2023 Republican House Follies

[Smoove_B]

Looks like we need a thread title update

Yeah we do

Republican Bill Johnson just submitted his resignation to the House of Representatives — effective Jan. 21.

The Republican majority will then go to 219, meaning Republicans will only be able to lose two votes.

[Isgrimnur]

Special election date set to replace Santos

Gov. Kathy Hochul ... scheduled the special election in New York to replace former Rep. George Santos for Tuesday, Feb. 13.

[El Guapo]

It will be a little funny if Republicans manage to lose the House majority before the 2024 election. That's still very unlikely, but we're getting in range of individual health becoming an issue.

[malchior]

In less funny considerations, I expect there will be some extreme hostage taking attempts in the upcoming government shutdown discussions.

[Scraper]

Looks like we need a thread title update

Yeah we do

Republican Bill Johnson just submitted his resignation to the House of Representatives — effective Jan. 21.

The Republican majority will then go to 219, meaning Republicans will only be able to lose two votes.

I know Bill Johnson a little bit and I saw him give a speech a couple of months back. In short I'm not surprised that he resigned. He was super irritated with the extreme MAGA wing and was pissed about removing McCarthy. This doesn't totally redeem him though because he was one of the GOPers who crashed the closed impeachment hearing back during the first impeachment. I also know most of the people lining up to replace him and they will be worse. So in the end it will be backwards progress.

[LordMortis]

So Johnson and co. are down in Eagle Pass to somehow get POTUS to make an executive order, something they rally against consistently from democratic POTUSes, to get GOP legislation that can't pass the house to pass. In the meantime they aren't in DC working on their legislation to keep the government from phased shutting down, again under GOP budgeting?

Is my read even remotely close to reality?

This doesn't totally redeem him though because he was one of the GOPers who crashed the closed impeachment hearing back during the first impeachment. I also know most of the people lining up to replace him and they will be worse. So in the end it will be backwards progress.

Well, they weren't supposed to eat his face after all. (Though, at least he didn't join them.)

[Carpet_pissr]

Link to her resignation letter via CNN:

Gay's six-month tenure is the shortest in the university's 388-year history, according to the Harvard Crimson student newspaper. She was the first Black person and the second woman to lead the institution.

I'm sure that's just a coincidence, right?

In this case, I think it is.

[malchior]

Link to her resignation letter via CNN:

Gay's six-month tenure is the shortest in the university's 388-year history, according to the Harvard Crimson student newspaper. She was the first Black person and the second woman to lead the institution.

I'm sure that's just a coincidence, right?

In this case, I think it is.

Partially. Christopher Rufo laid out his plan on Twitter before the hearings. Which makes it all the more galling the media types fell for this whole narrative hook, line, and sinker. FWIW it's not like he is being secret about what he is doing.

In any case, he talked about her being a diversity hire, etc. So I'd consider it a factor. However, they wouldn't have included her in the attack if his researchers had not identified weaknesses. (Edit: Much like McGill who didn't have institutional and donor support). And I mean team of researchers because it's clear this was orchestrated. A *LOT* of pressure was applied here.

[malchior]

Rufo celebrates his "scapl[sic]'-ing" achievement with an OpEd in the WSJ pretty much showing everyone how he played the media. I give them credit. They aren't being shy about selling fascism. Too bad it seems people want it.

Also, monumentally disappointing that the WSJ OpEd page ran this racist, fascist trash. While always right to hard right they never really pushed stuff like this. Anyway, we're in free fall here. Like I said upthread this was part of a concerted effort and you better believe they are coming for all of us.

The left has spent decades consolidating power across the institutions of American academic life. The crowning achievement of that effort was the diversity, equity and inclusion bureaucracy—constructed to perpetuate progressive dominance of higher education by keeping conservatives out of the professoriate. Claudine Gay was in some respects the apotheosis of this process. Last year, Ms. Gay, an African-American political scientist with a thin publishing history, became Harvard University’s 30th president. On Monday, following a sequence of scandals involving antisemitism and plagiarism, she resigned.

Many observers on both left and right had assumed that Ms. Gay was untouchable. Harvard, they thought, couldn’t possibly transgress a core tenet of modern progressive politics—the idea that a leader’s immutable qualities, such as race or sex, should matter more than character, merit and academic achievement.

What changed? First, public support for DEI has cratered. Following the outpouring of sympathy on elite campuses for Hamas’s war of “decolonization” against Israel, many Americans—including many center-left liberals—became aware of the ideological rot within academic institutions. They began to question the sweet-sounding euphemisms of DEI and examine what they mean in practice.

Second, the political right has learned how to fight more effectively. As one of the journalists who first exposed the similarities between Ms. Gay’s published work and that of other scholars, I watched the political dynamics develop from the inside. The key, I learned, is that any activist campaign has three points of leverage: reputational, financial and political. For some institutions, one point of leverage is enough, but, for a powerful one such as Harvard, the “squeeze” must work across multiple angles.

This is precisely what happened. Journalists—including the independent reporter Christopher Brunet and the Washington Free Beacon’s Aaron Sibarium—applied reputational pressure, exposing Ms. Gay’s alleged plagiarism and Harvard’s scandalous effort to cover it up. Donors, led by hedge-fund manager Bill Ackman, applied financial pressure, withholding a billion dollars in contributions. And Congress, under the leadership of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.), applied political pressure, exposing Ms. Gay’s equivocations on antisemitism and threatening consequences for inaction.

Throughout the campaign, I adopted the unorthodox approach of narrating the strategy in real time, explaining how conservatives could shape the media narrative and apply pressure to Harvard. Critics condemned me as a propagandist and bad-faith actor. Some of my allies also questioned the wisdom of telegraphing the campaign’s next moves. But there was a method to my madness. Conservatives face enormous disadvantages in public discourse—most significant, the progressive left’s near-monopoly on prestige media. By raising these dynamics to the surface, we can begin to challenge and subvert them.

...

While her resignation is a victory, it is only the beginning. If America is to reform its academic institutions, the symbolic fight over Harvard’s presidency must evolve into a deeper institutional fight. The Italian theorist Antonio Gramsci called this approach the “war of position,” a grueling form of trench warfare in which each concept, structure and institution must be challenged to change the culture.

[Victoria Raverna]

Former US. Rep so not actually part of the current Republican House. A female Santos?

https://www.currentrevolt.com/p/mayra-f ... te-scandal

There are two things Texans know as FACT:

Politicians lie about really stupid stuff.

Mexican food is tasty.

Both of these facts collided yesterday in what many people are referring to as GRUBGATE.

Mayra Flores, former Congresswoman and current candidate for US House Texas District 34, posted a delicious photo of a “gorditas de masa” with the caption of “The Ranch life with family is the best.” She also clarified the type of food in the photo, implying she both took the photo and made the dish.

Unfortunately, several things were later revealed about the photo she posted:

This meal was not made at a “ranch” on this continent.

These are not gorditas de masa.

She did not take this photo.

She did not make this dish.

A user on X noticed that the photo Flores posted was from the “Visit Guyana” Facebook page from March of 2022.

The meal in the photo is not even Mexican food, it’s a Guyanese dish likely of stew with sada roti. Guyanese people are not even considered Latino.

After this was noticed by the public, Flores locked down her X account and proceeded to change her handle from @MayraFlores_TX to @MayraFlores4Tx.

This prompted us to launch a full investigation in which it was discovered that the stolen food images don’t end with just this dish. Flores posted a photo in September of last year, going as far as to clarify the cheese used.

Turns out this photo (with higher resolution) comes from multiple sources, including a Facebook page from 2021.

And another from her Instagram from August 2022 where she says she loves the “Rancho life” surrounded by her family.

There was actually quite a few more pictures we found, but we got tired, and also hungry.

We input this entire situation into Current Revolt’s AI system, and it suggested that Flores should hold a press conference to address the rumors that she cannot cook.

[malchior]

[waitingtoconnect]

Its only a matter of time until we are back this way - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_pi_bill. After all tomato sauce is a vegetable by act of Congress...

[Smoove_B]

It's that time again, where the budget comes up and the Speaker position is in jeopardy:

Collins: Does that include potentially moving to oust Speaker Johnson from his job?

Roy: Again, that's not the road I prefer…

Collins: You said you don't prefer it, but you did not say no.

[malchior]

His sin? Agreeing to a compromise budget number.

[LordMortis]

McCarthy was on CNBC this morning praising Johnson for getting so much done on the budget, that this was a truly positive conservative move. I suppose that means he's in for attacks by the gallery. I have no sympathy for his face but if he's left with no face, what's next?

[El Guapo]

This is essentially the end result of spending decades telling your voters that they could get everything that they want, if only their leaders would fight instead of compromising.

[Carpet_pissr]

This is essentially the end result of spending decades telling your voters that they could get everything that they want, if only their leaders would fight instead of compromising.

Yep.

[Pyperkub]

Johnson goes running to daddy...

ouse Speaker Mike Johnson is reaching for the ultimate lifeline on Wednesday — Donald Trump, the leader of the GOP Party who has sought to mold the House Republican Conference in his image.

The nascent speaker is facing a potential revolt from conservative hardliners after he struck a deal with Senate Democrats on a government spending framework for negotiating appropriations bills needed to avoid a government shutdown next weekend.

“I’m planning to give him a call today to talk him through the details of it,” Johnson told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt Wednesday morning of his intention to call Trump. “He and I have a very close relationship. He’s been an enthusiastic supporter of my leadership here, and I expect he’ll be doing that again.”

[Smoove_B]

I don't think there's anything potential about the revolt anymore:

Speaker Mike Johnson’s right flank ground the floor to a halt again on Wednesday, this time amid conservative fury over a spending deal he cut with Senate Democrats.

Thirteen House Republicans joined with Democrats to vote against starting debate on a trio of bills unrelated to the funding agreement, two of which are aimed at nixing Biden administration rules, a move that effectively freezes the floor. Additional votes on Wednesday were immediately canceled.

[hepcat]

Christ, they go through more speakers than Trump goes through urinating escorts.

[malchior]

I don't think there's anything potential about the revolt anymore:

Speaker Mike Johnson’s right flank ground the floor to a halt again on Wednesday, this time amid conservative fury over a spending deal he cut with Senate Democrats.

Thirteen House Republicans joined with Democrats to vote against starting debate on a trio of bills unrelated to the funding agreement, two of which are aimed at nixing Biden administration rules, a move that effectively freezes the floor. Additional votes on Wednesday were immediately canceled.

Side note: Isn't it time to retire the use of Conservative from these type of headlines?

Conservatives take revenge for Johnson's spending deal by halting action on House floor

Sure Politico is the ultimate in bottom feeding access journalism but "Conservatives". When is that label for these radicals going to die. There is nothing conservative about what they are doing.

[Smoove_B]

All that "fiscal conservatism" from economic anxiety, I guess.

[waitingtoconnect]

Only Republican presidents are allowed to spend tax dollars relecklessly.

I bet trump will go for house leadership so he can scream immunity another time.

[Zaxxon]

I don't think there's anything potential about the revolt anymore:

Speaker Mike Johnson’s right flank ground the floor to a halt again on Wednesday, this time amid conservative fury over a spending deal he cut with Senate Democrats.

Thirteen House Republicans joined with Democrats to vote against starting debate on a trio of bills unrelated to the funding agreement, two of which are aimed at nixing Biden administration rules, a move that effectively freezes the floor. Additional votes on Wednesday were immediately canceled.

Side note: Isn't it time to retire the use of Conservative from these type of headlines?

Conservatives take revenge for Johnson's spending deal by halting action on House floor

Sure Politico is the ultimate in bottom feeding access journalism but "Conservatives". When is that label for these radicals going to die. There is nothing conservative about what they are doing.

Funny, I came into this thread and was about to post (again) that 'conservative' is no longer a term that applies to 95% of the GOP. Then I saw that you beat me to it. Thanks!

[Alefroth]

Special election date set to replace Santos

Gov. Kathy Hochul ... scheduled the special election in New York to replace former Rep. George Santos for Tuesday, Feb. 13.

Early results show Suozzi, the Dem, with a 2-1 lead.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/l ... rge-santos

[Smoove_B]

So weird how this keeps happening:

In a single week, the Republican chairs of three House committees announced they would not be seeking reelection, raising questions about whether the chaos that has reigned this Congress is driving out some of the GOP’s top talent.

What makes the retirements particularly noteworthy is that none of the chairs were at risk of losing their position due to the term limits that House Republicans impose on their committee leaders. They conceivably could have returned to the same leadership roles in the next Congress, but chose instead to leave and give up jobs they had worked years to obtain.

“They would clearly rather be home with their family than in Washington with a dysfunctional Congress,” said Republican strategist Doug Heye. “I would have said this to you 10 years ago, but it’s just gotten worse. Congress has become a bad workplace.”

[waitingtoconnect]

They need to get time to write their books before козырь is elected in November and get some airtime on CNN before its FCC license is revoked.

[El Guapo]

the GOP’s top talent.

[Carpet_pissr]

At some point I think we can stop calling it the GOP and just change the name to MAGA, no? I feel like we are already there.

[Smoove_B]

These fucking clowns:

The House Freedom Caucus is issuing a series of conditions for considering funding to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, as Congress awaits a supplemental request from the Biden administration.

In an official position released Friday, the conservative group demanded that any funding for the bridge be “fully offset” and called on the Biden administration to first lift its pause on approvals for natural gas export projects before discussing a supplemental for the bridge.

...

The Freedom Caucus — which is comprised of roughly three dozen hard-line conservatives — is also asking authorities “seek maximum liability from the foreign shipping companies upfront” and that the Baltimore port “draws upon already available federal funds” before Congress considers any supplemental funding to rebuild the bridge.

[GreenGoo]

If Baltimore didn't want this to happen, it shouldn't have engaged in commerce for the entire country. Reap what you sow, Baltimorians.

Do these people not understand the difference between opponent and enemy?

[Blackhawk]

Looks like someone realized that they don't need Maryland's vote.

[Holman]

Looks like someone realized that they don't need Maryland's vote.

They would do the same to New Orleans or Memphis or Philadelphia too. Anything to hurt a blacker-than-average city.

[Kraken]

We just need one more Republican rep to retire or die, right?

[Jaymann]

We just need one more Republican rep to retire or die, right?

Who is the rep from the Baltimore area?

[LawBeefaroni]

The Freedom Caucus — which is comprised of roughly three dozen hard-line conservatives — is also asking authorities “seek maximum liability from the foreign shipping companies upfront”...

They know that any liability proceedings will take years. Possibly decades. This is an absurd condition but they also know that.

[Blackhawk]

We just need one more Republican rep to retire or die, right?

Who is the rep from the Baltimore area?

A Dem. The only Maryland Republican is from the eastern district.

[Jaymann]

Did the resident nutjobs blame the eclipse on Biden? Or the Jews? Or both?

[Isgrimnur]

[waitingtoconnect]

Did the resident nutjobs blame the eclipse on Biden? Or the Jews? Or both?

Earthquakes on the east coast, bridges falling down on their own thanks to union labour, total eclipses that only ever happen in the United States, Canadians running down their maple syrup stockpiles… it’s the end times i tell you.

Personally I love how MTG proves her own point against herself. Taking natural signs and using it to forwarn of the end times is what Jesus was warning against.

Interpreting the Times

54 He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. 55 And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?