A few minutes ago the Senate chamber formally closed their work for the last Congress. In minutes the House will gavel into session to do the same. Then things get interesting. The burning question for weeks has been whether Moses Mikey Johnson will remain Speaker. And more to the point the VERY first thing the House of Representatives must do is elect a Speaker. No one knows what will happen. What we do know is that until a Speaker is elected and sworn in as such the House can’t conduct any other business. The ONLY reason they can meet is to debate and vote on who will be Speaker. Alas, today is Jan. 3 and on Monday Jan. 6 the prescribed Joint Session of Congress will be held to count and certify the Electoral Votes! No Speaker means no certification of Trump’s win in November.
As I write this Johnson has just formally adjourned the last Congress. Like I said, this could get interesting real fast. And ugly. Trump likely wanted some drama today and perhaps over the weekend, so he could come riding into town and “save the day” but then former President Jimmy Carter died. Carter’s memorials in DC are set to begin on Tuesday Jan. 7 which will include his body lying in State in the Capitol Rotunda for a few days before a HUGE service at the National Cathedral. Trump can’t stop any of that. Oh, he and RWNJ media can crap on it some but the bottom line is that even Trump knows how bad it will look to have a GOP food fight like we saw with McCarthy’s and then Johnson’s election as Speaker while world leaders are pouring in to honor CARTER!
Carter lived a full and good life. He did more to practice his Christian faith than most Christians do. For damned sure more than Moses Mikey Johnson who like most chest beating “Look at me! I’m a Christian” conservatives do or have done. ALL of the good Carter did for others, how he put his faith into action for the benefit of OTHERS is going to be telecast around the world. Carter’s life and good works both as an individual, husband, father and grandfather, Sunday School teacher and other work in his Plain’s Georgia church, and of course his political work and the humanitarian aspect of it will be talked about. As will the extraordinary decades of his post Presidency and the work of the Carter Center. ALL of that will dominate the news next week.
Trump isn’t smart but he’s media savvy and he knows a GOP mess over a fight for the Speaker’s Gavel will make not just the Republican Party but HIM look really bad. Most in the GOP know it too and for those who didn’t they’ve had Trump either personally or via top aides letting them know today’s not the day to go making waves. The simple fact is that not quickly electing a Speaker means pushing the counting of the electoral votes into the celebration of the life of former President Jimmy Carter. A REAL Christian man who lived a REAL Christian life that few GOP politicians including Mikey Johnson have done.
No, Trump (and the GOP) needs this Speaker business settled and out of the news. At least for now. Tom Massie might be adamant in voting no but others who’ve let it be known they wanted someone else, most notably Chip Roy shut up about what they’d do today. I’m thinking something I’m hearing a bit of will be the deciding factor. That something is that Johnson can be dealt with at a later time. For now it’s time to just get through today and the next few weeks until Trump is sworn in.
Here’s the problem though. I’ve written about the Rules package and the change Johnson slipped in. Unlike what we saw in the last Congress it would require more than one House member to force action on a Motion to Vacate the Chair. In fact it would require NINE members to sign on! The fact only Republicans would be allowed to initiate such a motion is a separate issue. THAT is what has been on the mind of several GOP House members in the days before the crucial Jan. 3 Speaker’s vote. Getting rid of Johnson wouldn’t be quite so easy. The whole matter is complicated by the fact House Republicans never bothered to put in the work to come up with an alternative!
So here we are. The members of the new House are plugging in their voting cards to register their presence and then the fun begins. I suspect the phone lines have been burning up. Calls from Mar A Lago to GOPers telling them, THREATENING them to toe the line and elect Johnson. Or else…
In the end I’m sticking with the premise in the title. For now at least FAKE Christian Mike Johnson retains his Speakership to avoid him, the GOP and most importantly (for Republicans and Trump himself) the comparison with the true Christian life (and works – what the bible these phony’s profess to read and follow calls ‘Faith through deeds’), a century’s worth of Jimmy Carter.
Mike Johnson should if there’s any decency in him at all thank Jimmy Carter for being able to remain Speaker. Even if only for a little while.
****************************
And now, a special message from our fearless leader, who had made this blog possible:
Friends, I am forced to self-promote and ask you for money. We had a bad year compared with 2023 and the end of the year has been catastrophic. Traffic died on November 5. We are a small blog and completely self-supporting by ad revenue, donations, and subscriptions. If you can afford a monthly subscription that would help us out. If you can make a small donation, likewise. Our only goal is to stay in business and give you the best content we can generate. Thank you. Ursula






















John 8:42-47 CLEARLY defines these cruel bastards. Read it magats…and remember, it’s YOU Jesus is calling out. YOU WORSHIP FALSE IDOLS AND A LIAR THAT HAS NO TRUTH IN HIM. As John Prine once quipped in a song: your flag decal won’t get you into heaven anymore…it’s already overcrowded from your dirty little wars…judgement is coming…right? If so…You’re the ones that ought to be sweating bullets. After all, say, as you DO, that God is everywhere and knows everything. How do you think your lies, cruelty, and hypocrisy will fly??? You have no idea you are gambling with your soul do ya? You be better off sticking with the ugly truth…you worship evil. At least hypocrisy would be off the table.
Denis, the Faux Christians don’t care about works. According to.them, we are saved by grace alone and accepting Jesus,as lord and savior. Once you’ve done that you can kill.more people than Pol Pot, screw the entire lineup of Rockettess during the Nativity Scene in Rockefeller Center, do more drugs than 20 metal.bands,,and collect kiddy porn,,and it4alk good if on your deathbed you say,”Sorry,,Jesus,,I had way too.much fun,but I ask forgiveness now.”
Only the more liberal and social.justice oriented churches (and,,Goddess help.me, that includes the Catholic church,) expect you to get your hands dirty. Isn’t occupying a pew,,singing hymns, and donating to the building fun enough?