The Everything 118th Congress Thread

[Fergasun]

"Washington is broken...".  The anthem of both parties when they re-take the House.  The anthem of the non-incumbent. 

 

It's broken BECAUSE we are still beholden to the 2-parties to elect our Representatives.  Any sane political independent would look at this situation for a moderate, bipartisan power sharing arrangement.  Yet both parties and donors would revolt if this occurred, even if the moderates were successful in their policies. 

 

Here is a hint:  people who vote for their party believe their personal success is due to that party. .ie...some people have succeeded with Dem policies, and some GOP policies.  

 

McCarthy should give the finger to his extremist wing and talk with Jeffries.  Be a real man.  Be a real Speaker for All Americans... which would be revolutionary. 

 

 

 

[Barry.Randolphe]

 

 

 

[Larry]

Assuming that the Dems actually have the power to make McCarthy Speaker. (By walking out. Thus lowering the "votes need" to "half of the Republicans".)

 

Should they?  
 

I mean, the expected result would be Speaker McCarthy, still with all of the concessions he's already made. 
 

But is that better than him making more concessions?  
 

And maybe some other results?

 

Do the Dems come out looking like the folks who want the government to work?  
 

Does the Sedition Caucus come out looking like somebody who humiliated their own Party, in public, for a gain of zero?  
 

Do they make cooperation between McCarthy and the Sedition Caucus even more difficult than it already is?  
 

Does McCarthy then owe them?  A little?  Even if there's no explicit deal made?  Maybe establish the precedent that bipartisanship works better than groveling to the Sedition Caucus?  Send a message to the SC that if they demand too much, there's another option?  

Edited January 6, 2023 by Larry

[Simmsy]

59 minutes ago, Larry said:

Assuming that the Dems actually have the power to make McCarthy Speaker. (By walking out. Thus lowering the "votes need" to "half of the Republicans".)

 

Should they?  
 

I mean, the expected result would be Speaker McCarthy, still with all of the concessions he's already made. 
 

But is that better than him making more concessions?  
 

And maybe some other results?

 

Do the Dems come out looking like the folks who want the government to work?  
 

Does the Sedition Caucus come out looking like somebody who humiliated their own Party, in public, for a gain of zero?  
 

Do they make cooperation between McCarthy and the Sedition Caucus even more difficult than it already is?  
 

Does McCarthy then owe them?  A little?  Even if there's no explicit deal made?  Maybe establish the precedent that bipartisanship works better than groveling to the Sedition Caucus?  Send a message to the SC that if they demand too much, there's another option?  

 

Several people on this board have said that we need the GOP to act as a balance of sorts. I say no, they clearly bring nothing to the table with no intent on governing at any point. Why should the Dems, fix the GOP and help them elect a speaker just so the GOP can make the lives of the Dems (and all Americans) difficult. I think multiple parties is great for America, doesn't mean it has to be theGOP. Its like a bank or airline: let it die, another will take it's place.

[LD0506]

If the Dems help McCarthy gain the speakership what makes anyone believe they will feel anything other than contempt? Why buy the cow when you get the milk for free, yuk yuk yuk. If anything they will be worse. Let that body twist in the wind.

 

 

And since I'm here...........

 

[Califan007 The Constipated]

I wanna see Steve Carell in that role lol...

 

 

[ixcuincle]

 

[TheDoyler23]

So is there growing momentum for a deal or do we get to watch McCarthy get kicked in the dick a few more times? 

[balki1867]

I don't see how this ends anytime soon.

 

If McCarthy gives away anything more, he might lose the handful of moderate Republicans who actually want to get work done in the next two years. If he doesn't budge, he doesn't have the votes.  If they unveil a new speaker candidate, they're back at square one-- the new candidate will have to make concessions to moderate and batshiat candidates to get the votes he/she needs.

 

A consensus candidate might really be the answer, though I imagine one of the concessions would have to be that we stop talking about Hunter Biden's Laptop.  I don't know where you'd find enough Republicans to support that.  Only 2 of the 10 that voted to impeach Trump are still in congress.

[Ball Security]

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) offered Republicans a deal to end the voting stalemate if the party can meet two conditions: not to use the debt ceiling as a political weapon and finding a deal on subpoena power. If the GOP can agree to those terms, Khanna said he could support a Republican nominee such as Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) or Mike Gallagher (R-WI).

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/how-house-speaker-chaos-could-finally-be-resolved

[ixcuincle]

[@DCGoldPants]

4 hours ago, Larry said:

Assuming that the Dems actually have the power to make McCarthy Speaker. (By walking out. Thus lowering the "votes need" to "half of the Republicans".)

 

Should they?  

 

No

4 minutes ago, Ball Security said:

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) offered Republicans a deal to end the voting stalemate if the party can meet two conditions: not to use the debt ceiling as a political weapon and finding a deal on subpoena power. If the GOP can agree to those terms, Khanna said he could support a Republican nominee such as Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) or Mike Gallagher (R-WI).

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/how-house-speaker-chaos-could-finally-be-resolved

 

Pretty much guarantees the house GOP will never support those two guys now. 

[Larry]

5 minutes ago, @DCGoldPants said:

 

No

 

Pretty much guarantees the house GOP will never support those two guys now. 

Eh. Might have asked for too much. Asking them to promise, in advance, not to weaponize the debt ceiling. 
 

Yes. I realize. It's literally terrorism. Threatening to harm the country unless you agree to the demands of the terrorists. 
 

But maybe the right way to fight that battle, is to let them learn, again, that it doesn't work. 
 

At least, I hope it still doesn't work. A large chunk of the electorate is becoming even more suicidal. 

[PleaseBlitz]

12 minutes ago, @DCGoldPants said:

Pretty much guarantees the house GOP will never support those two guys now. 

 

Don't need many.  Just 6 would do. I still have serious doubts.  

 

This would be an amazing deal for the Dems, if they could pull it off.  

[TheDoyler23]

8 minutes ago, @DCGoldPants said:

Pretty much guarantees the house GOP will never support those two guys now. 

 

The insurgents and McCarthy essentially want the same kind of Congress - ridiculous demands about budget spending (because a democrat is in office, not out of principal or good governance), sham investigations to harm Biden's reelection and nonsense legislation that has no chance of passing the Senate. 

 

But McCarthy can't look weak. He moved his stuff into the Speaker's office. The arrogance of that dude is probably why many simply don't like him and don't want to see him in that chair. 

[PleaseBlitz]

Just now, TheDoyler23 said:

But McCarthy can't look weak.

 

 

[TheDoyler23]

Just now, PleaseBlitz said:

 

 

 

Lol right. He can't give in. He already looks weak! 

[@DCGoldPants]

2 minutes ago, Larry said:

Eh. Might have asked for too much. Asking them to promise, in advance, not to weaponize the debt ceiling. 
 

Yes. I realize. It's literally terrorism. Threatening to harm the country unless you agree to the demands of the terrorists. 
 

But maybe the right way to fight that battle, is to let them learn, again, that it doesn't work. 
 

At least, I hope it still doesn't work. A large chunk of the electorate is becoming even more suicidal. 

 

 

 

 

Except, replace Tiger with a Hyena. Which I think rarely but sometimes kill and eat their own also. 

6 minutes ago, TheDoyler23 said:

But McCarthy can't look weak.

 

Too late. If he gets through with only GOP support. It'll because he gave away authority and will only be left with that office. 

[Dan T.]

What time does the non-House reconvene today for more voting?

[Cooked Crack]

 

[Cooked Crack]

Yes, after 11 votes let's see where everyone is at

[PleaseBlitz]

God I hope this keeps up this afternoon so we can devise a drinking game out of all of this.  

[balki1867]

People forget its not just the 11 votes over the last three days-- its 8 weeks of internal negotiation.

[Dan T.]

1 hour ago, TheDoyler23 said:

So is there growing momentum for a deal or do we get to watch McCarthy get kicked in the dick a few more times? 

 

I vote kicked in the dick.

[balki1867]

7 hours ago, Fergasun said:

"Washington is broken...".  The anthem of both parties when they re-take the House.  The anthem of the non-incumbent. 

 

 

I get visibly annoyed hearing that line. The rest of the country literally elects the worst human beings on earth (Boebert, Gaetz, Jordan) to Congress and then they turn around and claim DC is the problem.

 

Washington DC, having zero voting representatives or senators, and having 3 electoral votes (only since ~1960) that have never decided a presidential election, is literally the only place in the country that can complain about our federal government with no accountability on themselves.