#maga congress

[meandmybigmouth]

[republicansaredomesticterrorists]

[beauty-funny-trippy]

[deadpresidents]

Hypothetically what do you think would have happened if the january 6 rioters had gotten to pence or pelosi before they got safe?

At this point, I almost dread answering questions like this anymore because I know the kind of hate mail it will unleash for the next few days, but it's important to keep talking about what happened on January 6, 2021 since so many people are trying to normalize it. That includes many people whose lives were in danger that day, as well as the former President who tried to hold on to power by encouraging his supporters to launch a violent insurrection and is now referring to those who have been brought to justice for attempting a coup as "patriots" and "hostages".

I genuinely believe that there were people in that crowd who would have killed Vice President Pence, Speaker Pelosi, and certain Congressional leaders if they had reached them on January 6th. I think there are people in that crowd who were ready to hold lawmakers hostage. Why else did they have handcuffs and zip ties? To help the Capitol Police maintain order? (Oh yeah...that's right, thanks for reminding me: they violently attacked the police -- some even beat police officers with the "Blue Lives Matter" flags that they brought with them.) Now, I do not think that everybody who was at the Capitol on January 6th -- or even the majority of those who took part in the insurrection -- were willing to go that far. I think a lot of them got swept up in what was happening and went with the flow. That doesn't excuse what they did. The flow that they got swept up in was still a fucking insurrection, and anyone who took part in that deserves to be held accountable. But I think there were certain elements embedded throughout that crowd that were much more organized and prepared to fully execute their plans for a coup after disrupting the certification of the Electoral College votes.

I actually think Vice President Pence was probably in more danger than even Speaker Pelosi or some of the Democratic leaders because Trump was so actively calling him out in the days and hours before the insurrection. I think that's why Pence is so adamant now about not supporting Trump. I mean, think about how disgustingly loyal and subservient Pence was to Trump throughout those four years until basically the first few days of January 2021. But even as other Republican leaders are crumbling and offering their allegiance to Trump again in 2024, Pence is standing by his decision not to endorse or support Trump, and I think that's because he realizes that Trump absolutely almost got him (and his family, who were with him in the Capitol on that day) killed on January 6th. Shit, even Mitch McConnell has folded and endorsed Trump again despite the fact that Trump has spent the last three years not only insulting him but also making racist attacks and questioning McConnell's wife's loyalty to the United States all because Elaine Chao had the audacity to resign from Trump's Cabinet in the wake of the insurrection. Yet Mike Pence -- who spent the better part of four years following Trump around like Paul Heyman follows Roman Reigns...

...THAT same Mike Pence is steadfastly refusing to endorse Trump because he has personal experience about how real of an existential threat Trump is. Some of those people at the Capitol were very serious about following through on their chants to "Hang Mike Pence", and not only does Pence realize that, but he also knows now that Trump -- who refused to take actions that would have helped clear the Capitol more quickly -- said "he deserves it" when hearing about those chants.

That's what is so scary about the insurrection, its aftermath, and the Trump Republican Party's redefinition of what happened that day. It almost worked. They stormed the United States Capitol and invaded both chambers of Congress. They carried Confederate flags into the United States Capitol -- even the fucking Confederate States of America didn't successfully invade Washington, D.C. and plant their flag in the Capitol. They were willing to hurt and probably kill some of America's elected leaders. And the people who helped plan and instigate the events of January 6th have spent the three-plus years since then learning from their mistakes and figuring out how to be successful next time. And guess what? "Next time" is only a few months away.

[sher-ee]

You just now figured this out?

[godisarepublican]

[mysharona1987]

[tomorrowusa]

John F. Kennedy was assassinated 60 years ago today. Before becoming president, he wrote a book called Profiles In Courage about people who took courageous political stands.

If JFK returned and decided to write a sequel, he'd find no material for that book in the current House Republican Caucus.

Speaking of House Republicans, their leader just made a pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago to kiss Trump's butt.

No Profile In Courage chapter for "Maga Mike".

[randyite]

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

De Adder

* * * *

Republicans ready to defeat tax bill to help Trump

February 1, 2024

ROBERT B. HUBBELL

A tax bill with bipartisan support passed in the House on a 357 to 70 to vote. The bill, if approved by the Senate, would be a significant achievement because it expands the amount of the child tax credit available to lower-income families—a key Biden objective. In exchange, the bill would maintain business tax deductions scheduled to expire. The details are here: WaPo, House votes to expand child tax credit, beef up corporate tax breaks. (Accessible to all.)

The fact that the bill made it through the fractious House should be a good sign of likely passage in the Senate. Sadly, it is not. Why? Because Senate Republicans don’t want to give President Biden a “win” in an election year. Sound familiar? See USA Today, GOP senator doesn’t want to pass a tax bill because it could make Biden ‘look good’.

Per USA Today, Senator Grassley said,

Passing a tax bill that makes the president look good — mailing out checks before the election — means he could be re-elected, and then we won’t extend the 2017 tax cuts.

Not to be outdone, Senator Mitt Romney said he would oppose the bill because it would turn into “another entitlement program which is massively expensive.”

Grassley’s comment is telling on many levels. First, it contains the naked admission that Republicans are no longer working to serve the American people but are, instead, concerned only with serving their overlord, Donald Trump.

Moreover, Grassley is wrong in asserting that the bill will “send checks” to Americans in an election year. The child tax credit is just that—a tax credit offsets taxes owed. If a taxpayer owes no tax, then the tax credit can generate a refund (up to $1,600).

Worse, Grassley opposes the bill in the hope that Trump will be able to extend his 2017 tax cuts for millionaires—which added $3.5 trillion to the deficit (through 2033). Extending those tax cuts would increase the deficit even more.

To increase the likelihood of granting windfall tax cuts to the nation’s top income earners in another Trump administration, Senators Grassley and Romney want to deprive tax benefits to the working poor—benefits that Romney derisively calls “entitlements.”

Romney, a former hedge fund manager, has no problem with the “carried interest deduction” for hedge fund managers, which generates billions in tax deductions for the nation’s wealthiest billionaires. In Romney’s view, the carried interest deduction isn’t an “entitlement” because billionaires and millionaires should get to keep their money free of taxes because they are “special.”

We once again stand at the precipice of legislative action that will benefit the American people—but Republicans oppose it because doing so is contrary to Donald Trump's partisan interests. Don’t believe me? Just ask Senator Chuck Grassley.

Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter

[breakingfirst]

He was just IMPEACHED! 💥⬆️

[meandmybigmouth]

Scotus is not the only judicial level willing to protect Trump outside of their oath sworn to uphold the law!

[dontmean2bepoliticalbut]

[beauty-funny-trippy]

[diveintomydream]

Dont be racist, homophobic, transphobic

[canadianabroadvery]