9 Republicans are running for House speaker. Only 2 of them voted to certify the 2020 election
9 Republicans are running for House speaker. Only 2 of them voted to certify the 2020 election
Welp, there's your two choices ...
Really, if Democrats are going to vote for any Republican, that should be by far one of the most minimal criteria. No one on the far right should be entertained.
The Democrats need to be doing something interesting here, not boring everyone with more and more unanimous votes for Jeffries. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results. We should be controlling the issue, not sitting back and passively observing the GOP tripping over their own dicks.
Democrats should nominate astronaut Scott Kelly for speaker in the next election. Can any GOP candidate hold a candle to Kelly?
The election after that, they should nominate a 9/11 first responder. Any GOP congressmen a better choice than any 9/11 firefighter?
There are 66 living Medal of Honor recipients. There's got to be at least one of them capable of performing the role of speaker, and any of them is worth more than the entire GOP caucus put together.
I want to see the GOP caucus unanimously rejecting true American heroes. Men and women who have fought and sacrificed for their country. I want to see them try to justify voting for some Trump sycophant that meets Matt Gaetz's approval when they have a fantastic candidate available.
When they come up for re-election, I want both their primary challenger and their democratic opponent reminding the public that they supported a weasel like Matt Gaetz over an honest-to-god American hero.
The Democrats need to be doing something interesting here, not boring everyone with more and more unanimous votes for Jeffries.
But they won't because he's Pelosi's designated replacement and party leadership doesn't want the public to consider that better alternatives might exist.
Not at all a problem: let Jeffries announce the plan. Spin it however he wants. He's still the minority leader, and if there is a partisan, Democratic majority, he will become the speaker in the next session.
In the meantime, recognizing that the Democrats are able to lead even without a mathematical majority is a major win.
You want astronauts and firefighters in charge of a political body? What are you, 5? Do you also want Paw Patrol to handle the security?
You want astronauts and firefighters in charge of a political body?
Yes.
Mercury Astronaut John Glenn served as senator for Ohio from 1974 through 1999.
Apollo 17 Astronaut Harrison Schmitt served as Senator for New Mexico from 1976 to 1982.
Apollo 13 Astronaut Jack Swigert was elected to a congressional seat in 1982, but died before taking office.
Senators Jake Harm and Bill Nelson became astronauts while in office.
And for the most relevant person, Scott Kelly is actually a twin. He and his brother Mark both earned the rank of Captain in the Navy, both became astronauts, and Mark is now serving as Senator for Arizona.
Yes, I want this particular astronaut in charge of the House.
Not that it makes any real difference, but I wonder how many of them are so stupid and/or blinded by ideological bias that they voted that way because they sincerely believed that the election was invalid and how many of them voted that way because they're cowards with no principles or integrity who were trying to suck up to Trump and his army of violent morons.
At this point, that's one of the only things that provides even a hint of interest about an American right-wing politician - wondering if they're an actual delusional psychopath or if they're just LARPing as one to get votes and/or not get death threats.
Again, not that it makes any real difference...
It says that the American education system has been successfully gimped in order to create that base.
I don't really blame them, or at least not primarily.
They're just desperate and frustrated and looking for someone or something to blame for the fact that what should be a great nation is instead a festering cesspool of greed, corruption, violence and stupidity. Like most, they won't or can't consider the part they play in that, so they look for some "other" to blame.
There is actually an "other" to be blamed - the wealthy and politically powerful few - but most of American history, and human history for that matter, has been built around establishing and protecting the privilege of those few, most often by manipulating public sentiment in such a way as to direct anger and frustration away from them and instead towards others of the common people.
So they're really just the latest in a long line of people feeling wholly justifiable anger and frustration that's been misdirected by self-serving shitheels. I guess they're rightly faulted for failing to recognize that they're mad at the wrong people, but really, that's true of far too many people.
Now all that said, on a personal level there's almost nobody that fills me with more rage and disgust than the bigoted right.
Still though...
That's good, it splits the election denial vote.
Refusing to certify the election results should immediately disqualify one from becoming Speaker. It should disqualify one from holding any elected office.
It won't do either.
I hate Republicans with a fiery passion, but this kind of idea makes me think that if members of Congress aren't free to choose not to certify an election without negative consequences, there really shouldn't be a certification process at all. It has about as much meaning as Putin getting reelected with 120% of the vote.