House Republicans

“Build Back Better” Social Infrastructure Legislation Passes The House of Representatives!

Congratulations are due to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, President Joe Biden, and the Democratic Caucus in the House of Representatives on successfully passing the “Build Back Better” Social Infrastructure legislation by a vote of 220-213, after a disgraceful eight and a half hour rampage speech by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and the refusal of any House Republicans to support legislation which makes life better for millions of Americans!

The legislation, once it gains approval of the US Senate with some modifications certain, will do the following:

Affordable Child Care
Child Tax Credits
Paid Family and Medical Leave
Universal PreKindergarten
Affordable Care Act Premium Tax Credits
Medicaid Home and Community Based Services
Raise State and Local Tax Deduction Cap
Medicare Hearing Benefits
Affordable Housing
Immigration Reform
Clean Energy and Climate Resilience
Climate Related Tax Breaks
Spending on Higher Education
A Corporate Minimum Tax on Large Corporations
A Tax Surcharge Targeting the Wealthiest Americans, over $25 million and over $10 million.

The New “McCarthyism”: Kevin McCarthy’s Ambitions To Be Speaker Require Being Subservient To Donald Trump!

California Congressman Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican Minority Leader, is desperate to become Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 118th Congress (2023-2024).

This requires him being subservient to Donald Trump, and McCarthy will stop at nothing to promote himself, and in the process conduct himself as a charlatan, a man without common decency and any ethical principles!

McCarthy will do anything and everything to support Paul Gosar, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, Madison Cawthorn, and the rest of the traitors and seditionists who were complicit in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, leading to the death of five people, and the physical and mental harm done to more than 140 US Capitol police!

McCarthy will lie incessantly through his teeth, displaying no sense of morality, and throws good people, such as Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger and a small band of other House Republicans, “under the bus”, so to speak!

He has just set a record for more than an eight and a half hours speech overnight on the floor of the House of Representatives, putting on a performance for the extremist right wingers in his caucus, and displaying every bit of poison and hate imaginable!

He calls for the defeat of the Build Back Better bill of President Joe Biden and the Democrats, which would improve the lives of millions of Americans!

There is only one conclusion about Kevin McCarthy!

That is, that Kevin McCarthy should be roundly condemned by all decent people as the leader of the new “McCarthyism”, possibly worse if successful in his quest than his namesake, Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy, seven decades ago!

Kevin McCarthy is willing to destroy anyone who stands in his way on his mission to become a demagogue, and if bad luck occurs, easily the worst, most dangerous Speaker of the House in 234 years of the history of the House of Representatives!

And finally, ironically, there are indications that the disgraced, twice impeached, two time popular vote loser of the Presidency, Donald Trump, is working to undermine McCarthy’s hope to be Speaker, and would wish Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan, who is even more unprincipled and dangerous, to become Speaker of the House in 2023!

Even if one is not “religious”, God Help Us! 🙁

Rational Republicans Are Deciding To Abandon Office, Or Leaving The Party!

Rational Republicans, facing bitter attacks, and threats, are deciding to abandon office, or leaving the party.

There is a need for a strong, alternative party in a democracy, so the need is present for those who are Republicans to stay and fight.

But Congressman Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio has decided not to run for reelection after four years in the House of Representatives, after having voted to impeach Donald Trump after the January 6, 2021 US Capitol Insurrection.

And New Hampshire state legislator William Marsh has become so disgusted that he has announced he is becoming a Democrat, after attacks on him for insisting on an appropriate COVID-19 Vaccine and Mask Mandate, bitterly opposed by the Republican Party locally and nationally.

Others, such as Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois have joined the January 6 House Committee investigation, with Cheney being Vice Chairman, working with Democrats to push the probe.

Both face a difficult path for reelection, as do the other House Republicans and Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, who also voted to impeach Donald Trump, and face the voters in 2022.

A Third Of Senate Republicans Are Ignoring Donald Trump Criticism On Physical Infrastructure Legislation!

It is fascinating to witness that, at this point, a third of the 50 Senate Republicans are ignoring Donald Trump’s criticism of the Physical Infrastructure legislation in process in the upper chamber, as they realize the urgent need for such projects!

The final total of Republicans could be more than the present 17 Senators, and this, hopefully, is a sign of the waning influence of the former President over the party and its future. With Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in support, and being attacked by Donald Trump, it is a sign that the Senate is not ready to follow the House Republicans and their treasonous leadership, led by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy into the abyss!

For the Republican Party to survive in shape for the future, which is highly doubtful, it MUST separate itself from the extremists that fueled the January 6 US Capitol Insurrection!

As it is, it was 8 Republican Senators who refused to accept the Electoral College vote count after the Insurrection, as compared to 139 House Republicans, nearly two thirds of all in the lower chamber.

That in itself is shocking, two thirds of the House Republicans, but only 16 percent of the Republicans in the Senate, so it is the Senate which has the opportunity to promote survival of the party future.

There needs to be a massive move to remove the cancer of House Republicans, in order to save the party for the long term!

The 35 House Republicans Who Supported Creation Of A January 6 Insurrection Commission, But Will Senate Republicans Follow?

The number of House Republicans who supported the impeachment of Donald Trump in January, after the US Capitol Insurrection of January 6, was ten members.

The number of House Republicans who voted last week to support the creation of a January 6 Insurrection Commission is 35 members, which is one sixth of the Republican House membership, with 175 Republicans voting against the bill.

They come from 23 states, including 4 from New York; and 2 each from Florida, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Washington, Nebraska, Utah, and Arkansas.

The other states are California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Oregon, Indiana, South Carolina, West Virginia, Iowa, Wyoming, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Idaho.

The big question is whether 10 Republican Senators would go along with the creation of the January 6 Commission, and one would think the 7 Senators who voted to convict Trump in February 2021 (Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Pat Toomey, Richard Burr, and Bill Cassidy) would do so, but already it seems unlikely that will happen!

It is believed that up to 15 Republican Senators “might’ support the creation of the Commission, but no certainty, when it should be supported by all who want the unvarnished truth!

In any case, there will be a House Commission formed by Nancy Pelosi, and the Republicans will nnly harm their own reputations, and their political futures, by working to deny a full investigation, with their full participation.

Covering up or denying reality will not play well, and will only doom the Republican Party future!

Seditionist Republicans Are A Threat To Civil Order, And Kevin McCarthy Is A Disaster As Leader In House Of Representatives!

Seditionist Republicans in the House of Representatives are a threat to civil order, and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy of California is a disaster as their leader!

And yet, McCarthy could end up as House Speaker in 2023, if the Republicans were to win control the House of Representatives in the midterm elections of 2022.

McCarthy voted against acceptance of the Electoral College vote on January 6, and has now visited Donald Trump in Mar A Lago; appointed Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia to the House Education Committee, despite her ridicule of disabled people and denial that the Parkland Florida Massacre of 2018 and the Sandy Hook Massacre of 2012 occurred, and also threatened the lives of Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton, and so many more outrageous utterances; and is working behind the scenes to force third ranking House Republican leader Liz Cheney out of leadership!

Those who work for the Congress of the United States are living in fear of bloodshed and violence occurring again, and are terrified at some of the crazy, loony House members, who insist on carrying guns into the Capitol complex, and refuse to go through metal detectors.

Republican Party Destroys Itself In Mad Dash To The Far Right, In Repudiation Of Chris Christie!

The Republican Party is destroying itself in its mad dash to the Far Right!

It convinced Maine Senator Olympia Snowe to retire, and defeated Indiana Senator Richard Lugar in his quest for another term,

It put former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel through hell, before he finally, with only four Republicans supporting him, won the Senate confirmation to be Secretary of Defense.

Now the party has declared war on New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, because he worked alongside President Obama after Hurricane Sandy; criticized House Republicans and Speaker John Boehner; and showed his independent streak, which is anathema to the far Right!

Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and other right wing talk show hosts have also attacked Christie, as if he is a liberal, despite his very conservative record as Governor, but showing a willingness to work across the aisle with the state legislature and the President.

Christie should be applauded as a man who has managed a massive public opinion rating in a strong “blue” state, but instead, he has been slighted, by NOT being invited to the annual Conservative Political Action Conference next month, while all kinds of characters, including Sarah Palin and Herman Cain and numerous others who are an embarrassment to intelligent people, were invited.

So Chris Christie, as unacceptable as he is to anyone on the left, is not good enough to be invited to a right wing conference!

Actually, it helps Christie in his reelection battle for Governor this fall, and makes him able to stand out as NOT being owned by the Far Right of the GOP, and it might just help him in future endeavors for public office, including being a sane alternative for the Republicans in 2016, if he can get past the Tea Party loonies!

The Mounting Challenges Facing Barack Obama As He Gets Ready To Take The Oath Of Office

President Barack Obama faces mounting challenges as he gets ready to take the oath of office for a second term as President a week from now,

These challenges include:

The Fiscal Crisis promoted by the House Republican majority

The Iran Crisis, with the growing threat of a nuclear Iran, threatening Israel, the whole Middle East, Europe and the United States

The winding down of the Afghanistan War, but continuing the fight against terrorist threats

The Gun Control debate as we have growing violence and collection of guns rapidly increasing

The Immigration Controversy at a time of growing Hispanic-Latino and Asian American population

The Global Warming-Climate Change challenge after the warmest year on record

The Education crisis as decline in standards has escalated

The Health Care issue, including the full implementation of ObamaCare and the Medicare-Medicaid crisis

The Energy issue, how to expand energy resources and move away from dependence on oil and coal

Obama has more than a full plate here, and to accomplish much of this will be a major achievement, but will not be easy to accomplish! And of course, there is always the unseen, unpredictable crisis which will arise, which will require a response as well. So let us all wish Barack Obama the best of luck and fortune as he, and this nation, faces the future!

Barack Obama And The Debt Ceiling Crisis: A Moment Of Presidential Assertiveness Needed!

President Barack Obama has done his best to avoid antagonizing opponents with his use of Presidential powers.

He has shown willingness to negotiate and make deals, but the Republican House has refused to do anything, other than threaten to have the good faith and credit of the United States destroyed, a calamity that could lead to a Second Great Depression and harm to the world wide economy.

The Republican Party in the House refuses to help create jobs through federal funding, or to work on building an infrastructure repair and expansion.

The Republicans have made it clear that they are willing to hold all Americans hostage, as they promote their extreme right wing ideology, and work to take America back to the Gilded Age and the 1920s.

So therefore, it is time for action soon by President Obama, a moment of Presidential courage, to refuse to allow the destruction of our economy!

So he has two alternatives.

Invoke the 14th Amendment, which includes language on the payment of government debts.

Use the concept of a trillion dollar coin minted by the US Treasury to cover all debts already incurred and more in the future.

The point is that it was the Republican Congress which built up most of the massive debt we now face, and yet they are ready to refuse to pay the government bonds when due, unless they are able to destroy the social safety net of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

This cannot be allowed, and although Obama is highly reluctant to take controversial action in either direction mentioned above, he owes it to the nation at large to do so if no alternative is available at that time, which seems likely to be the case!

What is the worst that would happen if Obama took unilateral action?

He would be bitterly condemned by the right wing, called every name in the book, so what else is new?

There might be greater death threats against him, but there are already more than ever before as it is.

The realization is that there would be the likelihood of the Republican House choosing to impeach President Obama for “high crimes and misdemeanors” in office.

But has Obama committed such crimes, or is about to do so?

No more than Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation, or Franklin D. Roosevelt arranging the Destroyers for Bases Deal with Great Britain, or thousands of executive orders utilized by many of our Presidents!

And even were he to be impeached, the odds of Obama being removed from office with a Senate of 55 Democrats is totally out of the question, since 67 Senators would be needed to remove him from office, and there are only 45 Republicans!

Would an impeachment besmirch the reputation of Barack Obama? It would certainly be part of his obituary, as with Bill Clinton, but Clinton has survived very well from the impeachment, and his popularity went up during the impeachment crisis, and the Republican reputation suffered great harm.

The Republican Party would only be putting nails in its own coffin, if it decided that our economy should be destroyed and the President impeached.

The nation and the President would be the winners in such a scenario, so it is soon time for Obama to show guts and courage and do what is necessary, knowing the consequences are something he can deal with, although regrettable that he has to go through those consequences!

The Chris Christie Boomlet: Interesting, But Leading Nowhere!

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has become a media “darling” lately, due to his courage and leadership in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which did devastation along the shoreline of New Jersey and New York, and other damage to Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

Christie had the common sense to work with President Obama on surveying the damage, even though the alliance occurred a week before the Presidential Election of 2012, and caused great upset in the Mitt Romney Presidential campaign.

Also, Christie was quick to criticize the House Republicans and Speaker of the House John Boehner for their failure to pass an extensive Hurricane Sandy relief package in the waning moments of the 112th Congress, and blamed Boehner by name.

Now, Christie has become the cover of Time Magazine, named “The Boss”, and has continued to lobby publicly for quick action by the House Republicans in the 113th Congress on the disaster relief bill, pointing out that aid to Louisiana and Mississippi, after Hurricane Katrina, occurred ten days after the tragedy, and now it is more than 70 days since Hurricane Sandy.

Many see Christie as the ideal GOP nominee for President in 2016, without understanding that he does not represent the core constituencies of the present day party. He speaks his mind, and in many respects, he does not match the extreme right wing tilt of the House Republicans and even many Republican Governors. He is a Northeastern Republican, who has learned within limits to work with the opposition Democrats in the New Jersey legislature, while House Republicans are on the warpath, refusing to cooperate at all with President Obama.

To believe that Chris Christie will, somehow, magically, become the Republican nominee for President in 2016, and that he will defeat the Democratic nominee, whoever he or she is, is to be willing to gamble big time.

But as this blogger and author stated last month, there are still many reasons to believe that Chris Christie is highly unlikely to be the Republican nominee in 2016, and in any case, the odds of the GOP nominee becoming President are highly remote, not worth betting money!