US House Of Representatives

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!

Is There A Jon Huntsman Or John Kasich In The Republican Presidential Campaign Of 2024?

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With the Republican Presidential race in high gear now, with the entrance later today of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, two days after the entrance of South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, the question arises?

Is there anyone in the Republican Party who has the potential to draw support and acclaim as occurred with former Utah Governor and Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman Jr. in 2012, or former Ohio Governor John Kasich in 2016?

Neither Huntsman nor Kasich went very far in the race, but both gained respect and applause as reasonably decent candidates.

But are there any such individuals now?

Theoretically, there might be with Senator Tim Scott; or possibly former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson; or possibly New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu; or possibly former Texas Congressman Will Hurd; or finally, former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney.

But it does seem like a long haul to compare any of them to Huntsman or Kasich, realistically!

Growing Threat To Members Of Congress, Their Staffs And Even Presidential Staffs!

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The growing threat to members of Congress and their staff, and to all government employees, even those who work for the President of the United States, is alarming!

The number of threats has quadrupled in the past four years overall, and to members of Congress ten fold, and the attack on staff members of Virginia Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly, and the intrusion in the home of Joe Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, in the past few days, are just the latest examples of constant threats posed by domestic terrorists!

There is a dire need for upgraded security for all government workers, wherever they work and wherever they live, as working for government should not be a threat to the lives of dedicated employees!

George Santos, An Embarrassment And Burden To Republican Party

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First term Congressman George Santos (R-New York) is just the latest example of the disaster that is the Republican Party of 2023!

Santos has copied Donald Trump in stating that the 13 charges brought against him this week by the federal government are a “witch hunt”!

He has lied about everything imaginable, and he should resign from office, but Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy desperately needs every vote on every bill, since he has only a four seat majority in the House of Representatives.

Santos is an embarrassment and burden to the Republican Party, and it is likely that his Congressional seat in Northern Queens County and North Shore of Nassau County, the area where this blogger and author lived in the first half of his life, will turn back to Democratic if there is a special election during the term, or else in the regular election cycle in 2024!

Facts: States With Weak Gun Laws And High Gun Ownership Lead In Gun Deaths!

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In the midst of the endless number of gun massacres occurring daily in America, and with children being the primary victims, statistics demonstrate the reality that Second Amendment advocates do not want to acknowledge.

States with weak gun laws and high gun ownership lead in Gun Deaths.

The six highest states in gun deaths are Mississippi, Wyoming, Louisiana, Alaska, Missouri, and Alabama, all with lax gun laws!

The five states with lowest gun death rates, all of which have strong gun control regulations, are Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and New York!

Notice that it is Southern states which primarily have high death rates from guns, while Northeastern, highly urban states have low death rates from guns!

Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan, leading a Congressional hearing in New York City yesterday to go after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg due to prosecution and indictment of Donald Trump, comes from the Columbus, Ohio area, which has THREE times the crime rate of New York City!

Fox News Channel pedals lies and deceit, but it is clear that having stronger gun laws helps to lead to lower death rates, particularly among children!

It is clear that one major reason why Republicans, conservatives, Fox News Channel, and the National Rifle Association has no concern about death rates from guns, particularly among children, is the reality that many more African American children are victims than are white, Latino, or Asian children.

This is part of the continued racism and lack of concern, including police abuse against African American youths, so quick to shoot and kill, as compared to white youths!

Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s Tenure In Danger!

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Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy is in great danger of losing his Speakership, and so far, the 118th Congress, with a small Republican edge in the House of Representatives, and a 51-49 Democratic Senate control, has accomplished almost nothing!

If McCarthy angers just one member of his caucus, a vote could come up to remove him from the Speakership, and if just five members of his caucus joined with the Democrats, he will be gone as the leader of his party!

The upcoming debt ceiling impasse will be a major test of whether McCarthy can survive the two year term of the 118th Congress!

The lunatic “Freedom Caucus”, with at least 46 sitting members, sadly, is controlling much of the Republican agenda in the House of Representatives!

This includes Matt Gaetz of Florida, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, and Lauren Boebert of Colorado, as the most controversial of a group in which all the members are extremists!

“No Labels” Independent Group A Disaster In The Making!

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The “No Labels” Independent group is an organization forming to provide a potential third party choice for the Presidency in 2024, due to many in the group and nationally having strong feelings that the nation deserves a choice beyond Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

This group, which has both Democrats and Republicans who are flirting with the effort, include many who most Americans have no awareness of, but also some major names:

Joe Lieberman, former Democratic and Independent Senator from Connecticut
Joe Manchin, Democratic Senator from West Virginia
Pat McCrory, former Republican Governor of North Carolina
Larry Hogan, former Republican Governor of Maryland

In a theoretical scenario, this group thinks the potential of the following Electoral College result is possible:

Republican states Texas (40), Nebraska (5), and Florida (30)–75
Democratic states Virginia (13), Illinois (19), Washington (12)–44
“Swing” states Arizona (11), Michigan (15), Pennsylvania (19)–45

A total of 164 electoral votes, denying either the Republican or Democratic candidate enough electoral votes to win the Presidency!

and 37 percent of the popular vote, causing the House of Representatives, one vote per state, to choose the Presidential winner, and with 26 states at the moment having a Republican majority in the House delegation!

The theory is that six out of ten moderate-independent voters are open to supporting a third party ticket at this point!

But the likelihood is such an effort would lead to Donald Trump winning over Joe Biden, a horrendous development!

This would be extremely destructive, and there is no possible way for an independent candidate to win the Presidency, as the closest we have ever reached that was Theodore Roosevelt, Progressive (Bull Moose) candidacy in 1912, winning six states, 27.5 percent of the popular vote, and six states with a total of 88 electoral votes.

But TR’s candidacy helped Democrat Woodrow Wilson to win, over Republican incumbent William Howard Taft!