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

[Ben-Prime]

They're retreating from their retreat! Apparently Pastor Mike's sermons aren't going over well.

Asked if the retreat was helpful, a member said: “They should have opened the casino.”

"We thought we'd get together and talk about restricting the freedoms of our constituents, not that the Leadership would restrict *our* freedoms."

[Kendra]

Apparently there's another BIG HEARING today over the whole Biden impeachment nonsense and Rs are making hay over Hunter not appearing. Just saw on the news that there's an empty seat at the table for the absent Hunter.

[p0rtia]

Can't make hay in DC in January.

Dems are destroying the impeachment allegation, the R witnesses, and the R committee members.

Leve Parnas, the D witness, is calmly blowing up not only fuckhead and Giuliani, but also Pete Sessions, who is IN THE ROOM, for being there for key planning and conference meetings with Giuliani.

R witnesses are what's his name, the Hunter colleague, who is testifying FROM PRISON, and Mr. Bobulinksi, who posses the face you see when you look in the dictionary under "Punchable." He thinks he is sparring with Raskin, Goldman et al. but all he is doing is looking like an incompetent liar.

I've seen most of the previous impeachment hearings. This one takes the cake for sheer dumbfuckery.

[Rolodex]

I had to go out and missed this one. Probably will hunt for it later just for the lolz.

[Volkonski]

House Passes Spending Bill to Avert Shutdown, Prompting G.O.P. Mutiny

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/22/us/p ... 595e2e6e66

Infuriated by the painstakingly negotiated bipartisan legislation to keep funding flowing for government agencies including the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security, the hard right revolted, and as the vote was still ongoing, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia began the process of threatening a snap vote to oust Mr. Johnson, according to a person familiar with her plans who requested anonymity to describe her thinking.

Passage of the bill, just hours ahead of Saturday’s 12:01 a.m. shutdown deadline, set off a sprint in the Senate to avert a lapse in funding. It remained unclear whether senators would agree to quickly take up the legislation and send it to President Biden’s desk before midnight, though Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, was urging them to allow its speedy passage.

The 1,012-page legislation, which lumped six spending bills into one package, faced an uphill climb in the House after ultraconservatives revolted over the measure. They delivered a series of incensed speeches from the floor that accused Speaker Mike Johnson of negotiating legislation that amounted to an “atrocious attack on the American people,” as Ms. Greene put it.

The bill’s passage came at a steep political price for Mr. Johnson, who was forced to violate an unwritten but sacrosanct rule among House Republicans against bringing up legislation that cannot draw support from a majority of their members. Just 101 Republicans, fewer than half, supported it.

That left it to Democrats to again supply the bulk of the votes to push the bill over the finish line.

“Once again, it’s going to be House Democrats that carry necessary legislation for the American people to the finish line,” Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic leader, told reporters at the Capitol ahead of the vote.

Republicans won the inclusion of a number of provisions in the spending package, including funding for 2,000 new Border Patrol agents, additional detention beds run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and a provision cutting off aid to the main U.N. agency that provides assistance to Palestinians. It also increases funding for technology at the southern border by about 25 percent, while cutting funding for the State Department and foreign aid programs by roughly 6 percent.

[Dr. Ken]

Oh please McCarthy Johnson. That would be absolutely hilarious.

[Volkonski]

Marjorie Taylor Greene files surprise motion to oust Speaker Johnson

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/22/politics ... ke-johnson

The House would have to consider Greene’s motion within two legislative days after she is recognized. The chamber is heading for a two-week recess, and Greene told reporters she would not call up the resolution on Friday, which means the clock to force a vote has not started.

Asked for a reaction by CNN, Johnson didn’t respond, dismissing the question with a wave.

[Slim Cognito]

Oh please McCarthy Johnson. That would be absolutely hilarious.

[Suranis]

[Dr. Ken]

Marjorie Taylor Greene files surprise motion to oust Speaker Johnson

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/22/politics ... ke-johnson

The House would have to consider Greene’s motion within two legislative days after she is recognized. The chamber is heading for a two-week recess, and Greene told reporters she would not call up the resolution on Friday, which means the clock to force a vote has not started.

Asked for a reaction by CNN, Johnson didn’t respond, dismissing the question with a wave.

We're 149 days in. Will Johnson beat McCarthy in being the shortest speaker tenure in decades? McCarthy is currently 3rd in the shortest speaker tenure. If he's ousted in the coming months he'll be the 2nd shortest tenure.

[northland10]

The MAGA policy goal.. if the Democrats agree to it, don't do it, except when ousting another speaker.

[MN-Skeptic]

Rep. Mike Gallagher to leave Congress in April, exiting before the end of his term

U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher will leave Congress next month instead of serving the remainder of his term, the four-term congressman said Friday.

Gallagher announced in February he would not seek reelection in the fall in the 8th Congressional District, citing a desire to enter the private sector and spend more time with his family.

On Friday, Gallagher said he is moving up his departure to April 19 but did not explain why. The Green Bay Republican is one of nearly four dozen House members leaving this year and by leaving mid-term, House Speaker Mike Johnson now a one-member majority.

Gallagher’s departure leaves open his safely Republican northeastern Wisconsin seat. Republicans have about a 16-point edge in the largely rural 8th District, and Gallagher had won each reelection handily, by no fewer than 25 points.

His seat will still likely be filled this fall. State law requires a special election to be held to fill a vacancy in Wisconsin's congressional offices if the vacancy occurs before the second Tuesday in April in the year of a general election, which is April 9. Because Gallagher is resigning after that date, the vacancy may be filled in the August and November primary and general elections.

[Volkonski]

Some Democrats say they’re open to rescuing Speaker Johnson from ouster

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4550 ... press.coop

Several House Democrats on Friday said they would be willing to help rescue Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) motion to oust him — though some said their vote would be contingent on how he handles Ukraine aid.

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) told CNN on Friday he would vote to keep Johnson as Speaker.

“It’s absurd he’s being kicked out for doing the right thing, keeping the government open. It has two-thirds support of the Congress and the idea that he would be kicked out by these jokers is absurd,” he said.

Asked if he thought other Democrats would follow suit, Suozzi responded, “I hope so.”

Greene filed the motion to vacate the Speaker’s chair — the same mechanism that was used to remove former Speaker Kevin McCarty (R-Calif.) last fall — to protest the $1.2 trillion package to keep the government open the House passed on Friday.

Already though, there’s less enthusiasm for the possibility of removing the Speaker’s gavel. McCarthy’s ouster resulted in three weeks of chaos and a paralyzed lower chamber. Even many members of the hardline conservative House Freedom Caucus, who are furious with Johnson for his handling of the spending bill, have brushed off the idea.

And Democrats, who voted in lockstep to oust McCarthy — and then in lockstep against every subsequent GOP Speaker nominee — appear more open to the idea of helping Johnson remain in his post.

“I do not support Speaker Johnson, but I will never stand by and let MTG to take over the people’s House,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) wrote on the social media platform X.

[AndyinPA]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... ing-house/

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) announced Friday he will resign effective April 19, leaving the slim House GOP majority with a one-vote margin that will make it even harder to pass legislation.

Under Wisconsin law, Gallagher’s seat is likely to remain vacant until January, with the November general election to determine who wins his seat.
Cut through the 2024 election noise. Get The Campaign Moment newsletter.

When Gallagher leaves, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will be able to suffer only one defection from his side on party-line votes. The realities of the thin majority were on full display earlier Friday, as the House passed a $1.2 trillion spending bill by a narrow margin.

[noblepa]

Some Democrats say they’re open to rescuing Speaker Johnson from ouster

I think that that might be a smart move on the part of the Democrats.

Johnson has shown at least a little bit of willingness to compromise with the D's, in order to get something done. His replacement might not be even that cooperative.

A new speaker that would satisfy emptygee, emptyhead (Jordan) and emptysoul (Gaetz) might be willing to follow the right wing down the rabbit hole.

They just passed another CR. A new, ultra-maga speaker might not be able to deliver any kind of budget agreement, forcing a shutdown.

If the D's were to vote to oust Johnson, the R's would immediately begin screaming that the D's were responsible, even though it is their motion to vacate. The base will believe it.

[RVInit]

It's about time that every single non-MAGA in the House who knows they are going to be primaried out of a job should just quit right now. That would give the Democrats a rather large majority and would be just about the only thing the non-MAGAs could ever do to get some kind of revenge over their even crazier counterparts. That would be a hoot and probably send TFG and the MAGAs into a complete tailspin.

[p0rtia]

And sign the discharge petition on the way out, a la Buck.

[AndyinPA]

https://www.axios.com/2024/03/23/house- ... ion-vacate

House Republicans have skipped town for Easter recess with their base enraged, their majority in tatters — and their speaker facing the prospect of a humiliating ouster at the hands of his own MAGA allies.

Why it matters: Dysfunction doesn't even begin to cover it. The Senate's passage of a $1.2 trillion spending bill at 2 am ET — narrowly averting a government shutdown — was perhaps the least dramatic development in a historic day on Capitol Hill.

In a matter of hours:

The Republican-led House passed the spending bill just before noon Friday and sent it to the Senate — with more than half the House GOP conference, including many furious hardliners, voting against it.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) — one of those hardliners angry at Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for helping push the bill — introduced a motion to vacate the chair, calling for Johnson's removal. Her move threatens to trigger the same type of vote that ended the career of his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy.

Etc.

[Dr. Ken]

I see McCarthy is taking up a career in stand up comedy in his spare time

[AndyinPA]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/24/politics ... index.html

House Democrats may save Mike Johnson’s speakership – but he first must outline a pathway to approving aid to Ukraine, multiple Democratic sources told CNN.

If Johnson were to announce he would take up the Senate’s $95 billion aid package, Democrats would vote in droves to keep him in the position, sources said.

Yet Johnson has already signaled an openness to a separate bipartisan plan emerging in the House, and he’d already told GOP lawmakers that he may schedule floor time on that plan when lawmakers return from their Easter recess.

But that bipartisan plan has generated little Democratic enthusiasm, in large part because of its new border security restrictions, including reinstating the so-called “Remain in Mexico” policy. Plus, Johnson has signaled a willingness to turn the Ukraine aid into a loan for the country, an idea floated by former President Donald Trump that has prompted Democratic skepticism.

If Johnson tries to move on the House plan, Democrats may opt to save him but in smaller numbers, one Democratic source said.

[pipistrelle]

What does MTG have against Ukraine? I don't believe she'd ever heard of it or could have found it on a map.

[Dave from down under]

What does MTG have against Ukraine? I don't believe she'd ever heard of it or could have found it on a map.

Playing to her bases xenophobic and short sightedness

America first and only and then just “real” Americans - white n right n Old Testament (just the nasty bits)

[Suranis]

Her interest is that shouting against Ukraine gets her clicks, attention, and a not inconsiderable amount of Russian money.

[noblepa]

TFG and his maga followers think that the US should not be involved in the world, unless the world pays us a lot of money.

They seem to think that the world should do what we (or at least TFG) think they should do, because we are so great.

They forget that, if you want the US to be a world power and to be taken seriously on the world stage, you have to act like it. Building a track record of abandoning allies (or at least friendly nations) will not encourage anyone to follow us when we need/want them to.

I don't think that there is any nation in the western world that thinks that the US under TFG can/will be a reliable partner.

In Donny's life, everything is transactional. He will do something for you if (and only if) you do something for him. He thinks that foreign policy should work the same way.

Right now, Ukraine can't help the US in any direct, meaningful way. They can be a proxy in the effort to rein in Putin. To TFG, that isn't enough.

[bob]

Too also: MAGA believes being a Democrat is worse than being a Russian. So if Democrats are for Ukraine and against Russia, well, then MAGA must be for Russia.