I’m talking about a Democrat. I’m talking about the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. I’m talking about a committee where Republicans have no desire to be bipartisan. I’m talking about a House member who has a lot of questions that need to be answered. From NPR:
The new top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform committee is ready for a fight. “I think I got elected because I am aggressive,” Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said in an interview. “I think that we’ve got to be fighters in this moment.” In June, House Democrats picked Garcia, a sophomore congressman, over several more senior colleagues to lead their party on the committee. At 47, the California native is the youngest ranking member in Congress.
Known for its raucous hearings and investigations into some of the most prominent and divisive areas of American politics, the House Oversight Committee is among the most high profile arenas in Congress. The committee chair has the power to subpoena witnesses and the broad authority to dig into virtually any topic — that has included the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, steroid usage in Major League Baseball, and the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Well, now. This should turn out to be interesting. He’s not going to fade into the background, both as a Congressman and a member of the committee. Rep Garcia is going to be visible and ask hard questions to be answered. He’s going to make the Republicans sit up and take notice. Although he may be in the minority as a Democrat right now, he’s going to fight.
It’s about time the Republicans realize that there are two parts to Congress, and that means Democrats are still here. We fought against the Big Ugly Bill, and we are not going to fade into the background. Now, there are many of us who think Democrats should be doing *more*. Rep Garcia is a damn good start. Hopefully, he’ll get our Democrat minority (hello Schumer, wake up please) leaders to do something, even if we’re outnumbered by Republicans *right now*. Midterms are coming up, and we need every advantage possible.
He comes to the job at a moment when Democrats are craving more direct confrontation with President Trump and Republicans in Congress, but as ranking member, he faces inherent challenges. Unlike the GOP chair, he’s unable to set the agenda for the committee and lacks subpoena power. That doesn’t faze Garcia, who said he’s ready to lean into the fray. “People are just pissed off at what’s happened with Donald Trump, Elon Musk, the House Republicans,” Garcia said. “And people want to see a good fight.” Garcia already has a reputation for doing just that.
As I was saying, right? He’s going to take it to them. Rep. Garcia will, by god, fight. He’ll be visible. He’ll be inspirational. A whole lot of people will watch what he’s doing and be motivated. Damn, now, wouldn’t that be something? We here at Pz have been watching and worrying about what the Republicans have been doing, and we’re telling you folks about it. We’re provocative. We delve into the stories that are often overlooked in the news. Let’s hear a little more about Rep Garcia.
Rep Jamie Raskin said Garcia’s biggest weapon as a ranking member will be his increased visibility. “What Robert gets is a bully pulpit to refute and rebut all of the propaganda and disinformation coming forth from James Comer and the GOP,” Raskin said, referring to the panel’s GOP chairman. “So he’ll be playing offense and defense at the same time.” “These folks are not interested in bipartisanship,” Garcia said. “And so I don’t see a lot of places there that there’s a lot of shared interests.” Now, Garcia said he’s working to flip the House.
Annnnnnd there you have it. There’s more to the article if you want to read it. Link is up top, as usual. I am hoping the people of the US will see him and support him, at least the ones with a brain. That means us, and more. Spread the word.
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Good to see a fighter come forward. The Democrats have to cut out the deadwood, and fast. There is talk of Brian Schatz of Hawaii taking over as minority leader in the Senate. That would be another big step in party renewal. It’s time Chuck was put out to stud.
Yea, I’m pretty excited about him. And a new Senate minority leader? *That* would be a surprise. That’s why I said, “Schumer, wake up, please”. He needs to take a break and just be himself for a while. It seems he’s tired of trying to fight.
“Hopefully, he’ll get our Democrat minority (hello Schumer, wake up please) leaders to do something,”
What would also be nice to see done is for supposed Democrats to recognize the PROPER distinction between “Democrat” and “Democratic.”
When used as an adjective–a word that is used to describe or define a noun–the term is DEMOCRATIC. In this case, you’re using a word to describe “minority leaders” so you want “Democratic” for “Democratic minority leaders.” When used as a noun–a word that’s used as either the subject or object of a verb–then you use “Democrat” as in “the leading Democrat in Congress” or “the minority leader is a Democrat.”
The terms are NOT interchangeable. “The Democratic candidate for President . . . ” as compared to “The Democrats selected their presidential candidate.” We’ve been dealing with this for more than 30 years since Newt Gingrich DELIBERATELY began using the word “Democrat” with the Party name in a derogatory manner (to emphasize “rat”) and then, of course, Fox “News” began using it and other GOPers started using it. And, unfortunately, it’s seeped in to the mainstream where average Americans use it without realizing the error. But it’s INEXCUSABLE when it appears on this site from any contributor.