#rep. kevin McCarthy

[dontmean2bepoliticalbut]

[darkmaga-returns]

The MAGA movement has rallied in unwavering support for Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) as he faces renewed smears from the corporate media and House Ethics Committee accusations rooted in disproven allegations.

It is telling that despite a coordinated campaign to isolate and discredit him, the Trump-aligned grassroots base and key leaders in the America First coalition are standing behind Gaetz, further exposing and fuelling the establishment’s desperation to silence one of the most reliable and vocal critics of the D.C. swamp.

The Ethics Committee’s recent, unethical leak of its own report—a rehash of allegations previously debunked by none other than the Biden Department of Justice—was timed to damage Gaetz’s credibility and distract from his effectiveness in holding the political class accountable. The DOJ, after a thorough investigation, declined to press charges, citing a complete lack of evidence to support the claims that have dogged Gaetz for years. Yet the committee, under the false premise of oversight, has weaponized its authority to settle political scores, relying on innuendo and hearsay.

Gaetz, who led the charge to remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy, has long been a thorn in the side of both Democrats and establishment Republicans. His refusal to take corporate cash and his willingness to challenge the status quo has made him a target of relentless attacks.Yet contra to the beliefs of the legacy media, his refusal to bow to pressure has only solidified his standing with the MAGA movement.

This loyalty from the base is not misplaced. Gaetz has often put the movement on his back, staunchly defending policies that are central to the America First agenda, including exposing government censorship and persecution, opposing endless foreign wars, and leading on accountability for the Biden regime’s failures. His successful defenestration of Speaker McCarthy made him a ‘made man’ in MAGA world.

Prominent figures, including Stephen K. Bannon, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and President Donald Trump have expressed their public support. Greene called the Ethics Committee’s report “a shameless political hit job,” while Trump reposted messages defending Gaetz, calling him a “warrior” and a key ally in the fight to drain the swamp.

The campaign to smear Gaetz is the opening salvo of a fresh round of hoaxes, underscoring a broader trend of targeting MAGA conservatives.

[cleolinda]

January 7, 2023

It’s finally over. After days of negotiations and 14 failed ballots—the most since 1860—Republican Kevin McCarthy was officially elected speaker of the House early Saturday morning. In exchange for the necessary votes to get him elected, the congressman had to beg, barter, and plead with a group of hardline Republicans who held out for a litany of concessions.

Since Wednesday, McCarthy and his supporters have been negotiating with several far-right GOPers, including some who have been implicated in Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election, as my colleague Dan Friedman previously reported. House members like Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), and Scott Perry (R-Pa.) all held out on their votes, until McCarthy eventually won them over.

According to CNN, here’s what the holdouts got from McCarthy in exchange for the speakership:

Any member can call for a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair

October 3, 2023

[schraubd]

What Will Be the Democratic Party's Anti-Incumbent Keyes Number?

Way back in 2005 (20 years ago(!)) the blogosphere discovered the "Crazification Factor" of 27% -- the baseline percentage of Americans who will take an action for reasons that defy any rational explanation whatsoever. The background came in a discussion of President George W. Bush's cratering approval numbers, and a query as to how low they might go, and it's still fun to read to this day: John: Hey, Bush is now at 37% approval. I feel much less like Kevin McCarthy screaming in traffic. But I wonder what his base is -- Tyrone: 27%. John: ... you said that immediately, and with some authority. Tyrone: Obama vs. Alan Keyes. Keyes was from out of state, so you can eliminate any established political base; both candidates were black, so you can factor out racism; and Keyes was plainly, obviously, completely crazy. Batshit crazy. Head-trauma crazy. But 27% of the population of Illinois voted for him. They put party identification, personal prejudice, whatever ahead of rational judgement. Hell, even like 5% of Democrats voted for him. That's crazy behaviour. I think you have to assume a 27% Crazification Factor in any population. For this reason, the "Crazification Factor" is also known as the "Keyes Number". And though undoubtedly the product of significant cherry-picking, it was fun in the years that followed to find other crazy propositions that clustered around 27% support. I was thinking about this nugget of blogger history upon reading about an announced primary challenge against incumbent Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) by progressive influencer Kat Abughazaleh. The announced basis for the challenge is general discontent with Democratic leadership and the "gerontocracy" not being aggressive enough in fighting the Trump administration. But the problem is that nobody -- not even Abughazaleh -- can point to any problems on that front for Schakowsky, specifically. Abughazaleh herself agrees that Schakowsky has been a good Democrat! Beyond that, Abughazaleh has never held elected office, has no significant political experience, is from out-of-state (she voted in DC last election), and doesn't live in Schakowsky's district. In terms of traditional bases of support, Abughazaleh has literally nothing going for her other than "I am not a long-standing incumbent Democrat." To be clear, I'm not saying one would have to be crazy to vote for Abughazaleh. Rather, what made the Keyes Factor notable was that the Keyes/Obama race helpfully isolated out every possible reason one might vote for a candidate aside from "I'm attracted to the crazy." Likewise, I'm pointing out that if Abughazaleh does end up facing off against Schakowsky (and the latter hasn't decided if she's seeking reelection), any support the latter gets will be purely, 100% attributable to people voting entirely on the basis of generalized anti-incumbent/anti-established Democrat rage, untethered either to any particular vices of the incumbent or any particular virtues of the challenger. It will, in other words, provide a useful baseline for seeing how powerful this sentiment is amongst the Democratic electorate, because it is a race that is uniquely free of other confounding variables.  This race will not be like George Latimer beating Jamaal Bowman (an especially well-established challenger taking out a somewhat wounded incumbent, with clear ideological differences), or AOC beating Joe Crowley (a uniquely talented challenger ousting an incumbent asleep at the wheel). Here, the only impetus that might push a voter to pick Abughazaleh over Schakowsky is "Schakowsky is an old, long-tenured incumbent, and I don't like that." That's clearly a sentiment that has no small amount of force amongst Democrats right now -- but is it enough to actually win a race? I don't think it is. My guess, assuming a head-to-head matchup between Schakowsky and Abughazaleh? I think the latter will end up pulling around 27%. We'll see if I'm right. via The Debate Link https://ift.tt/fuq140i

[mariacallous]

The GOP-controlled House approved its rules package on Friday evening, including provisions targeting transgender and immigrant rights, but notably did not include the trans bathroom ban Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) had proposed.

The Republican introduced her controversial ban in November to restrict access to all “single-sex facilit[ies] on Federal property” based on “biological sex.” She admitted to HuffPost the ban specifically targeted incoming Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), the first transgender woman to be elected to Congress.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who narrowly won reelection to the chamber’s top job earlier on Friday, had reportedly assured Mace that her bathroom ban would be included in the package.

Mace congratulated Johnson on his reelection and did not make any mention of the bathroom ban’s absence from the rules package.

“Speaker Mike Johnson has rightfully been reelected to lead the People’s House once again. His leadership offers a clear path forward to restore safety, security, and accountability in our nation,” she said in a statement.

“We have a mandate to secure our borders, rebuild the economy, and hold Washington accountable. Speaker Johnson understands this, and with President Trump’s leadership, we are ready to fulfill those promises and deliver on the America First agenda.”

Mace spent much of the last weeks of 2024 drumming up support for the ban while using anti-trans slurs and engaging in anti-trans theatrics. After protesters were arrested for staging a sit-in at a U.S. Capitol restroom, Mace loudly read their Miranda rights through a bullhorn at the jail where they were held.

Mace also introduced legislation in September to ban medical providers from offering gender-affirming care for minors. Twenty-five states have passed similar bans, with the Supreme Court set to decide this summer whether such bans are constitutional, determining the future of health care for trans youth.

Mace and McBride did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The rules package, passed at the beginning of each congressional session, sets the rules for the next two years in the House of Representatives. Most of its provisions are uncontroversial.

Notably, this Congress’ package raises the threshold for a “motion to vacate,” the tactic conservatives used to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023. While previously just a single member could introduce such a motion, now nine members of the majority party need to agree.

While Friday’s rules package does not mention restricting access to sex-segregated government facilities, it does take several swings at the rights of transgender people, immigrants and people seeking abortions.

One item in the package would fast-track a bill to amend Title IX, a federal law that bars sex discrimination in education programs that receive federal funding. The new bill would restrict school sports based on one’s sex assigned at birth, undoing Biden’s Title IX guidance that expanded protections for LGBTQ+ students.

The amendment, introduced by Rep. Gregory Steube (R-Fla.) and cosponsored by Mace, would recognize sex as defined “solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” The language mirrors that of dozens of state laws that currently bar transgender students from participating in sports that align with their gender identity and other policies that restrict trans people of all ages from updating their sex marker on government IDs.

The package also fast-tracks legislation that would target abortion providers, prevent sanctuary cities from being able to provide benefits to undocumented immigrants, and bar immigrants convicted of certain crimes from being admitted to the United States.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) criticized the rules package for fast-tracking a dozen bills that target vulnerable communities ahead of the vote on Friday evening.

“This package tries to fool the American people by scapegoating immigrants and trans people in the hopes that it will distract you from the fact that the first move from Republicans in the 119th Congress is to do absolutely nothing to help you and your family build a better life,” Jayapal said.

[nudityandnerdery]

Meanwhile, in American politics...

I think I speak for many of us when I say:

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

* * * *

TRUMP CRASHES THE CLOWN CAR

TCinLA

Dec 18, 2024

From Punchbowl News:

News: President-elect Donald Trump cannonballed into the government funding battle at the 11th hour, trashing Speaker Mike Johnson’s 1,547-page CR and calling on Congress to raise the debt limit just days before the federal government is slated to shut down.

In a long statement on X, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance called on Congress to pass a debt-limit bill on “Biden’s watch.” Republican leadership on Capitol Hill hadn’t considered including the debt limit in any recent negotiations, although Trump has been griping about having to deal with the borrowing cap for weeks.

Federal agencies shut down Friday at midnight if Congress doesn’t act. The House announced that there are no more votes this evening.

Trump’s statement was the final blow to a CR package that was already a hugely embarrassing setback for Johnson. The House Freedom Caucus had been bitterly opposed to the bipartisan package, which includes $100 billion in disaster aid, $30 billion in support for farmers, health care and trade provisions and even a pay raise for lawmakers, a controversial move.

It’s an inauspicious start to Trump’s relationship with Johnson who, theoretically, is his governing partner. Trump privately trashed Johnson to senators, saying the speaker “mishandled” the situation, according to GOP sources.

“Republicans want to support our farmers, pay for disaster relief, and set our country up for success in 2025,” Trump and Vance said. “The only way to do that is with a temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling. Anything else is a betrayal of our country.”

The stopgap funding bill, which congressional leaders released Tuesday night, was indeed a monstrosity. It was an 84-day spending bill that included dozens of provisions completely unrelated to general government operations. As we noted this morning, the legislation was far too broad and sweeping for a short-term spending bill.

Yet Johnson felt he had to give into Democratic demands on a host of provisions because the speaker insisted on the inclusion of economic aid for farmers. Democrats took advantage of Johnson’s position and scored a number of key wins.

What’s next? As of right now, there’s no clear path forward on how Congress plans to avoid a shutdown in just two days.

House GOP leaders have been weighing a Plan B – a clean CR – but House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries signaled Democrats aren’t inclined to bail Republicans out after Johnson backed out of their bipartisan funding deal.

“You break the bipartisan agreement, you own the consequences that follow,” Jeffries said on X.

One Democratic lawmaker said if Nancy Pelosi were the party’s leader, she’d make Republicans pass the bill on their own.

Whatever Republicans decide, they need to move quickly – and with Trump’s blessing. The House and Senate both have to pass a bill in two days in order to avoid even a technical shutdown.

And what about Johnson? A face plant of this nature could imperil Johnson’s political future. The anger – and the anger in the ranks is very real right now – could blow over. We get it. But the speaker election is Jan. 3. That’s just 16 days away.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) already said he wouldn’t back Johnson for speaker. Massie had been leaning that way but said this latest CR debacle was a “tipping point.”

And we hear from multiple sources there are more Republicans – at least two – who are in Massie’s camp. Some Johnson critics are already privately floating names behind the scenes of alternatives they’d prefer for speaker, such as House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan or House Majority Whip Tom Emmer. Jordan and Emmer both ran for speaker after the conference ousted Kevin McCarthy. They both lost. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise could also be in the mix.

Arizona GOP Rep. Eli Crane told us he was “undecided” about voting for Johnson and confirmed there’s talk behind the scenes about a potential alternative. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) is leaning “no,” we’re told. Reps. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) and Cory Mills (R-Fla.) have been non-committal. Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) is always a wild card.

Johnson can only afford to lose three Republicans on the floor, given former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-Fla.) resignation and assuming all Democrats are present.

And how about Musk? Elon Musk, Trump’s buddy and the mega-billionaire, posted early and often on his platform X today about the bill.

Musk said that any “member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” Remember that Musk spent hundreds of millions of dollars electing Trump. He can spend several millions of dollars and have outsized impact in House primaries.

We also heard he’s been in direct contact with several members regarding the CR throughout the last 24 hours.

Johnson and the GOP leadership in D.C. elevated Musk as the leading figure on cutting government waste. And now that is coming back to bite them.

Welcome to Trump’s Washington.

- - - - - -

My analysis: This is an excellent example of the way things are going to be for the next two years. Trump hasn’t got the brains to swat flies, and his acts are all against any form of intelligence. Even when they get back their three votes, The Gang That Can’t Work And Play Well With Others will continue to shoot themselves in the foot.

My prediction: the government will shut down at midnight Friday, and these clowns will be stuck all through Christmas week with nothing to distract the news from watching them careen from fuckup to fuckup. It couldn’t happen to a more deserving collection of scum and villainy.

They can’t find their collective ass with both hands on a clear day with a two hour advance notice. This is going to be the case with all the bullshit and buffoonery they say they want to inflict on us.

My holiday message to the Trumpscum: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, you collection of worthless motherfuckers. May you continue to trip over the shoelaces you don’t know how to tie.

[fandomsandfeminism]

The emotion I am feeling right now. There are not words in the English language.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Richard Luscombe at The Guardian:

Alarm over Donald Trump’s suggestion he would be willing to serve an unconstitutional third term as president, made during his meeting with House Republicans on Wednesday, has prompted a Democratic lawmaker to seek a formal resolution rejecting the idea. The president-elect drew laughter from the Republican caucus for his remarks about the possibility of remaining in the White House beyond January 2029, which would be prohibited by the 22nd amendment limiting a commander-in-chief to two four-year terms of office. “I suspect I won’t be running again unless you say, ‘He’s so good we’ve got to figure something else out’,” said Trump, who incited the deadly January 6 Capitol riot in 2021 to try to cling on to power at the end of his first administration. On Wednesday Dan Goldman, the New York Democratic congressman, said he plans to file a motion this week specifically mentioning Trump and reiterating the two-term clause from an amendment approved by Congress in 1947, two years after Franklin D Roosevelt’s four-term, 12-year presidency before and during the second world war ended with his death.

A lengthy ratification process was completed in 1951 when 36 of the then 48 states gave their consent to the prohibition of any person who had been elected to the presidency twice from standing again. Goldman’s motion, according to NBC News, which saw a copy, features language highlighting the amendment “applies to two terms in the aggregate as president of the United States” and reaffirms that it “applies to President-elect Trump”. The initiative, first reported by the New York Times, is unlikely to receive a scheduled vote in the House, which was projected on Wednesday to remain in Republican hands under the speakership of Mike Johnson, a vocal ally of the 78-year-old president-elect. But the Democrat could seek to introduce it as a privileged motion, which would guarantee it floor time, a procedural tool previously used to force votes on the ousting of Republican former speaker Kevin McCarthy last year, as well as the expulsion from the House of his fabulist former colleague George Santos.

Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) is set to file a motion to make sure the two term limit set by the 22nd Amendment is strictly enforced, whether consecutive or non-consecutive, to prevent Donald Trump from gaining any funny ideas about running for a 3rd term.

[dontmean2bepoliticalbut]

[darkmaga-returns]

Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the House Ethics Committee has been outed as the leaker of the Matt Gaetz report.

The House Ethics Committee was going to release a “damaging” report on Matt Gaetz last month, but because he resigned from Congress, the committee lost jurisdiction.

The Democrats on the Committee fiercely worked to release the report amid damaging leaks.

Parts of the Gaetz report were selectively leaked to the media, and a ‘hacker’ also obtained a trove of documents from the ‘damaging’ report.

The House Ethics Committee’s years-long investigation into Matt Gaetz over allegations of sexual misconduct ended after the lawmaker resigned from Congress.

The Gateway Pundit reported on the Ethics Committee’s revival of the junk allegations against Gaetz, even after the Biden DOJ exonerated Gaetz of criminal wrongdoing and dropped the charges in February 2023.

The investigation was reopened in 2023 as Gaetz ramped up challenges to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was later ousted by Gaetz’s Motion to Vacate the chair. Later, when Gaetz threatened to bring a Motion to Vacate against McCarthy in October 2023, McCarthy’s RINO allies began threatening to expel Gaetz based on the Committee’s investigation.

Matt Gaetz withdrew his nomination for US Attorney General and hinted he would be helping Trump from a different perch.

According to The Hill, Democrat Congresswoman Susan Wild was absent from Ethics Committee’s meeting last week after being outed as the leaker.

Wild’s Chief of Staff claimed she was absent from the meeting by choice.

[inkandguns]

This is why even Republican voters hate the party

[bighermie]

"Every Time Someone Ascended, He Would Knife Them in the Back" - Rep. Nancy Mace TELLS ALL on Kevin McCarthy's Sinister Actions During Speaker Fight (VIDEO) | The Gateway Pundit | by Jim Hoft

[mojave-pete]

Here Are The 22 Republicans Who Voted Against Jordan: 

Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon voted for Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy.

Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan voted for Florida Rep. Byron Donalds.

Colorado Rep. Ken Buck then voted for House Majority Whip Tom Emmer.

Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer voted for McCarthy.

New York Rep. Anthony D’Esposito voted for New York GOP Gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin.

Florida Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart voted for Scalise.

Texas Rep. Jake Ellzey voted for California Rep. Mike Garcia.

Georgia Rep. Drew Ferguson voted for Scalise

New York Rep. Andrew Garbarino voted for Zeldin.

Florida Rep. Carlos Giménez voted for McCarthy.

Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales voted for Scalise.

Texas Rep. Kay Granger voted for Scalise.

Michigan Rep. John James voted for former Michigan Rep. Candice Miller

Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Kelly voted for former Speaker of the House John Boehner.

Virginia Rep. Jen Kiggans voted for McCarthy.

New York Rep. Nick LaLota voted for Zeldin.

New York Rep. Mike Lawler voted for McCarthy.

Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks ended up voting for Granger.

Florida Rep. John Rutherford voted for Scalise.

Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson also voted for Scalise.

Minnesota Rep. Pete Stauber voted for Arkansas Rep. Bruce Westerman.

Arkansas Rep. Steve Womack voted for Scalise.

These RINOs (democRats) need to be un elected!