US House Of Representatives

Lyndon B. Johnson And Medicare: 58th Anniversary!

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It has been 58 years since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Medicare Act, a pathbreaking turning point in health care, after much resistance for a half century.

Theodore Roosevelt in 1912, as the Progressive (Bull Moose) Party Presidential nominee, was the first President to suggest health care should be a national commitment.

His distant cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, considered the issue, but had enough of a battle over Social Security being legislated into law in 1935, as part of his “New Deal”.

Harry Truman promoted, as part of his “Fair Deal”, the consideration of some sort of national health care, but it went awry in the divisive politics of the “Red Scare” and the Cold War.

John F. Kennedy also pushed the issue, but did not have the clout to get it past House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Wilbur Mills of Arkansas.

Lyndon B. Johnson pushed the issue of national health care as part of his “Great Society”, and got it done, and it has been a godsend to millions of elderly people and disabled people, and added to the following year by the adoption of Medicaid.

Most Republicans opposed it then and since, and continue to call it “Socialism”, and ten states, including Texas and Florida, refuse to expand Medicaid, denying the poor the care they need, and this by a party that claims to be “Pro Life”! 🙁

And Barack Obama, in promoting the Affordable Care Act or “ObamaCare”, expanded health care, and it continues to survive despire blistering Republican and conservative attacks!

So this is a time to salute LBJ, as the savior of the promotion of national health care!

Impeachment Power Being Abused, When It Should Be Rarely Utilized!

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The reckless move toward impeachment of President Joe Biden, and or Attorney General Merrick Garland or Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by the small margin Republican majority in the House of Representatives, is an issue that brings to attention that the impeachment power has been horribly abused, when it should be rarely utilized!

To impeach a cabinet officer is extremely rare, and basically is a no brainer, as it would not lead to conviction in the US Senate.

To impeach a President was always rare, with the only exceptions being Andrew Johnson and later Richard Nixon, although Nixon resigned the Presidency before the whole House of Representatives could vote to impeach him on the charges brought by the majority of the House Judiciary Committee.

The Bill Clinton impeachment was purely political, while the two impeachment cases against Donald Trump were totally justifiable, and the proposal to “expunge” the impeachments is preposterous, and will not take away the stain and the history of the reality of Trump’s abuses in office!

Attempts to impeach the following Presidents went nowhere:

John Tyler
James Buchanan
Ulysses S. Grant
Grover Cleveland
Herbert Hoover
Harry Truman
Lyndon B. Johnson
Ronald Reagan
George H W Bush
George W. Bush
Barack Obama

Unless a case is clear, as with Nixon and Trump, there is NO justification for abusing the impeachment power!

Donald Trump Indictments Mounting Up

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Former President Donald Trump has already been indicted twice, and it now seems clear that he will be indicted in the next couple of weeks at least twice more–by Jack Smith regarding the January 6 Insurrection in Washington, DC, and in Georgia for interference in the election results in that state in the Presidential Election of 2020.

Additionally, “fake” electors in Michigan have been indicted by the Michigan Attorney General, and more such indictments may follow in other states that Trump supporters challenged in an unethical, illegal fashion–including Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.

Donald Trump is taking the Republican Party down with him, as even now, the leaders in Congress, including Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, Congressman Jim Jordan, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, and many others continue to claim that Trump has not engaged in corrupt behavior, but that Joe Biden has done so!

And except for Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson, no other Republican contender for the White House is willing to show guts and courage, and denounce Trump, and call for him not to be allowed to compete for the Presidency!

Marjorie Taylor Greene Promotes FDR, LBJ, Biden, Totally Unaware Of What She Is Doing!

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Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene went on a rant at a right wing conference, making a total fool of herself, which she does on a regular basis!

She spoke about the “horrendous” actions of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal, Lyndon B. Johnson and the Great Society, and Joe Biden and “Build Back Better”, all three Democratic Presidents!

She compared Biden to FDR and LBJ, which is an endorsement of three Presidents who have done so much positive in domestic affairs, but she made it clear how terrrible it was that the nation has Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, labor unions, environmental laws, education, urban and rural poverty, infrastructure investments, and other so called “socialist” programs that make life better for Americans!

Biden and the Democrats are using what Greene said to tout their own accomplishments, and are proud to be connected to LBJ and FDR, as any sane person would be!

Crazy: Many Republicans And Right Wing Media Calling For Revolution And Sedition!

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It is crazy and unbelievable to see many Republicans and Right Wing Media calling for revolution and violence because Donald Trump is facing prosecution for endangering national security by his illegal possession of highly sensitive documents at his Mar a Lago estate in Florida!

This craziness is being heard and seen on Fox News Channel, NewsMax, and on talk radio shows.

Among those advocting revolution, violence, and retribution, besides Donald Trump himself, are members of his family; failed Arizona gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake; right wing lunatic Mark Levin; Right wing activist Charlie Kirk; disinformation super spreader Alex Jones; Fox News Host Tucker Carlson; Donald Trump Jr’s fiancee Kimberly Guilfoyle; Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs; Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene; and a host of other extremists.

And Republican Presidential contenders, except for Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson, are talking about pardons for January 6 insurrectionists and Trump himself, if any of them were to be elected President.

And top Republican leaders, at least in the House of Representatives, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy, are failing to realize how Trump endangered the national security of the US!

And Donald Trump, in two rallies since the announcement of the indictment, has promoted threats and violence against the prosecutor Jack Smith; the Department of Justice; and the FBI, making him “a clear and present danger” to the American government and nation!

Meanwhile, at least two former Trump Cabinet officers, Attorney General William Barr, and National Security Adviser John Bolton, have made it clear that the case against Donald Trump is very strong and powerful!

The Way To A Democratic House Of Representatives Majority In The 119th Congress!

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With the Democratic Party only needing to gain a minimum of five seats in the House of Representatives in the Congressional Elections of 2024, some key points to make.

California, Florida and New York, three of the four largest Congressional delegations due to their large populations, have Republican members who won in 2022, but represent districts won by Joe Biden in 2020.

Partisan gerrymandering in both New York and Florida also were the key to Republicans winning a small majority of five seats, which has upended so much in the 118th Congress.

Now, with the Supreme Court backing a challenge to an Alabama reapportionment that denied African Americans fair representation, there is also a good chance of gaining a seat in that state, plus the possibility of the same gains in Texas, Florida, and a few other states that have undermined black or Latino representation based on their proportion of state populations.

With the 118th Congress unable to accomplish much under Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the odds are growing that the Democrats will win back control of the House, and by more than just a bare margin.

A major Joe Biden victory against Donald Trump and other MAGA Republicans could produce a second term of major movement forward, both in Congress and the White House!

Mike Pence Needs To Be Blunt About Donald Trump At Upcoming CNN Town Hall!

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Former Vice President Mike Pence is ready to announce his Presidential candidacy on Wednesday, June 7, and that evening there will be a CNN Town Hall in Iowa, hosted by Dana Bash.

This will be an event mostly ignored, as CNN has lost its credibility, and it seems almost unfair to have Dana Bash be put into the position of hosting this event.

The only thing about Mike Pence that is positive, is that, after consultation with former Vice President Dan Quayle and others, that he did the necessary and right thing by refusing to consider any electoral vote changes that Donald Trump and his criminal insurrectionists tried to foist on the country at the time of the January 6 US Capitol attack.

Those supporting Trump wanted Pence hanged, and there was a noose outside the US Capitol that day, and Trump did nothing to discourage possible violence against his own Vice President, a man a heartbeat away from the Presidency!

Now, Pence has been critical of Trump for his support of Kim Jong Un of North Korea and Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation, but little else has yet been said by Pence about anything else involving his former boss.

Dana Bash needs to ask, and Mike Pence needs to answer, about the need to repudiate Trump for January 6, and to make clear of the danger of Trump’s potential nomination for President in 2024.

Pence also needs to make clear he would not support the Republican party nominee if it is Trump, and to show guts and courage, realizing his own potential candidacy is a long shot.

Pence needs to think of the future of his country, and show courage and boldness similar to former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney and former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger!

Debt Limit Bill Passes House Of Representatives 314-117!

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The US House of Representatives has passed the Debt Limit legislation to avoid default, by a vote of 314-117, with one third of the Republican majority voting against, and about one fourth of the Democratic minority voting against.

149 Republicans and 165 Democrats voted for the legislation, and 71 Republicans and 46 Democrats voted against the legislation.

So fundamentally, the centrists in both parties did what had to be done, while many members of the Republican House Freedom Caucus and of the Democratic House Progressive Caucus registered their opposition to the legislation.

Overall, it is a good piece of legislation, and saves the nation from dealing with this matter until after the next Presidential and Congressional elections in 2024.

Now the legislation goes to the Senate, where it could be held up by reckless members of the Republican Party, who love to gain attention by being outrageous!

Debt Limit Deal A Compromise, But Mostly A Biden Win!

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It seems that the crisis over the raising the federal debt ceiling will be resolved by a compromise, which means no one gets everything they want.

However, it also seems that the Democrats and President Joe Biden will come out better than the Republicans and Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy.

The Freedom Caucus in the Republican Party in the House of Representatives and the Progressive Caucus in the Democratic Party are not happy, but the passage of the deal seems to be likely, although some Republicans in the Senate, such as Mike Lee of Utah, may try to hold up the deal.

But the Democrats are making fewer concessions compared to the Republicans, and Kevin McCarthy may face a no confidence vote from the Republican caucus, although he would seem to be likely to survive, although maybe in a weakened state.

The best part of the proposed deal is to push the debt limit issue off for two years, until after the next Presidential and Congressional Elections in 2024!

Ron DeSantis Strikes Out On Day One, And All Downhill From Now On For Good Reasons!

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Ron DeSantis “struck out” on Day One, having problems on Twitter Audio with Elon Musk, and it will be all downhill from now on.

Instead of speaking before an audience of supporters, DeSantis is isolating himself, and talking only to right wing cable and radio shows.

And he is telling us he will be more hardline than Donald Trump was on immigration! And he will consider giving pardons to Insurrectionists from January 6, and even to Trump, if he is convicted!

So DeSantis is against the rule of law, and supporting the sedition and treason of the Insurrectionists, which should, automatically, kill his candidacy!

DeSantis is coming along more than ever as an extreme right wing Fascist, who wants to take away the freedom of women, gays and transgender people, and immigrants!

And he is ignoring evidence of antisemitism in Florida, and warring on Disney, and banning books, and dictating curriculum in public schools and universities, and promoting racism and white supremacy!

Remember he was one of the founders of the Freedom Caucus in the House of Representatives, and a TEA PARTY activist under Barack Obama’s Presidency!

And he wanted to cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid while in Congress, and has used his power to fix legislative and congressional districts to promote gerrymandering, which took away representation from African American in the state of Florida!

He has a wife who is very ambitious and dominating, and he has come across as very phony in his public persona, laughing hysterically that looks preposterous, and lacking any empathy, sincerity, compassion, or common decency!

He is the direct opposite of the personality and character of President Joe Biden, and for anyone to support him as the “better” alternative, would need his or her head examined!