not be able to voice your opinion to anyone other than your own representatives. Maybe there's a better way?
Susan, see my reply to Catherine below.
Thanks for your encouragement, Catherine. It's really helpful.
It's true that the email system used by representatives is designed to filter out comments from those who aren't constituents. But you can call them on the phone, and more often than not talk to a real person in their office. And if you want to be really radical, you can write a letter on paper and put it in the mail.
Just one thing to keep in mind when calling on the phone. Some offices will ask if you are a resident of the member's district. I alway answer truthfully that I am not, but the issue I'm calling about affects every resident of every district. It doesn't hurt to also throw in a compliment here, saying something like "I know that Rep. __ is very influential so I want to share my opinion with them."
Some offices have an automated system that asks the caller to click on one number for district residents and another for those who are not. I click on resident just to get through to a person. Again if asked, I answer as above. I've never had an aide refuse to talk with me just because I'm not a district resident.
This is a really helpful analysis. We can't wait for the 2024 election and we who are not extremists have to work together. I'm very tired of being bullied by the "Freedom Caucus" and I hope moderate Republicans are also beginning to feel the same way.
Thanks, Susan. You can be sure they are, and we're seeing the result. Now if we can just convince them to take the next step and join with Democrats to form a true governing majority, we'd see a fully functioning House of Representatives instead of one dominated by an extremist minority.
Thank you Jerry. Indeed there are moderate Republicans. I know because my husband is one, but is disgusted with the Republican party since Trump and his extremists came along. He has been voting for Democrats since 2015, and will be voting for Joe Biden for a second time.
We definitely should not alienate Moderate Republicans. It's going to take all of us to get the MAGA extremists out. As the old saying goes, "All hands on deck."
Thank you for your realistic and hopeful commentary.
I believe that your husband, if he feels like I do, is not so much disgusted at the republican party as a whole, but at the cancer with which it is currently afflicted (maganoma).
What a great term, Mike. Maganoma -- definitely a condition that calls for a course of aggressive treatment by a team of political oncologists.
Thanks, Leah.
It's very encouraging to know that there are so many sensible moderate Republicans. In fact, it's they who really have to do the heavy lifting when it comes to salvaging their party. If I were one, I'd be loudly calling out the extremists as the real RINO's, who've betrayed Republican principles.
That would be sweet indeed. This is beyond frustrating.