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McCarthy speaker spectacle is no joke. It shows the Republican Party will damage America.


BarryLaverty

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And some of you are just gleeful and giggly about it. I don't get it. 
 
 
USA TODAY Opinion

 

McCarthy speaker spectacle is no joke. It shows the Republican Party will damage America.

 
 
Jill Lawrence, USA TODAY
 
 

If you’re a Republican, the last few days have been a humiliating disgrace. If you’re a Democrat, they’ve been a frustrating farce. For all Americans, this GOP – a motley collection of traditionalists, extremists and chaosmongers failing repeatedly and historically to choose a House speaker – is previewing two years of even worse: incompetence, immaturity and irresponsibility that will hammer the whole country.

It's not just the inability to compromise and govern; it’s the active pursuit of breaking rules and imploding expectations for the sake of owning the libs or whatever. And there are so many ways things could go wrong.

National security and constituent services are already being affected. Members-elect aren't sworn in to the new Congress so they can't get security clearances to conduct essential business, said Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., who missed a meeting with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley. Congressional and committee offices, meanwhile, are having trouble hiring staff, setting up payrolls and accessing federal agencies to help constituents.

And those are just temporary problems in a much bigger picture. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has published a handy list of fiscal deadlines coming up this year. They all require action from Congress to prevent dire consequences – not abstract consequences but real ones that directly affect people’s pocketbooks.

Republican Party likes holding America hostage

Take the debt limit. It will likely need to be raised this summer so the government can pay bills for taxing and spending decisions already made, almost entirely by past presidents and Congresses. The specter of default, of missing payments and shaking faith in the United States, hangs over all debt ceiling debates. In a pair of October 2021 memos, Biden administration economists said a broad default would likely precipitate a financial crisis and recession.

 

“GDP would fall, unemployment would rise, and everyday households would be affected in a number of ways – from not receiving important social program payments like Social Security or housing assistance, to seeing increased interest rates on mortgages and credit card debt,” they said. Veterans benefits, national defense, transportation, national parks and the public health system would also be at risk. In addition, “financial markets would lose faith in the United States, the dollar would weaken, and stocks would fall.”

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., leaves the House floor on Jan. 4, 2023, in Washington.
 
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., leaves the House floor on Jan. 4, 2023, in Washington.

And consider the budget crisis that could loom in the fall. It was only last month that wannabe speaker Kevin McCarthy, trying to act like a militant, endorsed a hardliners’ campaign to punish Senate Republicans who supported a $1.7 trillion “omnibus” budget bill funding the government through Sept. 30. “Hell no,” he said.

Fortunately, GOP senators ignored the threat (that their legislative priorities would be blocked when their party took charge of the House). The bill passed last month and the Democratic House got it done in time to head off a government shutdown that would have crippled services and protections people rely on.

What was the point of that thwarted House Republican rebellion?

Leverage, as in holding the nation hostage so a small group of nihilistic ultraconservatives, most from safe districts and most of them members of the so-called Freedom Caucus, can dictate terms to the rest of us.

 

And what would they do this year if they could hold America hostage by instigating a shutdown or debt crisis? They've already told us: Gift the rich with inflationary tax cuts; raise prescription prices; take back the $80 billion the under-resourced IRS just received to audit the rich, answer the phones and catch up on its backlog; cut Social Security and Medicare; shrink aid to Ukraine; and ratchet back clean energy spending.

In short, undercut most of what Democrats have done to solve actual problems.

Given the Democratic Senate and White House, these hard-liners will have to settle in most cases for talking points instead of achievements. The only saving grace could be a moderate alternative to McCarthy, a seven-time loser (at least) despite handing concession after concession to his ruthless tormentors. That would hinge on Democratic help, which would require meeting Democratic conditions.

'Select all images with speakers'

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told Fox News that he'd consider voting for a Republican speaker, but only certain people under certain conditions – his conditions being no hostage-taking on the debt limit or government funding, and "some agreement on subpoena power." But so far there's been no groundswell of Democratic support for rescuing the GOP.

Look, I know this is all quite funny in a sad way. I confess I laughed out loud, very loudly, when my son sent me a meme making the rounds on social media – an “I am not a robot” verification with an instruction to “select all images with speakers.” And, well, you can guess which images were not checked.

But seriously, imagine if GOP senators had caved to the House GOP’s threat of punishment over the $1.7 trillion government funding bill. It would not have been able to get past a Senate filibuster. Imagine putting the fate of that giant, essential bill into the hands of the people who couldn’t elect a speaker after seven tries in three days.

We’ve learned a lot this week. We’ve learned that House Republicans can’t count votes, they can’t solve problems and they apparently can’t abide each other.

But we’re going to have to put up with them, no matter who ends up as speaker.

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2 hours ago, BarryLaverty said:
And some of you are just gleeful and giggly about it. I don't get it. 
 
 
USA TODAY Opinion

 

McCarthy speaker spectacle is no joke. It shows the Republican Party will damage America.

 
 
Jill Lawrence, USA TODAY
 
 

If you’re a Republican, the last few days have been a humiliating disgrace. If you’re a Democrat, they’ve been a frustrating farce. For all Americans, this GOP – a motley collection of traditionalists, extremists and chaosmongers failing repeatedly and historically to choose a House speaker – is previewing two years of even worse: incompetence, immaturity and irresponsibility that will hammer the whole country.

It's not just the inability to compromise and govern; it’s the active pursuit of breaking rules and imploding expectations for the sake of owning the libs or whatever. And there are so many ways things could go wrong.

National security and constituent services are already being affected. Members-elect aren't sworn in to the new Congress so they can't get security clearances to conduct essential business, said Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., who missed a meeting with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley. Congressional and committee offices, meanwhile, are having trouble hiring staff, setting up payrolls and accessing federal agencies to help constituents.

And those are just temporary problems in a much bigger picture. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has published a handy list of fiscal deadlines coming up this year. They all require action from Congress to prevent dire consequences – not abstract consequences but real ones that directly affect people’s pocketbooks.

Republican Party likes holding America hostage

Take the debt limit. It will likely need to be raised this summer so the government can pay bills for taxing and spending decisions already made, almost entirely by past presidents and Congresses. The specter of default, of missing payments and shaking faith in the United States, hangs over all debt ceiling debates. In a pair of October 2021 memos, Biden administration economists said a broad default would likely precipitate a financial crisis and recession.

 

“GDP would fall, unemployment would rise, and everyday households would be affected in a number of ways – from not receiving important social program payments like Social Security or housing assistance, to seeing increased interest rates on mortgages and credit card debt,” they said. Veterans benefits, national defense, transportation, national parks and the public health system would also be at risk. In addition, “financial markets would lose faith in the United States, the dollar would weaken, and stocks would fall.”

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., leaves the House floor on Jan. 4, 2023, in Washington.
 
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., leaves the House floor on Jan. 4, 2023, in Washington.

And consider the budget crisis that could loom in the fall. It was only last month that wannabe speaker Kevin McCarthy, trying to act like a militant, endorsed a hardliners’ campaign to punish Senate Republicans who supported a $1.7 trillion “omnibus” budget bill funding the government through Sept. 30. “Hell no,” he said.

Fortunately, GOP senators ignored the threat (that their legislative priorities would be blocked when their party took charge of the House). The bill passed last month and the Democratic House got it done in time to head off a government shutdown that would have crippled services and protections people rely on.

What was the point of that thwarted House Republican rebellion?

Leverage, as in holding the nation hostage so a small group of nihilistic ultraconservatives, most from safe districts and most of them members of the so-called Freedom Caucus, can dictate terms to the rest of us.

 

And what would they do this year if they could hold America hostage by instigating a shutdown or debt crisis? They've already told us: Gift the rich with inflationary tax cuts; raise prescription prices; take back the $80 billion the under-resourced IRS just received to audit the rich, answer the phones and catch up on its backlog; cut Social Security and Medicare; shrink aid to Ukraine; and ratchet back clean energy spending.

In short, undercut most of what Democrats have done to solve actual problems.

Given the Democratic Senate and White House, these hard-liners will have to settle in most cases for talking points instead of achievements. The only saving grace could be a moderate alternative to McCarthy, a seven-time loser (at least) despite handing concession after concession to his ruthless tormentors. That would hinge on Democratic help, which would require meeting Democratic conditions.

'Select all images with speakers'

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told Fox News that he'd consider voting for a Republican speaker, but only certain people under certain conditions – his conditions being no hostage-taking on the debt limit or government funding, and "some agreement on subpoena power." But so far there's been no groundswell of Democratic support for rescuing the GOP.

Look, I know this is all quite funny in a sad way. I confess I laughed out loud, very loudly, when my son sent me a meme making the rounds on social media – an “I am not a robot” verification with an instruction to “select all images with speakers.” And, well, you can guess which images were not checked.

But seriously, imagine if GOP senators had caved to the House GOP’s threat of punishment over the $1.7 trillion government funding bill. It would not have been able to get past a Senate filibuster. Imagine putting the fate of that giant, essential bill into the hands of the people who couldn’t elect a speaker after seven tries in three days.

We’ve learned a lot this week. We’ve learned that House Republicans can’t count votes, they can’t solve problems and they apparently can’t abide each other.

But we’re going to have to put up with them, no matter who ends up as speaker.

OMG another OP-ED, who would have thought......

image.jpeg  :rofl:

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2 hours ago, BarryLaverty said:
And some of you are just gleeful and giggly about it. I don't get it. 
 
 
USA TODAY Opinion

 

McCarthy speaker spectacle is no joke. It shows the Republican Party will damage America.

 
 
Jill Lawrence, USA TODAY
 
 

If you’re a Republican, the last few days have been a humiliating disgrace. If you’re a Democrat, they’ve been a frustrating farce. For all Americans, this GOP – a motley collection of traditionalists, extremists and chaosmongers failing repeatedly and historically to choose a House speaker – is previewing two years of even worse: incompetence, immaturity and irresponsibility that will hammer the whole country.

It's not just the inability to compromise and govern; it’s the active pursuit of breaking rules and imploding expectations for the sake of owning the libs or whatever. And there are so many ways things could go wrong.

National security and constituent services are already being affected. Members-elect aren't sworn in to the new Congress so they can't get security clearances to conduct essential business, said Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., who missed a meeting with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley. Congressional and committee offices, meanwhile, are having trouble hiring staff, setting up payrolls and accessing federal agencies to help constituents.

And those are just temporary problems in a much bigger picture. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has published a handy list of fiscal deadlines coming up this year. They all require action from Congress to prevent dire consequences – not abstract consequences but real ones that directly affect people’s pocketbooks.

Republican Party likes holding America hostage

Take the debt limit. It will likely need to be raised this summer so the government can pay bills for taxing and spending decisions already made, almost entirely by past presidents and Congresses. The specter of default, of missing payments and shaking faith in the United States, hangs over all debt ceiling debates. In a pair of October 2021 memos, Biden administration economists said a broad default would likely precipitate a financial crisis and recession.

 

“GDP would fall, unemployment would rise, and everyday households would be affected in a number of ways – from not receiving important social program payments like Social Security or housing assistance, to seeing increased interest rates on mortgages and credit card debt,” they said. Veterans benefits, national defense, transportation, national parks and the public health system would also be at risk. In addition, “financial markets would lose faith in the United States, the dollar would weaken, and stocks would fall.”

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., leaves the House floor on Jan. 4, 2023, in Washington.
 
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., leaves the House floor on Jan. 4, 2023, in Washington.

And consider the budget crisis that could loom in the fall. It was only last month that wannabe speaker Kevin McCarthy, trying to act like a militant, endorsed a hardliners’ campaign to punish Senate Republicans who supported a $1.7 trillion “omnibus” budget bill funding the government through Sept. 30. “Hell no,” he said.

Fortunately, GOP senators ignored the threat (that their legislative priorities would be blocked when their party took charge of the House). The bill passed last month and the Democratic House got it done in time to head off a government shutdown that would have crippled services and protections people rely on.

What was the point of that thwarted House Republican rebellion?

Leverage, as in holding the nation hostage so a small group of nihilistic ultraconservatives, most from safe districts and most of them members of the so-called Freedom Caucus, can dictate terms to the rest of us.

 

And what would they do this year if they could hold America hostage by instigating a shutdown or debt crisis? They've already told us: Gift the rich with inflationary tax cuts; raise prescription prices; take back the $80 billion the under-resourced IRS just received to audit the rich, answer the phones and catch up on its backlog; cut Social Security and Medicare; shrink aid to Ukraine; and ratchet back clean energy spending.

In short, undercut most of what Democrats have done to solve actual problems.

Given the Democratic Senate and White House, these hard-liners will have to settle in most cases for talking points instead of achievements. The only saving grace could be a moderate alternative to McCarthy, a seven-time loser (at least) despite handing concession after concession to his ruthless tormentors. That would hinge on Democratic help, which would require meeting Democratic conditions.

'Select all images with speakers'

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told Fox News that he'd consider voting for a Republican speaker, but only certain people under certain conditions – his conditions being no hostage-taking on the debt limit or government funding, and "some agreement on subpoena power." But so far there's been no groundswell of Democratic support for rescuing the GOP.

Look, I know this is all quite funny in a sad way. I confess I laughed out loud, very loudly, when my son sent me a meme making the rounds on social media – an “I am not a robot” verification with an instruction to “select all images with speakers.” And, well, you can guess which images were not checked.

But seriously, imagine if GOP senators had caved to the House GOP’s threat of punishment over the $1.7 trillion government funding bill. It would not have been able to get past a Senate filibuster. Imagine putting the fate of that giant, essential bill into the hands of the people who couldn’t elect a speaker after seven tries in three days.

We’ve learned a lot this week. We’ve learned that House Republicans can’t count votes, they can’t solve problems and they apparently can’t abide each other.

But we’re going to have to put up with them, no matter who ends up as speaker.

 

I'm not surprised at all that you don't "get it"!!! LOL!! You are so totally blinded by your libtard thought process you can't see the "forest for the trees" as my father used to say...to actually put forth the ridiculous idea that a democratic process of choosing a leader, regardless of how long it takes, is "harming" America while you celebrate a party and president that is actually doing more harm...even destroying out nation than any party and president has ever done in the history of our nation literally speaks volumes about you and your zany party...absolutely inane.

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5 hours ago, BarryLaverty said:
And some of you are just gleeful and giggly about it. I don't get it. 
 
 
USA TODAY Opinion

 

McCarthy speaker spectacle is no joke. It shows the Republican Party will damage America.

 
 
Jill Lawrence, USA TODAY
 
 

If you’re a Republican, the last few days have been a humiliating disgrace. If you’re a Democrat, they’ve been a frustrating farce. For all Americans, this GOP – a motley collection of traditionalists, extremists and chaosmongers failing repeatedly and historically to choose a House speaker – is previewing two years of even worse: incompetence, immaturity and irresponsibility that will hammer the whole country.

It's not just the inability to compromise and govern; it’s the active pursuit of breaking rules and imploding expectations for the sake of owning the libs or whatever. And there are so many ways things could go wrong.

National security and constituent services are already being affected. Members-elect aren't sworn in to the new Congress so they can't get security clearances to conduct essential business, said Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., who missed a meeting with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley. Congressional and committee offices, meanwhile, are having trouble hiring staff, setting up payrolls and accessing federal agencies to help constituents.

And those are just temporary problems in a much bigger picture. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has published a handy list of fiscal deadlines coming up this year. They all require action from Congress to prevent dire consequences – not abstract consequences but real ones that directly affect people’s pocketbooks.

Republican Party likes holding America hostage

Take the debt limit. It will likely need to be raised this summer so the government can pay bills for taxing and spending decisions already made, almost entirely by past presidents and Congresses. The specter of default, of missing payments and shaking faith in the United States, hangs over all debt ceiling debates. In a pair of October 2021 memos, Biden administration economists said a broad default would likely precipitate a financial crisis and recession.

 

“GDP would fall, unemployment would rise, and everyday households would be affected in a number of ways – from not receiving important social program payments like Social Security or housing assistance, to seeing increased interest rates on mortgages and credit card debt,” they said. Veterans benefits, national defense, transportation, national parks and the public health system would also be at risk. In addition, “financial markets would lose faith in the United States, the dollar would weaken, and stocks would fall.”

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., leaves the House floor on Jan. 4, 2023, in Washington.
 
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., leaves the House floor on Jan. 4, 2023, in Washington.

And consider the budget crisis that could loom in the fall. It was only last month that wannabe speaker Kevin McCarthy, trying to act like a militant, endorsed a hardliners’ campaign to punish Senate Republicans who supported a $1.7 trillion “omnibus” budget bill funding the government through Sept. 30. “Hell no,” he said.

Fortunately, GOP senators ignored the threat (that their legislative priorities would be blocked when their party took charge of the House). The bill passed last month and the Democratic House got it done in time to head off a government shutdown that would have crippled services and protections people rely on.

What was the point of that thwarted House Republican rebellion?

Leverage, as in holding the nation hostage so a small group of nihilistic ultraconservatives, most from safe districts and most of them members of the so-called Freedom Caucus, can dictate terms to the rest of us.

 

And what would they do this year if they could hold America hostage by instigating a shutdown or debt crisis? They've already told us: Gift the rich with inflationary tax cuts; raise prescription prices; take back the $80 billion the under-resourced IRS just received to audit the rich, answer the phones and catch up on its backlog; cut Social Security and Medicare; shrink aid to Ukraine; and ratchet back clean energy spending.

In short, undercut most of what Democrats have done to solve actual problems.

Given the Democratic Senate and White House, these hard-liners will have to settle in most cases for talking points instead of achievements. The only saving grace could be a moderate alternative to McCarthy, a seven-time loser (at least) despite handing concession after concession to his ruthless tormentors. That would hinge on Democratic help, which would require meeting Democratic conditions.

'Select all images with speakers'

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told Fox News that he'd consider voting for a Republican speaker, but only certain people under certain conditions – his conditions being no hostage-taking on the debt limit or government funding, and "some agreement on subpoena power." But so far there's been no groundswell of Democratic support for rescuing the GOP.

Look, I know this is all quite funny in a sad way. I confess I laughed out loud, very loudly, when my son sent me a meme making the rounds on social media – an “I am not a robot” verification with an instruction to “select all images with speakers.” And, well, you can guess which images were not checked.

But seriously, imagine if GOP senators had caved to the House GOP’s threat of punishment over the $1.7 trillion government funding bill. It would not have been able to get past a Senate filibuster. Imagine putting the fate of that giant, essential bill into the hands of the people who couldn’t elect a speaker after seven tries in three days.

We’ve learned a lot this week. We’ve learned that House Republicans can’t count votes, they can’t solve problems and they apparently can’t abide each other.

But we’re going to have to put up with them, no matter who ends up as speaker.

This is some dumb poop! Proof that you want everyone to fall in line lock step and line up like good soldiers instead of actually debating opinions and reaching agreements on how things should be done!

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4 minutes ago, JBizzle said:

This is some dumb poop! Proof that you want everyone to fall in line lock step and line up like good soldiers instead of actually debating opinions and reaching agreements on how things should be done!

That is exactly what the dem/libs want. Freedom of speech, as long as they agree with what you are saying...all you have to do to see this gestapo tactic in action is just look at most of our social media outlets. FB? Just try posting anything that goes against their "community standards" (that is their new catch phrase for limiting anything right wing...Twitter used to be the leader till EM bought it. Now it is so much fun watching liberal heads exploding when those awful right wingers are allowed to speak!! Fun stuff indeed!!

 

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6 minutes ago, BarryLaverty said:

The more they speak, the better off we all are, because they reveal themselves for the reprehensible morons they are, so I am all for it. 

Which part is reprehensible?  Wanting control over where our money goes?  Wanting to secure our borders?  Wanting to stop the murder of innocent babies?  Not wanting to trample over someone's constitutional rights just to say they made a meaningless attempt to reduce murders?

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5 minutes ago, JBizzle said:

Which part is reprehensible?  Wanting control over where our money goes?  Wanting to secure our borders?  Wanting to stop the murder of innocent babies?  Not wanting to trample over someone's constitutional rights just to say they made a meaningless attempt to reduce murders?

To a dimtard, all of the above......

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17 minutes ago, JBizzle said:

Which part is reprehensible?  Wanting control over where our money goes?  Wanting to secure our borders?  Wanting to stop the murder of innocent babies?  Not wanting to trample over someone's constitutional rights just to say they made a meaningless attempt to reduce murders?

Looking closely at that group, they don't distinguish themselves from any other in those areas, but they do carry a lot of water for election denial, CRT hooha, racist entanglements and generally off the wall nonsense. Why see them as some noble warriors when they are glib and power crazed and beholden to Trump, until they aren't? 

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17 hours ago, JBizzle said:

This is some dumb poop! Proof that you want everyone to fall in line lock step and line up like good soldiers instead of actually debating opinions and reaching agreements on how things should be done!

Up next: Remember, we've ALWAYS been at war with Eastasia. Except when we've always been at war with Eurasia.

2 + 2 is 5 because The Party says it is.

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27 minutes ago, BarryLaverty said:

Looking closely at that group, they don't distinguish themselves from any other in those areas, but they do carry a lot of water for election denial, CRT hooha, racist entanglements and generally off the wall nonsense. Why see them as some noble warriors when they are glib and power crazed and beholden to Trump, until they aren't? 

All you can see is Trump...seriously, the worst case of TDS than I have ever see. All the subjects he listed are things that the Democratic party is against...the party you support...so I guess you are against them as well...you can deflect and post all the meaningless hogwash you want but the bottom line is still the same...the democratic party and Pedo Joe has and continues to do irreparable harm to this nation and future generations to come...for those that survive the horror of legalized murder...abortion.

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5 hours ago, DB2point0 said:

More damage done in the last 2 years than any admin including Carters.  The house not being sworn in means nothing gets done for 2 years or however long it takes.  Nothing getting done  is better than the last 2 years.

Something has to be done, or military members will not get paid eventually if this mess goes on too long.  

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1 hour ago, BlahBlah said:

Something has to be done, or military members will not get paid eventually if this mess goes on too long.  

My Army son in law and my daughter would be impacted, and my son just joined the Air Force. Wasn't thinking about this clown show doing that. 

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