Number eight and Groundhog Day continues, dysfunction at its best.

Ali Alexander is threatening to release evidence that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene "committed a crime" that will get her expelled from Congress: "I will not suffer this harlot. I will not be taught vows and loyalty, commitment from a whore!"

One could hope that someone will ask Ali what evidence he has because he’s likely committed another crime: misprision “ Whoever, having knowledge of the actual commission of a felony cognizable by a court of the United States, conceals and does not as soon as possible make known the same to some judge or other person in civil or military authority under the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.”
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Nine down, oh magic 8 ball what are your predictions for 24, when the country watches two years of a Republican congress that can’t function or govern.

You forgot the best part :hihi:

Are we great again yet?

The GOP is fine…….sure Jim. The gop elected a game show host, who was twice impeached, who spearheaded a coup and soon will I hope be joining his other convicted conspiracists. He cost them the White House and On his way out the cancer that is Trump, infected the party, putting fellow nuts into races they couldn’t win, resulting in the worst mid term in memory. The irony for Kevin McCarthy who blamed Trump for the 6th, only to reverse course flying to FL to kiss Trumps arse in the belief it would help him, now finds that due to Trump and the miserable mid term; he doesn’t have the majority most mid terms would have guaranteed his speakership.

If the GOP is fine I think it’s time to seek help, what is out there for coolaid (come on you are Scott missing all the fun) addicts?

The difference between the Democrats & GOP is a rift between adulthood & perpetual adolescence. While Dems deliver lower insulin costs, affordable hearing-aids & infrastructure. GOP argues over who gets to drive the Camaro to a keg party, even though it hasn’t passed inspection and nobody knows how to drive.
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if you say the gop is destroyed and a lame party, i say it’s time for you to seek help. look at the mathematical facts of how many federal and state elected offices are held by each party, look at who controls the states that people are fleeing, and who controls the states people
are moving to.

Now, there’s plenty about the gop which I hate. But the party is in decent shape. You can’t concede the facts because you’re blinded by hate. I’m responding to irrefutable data. i don’t get blinded by ideology, i can happily go wherever the facts take me. I have a side i root for obviously, but i can be rational about my sides failures and the other sides successes. You guys, not one of you, can do that.

obviously the gop has liars, scumbags, losers, hucksters, morons. This is an ambarassing situation which no one will remember in 6 months

and i think it’s interesting. part of me thinks the holdouts should
tow the line,, part of me says that if they want McCarthy to promise to support term limits and he won’t, then they shouldn’t vote for him. part of me says this is how democracy works.

The democrats elected a potus who has a credible rape allegation against him, he’s a known liar, a known plagiarizer, and is now deeply demented. They elected a CT senator who lied for years about serving in vietnam. They twice elected bill clinton,, a lifelong abuser of women, disbarred for lying. and he’s a hero on the left. Same with Hilary, so character was nowhere on the ballot in 2016. So spare me the nonsense that either side has a monopoly on character flaws.

i can match you on both sides electing jerks, all day long. All day long. Both sides have good folks and bad folks. Both sides have good ideas and bad ideas. Again, none of you can admit that ( despite it being obvious) because you’re blinded by ideology. All that matters to everyone single one of you ( except Paul) is defending liberalism, no matter what. No matter what, no exceptions, not ever. You’re the most thoughtless, utterly predictable buch one could imagine. i can tell with 100% accuracy what every single one of you will say about every single issue.

It’s a greatest hits medley, keep drinking Jim, I think the only thing you prove is how blind you are to what is happening in plain sight or how deep the corruption and dysfunction runs in this party.

i’m curious to know what it is you think i’m
drinking? when i’m the one who says there’s good and bad on both sides, and you say all the good is on the left, and all
the bad is on the right?

Which one of us is the blind extremist?

please tell me your take on what’s happening right now? are you suggesting that there’s no disagreement among democrats in the house? that none of them disagree with Ihan Omar on anything?

there’s a temporary, embarrassing thing taking place, which is kind of unavoidable when you have a razor thin majority and you have republicans with different ideas. On the one hand, you can’t always get what you want and you have to compromise sometimes. On then other hand, it’s not written in stone that McCarthy gets to be speaker, so if the freedom caucus doesn’t like him, why should they vote for him?

I admit it looks very silly and dysfunctional. but doesn’t it also look a lot like democracy?

are you saying a party is only “functional” when every single member of that party, agrees on everything? it’s hard not to conclude that’s what you believe.

you’re full of insults, devoid of explanation, as usual.

now when Matt Gaetz votes for Trump for speaker, he’s embarrassing himself, but he’s has no business being in congress anyway. So there some individuals being very embarrassing.

But if you were the head of the RNC, what would you grell the 20 holdouts? that they have. responsibility to join the majority and support McCarthy?

Maybe that’s what they should do. But i’m not sure. McCarthy is soft on the border and balanced budgets and opposed to term
limits. If they want to pressure him to get him to move in their direction on those issues, why is that a bad thing? especially if they happened to run on those issues and feel
like their constituents elected them on that basis.

I don’t especially like McCarthy. He’s kind of unprincipled and not very conservative, and for sure he wants to be there forever, and i don’t like congressmen who are opposed to term limits.

anyway, i explained why i see both sides. instead of libbing insults, please tell me why you think it’s a bad thing for the holdouts to demand that the republicans promise to advocate for balanced budgets and term limits, in return for voting for McCarthy? why is that corrupt and dysfunctional? maybe it is, but i’m not sure. And you merely claiming it is, doesn’t make it so. I’d actually be interested i. hearing your rationale behind it, but there probably isn’t any, more likely just reflexive loathing if everyone who disagrees with you.

different subject, but here’s what i think is dysfunctional. CT has been run by liberals
for 50 years. And we are a very wealthy state, and we have very high tax rates. So we gave a ton of money to the liberals running the state, more than enough. . yet our unfunded debt is tens of thousands of dollars for every human being in the state, probably at least $35k for every human being in the state. Yet every other year, their plan is to raise taxes and increase spending. it never ever works, but they do it every single budget cycle.

That’s dysfunctional.

The asymmetry of pressure within the GOP is striking. Not true of the Dems, where the centrists fight back against the left, and think they have a right to push their views as hard as the left does.

This is a way of saying the U.S. basically has, now, only one governing party.
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any chance we can have an actual conversation?

not sure what you’re saying. are you saying it’s good that on the left, the moderates and extremists battle it out? but isn’t that exactly what’s happening now with the gop?

the moderates want mccarthy, the more radical
conservatives either want someone else, or at least want assurances from mccarthy that he’ll advocate for some of their policies ( secure border, term limits, balanced budget).

this is a sincere, honest question. Which side do you think should cave? or should they both move towards each other? which supposedly is what’s happening…

you seem to be saying the centrists on the right aren’t fighting back, but they are. they are sticking with McCarthy, and calling out the extremists that are holding things up.

much has ben written and discussed about the disproportional clout wielded by AOC and the squad. when the democrats tried to pass that huge spending bills early in bidens first term ( build back better?), the moderates and extremists couldn’t agree and it took several
iterations to hammer it out. how is that different from this?

If the Republican position is the government is the problem and it cannot do anything right, what kind of people do you think that would attract?

Running on government doesn't work, elect me and I will show you how badly, gets you here.
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Just think: if Kevin McCarthy had made Gaetz resign bc of his sex scandal or moved to expel Boebert when she endangered ppl on J6, or tried to get rid of Gosar after his endless # of racist statements, he probably wouldn't be having this problem now.
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Those Republicans Holding the house hostage are from district districts that are so gerrymandered they face no consequences are not heroes they’re not acting on principle they it’s just the jerry springer Show
What are constituency screaming fight fight fight.


other Republicans going on CNN and Fox talking about this is what democracy looks like it’s messy blah blah blah

others we have to don’t get down to business so we can eliminate the 87,000 IRS agents that are coming to pick the pockets of American people more like pick people like Trump pocket. it’s just lie after lie after lie

I actually know a 30 year IRS agent and even she says the 87,000 is just a replace retirees and attrition over the years from agents to secretaries and IT people. So they can modernized IRS database and storage

Yet again these Republicans know that they’re just too frayed tell their voters the truth and because you got passed by a Democratic House and president it’s somehow not for the American people


That’s what Republicans do if they don’t like the facts it does create their own

Even Tucker briefly talked about the debacle on the hill and then he went into a rant of the woke Democrats change the name of turkey to turkey put a two second Internet search show the state department change the spelling of turkey to Turkiye At the request of the Turkish Government.

But of course Tucker left that out …she how they operate

Fixed it for you

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

Any political leader who planned, abetted, praised or excused the violent attack on our Congress and Capitol of January 6, 2021, and that insurrection against our sacred democracy should never be trusted on the issue of law and order.
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I'll ask you the same question I asked Pete (I should have known better). When the democrats were trying to pass that big spending bill early in Bidens tenure (build back better, or whatever), it took many iterations, because the moderates and the progressives simply couldn't agree.

How is this, so different from that?

Jim you are dense, it's so different it hasn't gone to this many votes in what 150 years now, they passed the 100 year mark a day ago. The difference is your party and the supposed leader of the party didn't take the time or make the effort to get the votes needed after the congress was secured. It's just more fallout from Trump, cost the white house, cost the big mid term, put wack jobs in the position they are in now to hold the house hostage.

Also, how is land different from water?
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"he difference is your party and the supposed leader of the party didn't take the time or make the effort to get the votes needed after the congress was secured"

I can say the same exact thing about Biden and the democrats after he won in 2020. They had time to get everyone on the same page, but they didn't, and as a result, it took them quite a while to get the huge spending bill approved. At the time, conservatives were laughing that the party that controlled both chambers and the white house couldn't pass a spending bill. But after several rounds of failed votes and negotiations and compromises, the bill passed, and today no one cares about the dysfunctionality that preceded it.

So it's OK when democrats in a majority can't gain an immediate consensus on something, it's OK when there are failed votes and stalls and threats and political posturing that delay the passing of the final bill. It's totally fine when that happens to democrats. But when the same thing happens to republicans, it's the end of the party.

Word is that McCarthy is caving to much of what the conservatives want, especially in regards to federal spending, which is the biggest thing the GOP can do when they control the house but not the senate.

I give Biden and the democrats credit for passing the infastructure bill, it was necessary and popular. Well, today what's also necessary and becoming more and more popular on both sides, is the idea that we can't endlessly add to the federal deficit. I don't think only conservatives agree with that. If the conservatives can get McCarthy to be more disciplined on federal spending, then in my opinion that's worth the egg they've had on their faces for the last few days. If voting against him for a few rounds was required to get him to push for a balanced budget, then good for them. And shame on McCarthy for not being immediately on board with that.

When this is done, the only people who will care, are those with a seething hatred of the GOP. It's the same exact thing the democrats went through when they passed build back better. Same exact concept applied to a different federal issue. The progressives wanted zillions in extra spending that the moderate democrats in the senate were never going to agree to. That went on and on and on. The democrats controlled everything but the different factions couldn't agree. And I enjoyed it at the time, just as you are enjoying this. But I didn't claim it was the end of the democratic party, because that would be as stupid as saying this is the end of the GOP. It's nothing.

Honestly, Jim, this isn’t an about democracy, even though that’s how the Republicans are trying to twist it. This is about a small group, trying to hold hostage your party leader who is the minority leader for the last two years?

This behavior has totally locked up the government. Nothing operates without a speaker sitting in the chair who is supposed to be second in command if something happens to the president

The progressives protest was over a bill and what was in the bill no one suggesting they should abolish all debate

Just
Listen to the excuses we don’t get the read the bills they’re too big we don’t have enough time we only have 72 hours that’s all the fabrication they have staff multiple staff members all working on revising and editing reading the bills just not one person in a room but that’s what they want the American people to believe .

And honestly what’s stopping the Democrats from using these rules against Republicans to Stonewall, or block legislation
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"This is about a small group, trying to hold hostage your party"

And in 2021, a small group of progressive democrats in the house, prevented the moderate majority from passing a multi trillion dollar spending bill, because they held it hostage in an effort to get more of what they wanted. They held up major, major legislation, so that a small minority could make demands. That's exactly, precisely what happened.

The same exact thing is happening here.

Where is it written that the minority leader must become the speaker if the minority party gains majority?

"This behavior has totally locked up the government"

So once they start legislating as conservatives, that will make you happy.

"The progressives protest was over a bill and what was in the bill no one suggesting they should abolish all debate"

Who is suggesting that the GOP stops debate?

Nothing is stopping them. And that's what they'll do.

Are you saying that democrats never stonewall or block bills they don't like? They never use the fillibuster, never reject judicial nominee's from a republican president? They never say "no" for political reasons?

Sincerely, what a great point about interrupting the line of succession, I haven't heard anyone else mention that! I wonder what happens? I guess if it came to it, they'd just skip over the speaker since there isn't one, and go to #4.

Great point though.

How many times in the past 6 years have we heard the refrain “when this is over nobody will care”

The Jan. 6 committee’s massive evidence trove tells a second crucial story: At every phase of Trump’s scheme, he was enabled and prodded along by a band of House Republicans — some now at the center of the speakership chaos.

Nobody will care…..
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trying to overthrow an election, and trump to get a group of hundreds of politicians to agree on a vote for speaker, aren’t exactly the same
thing.

i asked how this his different from the struggle between moderate democrats rats and progressives on the. hold
back better bill. you dodged.

this kid the same as that. this is nothing like january 6. tjisjus civilized, legal debate, it basically is democracy in action.

i tried to
engage you, you went right to krazy.

You’re ignoring how many of the Republican house members voted to subvert the election.

The speaker’s fight is the debt ceiling fight is the budget fight is the Ukraine aid fight. Meaning: One half of the legislature will be mostly non-functional for the next two years. That’s why the Speaker McCarthy stuff is important…it’s the template.
This sh..show will continue.

BACON (R-Neb.), a centrist “If this remains the face of the GOP in 2024 we will get pummeled in the Presidential and Congressional elections.

We would have won more seats in 2022 but too many feared the extremes in the GOP even before this.“
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Jim you need to do some civics reading. If you don’t understand why what we’re seeing hasn’t happened in 100 years there’s a reason for that

Compared to pushing back against a Bill. Which is normal

The only thing both your examples have in common are There’s people that are against stuff. That’s it

in both cases, a small. umber if more extremists, are blocking what a large number of moderates want to do.

you keeep saying very vague things “this s
bad”. you never say why. maybe you don’t know why, you just want it to be bad because they are republicans.

they’re making progress, they’ll get there, but it does look silly and dysfunctional. if the conservatives wrangle him further to the right, good for them.

stupidest thing, they had 8 weeks to do this since the election. could have been done by now and a i used the stupid optics.