The chaos is over, let the chaos begin.

Let me agree with you about this statement! It's such a rare thing to be able to agree with you on anything, but let me enjoy this momentary agreement while it lasts. Indeed, the next two years are going to be PURE HELL -- for everyone except our adversaries!

 

House G.O.P. Races to Line Up Votes for Rules After McCarthy Concessions

WASHINGTON — Speaker Kevin McCarthy raced on Monday to line up votes to pass a set of operating rules for the Republican-controlled House, toiling to tamp down defections from rank-and-file members who said he had given too many concessions to the hard right in the desperate and drawn-out process of securing his job.

Mr. McCarthy clinched the speaker’s gavel early Saturday after a historic 15 rounds of voting that stretched across five days, and after giving in to a sweeping series of demands from the ultraconservative rebels who opposed him that included allowing any single lawmaker to call a snap vote to oust him. The struggle underscored how difficult it would be for him to corral his narrow majority; on Monday, he was already confronting the first challenge.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/09/us/politics/house-rules-republicans-mccarthy.html

With the level of animosity growing between McCarthy's minions and the Crazies last week over the demands of the latter I would be surprised if the process to hammer out the rules for the next session goes smoothly.

 

What happened: Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) has emerged as the Republican pick to lead the powerful Ways and Means Committee, securing the gavel in what's been viewed as the marquee contested panel race this Congress.

Smith first arrived in Washington back in 2013 and was the top Republican on the House Budget Committee last Congress. He stressed his humble beginnings in life, arguing they're a better fit for the working-class Republican base.

The Missouri Republican defeated Buchanan on the second ballot after Rep. Adrian Smith (Neb.) dropped out following the first. They separately made their pitches over the course of several hours before the House Republican Steering Committee.
https://www.politico.com/minutes/congress/01-9-2023/cbo-score-gop-congress-irs/

At first blush it appears Smith has issued some dubious boilerplate remarks but does not seem to be a Crazy. That's good news.

 

Sandy Shanks said:
Why have we allowed the Republican Party's rural voters, mostly educationally challenged farmers and rural shopkeepers in the southern states, to put our country in this precarious position?
******************************************************************************************************************************************************

These Republican voters chose Trump in 2016. Aided by Vladimir Putin, Trump was elected President. We have had nothing but grief ever since. Thank God we now have a President who quietly does his job, no fanfare, no conspiracies, and no controversies.

Here is a brief review of the troubled former Republican President. Incidentally, Trump is the Republican Party leader and the only Republican candidate for the Presidency in 2024. This is what the Republican Party's rural voters want. They don't talk much, though.

CNN reports, "This must feel like the year that won’t end for former President Donald Trump, whose actions appear to be catching up with him in painful and expensive ways.

"Trump is infamous for escaping accountability, but he’s been put under the microscope in the second half of 2022 in a way that has complicated things for the 2024 contender.

"The FBI searched his Florida resort, where stolen classified documents were seized. His business was found guilty of criminal tax fraud. Documents relating to his tax returns were released by House Democrats, who are expected to release his actual returns before turning over the committee gavel next year to Republicans, who won a smaller-than-expected majority under Trump’s influence. Many candidates Trump backed failed in key Senate races, costing Republicans a majority in that chamber.

"The former president himself hasn’t been charged with any crimes. But a special counsel has been appointed at the Justice Department to oversee two Trump-related investigations – surrounding the hoarding of documents at Mar-a-Lago and inciting the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol."

In the meantime, the forum's Republicans, true to form, have remained totally silent when it comes to the specific issues.

They can't handle them?

 

It's like some folks are so fixated on Trump that they convert EVERY topic into a discussion of Trump. It's been two years, yet some seem as deeply infected as ever, this may require a new kind of 12 step group where by helping each other, and holding each other accountable, you can learn, one day at at time, not to convert every damn topic into a Trump topic. Fingers crossed for you, I am visualizing your liberation from this.

Nation Devastated As Congress Resumes Functioning.



'U.S. — Across the nation, Americans are coming to terms with the catastrophic news that Congress has resumed functioning.
"Tell me it's not true," said small business owner Larry Higgins, staring at the sky. "Oh Lord, what have we done to deserve this??"
During the recent, brief period of governmental collapse, Americans began to see a faint ray of hope. "If this shutdown grinds on for even a few months, can you imagine how well off the country would be?" local pastor Dean Benson thought wistfully. "With even just a few weeks of people not being actively robbed, pushed towards war, or having their freedom stripped, America might have a real chance. Too bad."'

 

Even as Republicans praised the legislation, the full extent of concessions Mr. McCarthy had made to appease the hard-right rebels was not yet fully known. Details were trickling out in the hours before the scheduled vote, and some lawmakers expressed doubt that they would ever know the entirety of what the speaker had privately promised.

Many of the concessions — such as allowing the party’s right wing a critical bloc of seats on the panel that decides which bills can be considered on the House floor and which amendments may be offered — were not included in the package that passed on Monday, but instead were approved in closed-door negotiations with a handshake agreement.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/09/...2091&user_id=fecdfdffdaaa11107b72f0f4f6e429cc

A private document that only some House Republicans have seen and others refuse to talk about could play an outsized role in the governance of the chamber over the next two years.

Why it matters: The document contains concessions — not included in the rules package passed on Monday night — that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) made to rebellious Freedom Caucus members to secure the speaker's gavel.

• Those members have threatened to kill McCarthy’s speakership as swiftly as they acquiesced to it if he reneges on their handshake agreements.

Driving the news: The existence of a "secret three-page addendum" containing "the most controversial concessions" that McCarthy made in order to get elected was first reported by Punchbowl News on Monday and confirmed to Axios by multiple GOP aides and members.
https://www.axios.com/2023/01/10/republicans-mccarthy-house-rules-addendum

Secrecy and deceit, they're off and running.

 

House Republican files articles of impeachment against DHS Sec. Mayorkas

Texas Republican Rep. Pat Fallon has filed impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, delivering on a promise he made last week before the 118th Congress was officially sworn in.

The articles of impeachment against Mayorkas for "high crimes and misdemeanors," known as House Resolution 8, were introduced by Fallon in the House on Monday and have been referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-republican-files-articles-impeachment-dhs-sec-mayorkas

Congrats to Pat for being the first contestant in the "2023, Who's the Craziest of the Crazy" competition.

 

House GOP approves resolution to create panel to probe ‘weaponization’ of federal government

Republican lawmakers on Tuesday gave their approval to a new House subcommittee designed to probe the “weaponization” of the federal government, giving the panel access to sensitive intelligence and the power to oversee ongoing criminal investigations.

The resolution passed in a party-line vote, 221-211.
https://thehill.com/homenews/380758...to-probe-weaponization-of-federal-government/

Pat may have been first out of the gate (see post # 107) but competition is going to be fierce.

 

White House Issues First Veto Threat Of New Congress Against Republican IRS Bill

The White House made its first veto threat of the new Congress Monday, targeting a House Republican bill that would rescind funding allotted to the IRS in the Inflation Reduction Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law last summer.

“This reckless bill would increase the deficit by nearly $115 billion over 10 years per an estimate by the Congressional Budget Office by enabling wealthy tax cheats to engage in additional tax fraud and avoidance,” the administration said in a statement, citing the score released Monday.

“If the President were presented with H.R. 23 — or any other bill that enables the wealthiest Americans and largest corporations to cheat on their taxes, while honest and hard-working Americans are left to pay the tab — he would veto it,” it added.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/white-house-veto-irs-republican-house

I doubt there'll be a need for a veto since the bill won't pass in the Senate.

 

House Democrats file ethics complaint against GOP Rep. George Santos of New York

Two New York Democratic congressmen filed a House Ethics Committee complaint Tuesday against Rep. George Santos, the freshman New York Republican who recently was found to have lied about and embellished details on his resume.

Reps. Ritchie Torres and Dan Goldman, in a six-page letter, called on the panel to probe Santos for possibly violating the federal Ethics in Government Act “by failing to file timely, accurate and complete financial disclosure reports as required by law.”

The letter, which the lawmakers hand-delivered to Santos’ office on Capitol Hill, called the financial disclosure reports filed for his 2020 and 2022 campaigns “sparse and perplexing.”

“At a minimum, it is apparent that he did not file timely disclosure reports for his most recent campaign,” Torres and Goldman wrote.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/10/rep-george-santos-hit-with-ethics-complaint-by-democrats.html

Santos will remain an embarrassment to the POT unless it removes him from office. The reason they won't (I hope I'm wrong) is because it is highly likely a Dem would win the special election to replace him.

 

U.S. Will Hit Debt Limit Jan. 19, Yellen Tells Congress

WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen warned on Friday that she would have to begin employing “extraordinary measures” to continue paying the nation’s bills this month if lawmakers do not act to raise the statutory debt limit and that her powers to delay a default could be exhausted by early June.

Ms. Yellen’s letter to Congress was the first sign that resistance by House Republicans to lifting the borrowing cap could put the U.S. economy at risk and signals the beginning of an intense fight in Washington this year over spending and deficits.

“Failure to meet the government’s obligations would cause irreparable harm to the U.S. economy, the livelihoods of all Americans and global financial stability,” Ms. Yellen wrote.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/13/business/economy/debt-limit-us-economy.html

“Failure to meet the government’s obligations would cause irreparable harm to the U.S. economy, the livelihoods of all Americans and global financial stability,” Ms. Yellen wrote.

Music to the ears of the Crazy.

 

Any thought of not raising the debt limit is evidence of either stupidity or intentional partisan attempt to cause enormous harm to the country and to we-the-people.

 

Is it true that all the House Democrats voted against reading bills before passing them?

 

Read what came out of it. The question isn't whether what came out of the negotiations is good or not but whether the Republican leadership will live up to it. Anything that shines the light of day on the dismal process as practiced under Schumer and Pelosi has got to be an improvement.

 

Campaigns Linked To Santos Left Donors Feeling Ripped Off After Questionable Credit Card Charges

Santos lost the 2020 race soon afterward. However, the donor’s brief interaction with Santos’ first unsuccessful House bid was the beginning of a long odyssey that they said resulted in more than $15,000 in false credit card charges. Some of that money inexplicably went to the campaign of Tina Forte, another Republican congressional candidate in New York whose campaign had links to Santos.

“It’s just wrong on so many levels,” the donor said.

Santos and Forte did not respond to requests for comment on this story. His campaign finances have come under scrutiny amid revelations that he lied about his resume en route to winning a House seat last year.

TPM’s analysis of reports Santos’ campaign filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) showed extensive irregularities including charges for clothing and meals, cash totals that didn’t add up, improperly labeled contributions, and donations that went over the legal limit. Those issues raised red flags with the FEC and resulted in a complaint filed by a watchdog group on Monday.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/george-santos-tina-forte-flag-credit-card-charges

The drumbeat for resignation is getting louder.

 

Love your Quotes. They so accurately reflect the lefts approach to almost everything over the last three decades.

 

C'mon, man.

A Navy vet is accusing George Santos of pocketing money from his dying dog's GoFundMe

A Navy veteran has accused Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., of refusing to hand over thousands of dollars raised in a 2016 online campaign to fund lifesaving surgery for his dog.

Richard Osthoff said in an interview Wednesday that a charity group linked to Santos created a GoFundMe page for his dog but never provided him with the money. Osthoff said he believes access to the $3,000 donation pot, which he said Santos withheld from him, would have saved his dog’s life.

“I was so livid that I realized that this guy is now a serving congressman. He doesn’t deserve that job. It’s horrendous that he could lie and steal and cheat his way through life,” Osthoff said.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/co...pocketing-money-dying-dogs-gofundme-rcna66405

 

No, but it is true Repubs are excellent at coming up with disingenuous memes.

 

Victoria Spartz and Nancy Mace, both Repub congresswomen, have decided not to support the removal of Ilhan Omar from her committee assignment. Nor do they support the removal of Schiff and Swalwell from the Intel committee. To quote Spartz, "Speaker McCarthy needs to stop “bread and circuses” in Congress and start governing for a change.”

But he won't, and we all know that.

 

There are 18 House Repubs who represent districts Biden won. Their victories in some measure no doubt attributable to gerrymandering. My fervent hope is that those Repubs act in ways that represent their constituents. Something that would be a constant thorn in McCarthy's side.

 

McCarthy Now Seems To Say Social Security And Medicare Cuts Are ‘Off The Table’ In Debt Ceiling Negotiations

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said on Sunday that cuts to Medicare and Social Security are “off the table” as his party seeks to win a concession from the Biden administration in exchange for raising the debt limit. His statement comes after Republicans have indicated for months that they will take the debt limit hostage until spending cuts are made to the government budget, and after some Republicans have indicated Medicare and Social Security are prime choices for the chopping block.

“Let’s take those off the table,” McCarthy told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” when asked if he was considering any reductions to Social Security and Medicare.

“If you read our commitment to America, all we talk about is strengthening Medicare and Social Security,” he added.

Over the last several months, some Republicans repeatedly stated that they will hold the debt ceiling hostage to demand cuts to Medicare and Social Security. So McCarthy’s promise that cuts to those programs are “off the table” seems to walk back those plans.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/...urity-medicare-cuts-debt-ceiling-negotiations

Didn't Individual 1 recently tell Repubs not to touch SS and Medicare? Someone, I think it was Butterballs, claimed weeks ago Trump would not be lurking in the shadows controlling what Kevin does. Hmmmmmmmmmm.

 

Surprising honesty from Gaetz. Though it appears he'll do anything to twist McCarthy's nipples.

Again Proving He Will Be McCarthy’s Biggest Headache, Gaetz Is ‘Undecided’ On Omar Vote

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) said on Monday night he is undecided on if he will vote to block Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from sitting on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, once again creating a whip count problem for Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) who’s vowed to oust the Democrat from her committee seat.

“The reason I think a lot of Republicans want to kick Ilhan Omar off of the Foreign Affairs Committee is because they don’t like what she has to say,” Gaetz said on Newsmax. “I am undecided as of tonight as to whether or not I would vote to remove Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee, because it’s one thing to do dangerous things to the country with intelligence. It’s quite another to say, ‘I don’t like your viewpoint, and thus I want to remove you.’”
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/mccarthy-headache-gaetz-undecided-omar-vote-committee

 

House GOP leaps headlong into divisive Mayorkas impeachment debate

The new House GOP majority is taking its first step Wednesday toward a goal that’s openly dividing its members: booting DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas from office.

Republicans will start laying the groundwork on two tracks this week to potentially impeach Mayorkas over his handling of the border — a historically rare step that hasn’t been used against a Cabinet member since 1876. Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who would lead any impeachment inquiry, is holding what he promises will be the first in a series of hearings on the border on Wednesday, while Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) plans to launch his own opening salvo next week.

And while one group of Republicans prepares to make their case, another is ready to start impeachment immediately. The House GOP’s right flank has already filed an impeachment resolution and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) is now circulating his own proposal. Meanwhile, centrists are warning they aren’t on board and recent polls have suggested the public is wary of an excessive focus on investigations.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/01/house-gop-mayorkas-dhs-impeachment-00080524

The misfits are starting to begin their work in earnest. Does the public want this? No. Do they care? No. Their constituents want it and these nitwits are hellbound to deliver on promises of the Crazy.

 

The MAGA momentum is building. Now they have passed a bill to eliminate the need for public health workers to be vaccinated,
https://thehill.com/policy/healthca...ng-vaccine-mandate-at-some-health-facilities/

ended the House rule preventing congressmen from bringing loaded guns to committee meetings,
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/co...blicans-clash-carrying-guns-capitol-rcna68656

and voted to remove Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Relations committee.

It's surreal.

 

So, how long before we read the headline: All House Democrats found dead, of bullet wounds, in Congressional chambers?

I won't hazard a guess, myself, on that timeframe, but I will predict what the under-headline would be-- No arrests made; AG Garland appoints Special Counsel Bill Barr, to head investigation.