💣 The Disastrous 118th Congress - MAGA Mike Johnson Saved by Shadow Speaker Hakeem Jeffries

[Foggy]

Front page of the Washington Post, just beneath the top headline:

Republican leader Kevin McCarthy became the 55th speaker of the House early this morning, overcoming a fierce challenge to his leadership by a group of far-right members and suggests a contentious two years ahead.

What is the subject of the verb "suggests"? I can't find one.

Oh wait. Boiled down to its essence, the sentence is: "Kevin McCarthy became ... and suggests ..."

Amirite?

McCarthy suggests a contentious two years ahead.

Well, he would do, wouldn't he?

[Volkonski]

If you replace "and" with "which" in that sentence it makes sense.

[Foggy]

Yes, and if it wasn't the subheading of the top story, you could say it's just a diction error, no biggie.

[bill_g]

Congratulations Kevin. You did it. Now here - hold this grenade.

[AndyinPA]

Went to bed, but put the TV on in the bedroom, so saw he finally "won." I tuned out mostly after that. And when he walked to the podium, I quit for good. I gather the clown show continues Monday. Pathetic performance.

[Slarti the White]

Front page of the Washington Post, just beneath the top headline:

Republican leader Kevin McCarthy became the 55th speaker of the House early this morning, overcoming a fierce challenge to his leadership by a group of far-right members and suggests a contentious two years ahead.

What is the subject of the verb "suggests"? I can't find one.

Oh wait. Boiled down to its essence, the sentence is: "Kevin McCarthy became ... and suggests ..."

Amirite?

McCarthy suggests a contentious two years ahead.

Well, he would do, wouldn't he?

I would think that the appropriate phrasing would be:

Republican leader Kevin McCarthy became the 55th speaker of the House early this morning, overcoming a fierce challenge to his leadership by a group of far-right members suggesting a contentious two years ahead.

The entire first clause (the event) then becomes the subject.

[Kendra]

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/0 ... s-00076890

A proposed subcommittee to investigate “weaponization” of the federal government — a key demand of House conservatives who delivered Speaker Kevin McCarthy the gavel — would be given sweeping investigatory powers that include explicit authority to review “ongoing criminal investigations.”

The language of the proposed “select subcommittee,” which would operate under the Judiciary Committee expected to be chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), also gives the panel power to access any information shared with the House Intelligence Committee. That panel typically receives the highest-level classified intelligence and briefings of any committee in Congress.

Both provisions appear to have been added during final negotiations between McCarthy and a band of hardline detractors that briefly denied him the speakership. An earlier version of the proposal made no mention of ongoing criminal investigations or the Intelligence Committee and limited the probe to the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice.

The panel’s expected formation comes as the Justice Department continues to arrest and prosecute hundreds of rioters charged with breaching the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and amid two ongoing criminal investigations connected to former President Donald Trump. Those include the probe of his effort to overturn the 2020 election and his decision to warehouse highly sensitive national security documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate after leaving office.

[Kendra]

McCarthy: “I do want to especially thank Pres Trump. I don’t think anyone should doubt his influence. He was with me from the beginning. He was all in. What he’s really saying for the party and the country is we have to come together.”

[Luke]

This disaster for the MAGA GOP was pricelessly funny and I loved sharing all the laughs with you all! The sheer incompetence of not being able to perform a Pro-forma action (Speaker) and worse, not be able to count votes was incredible. Now we see why they feared Nancy Pelosi. In all those years, does anyone remember a vote coming to the floor that Nancy didn't know the result of in advance?

These clowns may have a lot of bark (but the wrong kind, #BiscuitForSpeaker was cheated!), but with our Democratic Senate and White House, nothing is going to get passed. Lots of "messaging bills" if they can even do that. And Gym Jordan will get lots of Fox News time, but look how successful Operation Boomerang was. Liars, grifters and losers. They'll show they can't govern and we win again in 2024. Only about 760 days for that and they burned 4 days already. I expect the incompetence and public displays of civil war in the MAGA GOP will be entertaining.

[jemcanada2]

Justice for Biscuit!!

[Foggy]

While I enjoy the chaos in the Republican Party, unfortunately the Constitution requires that the House of Representatives actually has to pass a number of bills in order to fund our government.

And the reactionaries who took over the 118th Congress are there to destroy our government, not to fund it or run it competently.

So, once again, Republicans are going to cause enormous, enormous damage to the country I love. And it will take many years to heal that damage.

I laugh because otherwise I'd be very distressed.

[Foggy]

George Bush caused enormous damage. At least he had the grace to apologize for it.

Donald Trump did even worse damage, and he's not done yet.

Fox News has caused enormous damage to the country I love.

And a lot of other idiot Republicans, too many to name them all.

So now we get a tiny group of reactionary morons running the government, and more damage.

It's a good thing I'm an optimistic person. We'll get through this somehow, and then get moving forward again.

[pipistrelle]

Think of all the damage, yet here we are, hanging in there.

I keep hoping the Q-Anon people and satellites will have an epiphany.

[Phoenix520]

Can Laura Loomer just be done? Her ego knows no bounds.

Hear hear! And where does she get off claiming to be a central player instead of the fringiest of fringe characters?

[Foggy]

As I understand it, McCarthy finally won because the reactionaries voted "present" after being yelled at long enough last night.

He never did get 218 votes.

He got 216, to Jeffries's 212, with the 6 reactionaries voting "present".

Just a side note, remember the criticisms of Obama for voting "present"?

And since the 6 reactionaries voted "present", McCarthy finally had a majority of the votes cast. Even though he still didn't have the 6 reactionaries. But they were intimidated into not voting for anyone else.


IN OTHER WORDS, once again, the Republicans only succeeded because of voter suppression and voter intimidation, not because they were popular enough to win the vote like free people in a democracy.

Emblematic, that.

[much ado]

But at least this time they played by the rules.

That seems to be the most we can hope for.

[Kendra]

I think it was Rep Ro Khanna on MSNBC this morning. Said he went right into the scrum in the midst of all that mess and boy, he said there were F bombs flying all over the place.

How about that CSpan coverage, I think they had more leeway over where they pointed their cameras since there weren't any rules in place yet.

[Gregg]

GAETZ still votes PRESENT but...

Greg Price @greg_price11 2m
BREAKING: Rep. Eli Crane just flipped from no on McCarthy to present.
That will do it.
Kevin McCarthy will be the 53rd Speaker of the House on the 15th ballot.

(as long as nobody else acts out)


Well, that was fun. But #BiscuitForSpeaker was cheated!!!!!!


Teddy Daniels Gaetz.JPG

[Luke]

Damn right!

OrlyLicious @Orly_licious Replying to @GreggEvans16
Rumors are flying that a preliminary Midnight strike by #BiscuitForSpeaker was similar to the bomb the 699th dropped on "Dr." Douglas Frank's lawn after his dopey election denialism. MAGA GOP should proceed cautiously and carry Dog Waste Station Bags at all times. #BiscuitWon
4:32 PM · Jan 7, 2023

[Gregg]

I think Gaetz is as damaged as McCarthy. The Flaming A-hole from Florida. I can't be the only one who, if I got on an airplane and they tried to seat me next to him, I would decline and suggest the flight attendants find a high school girl for that seat. "No, this dude really likes underage girls, didn't you know that? He's famous for it!" in a very loud voice.

"But you better watch him, he's an animal."

I'd spend the entire flight trying to ge the window open and if I could, to see if he can fly.

[Frater I*I]

Went to bed, but put the TV on in the bedroom, so saw he finally "won." I tuned out mostly after that. And when he walked to the podium, I quit for good. I gather the clown show continues Monday. Pathetic performance.

And won't stop for the next 2 years...

[AndyinPA]

I guess I'm too lazy to look it up, but does anyone know why Pelosi didn't pass the gavel?

[Gregg]

George Bush caused enormous damage. At least he had the grace to apologize for it.

Donald Trump did even worse damage, and he's not done yet.

Fox News has caused enormous damage to the country I love.

And a lot of other idiot Republicans, too many to name them all.

So now we get a tiny group of reactionary morons running the government, and more damage.

It's a good thing I'm an optimistic person. We'll get through this somehow, and then get moving forward again.

They yanked out just enough rope to hang themselves for good. The Republican Party might not survive the 2024 election, especially if Trump doesn't get the nomination and takes 20% or more of what's left with him.

Ironically the only way the party might survive is if Trump does get the nomination and then goes on to lose so bad he takes the MAGA movement down in flames, leaving something that can be built upon. But they have too many ambitious phucktwaddles who smell orangutang blood in the water and can't help themselves, so one of them will beat Trump and then he'll burn it all down out of spite.

[Frater I*I]

Fox News has caused enormous damage to the country I love.

Rupert Murdoch has done more damage to the US government in a quarter of a century than every foreign power combined in the last 246 years...

[Slim Cognito]

My fantasy was her extending the gavel, then snatching it back saying "too slow!" then she just laughs and laughs...