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US Politics: Speaking to Insanity


DMC

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How ignorant those are who run for and win office of how the government even works -- evidently not only compulsive liar Santos, but other freshmen including a couple of Dems:

George Santos wrongly announced he was sworn in. He wasn’t the only one.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/01/04/george-santos-sworn-in-mistake-house/

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George Santos shared a falsehood on his first day on Capitol Hill: that he had been sworn in as a member of the House of Representatives. While the statement on his official website drew instant criticism because the New York Republican has been accused of fabricating key details of his biography, he wasn’t the only one to send out an erroneous announcement.

The press release on Santos’s House page on Tuesday, which said he “was sworn in as a Member of the United States House of Representatives by the Speaker of the House on January 3rd, 2023,” appears to have been generic — and possibly automated.

Identical statements were posted on the websites of other incoming freshman lawmakers, including for Robert Garcia, a California Democrat; Michael Lawler, a New York Republican; and Yadira Caraveo, a Colorado Democrat. ....

 

Auto send-reply is your nemesis.

What do they teach in political science departments these days?

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27 minutes ago, IheartIheartTesla said:

What is weird to me is that none of the new House members have been sworn in, yet are allowed to vote on the Speaker (this isn't new, it's how it always was). Therefore, the act of swearing in itself is meaningless. Or all the votes by new members thus far have been lies.

I only learned about the swearing in being after the Speaker is chosen yesterday, and it is a very strange fact.  It seems like  not being sworn in becomes a real problem the longer this drags on (or at least it would if swearing in actually meant anything).

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4 minutes ago, Maithanet said:

I only learned about the swearing in being after the Speaker is chosen yesterday, and it is a very strange fact.  It seems like  not being sworn in becomes a real problem the longer this drags on (or at least it would if swearing in actually meant anything).

Well, question is, do the new Members of congress get their salary, while before they are sworn in. That could be a real hussle for first time Memembers of congress.

That kid from Florida comes to mind, who couldn't find a flat.

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It feels like we are in an unstable/repeatedly collapsing equilibrium. 

218 > Kevin > Byron Donalds (proven true 5 times).  We now have three iterations of decline 19 - 20 - Spatz voting present.  

People like Ken Buck are starting to break away and say publicly give it to Scalise.  Let's assume in Scalise's favor that some (even most) of the Never Kevin's are motivated by personal animus.  Let's assume he gives Byron Donald what he just requested on TV:  a one-vote motion to vacate the chair which would be essentially be giving away the speaker's powers.  Still,  he would need 11 never Kevin votes. 

The single irrefutable argument McCarthy has is no one else can get 218.  He's probably correct.  As Ken Buck also said, doubtful Scalise has the votes. So we end up:  

218>  Scalise > McCarthy.

The bigger point here is whomever becomes Speaker, they will have to at least make McCarthy's concession of a 5 vote motion to vacate and that means sooner or later the Speaker will be deposed on contentious issues like the debt ceiling.  

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I don't think it's personal animus against McCarthy per se that is motivating the Freedom Caucus, but the desire to show their power and demonstrate a willingness to use that power again.  The FC wants to remove the Speaker, regardless of who it is, so that any subsequent Speaker knows that if the FC has demands, they are calling the shots. 

I will say that it is very worrisome that the Democrats didn't abolish the debt ceiling when they had the chance*.  Because if the FC can remove every Speaker whenever they want, then it feels like a virtual certainty that the debt ceiling is going to be a huge problem. 

Sidenote, did they have the chance?  I assume removing/dramatically increasing the debt ceiling would qualify under reconciliation rules.  Would Manchin/Sinema have supported it?  I don't honestly know.   

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As They say, non-governance is the point. Chaos gets Them there.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/04/politics/republican-speaker-chaos-analysis/index.html

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.... — McCarthy may have nothing to offer the renegades to win their votes. They disdain big committee posts and don’t dream of passing signature bills. They don’t care that a majority of the GOP in the House wants McCarthy. For them, as it was for Trump, the chaos is the point. Taking on the “swamp” gets them booked on conservative talk shows, boosts their fundraising and polishes their MAGA credentials.

Former Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington state – who voted to impeach Trump, lost a primary to a rival backed by the ex-president, who then went on to lose the general election to a Democrat – told CNN’s Jake Tapper Tuesday the rebels were in it for themselves. ....

 

Nowhere in there are the words 'govern' or 'government.'  But tv! and MONEY! were/are/ever shall be.  And narcissism, which each one suffers maga from and thinks this will give ME POWER. Whatever . . . .

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Intermission, animated drinks and treats and popcorn congo lining, in singsong:

 

Let's all go to the LOBby, let's all go to the LOBby. 

 

We have our share of dishonest politicians in CA. Between the guffaws Santos' been gifting me, I do sometimes wonder how we'd deal with a situation like his.

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1 hour ago, Maithanet said:

I only learned about the swearing in being after the Speaker is chosen yesterday, and it is a very strange fact.  It seems like  not being sworn in becomes a real problem the longer this drags on (or at least it would if swearing in actually meant anything).

It means the most to new members. Their staff aren't actually staff until they get sworn in. Which means they don't have official email accounts, office badges, parking permits, anything. Returning staff for returning members at least still have all that from last session. Although nobody is getting paid yet.

And since no one is on committees yet, there's no committee staff yet. Which pushes back the timeline for functionally anything to occur, even pointless investigations of Hunter Biden.

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In other news:

 

"In an effort to crack down on gun violence, San Jose gun owners will soon be required to have proof of insurance covering accidents involving their firearms." from this.

Isn't that something.

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For those keeping track, there have been fourteen occasions (including this one) where the Speakership has gone to multiple ballots:

https://history.house.gov/People/Office/Speakers-Multiple-Ballots/

This is currently the ninth most extended of the fourteen. If they can get to a tenth ballot, this would be the most for a Speakership election since the Civil War.

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In other news;

Quote

HIGH POINT, N.C. (WGHP) — At least two groups of men with neo-Nazi ties have been charged or convicted in connection to plans to attack power substations, and some of those men have ties to North Carolina.

The plots were uncovered in 2020 and 2021, and covered numerous states.

Three men pleaded guilty to a 2021 plot in February of 2022, and several men indicted by the Eastern District of North Carolina in a 2020 plot are awaiting trial. Both of these cases involved groups planning attacks on substations in different states, primarily using high-powered automatic weapons.

Power substation attacks connected to neo-Nazi groups remain in court as Moore County continues investigating (counton2.com)

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