While the country slides with increasing speed down the ever increasing slope towards a government shutdown the House of Representatives is (predictably) locked in chaotic squabbling. Worse, their new Speaker who one would assume would be at least try to do the difficult in best of circumstances task of what former Speaker John Boehner called “Herding Cats” is MIA. Well, actually he’s not missing. We know exactly where he is, which is in the second day of a three day trip to Paris to hobnob with a big worldwide conference of fellow religious bigots/fascists. In fact he gave the Keynote Speech last night to kick of the Fascist Festivities!
Some (foolishly) predicted he’d get a “honeymoon” period to settle in as Speaker. He was after all elevated from obscurity. A back-bencher few of his colleagues even knew until being thrust into the spotlight during the mess created when McCarthy got voted out as Speaker. Alas, as reported in The Hill House GOPers are mired down, engaging in the same arguments and chaos that let to McCarthy’s downfall and that it’s cutting short that “honeymoon” of Johnson’s:
GOP leadership this week yanked two spending bills from the floor amid disputes on spending and other controversial policy items. With a government funding deadline less than a week away, the conference seems hopelessly divided on how to avert a shutdown.
Hey, here’s a thought. Maybe Johnson headed to Paris because if his fellow Republicans weren’t going to give him a honeymoon he’d head off to a city said to be one of the most romantic in the world for a quick one. Nah. He’s one of those old-school religious nutjobs in a marriage with someone who apparently believes it’s a wife’s duty to submit to her husband and spend all her energy pleasing him. Including in “romantic” ways if you catch my drift. In any case, instead of being in DC and engaging in talks with his GOP caucus, Minority Leader Jeffries, Schumer and McConnell over in the Senate and the WH he’s rubbing shoulders with a friendlier crowd. Well, friendly for fellow bigots/fascists at least.
After those funding bills got pulled Thursday the hard-core RWNJ Thomas Massie (Kentucky) said while he’d thought Johnson would get a “30 day honeymoon” that “With what’s going on on the floor today, I think that indicates the honeymoon might be shorter than we thought.” Gee Captain Obvious, ya think?
Well, while Johnson fiddles in Paris back here at home DC and our country is burning. The “Freedom” Caucus has ruled the roost and their DEMANDS have created this mess. Now, with a Friday shutdown looming “moderates” (there’s no such thing anymore in the GOP – only hard-core conservatives with a practical streak) are signaling they are tired of the status quo. In fact, they are issuing some tough talk of their own. They might have fallen in line and voted Johnson in, if only to stop the three week humiliation the House GOP inflicted on itself in the ousting of McCarthy and inability to elect a new leader but they don’t seem willing to sit by and allow the Freedom Caucus to dictate Johnson’s actions:
“Us mainline or frontline guys … in the Biden districts, we’re not gonna get walked over anymore,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said before the House left town Thursday.
“There’s gotta be compromise,” he told reporters, saying goodbye to the idea that “everything’s got to be aligned with the Freedom Caucus — that doesn’t work.”
I have no sympathy for Johnson. He was a nobody with extreme even by batsh*t insane GOP standards who couldn’t resist the lure of power and the spotlight. Not to mention the extra money he now gets as Speaker. (If his financial disclosures are to be believed he needs it!) Part of him had to know he was jumping into water way too deep and more turbulent than he was up to being able to stay afloat in. And he knew damn well about the ticking clock on the budget which is inexorably ticking towards midnight Friday night. But he willingly place his “family jewels” in the vise and it’s got cranks on both sides squeezing tighter with each passing day.
No wonder he ran away. But he’s got to come back. I doubt France will let him stay! And the mess he ran away from will be waiting. If anything it will be worse and more intractable when he comes back. If he has been trying to combine his “I wanna hang out with fellow fascists” trip with a quickie second honeymoon with his nuts-as-he-is wife it will be the last honeymoon he ever has. The title of this article was courtesy of House Republican Troy Nehis of TX who when asked if Johnson’s “honeymoon” was over said “Maybe with certain members it is.” He went on to add:
“Mike’s got a tough job. Got to pray for him this weekend. Man, that guy’s probably thinking what the hell did I do? What did I do?” Nehls said. “I don’t think the Lord Jesus himself could manage this group.”
But the clock is counting down. Tick-Tock motherf**cker(s).
More performative politics or was this “The Plan” all along?
“If we can’t get our way, then nothing gets done. Ever!”
The logical end to their blathering ever since Regan’s immortal words about govt. Immoral more likely.
Bigger question, since everybody’s been treating this as “normal” politics yet again: What’s next?
Just as there are fixed, immutable laws of physics (i.e. matter can be neither created or destroyed, it only changes form) there are laws of life. One is that all living things will die. Another is that for an living being including human beings no matter how difficult or painful things might become it can always get worse. The same applies beyond individuals into those around them whether families, friends, co-workers, communities, their state, their country and the world at-large. History proves that over and over again seemingly the worst of humanity finds a way to make things even worse for everyone.
Believing themselves and the few (if any in the case of too many of them) people they might care about to be exempt from the damage and suffering they can cause they are literally promoting their intention to make life a shitty as possible for as many people they inflict pain and suffering on. Are all Republicans that cruel? No. But the ones who aren’t are selfish f**kwads who won’t risk their position to stand up to the too many that are. They don’t want to face a primary challenger, or get hounded out of their job be it at say Faux Nooz or in some right-wing group.
I watched the Veteran’s Day ceremonies live this morning and tears flowed more than once. I was lucky during my service not to suffer any major injuries. But so many fellow Veteran’s have, both psychological as well as physical and so many have given their very lives, and that impacts the loved ones of those who serve. At times the tears were fueled by anger, a white hot anger that someone like Trump could rise to the position he did. And that there’s now an entire major political Party willing to dishonor every person who sacrificed (and not just in the armed forces) to try and make us into the country our founding documents say we are, or at least should be. They might as well go walking among the graves at Arlington and other national cemeteries shitting everywhere!
So yes, they have every intention of making things worse and it’s up to folks like you and me and others to stop them. Like the chicken pox virus that goes dormant but sometimes as we get older goes active again and causes a nasty and painful case of shingles the most we can do is drive the virus back into a dormant state. And just as they developed a vaccine to cut back on the chances of developing shingles (my own bout with it twenty years ago was something truly awful) we need to keep developing increasingly better “political vaccines” against these extreme RWNJs.
Troy Nehls is a xtian who shows little faith in his “Lord Jesus!” I’m an atheist who has faith that Jesus would handle this group in appropriately biblical fashion. He would throw all these moneychangers, including Nehls, out of the temple of democracy. And, in biblical fashion, they would crucify him for it!
Nehls is a piece of work. He was under investigation for his Sherriff highjinks, so decided to run for congress. Of course the morons in Fort Bend County elected him. I’m so glad I moved away from the hell hole called Texass!!
Christianity is not my birth (and present) religion, so I had to look up “Pharisee”. If the definition is correct—- “In a Christian context, a modern day “Pharisee” is someone who follows the impulse to be seen as righteous by obeying certain laws, while ignoring more important matters of the heart,” doesn’t it describe the Repugnican Party? Or, at least, the clowns “leading” it?
I became agnostic decades ago but was raised in the Christian faith. A plain old regular (boring I guess) Presbyterian church. It was a bit unusual because our pastor was one of those who during the Civil Rights movement “answered” Dr. King’s call and went to Selma to take part in the march to Montgomery. Despite being so young I recall us watching the news when it covered the march, looking for a glimpse of “Pope” (his name was Lee Pope War and everyone called him Pope) but the main thing is I grew up Christian.
Now, even many non-Christians know as I suspect you do The Lord’s Prayer and even if unable to recite it know about it. What’s noteworthy is scripture includes it as being taught during the epic “Sermon on the Mount”, and prior to teaching it to the multitudes Jesus spoke (not kindly) about those who “pray in public” – basically calling out those who don’t just “wear their faith on their sleeve” but loudly proclaim it so anyone around them knows how super religious they are. Sound like anyone you can think of? Yep, Pharisees and we’ve got our own modern version.
Jesus told the crowd prayer was best being private, and to go into a room alone and pray directly to God not in a crowd but without others and told them to “pray like this” at which point he spoke the short, simple words we know as The Lord’s Prayer. Something to think about isn’t it?
God has gotten way behind on smiting. There are an awful lot of evil 4kers out there who truly deserve some serious smiting, so God, please get with it. Get back on track and smite away! Thank you.