#rep. mike johnson

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

House Democrats made an extremely rare break with modern political norms on Thursday to rescue House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) foreign aid package.

WHY IT MATTERS: It's the starkest evidence to date that the GOP's fractured and tiny House majority has effectively yielded to something resembling a bipartisan coalition.

WHAT HAPPENED: The four Democrats on the House Rules Committee voted with five of the panel's establishment Republicans to advance the package of four bills to votes on the House floor.

• The crossover was needed after three right-wing hardliners on the panel — Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Chip Roy (R-Texas) — voted against sending it to the floor.

• The right-wing rebellion was enough to kill the package if Democrats did not step in.

ZOOM IN: The Rules Committee typically consists of leadership loyalists who dutifully vote along party lines on advancing legislation to the floor.

• But former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) placed Massie, Norman and Roy on the panel last year to placate right-wing hardliners who rebelled against his bid for the gavel.

• That put power in the hands of Democrats, who overwhelmingly support the package and are desperate to send aid to Ukraine.

WHAT WE'RE HEARING: This kind of party crossover on the panel has not happened "in the time that I've been here," said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), who has served in Congress for more than a decade.

• Kildee, a member of Democratic leadership, said the move is "unprecedented."

• "I think it's highly unusual ... I don't know that I've ever seen that happen," said Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.), a former member of the panel.

WHAT'S NEXT: The committee vote sets up a vote of the full House on Friday to pass what is known as the "rule," a procedural mechanism setting the terms of debate on legislation.

• Democrats will need to bail out the rule once again, with the House Freedom Caucus taking the rare step of endorsing a "no" vote.

• That likely won't be a big deal, however, now that Democrats have already rescued the rule once: "In for a penny, in for a pound," said Kildee.

[paulbraterman]

Creationism in the service of climate change denial

Speaker Mike Johnson, Young Earth creationist, is heavily funded by the fossil fuel industry and does not think that humans are causing climate change

Update 25 October 2023: Mike Johnson (Republican, Louisiana) was today elected Speaker of the US House of Representatives. Johnson, who is heavily funded by the fossil fuel industry, is an occasional guest author for Answers in Genesis, and is on record as saying that he does not believe that human activity is the cause of current climate change. Changes in global surface temperature over the…

[govtshutdown]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/10/25/house-speaker-vote/#link-5DCO44JI5VCBFLW2LDZT4MDCDA

Johnson lays out ambitious schedule for House GOP, remains open to stopgap funding

By Mariana Alfaro

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), the GOP’s latest speaker-designate, laid out an ambitious schedule for the Republican conference to pass appropriations bills before the Nov. 17 deadline when the government will run out of funds.

[msclaritea]

"I recognize that as a White man, I have privilege. And as an elected official, I have a responsibility for the words I use — especially in the heat of the moment. Regardless of what I meant to say, I shouldn’t have used that language," he added.

Am I surprised that a so-called 'Democrat' from Maryland is currently ratfucking our Democracy, just enough to keep conservatives in power? Absolutely not. #Maryland has a very long history of Champagne Socialism, ie, wealthy asshats who have long used the 'Independent' moniker as an excuse to judge from a lofty perch. We have quite a few saboteurs to get rid of, but everyone, please thank piece of shit, #DavidTrone for making sure that we stay in a state of LIMBO, in Congress, as he shovels red meat to the Right, with lightning speed.

[kiramoore626]

Marjorie Taylor Greene rages at Mike Johnson “funding the trans agenda”

Greene has brought more chaos to the House by threatening to oust Johnson from his role as speaker. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) continues to attack House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) for allowing a House vote on the $1.2 trillion government funding bill that President Joe Biden signed on Saturday.

[wilwheaton]

The most dangerous movement in American politics today is not Trumpism. It is Christofascism. With the election of Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, the organized effort to impose the extreme religious views of a minority of Americans on the entire country, at the expense of many of our most basic freedoms, took a disturbing step forward. The Speaker of the House [...] represents a movement that is actively seeking to institutionalize the religious beliefs of evangelical Christians into law. In fact, even as we see with chilling clarity how those with a similar motive have sought to infuse the law with their religious beliefs on the Supreme Court and in state capitals across the country, Johnson may be the most extreme example of a dangerously empowered religious fanatic in our recent history—and yes, I remember that Mike Pence was, not so long ago, the Vice President of the United States. The term Christofascism may seem inflammatory. It is not. It is intended to provide the most accurate possible definition of what Johnson and those in his movement wish to achieve. Like other fascists they seek to impose by whatever means necessary their views on the whole of society even if that means undoing established laws and eliminating accepted freedoms. Christofascists do so in the name of advancing their Christian ideology, asserting that all in society must be guided by their views and values whether they adhere to them or not.

Here’s Why Mike Johnson Is More Dangerous Than Donald Trump

[redjaybathood]

holy fucking shit can leftists in the US make themselves useful for once and instead of boycotting Starbucks - a coffee chain that does not, in fact, give money to Israel - call their reps because:

⚡ The US House will next week vote on an standalone $17.6 billion Israel aid package without any Ukraine aid, Speaker Mike Johnson said Saturday, — Bloomberg.

How to find your rep: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Ukraine needs your help to fight off the invasion.

Israel does not.

[phoenixyfriend]

Calls for Action, Call Your Reps: 2/13/24

This is USA-specific, as that is the place I live and know.

Find your elected officials.

Today, much of my information is coming from Democracy Now!, which I generally listen to as a podcast (functionally, it is a radio news broadcast, like NPR or BBC), and I am quoting from the text versions on their website.

The Senate passed a $95 billion military funding package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan in the pre-dawn hours this morning. But the bill’s fate remains unclear after House Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed the measure over its failure to include hard-line immigration restrictions. This comes after Johnson and other Republicans rejected an earlier version of the bill which did contain the border crackdown they had demanded. Johnson has told Republican congressmembers he will call a House vote on a stand-alone funding bill for Israel.

From the same page, we are hearing that President Biden is urging Israel to refrain from invading Rafah, where a million or so Palestinians are currently sheltering, but is not actually threatening any kind of repercussions for said invasion. Reports from both official sources (e.g. the Hamas-run health ministry) and less official (e.g. American doctors returning from relief services in Palestine) indicate that over half of the deaths in Palestine are children.

I am not going to pretend that I know what is going through Biden's head.

Both House and Senate:

Reinstate funding for UNRWA. While the claims made by Israel that employees of the relief agency were involved in Oct. 7th are troubling, THEY are not well supported, and western officials did not do their duty in investigating the claims before cutting funding. This arm of the UN is currently providing food, water, shelter, and medical care to the 2.3 million displaced peoples of Gaza. It is especially disturbing and concerning that the many children of Gaza, who are already suffering due to this conflict, are now having this support revoked. Many sources are also claiming that the evidence is flimsy at best.

Urge both Senate and House to refrain from funding Israel, or to at least put some strings on it. The IDF cannot be given funding without some regulations on what they can do with it. They have proven that they are unwilling to take steps to protect civilians.

FOR THE SENATE: Urge your senator to put their support behind Bernie Sanders and his motion to restrict funding to Israel until a humanitarian review of the IDF’s actions in Gaza has been completed. Cite it as Senate Resolution 504 if your Senator is right-wing enough to react negatively to the mention of Sanders by name. NOTE: This resolution was TABLED by the Senate on 1/16, but it is being brought back in as conditions continue to escalate.

FOR THE HOUSE: Urge your representative to put their support behind Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s petition for the US government to recognize the IDF’s actions in Gaza as ethnic cleansing and forced displacement, and put a stop to it. ALTERNATELY: recommend that they support House Resolution 786, introduced by Rep. Cori Bush, Calling for an immediate deescalation and cease-fire in Israel and occupied Palestine.

On the House Floor this week, to call your rep about:

H.Res. 994: Married persons tax break. Vote nay. Loses billions in tax revenue and explicitly targets green energy.

H.R. 2766 and H.R. 4039: Condemnation of China's actions against the Uyghurs. Can't tell you which way to talk on this. Seems good on the surface, but given who's presenting it, I worry there's something worse tucked into the text. Hopefully someone can provide a better take.

H.R. 3016: IGO Anti-Boycott Act. Vote Nay. This appears to be intended to force US companies to do business with US allies instead of participating in boycotts. This appears, to me, to be an attack on movements like BDS. To Dem Reps, argue that this refuses the right of peaceful protest to US citizens. To Republican Reps, argue that this is a dangerous government overreach and that it is not the right of the government to force US citizens to purchase products and materials from specific foreign partners.

H.Res. 966: Condemnation of sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas against Israel on Oct. 7. Vote Nay. We know sexual violence is bad. Hamas has already been condemned for their actions. This is, at best, lip service. It is a waste of time. There are much bigger, more impactful things to work on, and this is going to waste time and resources in the Senate if it passes.

If you wish to support my political blogging, I am accepting donations on ko-fi.

[suratan-zir]

Two news from today:

Russia tries to shell a FUCKING NUCLEAR POWER PLANT in the Khmelnytskyi oblast. Falling debris injured 18 36 people.

In the USA, Rep. Mike Johnson has been elected House speaker, a Trumpist who is against aid to Ukraine. He voted against allocations to Ukraine for 2022 and against aid for 2023. He also supported amendments that prohibit any military aid to Ukraine and cancel the Lend-Lease law.

fuck all of this

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

In a keynote speech to a gathering of Christian nationalist lawmakers Tuesday night, House Speaker Mike Johnson compared himself to Moses, leading the GOP conference — and America — through the parted waters of the Red Sea.

Johnson addressed the National Association of Christian Lawmakers at the group’s award gala at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. Perhaps unaware that the event was being recorded for the NACL Facebook page, Johnson told the crowd: “I’ll tell you a secret, since media is not here.” (“Thank you for not allowing the media in,” Johnson added, alleging that journalists have been taking his comments “out of context” with “great joy for the last few weeks.”)

Johnson then revealed that — in the lead up to the “tumult” of Kevin McCarthy losing his gavel and the chaotic GOP process of selecting new Speaker — he had been speaking directly to God. “Look, I’m a Southern Baptist, I don’t wanna get too spooky on you,” he said, provoking some laughter from the attendees. “But, you know, the Lord speaks to your heart.”

The message he received from God, Johnson said, was to prepare for a “Red Sea moment” — both for the Republican conference “and in the country at large.” Johnson said found the directive confusing but he continued to seek the counsel of God.

“The Lord began to wake me up, through this three-week process, in the middle of night to speak to me,” Johnson insisted. “Now at the time,” he continued, “I assumed the Lord is going to choose a new Moses.” But because of his own lesser rank among the GOP’s leadership, Johnson said, he believed the heavenly message to be: “You’re gonna allow me to be Aaron to Moses,” citing the role of the Old Testament prophet’s brother and biblical sidekick.

But then Johnson watched as candidate after candidate failed to generate the necessary Republican support to win the Speakership. “Ultimately 13 people ran for the post. And the Lord kept telling me to, ‘Wait, wait, wait,’” Johnson recalled. “So I waited, I waited. And then at the end … the Lord said, ‘Now step forward.’” Johnson regaled the audience with his surprise to be tapped as the Moses figure: “Me?” Johnson said. “I’m supposed to be Aaron.” But that was not the message, Johnson insisted, recalling: “‘No,’ the Lord said, ‘Step forward.’”

Johnson’s speech to the National Association of Christian Lawmakers — a group that seeks to enact its anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ “biblical worldview” into law — is just the latest evidence that the politician who is now second in line for the presidency views himself as on a divine mission. Rolling Stone previously reported on Johnson’s exhortations to save a “depraved” America from God’s wrath and vengeance.

Johnson told the NACL crowd that his “core conviction” that “God wants us to seek Him for the path through the roiling sea.” The Speaker then underscored his pessimism about the state of the nation, asserting that America is facing the “greatest collection of challenges since maybe World War II, maybe the Civil War.”

America, Johnson insisted, is “engaged in a battle between worldviews” and “a great struggle for the future of the Republic.” The specifics of that struggle remained unspoken. But the NACL mission, according to materials promoting the gala, includes: “abolishing abortion”; restoring “traditional marriage between one man and one woman”; and “exposing the ungodly effort to undermine our culture by Leftists,”. Johnson added that he believed far-right Christians will prevail: “We should not be daunted. In the face of these challenges. Our hope is in the Lord, our hope, and our trust is in God.”

At the gala, Johnson was awarded with NACL’s “American Patriot Award for Christian Honor and Courage.” It was bestowed to recognize what the group’s leader, former Arkansas state Rep. Jason Rappert, described as Johnson’s “statesmanship, bold Christian leadership, and faithful service to our Lord Jesus Christ.”

[mightyflamethrower]

What's a Little Creepy About the FBI's Arrest Warrant for a Blaze News Reporter

We have another instance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation going off the reservation. A Blaze News reporter who has done a couple of stories on the January 6 riot, which embarrassed the Justice Department, will be forced to turn himself in on Friday. Steve Baker has cooperated with the Justice Department, which has had Baker on their radar for months.  

The creepy part about this story is that this reporter doesn’t know what charges he’s facing. The FBI has instructed him to wear clothing that suggests he’ll be forced to wear an orange jumpsuit. However, the Justice Department told Baker and his legal team that misdemeanors were the only charges facing the journalist. The outlet had all the details about the legal drama in a lengthy post, including the stories that might have painted a target on Baker’s back 

"They didn’t have to go this route," Baker told Blaze News on Tuesday evening. "We have been told that my charges are only misdemeanors. And my attorneys have been assured that this will be an ‘in and out’ affair with 'no intention' to detain me. But rather than issuing a simple order to appear, they went the 'arrest warrant' route."  What's more, Baker said he still does not know what the charges against him are, noting to Blaze News that the powers that be won't tell his attorney about the charges because they believe Baker will post them on social media.  Baker's Dallas attorney, James Lee Bright, added to Blaze News that withholding the nature of the charges against his client is a "really unusual" move. Bright also said he's hoping to get a copy of the complaint against Baker as early as possible Friday morning.  […]  Bright told Blaze News that he's "disturbed" about what's transpiring with his client, especially given that Baker has been "in full compliance" all this time. Bright also said the federal government "three-plus years later going after people who were legitimate functioning journalists that day" appears designed to have an "absolute chilling effect."  […]  Baker added that when he asked his other attorney, William Shipley, why the federal government is treating him like this, Shipley replied, "You know why. You've been poking them in the eye for three years" 

Baker's first Jan. 6 analysis for Blaze News came last October, following countless hours in a House subcommittee office looking at frame after frame of Jan. 6 closed-circuit video — and it had him wondering: did Capitol Police Special Agent David Lazarus perjure himself in the Oath Keepers trial? 

Soon after, the slow pace of getting an unrestricted look at everything recorded on video prompted Blaze Media editor in chief Matthew Peterson's appeal to House Speaker Mike Johnson to release all the videos. On Nov. 17, Johnson did just that. 

Baker's investigative efforts also resulted in two additional analyses, both focusing on Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn: "January 6 and the N-word that wasn't" and "Harry Dunn's account of January 6 does not add up. At all." 

In December, Baker alleged he uncovered major irregularities involving Dunn, Capitol Police, the press, and U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland). 

In January, Baker asserted that just-released U.S. Capitol closed-circuit TV video clips from Jan. 6 show Lazarus gave false testimony in the Oath Keepers trial. 

Like Michael Shellenberger, Matt Taibbi, and Alex Gutentag, Baker also touched upon the curious case of the January 6 pipe bomber and the alleged targeting of the Republican National Committee, wherein new evidence suggests that the RNC was not the target. The FBI might have misrepresented the location of the supposed explosive device, which a then-FBI contractor discovered. 

The FBI has harassed and targeted pro-life activists, so going after reporters who have questioned their narratives about some highly politicized stories isn’t shocking. The Obama CIA and DOJ colluded to manufacture a fake narrative about Russian collusion against Donald Trump. The FBI made up evidence to justify an illegal FISA spy warrant against Trump campaign officials. The FBI and the Secret Service appear to be engaged in a cover-up regarding the ever-elusive pipe bomber who cannot be found. They can find hundreds who entered the Capitol building that day, but not this guy.  

[govtshutdown]

If they elect a speaker today

Congressional Reporter Reese Gorman of the Washington Examiner stated on C-SPAN that if Johnson is elected speaker today, the first action will be to pass a bill condemning Hamas, the second would be to pass a continuing resolution, extending the budget to either January 15th or April 15th. We are 23 days away from the November 17th deadline, so either would be welcome.

[intothewildsstuff]

Gaetz: Johnson victory proves MAGA power over Republican party | The Hill

Triple fuck you to Gaetz and Maga! And tRump and all his tRumpturds!!

[porterdavis]

He just got off the bus from Crazytown.

[gwydionmisha]

URGENT: Ukraine Aid Bill

Ukraine is literally running out of bullets.

Trump has ordered Mike Johnson to block Ukraine Aid in the House of Representatives, which he is doing.

The only way to get Ukraine aid is a discharge petition which requires a couple Republican votes to pass.

Yes, the Aid Package is not ideal and there are things I wish weren't in it, but we can't amend at this point and it is likely life or death for Ukraine. A discharge petition is the only way to do an end run around the Putinists blocking the normal process.

If you have a Republican Congress critter in the House, please let that critter know you support the discharge petition for Aid to Ukraine.

Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to the representative of your choice. Here is one that will send your reps a fax: https://resist.bot/ To get your Critters' numbers to call direct: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member