I feel shock, betrayal, disappointment, profound fatigue in this existential fight for the future of Democracy in America.
After all the dedication and hard work of this group, I know you are feeling the same way. But we must rest our weary souls a day or too, then come back fighting mad at those who would steal and decry American freedoms and values. Anger when used effectively can be a powerful energizer to the work ahead. Keep the faith, dear friends, we with President Biden, Hakeem Jeffries and his incredible Democratic caucus in the House, and our relentless Allie’s in the Senate will right this ship of state. Time to go back to the drawing board after resting weary minds, bones and souls.
We’ve got this; loss is not an option. Creativity is at a premium, think outside the box. 🗃️❤️🇺🇸🌎 Think Helen Ready,
“ I am woman [freedom] hear me roar, in numbers too big to ignore.” 🎼💃🏼
I guess that my innate pessimism/cynicism is going to show through, but while this person is not exactly who I expected, someone like him is who I thought the Republicans would select. Even if all of the Republicans aren't fire-breathing, MAGA-loving clowns, those that aren't are in fear of those who are, and they clearly do not have the courage to stand up to the MAGA crowd.
I think you’ve identified the obstacle to reason in this nominating process by the GOP. The MAGA-loving clowns 🤡 are in charge one way or another; by agreeing or being cowards! Despicable and we will all suffer for it. Is it possible they didn’t know this man’s outlandish history? Was he really that obscure? Now second in line to the presidency? Or are they just sticking it to Democrats to initiate another war in the House? I am truly 🤢 sick. The remote (I hope) possibility of the loss of Biden and Harris would then destroy our nation. 😢🇺🇸
But I don't think it's quite so simple. There were a fair number of Republican votes for President Biden's infrastructure bill, the covid relief bill and just a few months ago for the debt ceiling bill. It's almost like slot machine gambling, where there's just enough payback to keep you putting in more coins.
I've done a lot of research on individual Republicans. And while I disagree with most of their policy positions, some (a few) seem to be honorable decent people. That's why their vote for Johnson was so unexpected and disappointing.
McCarthy was awful but I feared whoever replaced him would be even worse. These current House Republicans are full-blown MAGA, too afraid of Trump to stand up to him, craven cynics like McCarthy, complete idiots, or simply unwilling to concede anything to the other side.
Jerry... I believe all your research is missing a critical aspect. Rs voting President Biden’s programs and voting for a new House Speaker are an apples and oranges comparison. With the vote for Speaker, their lives and the lives of their families were definitely at risk by the Maggots. I believe putting trust in any of today’s Rs, even a retired U.S. Brigadier General is foolish. I agree with the idea of having to work tirelessly to elect and reelect enough Democratic candidates to regain a significant majority in both houses of Congress AND reelect Joe Biden as POTUS.
This may be a broad brush, but just by a very few bristles: Rs are NOT to be trusted.
I couldn't agree more that electing a significant majority of Democrats in both houses (as well as re-elcting President Biden) is the best possible way to defend our republic. And I'm certainly not inclined to trust traditional Republicans after their retreat from the bipartisanship they had been teasing for the last few months.
That being said, I don't think their reason for supporting Mike Johnson is fear of violence. Following Jim Jordan's loss in the second ballot, the threats rose to their greatest intensity but the number who opposed him grew. If those R's weren't afraid to oppose the highest profile MAGA extremist in the House, it's unlikely they were afraid to oppose someone no one outside Shreveport ever heard of.
Obviously, Mike Johnson's views are abhorrent. But running the House is an administrative function and it remains to be seen how he'll do that. Unlike Kevin McCarthy, he's well-educated (a practiciing attorney) and could have management skills the former Speaker lacked. He also has the trust of the MAGA crowd, so they won't be fighting him.
If he needs Dem votes to keep the government open (likely) he’ll loose that MAGA trust quickly. I assume, not having read otherwise, that a motion to vacate still only requires 1 rep. Rinse. Repeat.
When someone like Bacon suddenly jumps off the democracy ship, you know "traditional" republicans have done gone lost their damned minds. (And Bacon considers Johnson to be a "moral" person?? Yeah, well that "moral" person, who swore to uphold the Constitution, has no qualms about supporting a coup and in MANY other ways forcing HIS "morals" down the throats of every other American.) WTH is going on???? It will be fascinating to see how Biden will deal with this - if he has any wisdom and negotiating skills/energy left after dealing with the Middle East and so many other demanding situations.
I think that despite your attempts, the "reasonable" Republicans are never going to cross MAGA. I don't know why--perhaps they are secretly as vile as their colleagues but don't want to be seen as extremists, or perhaps one of their far-far-far right "friends" has whispered something like, "Hey, how does your little girl Clara like her new school? Must be nice to have her get out at 1.00 pm." YIKES! I put absolutely nothing, including murder, past MAGA. We've already seen it. So what to do?
Forget working with Rs AT ALL. Write them off. Instead, let's turn our attention to two things1) getting Democrats to run in EVERY RACE, EVERYWHERE. Too many Rs run unopposed; and 2) make sure we take back the House. It's becoming more and more likely that we'll have a sweep in 2024 because MAGA is so out of step with most of America. And to do that, we have to write letters and postcards, and talk to undecided friends or those who don't vote "because there's no difference between the parties." Really? What rock have you been under lately? Anyway, some races come down to one vote PER PRECINCT. Change someone's mind, you might swing an election. I think we can do it.
Jerry, thank you for sharing Hakeem Jeffries' speech. It is really inspiring and uplifting during a most dispiriting morning. The sun is still shining. Possibilities are before us and there is still intelligent, thoughtful, and committed life on earth and in Washington. Just like your newsletter is free, so are my Yam People free. if you'd like a couple to watch dissolve in a little water and become mud, email me at troydesigns@gmail.com. No mud, no lotus. Thank you for all that you do.
I was feeling very low until I heard his speech. He's going to be a great Speaker in the 119th Congress. And who knows, maybe a great President some day too . .. .
A lot of people agree with you, Greg. But I do not.
Kevin McCarthy was without doubt the worst Speaker in living memory. The reason for his failure is easily summarized: He broke promises to every faction of his own party, as well as those he made to the opposition party and to the President of the United States.
To be effective in Congress, a leader must be trusted by the members. Without trust, everything devolves into chaos.
No one can save a failing leader whom no one trusts. Had Democrats voted "No" on the motion to vacate, they would have only been endorsing failure. That would not transform failure into success, it would only prolong the failing.
It is the majority party's responsiblity to select the Speaker. It was the majority party who removed the last Speaker, and the majority party who elected the new one. Whether the new one is better or worse remains to be seen.
I've been following this closely since last December. I know more about some of these Republicans than I did about Democrats I've campaigned for. I know who's mad at whom for what and had predicted every step of this (including Emmer's short-lived candidacy). The fractures within the GOP are severe and seem to be unbridgeable. But then, out of nowhere, there's a unanimous vote for a low-profile MAGA-affiliated operative.
With so much needing to be done right away, we should know pretty quickly how this is going to go.
Thanks, Jerry. I’m going to listen to his speech again. I called 20 Republican congresspersons to thank them for voting against Jordan. Over the weekend, I’m going to send all 20 of them hand written letters expressing my dismay at their voting in yet another MAGA extremist. Let me know how many Yammies you’d like😊
I feel shock, betrayal, disappointment, profound fatigue in this existential fight for the future of Democracy in America.
After all the dedication and hard work of this group, I know you are feeling the same way. But we must rest our weary souls a day or too, then come back fighting mad at those who would steal and decry American freedoms and values. Anger when used effectively can be a powerful energizer to the work ahead. Keep the faith, dear friends, we with President Biden, Hakeem Jeffries and his incredible Democratic caucus in the House, and our relentless Allie’s in the Senate will right this ship of state. Time to go back to the drawing board after resting weary minds, bones and souls.
We’ve got this; loss is not an option. Creativity is at a premium, think outside the box. 🗃️❤️🇺🇸🌎 Think Helen Ready,
“ I am woman [freedom] hear me roar, in numbers too big to ignore.” 🎼💃🏼
I guess that my innate pessimism/cynicism is going to show through, but while this person is not exactly who I expected, someone like him is who I thought the Republicans would select. Even if all of the Republicans aren't fire-breathing, MAGA-loving clowns, those that aren't are in fear of those who are, and they clearly do not have the courage to stand up to the MAGA crowd.
I think you’ve identified the obstacle to reason in this nominating process by the GOP. The MAGA-loving clowns 🤡 are in charge one way or another; by agreeing or being cowards! Despicable and we will all suffer for it. Is it possible they didn’t know this man’s outlandish history? Was he really that obscure? Now second in line to the presidency? Or are they just sticking it to Democrats to initiate another war in the House? I am truly 🤢 sick. The remote (I hope) possibility of the loss of Biden and Harris would then destroy our nation. 😢🇺🇸
I’m not a bit shocked. Sorry. There is no trusting Republicans, at least not those who are still in Congress.
You certainly aren't alone in that, Tracy.
But I don't think it's quite so simple. There were a fair number of Republican votes for President Biden's infrastructure bill, the covid relief bill and just a few months ago for the debt ceiling bill. It's almost like slot machine gambling, where there's just enough payback to keep you putting in more coins.
I've done a lot of research on individual Republicans. And while I disagree with most of their policy positions, some (a few) seem to be honorable decent people. That's why their vote for Johnson was so unexpected and disappointing.
McCarthy was awful but I feared whoever replaced him would be even worse. These current House Republicans are full-blown MAGA, too afraid of Trump to stand up to him, craven cynics like McCarthy, complete idiots, or simply unwilling to concede anything to the other side.
Jerry... I believe all your research is missing a critical aspect. Rs voting President Biden’s programs and voting for a new House Speaker are an apples and oranges comparison. With the vote for Speaker, their lives and the lives of their families were definitely at risk by the Maggots. I believe putting trust in any of today’s Rs, even a retired U.S. Brigadier General is foolish. I agree with the idea of having to work tirelessly to elect and reelect enough Democratic candidates to regain a significant majority in both houses of Congress AND reelect Joe Biden as POTUS.
This may be a broad brush, but just by a very few bristles: Rs are NOT to be trusted.
I couldn't agree more that electing a significant majority of Democrats in both houses (as well as re-elcting President Biden) is the best possible way to defend our republic. And I'm certainly not inclined to trust traditional Republicans after their retreat from the bipartisanship they had been teasing for the last few months.
That being said, I don't think their reason for supporting Mike Johnson is fear of violence. Following Jim Jordan's loss in the second ballot, the threats rose to their greatest intensity but the number who opposed him grew. If those R's weren't afraid to oppose the highest profile MAGA extremist in the House, it's unlikely they were afraid to oppose someone no one outside Shreveport ever heard of.
I am very worried that with this unfortunate development, that a shutdown of our government is inevitable.What do others think?
Still unlikely, but a stronger possibility now than it was 3 days ago.
Obviously, Mike Johnson's views are abhorrent. But running the House is an administrative function and it remains to be seen how he'll do that. Unlike Kevin McCarthy, he's well-educated (a practiciing attorney) and could have management skills the former Speaker lacked. He also has the trust of the MAGA crowd, so they won't be fighting him.
We'll just have to wait and see.
If he needs Dem votes to keep the government open (likely) he’ll loose that MAGA trust quickly. I assume, not having read otherwise, that a motion to vacate still only requires 1 rep. Rinse. Repeat.
When someone like Bacon suddenly jumps off the democracy ship, you know "traditional" republicans have done gone lost their damned minds. (And Bacon considers Johnson to be a "moral" person?? Yeah, well that "moral" person, who swore to uphold the Constitution, has no qualms about supporting a coup and in MANY other ways forcing HIS "morals" down the throats of every other American.) WTH is going on???? It will be fascinating to see how Biden will deal with this - if he has any wisdom and negotiating skills/energy left after dealing with the Middle East and so many other demanding situations.
I think that despite your attempts, the "reasonable" Republicans are never going to cross MAGA. I don't know why--perhaps they are secretly as vile as their colleagues but don't want to be seen as extremists, or perhaps one of their far-far-far right "friends" has whispered something like, "Hey, how does your little girl Clara like her new school? Must be nice to have her get out at 1.00 pm." YIKES! I put absolutely nothing, including murder, past MAGA. We've already seen it. So what to do?
Forget working with Rs AT ALL. Write them off. Instead, let's turn our attention to two things1) getting Democrats to run in EVERY RACE, EVERYWHERE. Too many Rs run unopposed; and 2) make sure we take back the House. It's becoming more and more likely that we'll have a sweep in 2024 because MAGA is so out of step with most of America. And to do that, we have to write letters and postcards, and talk to undecided friends or those who don't vote "because there's no difference between the parties." Really? What rock have you been under lately? Anyway, some races come down to one vote PER PRECINCT. Change someone's mind, you might swing an election. I think we can do it.
Exactly! What we need to focus on now is the Democrats winning back the House.
The freedumb caucus will blow this thing up shortly and we can go through this whole debacle yet again.
Jerry, thank you for sharing Hakeem Jeffries' speech. It is really inspiring and uplifting during a most dispiriting morning. The sun is still shining. Possibilities are before us and there is still intelligent, thoughtful, and committed life on earth and in Washington. Just like your newsletter is free, so are my Yam People free. if you'd like a couple to watch dissolve in a little water and become mud, email me at troydesigns@gmail.com. No mud, no lotus. Thank you for all that you do.
Thank you, Susan.
I was feeling very low until I heard his speech. He's going to be a great Speaker in the 119th Congress. And who knows, maybe a great President some day too . .. .
Yam People? Okay, sure. I'll email you. Thanks.
The ONLY thing that moves “power mad”* politicians to change their chameleon colors is being blocked from power. Vote them out!
* There is a well-researched “power-mad” personality scale developed by prof Bob Altemeyer in his long studies of authoritarians. https://theauthoritarians.org/options-for-getting-the-book/
"Get rid of McCarthy!""Get rid of McCarthy!""Get rid of McCarthy!"
OK, ya did that, but now look at what you've done!!
A lot of people agree with you, Greg. But I do not.
Kevin McCarthy was without doubt the worst Speaker in living memory. The reason for his failure is easily summarized: He broke promises to every faction of his own party, as well as those he made to the opposition party and to the President of the United States.
To be effective in Congress, a leader must be trusted by the members. Without trust, everything devolves into chaos.
No one can save a failing leader whom no one trusts. Had Democrats voted "No" on the motion to vacate, they would have only been endorsing failure. That would not transform failure into success, it would only prolong the failing.
It is the majority party's responsiblity to select the Speaker. It was the majority party who removed the last Speaker, and the majority party who elected the new one. Whether the new one is better or worse remains to be seen.
So....where are we now? I doubt we are much better off with Johnson, and to whom did he haggle with for the big prize??
Honestly, Gene, I just don't know what happened.
I've been following this closely since last December. I know more about some of these Republicans than I did about Democrats I've campaigned for. I know who's mad at whom for what and had predicted every step of this (including Emmer's short-lived candidacy). The fractures within the GOP are severe and seem to be unbridgeable. But then, out of nowhere, there's a unanimous vote for a low-profile MAGA-affiliated operative.
With so much needing to be done right away, we should know pretty quickly how this is going to go.
Thanks, Jerry. I’m going to listen to his speech again. I called 20 Republican congresspersons to thank them for voting against Jordan. Over the weekend, I’m going to send all 20 of them hand written letters expressing my dismay at their voting in yet another MAGA extremist. Let me know how many Yammies you’d like😊
Thanks for recommending the Jeffries video. There is hope. Vote blue in ‘24!