US House Of Representatives

Antisemitism On University Campuses, Elise Stefanik, And Donald Trump

The weak response of University Presidents toward antisemitism on their campuses (as at Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Pennsylvania) is reprehensible, and it is essential that all universities and colleges take this expression of hatred seriously.

However, the fact that New York Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who went from being a moderate to being a full scale MAGA Republican in support of Donald Trump, gained attention for being the member of Congress to confront university Presidents, should not be dramatized, and she should not be praised and applauded for her hypocritical stunt!

Stefanik is all but willing to accept all of the criminal acts and statements of Donald Trump, and she has nothing to say about Trump consorting with antisemites on a regular basis!

One must not forget that Trump hosted Kanye West and Nick Fuentes, well known and notorious antisemites, at Mar a Lago, and has himself embraced many other rightwing hatemongers of all stripes.

Stefanik refused to accept the Electoral College results in 2020, and is only too willing to accept any lies and deception of Donald Trump, so consider her “a wolf in sheep’s clothing”, not to be trusted or applauded!

Goodbye And Good Riddance To Kevin McCarthy!

Former briefly Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy is quitting Congress at the end of this year, not fulfilling the commitment to finish his 9th term in the lower chamber.

This is not surprising, as Kevin McCarthy has spent his House career seeking power, and being aggressive and nasty toward critics in both parties.

His Speakership was brief and disastrous, and he leaves with a chip on his shoulder, and planning to work to defeat his Republican critics.

His 17 years in the House showed no principle, no decency, no concern about those in his California district or nationally, who had difficult lives.

He was an example of the worst elements of selfishness and greed imaginable, and will not be missed!

His leaving, and the expulsion of George Santos, leaves only a two seat margin for the Republicans, so the party could, in theory, lose their majority sometime in 2024 before the next elections!

The Horrible Potential Candidates For Trump Vice Presidential Choice!

Speculation has begun for potential Vice Presidential running mates for Donald Trump, if he goes on to be the Republican Presidential nominee in 2024.

The emphasis is on race and gender, which is odd for Republicans who wish to deemphasize such factors, but a list has been drawn up that has individuals who would be, despite their race or gender, horrendous, and a danger to the nation if any of them were a heartbeat away from the Presidency.

They include:

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott
New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Florida Congressman Byron Donalds
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy
Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene

Also mentioned are former South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who is fast becoming the major alternative to Trump; and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Those two and Kristi Noem and Tim Scott are the “best’ of a horrible lot, with the other five truly nightmare choices!

Trump has degraded the Presidency, and now seems likely to be ready to degrade the office of the Vice Presidency!

George Santos Becomes 6th House Member In History To Be Expelled!

In a surprise, nearly half of the Republican Caucus in the House of Representatives joined with Democrats to expel George Santos of New York, only the 6th case in American history, and without a conviction in a criminal case as of yet.

No defense of Santos, who was a disgrace from Day One, but one wonders if this opens up the idea of future expulsions without legal convictions as a factor.

In any case, it makes the Republican majority in the House of Representatives one less than before, and with a strong likelihood of the Democrats picking up what had been a Democratic seat before the midterm Congressional elections of 2022!

Congressman George Santos Likely To Be Expelled From NY House Seat

Republican Congressman George Santos is in danger of being expelled from his New York House seat.

This would be a very rare result, as only 20 members of Congress in all of American history, 15 in the Senate and 5 in the House of Representatives, have been voted out by two thirds of their colleagues.

All but three were expelled due to their support of the Confederacy in the Civil War.

A few who have been threatened with explusion have resigned instead.

The proper thing would be for Santos to resign, but it looks as if he is not about to do so, despite having brought disgrace on the House of Representatives.

We shall see very soon whether Santos joins a very short list of expelled members!

Threat Presented By Third Party And Independent Presidential Candidates In 2024

The possibility of third party or independent Presidential candidates affecting the election results in the Presidential Election of 2024 is real.

While no such candidate could win the Presidency, they could determine whether President Joe Biden or Donald Trump or any alternative Republican Presidential nominee wins the White House.

Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips is challenging Joe Biden in Democratic primaries, as is Marianne Williamson, but they are highly unlikely to have any impact, other than as an annoyance.

But Independent candidates such as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr; Cornel West; Jill Stein on the Green Party line; and the No Labels Movement, with a potential nominee in Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, could derail election results and lead to major election issues.

Republican Party Disasters: House Of Representatives And Senate!

The Republican Party is the party of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson of Louisiana.

It is the party of New York Congressman George Santos.

It is the party of Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin.

It is the party of Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville.

It is the party of Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.

It is the party of Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert.

It is the party of Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz.

It is the party of Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan.

Does anything more need to be said?

And this is just the tip of the iceberg on the disaster that the Republican Party has become!

New Threat Of Government Shutdown Under New Speaker Mike Johnson!

A new threat of a government shutdown on Friday November 17, under the new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, is pending.

Johnson has division within the House Republican Conference, and just as former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, he cannot afford to lose more than four votes if all Republicans are present and voting on any budget matter.

And one member could call for a vote to dislodge the new Speaker from his perch, and new chaos and anarchy could reign.

Mike Johnson, an unknown individual until he was elevated to the Speakership, clearly is in above his head, and his extremist views and those of his wife are an alarm bell in the night.

Johnson wants two separate dates for funding, and he proposes no aid for now to either Israel or Ukraine, so it seems like a no brainer, with five days to go to the budget deadline.

If the government shuts down this Friday, it will cause all kinds of grief in innumerable ways.

Disastrous Republican Leadership: Donald Trump, Mike Johnson, Tommy Tuberville!

The Republican Party has become engaged in disaster on all levels, including:

Donald Trump, facing 91 felonies over four trials, ranting and raving like a totally unhinged maniac, but still the clear frontrunner for the Republican Presidential nomination, and calling the January 6 domestic terrorists who have been convicted of crimes as being “hostages”!

Mike Johnson, clearly an extremist right wing Christian who has clearly shown his inability to cooperate with Senate Republicans or the White House, and is standing in the way of aid to Ukraine, and wishing to make tax collection by the Internal Revenue Service even more difficult, so creating greater national debt!

Tommy Tuberville, Republican Senator from Alabama, who has singlehandedly prevented promotions of hundreds of military personnel and leadership, over his opposition to the abortion policies of the Pentagon, despite the undermining of the military readiness and preparedness of America’s defense forces, at a time of great danger and threats with the wars going on in the Middle East and in Ukraine!

Battle Among House And Senate Republicans Over Support For Ukraine

The Republican Party in Congress is badly split over aid to Ukraine.

The majority of Senate Republicans, with top leadership including Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader, want to give more aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

But a small band of House Republicans, the most extreme right wing elements led by Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and others of that group, are resisting aid, and they have found an ally in new House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, who while not well known before now, is clearly a MAGA Republican as these extremists are, totally willing to bend to the will of Donald Trump.

So a major crisis looms for President Joe Biden and members of both political parties who do not wish to see Russia threatening the rest of Europe, if they succeed in defeating Ukraine!