US House Of Representatives

The Kevin McCarthy Speakership Will Be, Sadly, A Disaster For The Nation!

Ronald Leave a comment

Finally, on the 15th ballot in the wee hours of the morning of January 7, Kevin McCarthy became the 55th person to be elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, but with a bare margin and opposition by six extremist right wing members of the Republican Party, who voted present, to resolve the issue.

This was the fifth most contentious election in the history of the House of Representatives, and it does not bode well for the future, as McCarthy has “sold his soul” to the extremist, seditionist, treasonous MAGA Republican criminals who backed the challenge to the results of the Presidential Election of 2020 even after the US Capitol Insurrection of two years ago!

Ironically, the Congress came back in session early on January 7, 2021, to finish what had been delayed the day before by the Insurrection, and now early on January 7, 2023, Kevin McCarthy caved in on demands at almost precisely the same hour, weakening the position of Speakership, and guaranteeing that he might be one of the shortest duration Speakers!

The comparison to his predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, will make it clear that his Speakership, however long it lasts, will pale by comparison.

Hearing Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who kept the support of his 212 member Caucus for all 15 ballots, speak in an oratorical fashion that will be seen as memorable for the ages, was so inspiring and made all decent people feel pride!

One can only hope that a small number of moderate Republicans will support him to replace McCarthy when a political crisis arises, and the extremist element wants McCarthy’s head.

The alternative certainly would be to gain a Democratic majority in 2024, so that Jeffries is the 56th Speaker of the House in 2025!

One thing is clear: Kevin McCarthy will never be able to overcome the weakness, and lack of principle and ethics, that he demonstrated by going to Mar A Lago, less than two weeks after condemning the criminality of Donald Trump in inciting the January 6, 2021 US Capitol Insurrection! It will be one of the first statements about his life and poor reputation in his eventual obituary!

21 House Republicans Are Effectively “Terrorists” Preventing House Of Representatives From Governing!

Ronald 7 Comments

After three days and ten ballots and counting as I write this entry, the House of Representatives is still not able to move ahead and begin its responsibilities to the nation!

As things now stand, it seems likely that this chaos and disaster will be at least the 5th longest Speaker battle, only surpassed in 1819 (22 ballots); 1859 (44 ballots); 1849 (63 ballots); and 1855 (133 ballots)!

This is due to 21 Republicans refusing to support their Caucus leader, Kevin McCarthy of California, who “sold his soul” to Donald Trump after the January 6, 2021 US Capitol Insurrection!

These 21 Republicans are, effectively, “terrorists” who want to have the power to cripple the House of Representatives on a daily basis, with the idea that if even one member objects to anything McCarthy might do as Speaker, that a vote could be taken to oust him from the leadership of the chamber!

This is pure insanity, and it is time for Kevin McCarthy to refuse to do so, and ultimately, to withdraw from the possibility of being Speaker, in order to move the House of Representatives forward!

But, whoever else might wish to be Speaker, must NOT give in, either, to these seditionists and traitors!

So it is time for the more reasonable, more moderate, and more rational small band of House Republicans to agree to one of the following alternatives:

As this author and blogger suggested yesterday, back a former member of the chamber, such as Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Justin Amash of Michigan, Fred Upton of Michigan, or John Kasich of Ohio, to be the Speaker, with the support of the Democratic minority, and refuse to agree to any demands that limit the Speaker’s ability to lead the chamber!

OR have a small band of these moderate Republicans agree to support Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic Minority Leader, in this crisis and arrange for a truly bipartisan House of Representatives!

These are the only choices now, and national security and stability are at stake, and these 21 members should be denied any committee memberships, and possible action to expel them from the House of Representatives should be under consideration!

No more MR NICE GUY, but rather tough action against members who have no interest in anything but their own egos!

With the second anniversary of the January 6 attacks coming tomorrow, one has to worry about a sudden attack by domestic terrorists as two years ago, or a foreign attack, with our international reputation as a functioning democracy in tatters right now!

The Republican Party Is In Free Fall! Time For “Coalition” House Of Representatives!

Ronald 6 Comments

As we wake up on Wednesday January 4, the Republican Party in the House of Representatives is in free fall, a real danger to the stability of American government!

Only once since the Civil War has the House of Representatives faced the crisis it has now, a century ago, when it took 9 ballots to choose Frederick Gillett to be Speaker in 1923 in the 68th Congress.

It seems highly unlikely that Kevin McCarthy will become Speaker, as there is real animosity between him and most of the extremist right wing Freedom Caucus.

McCarthy making too many concessions to these “seditionists” will undermine his party and create a situation whereby nothing can be done, and it is an embarrasssment to the world at large to see this disaster continue to unfold!

It is time for a “coalition” House of Representatives, with a former Republican gaining the few “moderate” Republicans joining with Democrats to create a majority with some concessions to Democrats, and backing away from extremist demands of the Freedom Caucus, as the nation needs a House of Representatives who can truly “govern” in the national interest!

So some suggestions as to who could become Speaker for the next two years:

Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming
Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois
Former Congressman and former Governor John Kasich of Ohio
Former Congressman Justin Amash of Michigan
Former Congressman Fred Upton of Michigan

The 118th Congress Opens: Prediction Of Worst Congress In Modern Times!

Ronald 1 Comment

The 118th Congress has just been gaveled into session, and it seems clear that, at least in the House of Representatives, the nation is facing the worst two years of Congressional action in modern history!

After the very successful 117th Congress under President Joe Biden, while the Senate has one extra Democrat now (John Fetterman of Pennsylvania), the Republican takeover of the House of Representatives is on the way to disaster, as it now seems inevitable that the battle over whether Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California is to become Speaker of the House is going to take multiple ballots for the first time in a century!

Frederick Gillett had to suffer through nine ballots before he was chosen to be Speaker in the 68th Congress, precisely a century ago!

There have been 14 Congresses that had a battle over who would be Speaker, all but 1923 being before the Civil War, with four being Congresses between 1847 and 1861; five being between 1819 and 1841; and four being between 1793 and 1811.

So this will be the 15th Congress out of 118 that has had this struggle over who would be Speaker.

The longest battles have been in the 34th Congress (1855-1857)—133 ballots; the 31st Congress (1849-1851)—63 ballots; the 36th Congress (1859-1861)—44 ballots; and the 16th Congress (1819-1821)—22 ballots.

As I write this mid afternoon, Kevin McCarthy has lost on the first and second ballots, and it seems as if this struggle for the Speakership will go on endlessly, and the feeling is that someone else, possibly Jim Jordan of Ohio, may end up as Speaker, even though he has supported McCarthy!

If such happens, the nation is is dangerous times, as Jordan was too close and supportive of Donald Trump, and has vehemently condemned the January 6 House investigation of the US Capitol Insurrection!

The Future Of The Republican House Majority In The 118th Congress

Ronald Leave a comment

It is now two days until the first session of the 118th Congress, and there is, seemingly, total chaos in the small Republican majority in the House of Representatives, as to whether California Congressman Kevin McCarthy, who has wished to be be Speaker of the House since 2015, will actually be able to gain 218 votes from his caucus.

The gut feeling is that he will NOT be able to accomplish his goal,and this author and blogger senses that second ranking Republican Steve Scalise of Louisiana will become the alternative choice.

So we shall see what transpires on Tuesday or later! It will be a very tumultuous time!

The 117th Congress Ends With Major Accomplishments, Despite Small Margins In Both Houses Of Congress!

Ronald Leave a comment

The 117th Congress, with razor thin margins in the House of Representatives, and a 50-50 division in the US Senate, only the fourth time ever of an even split in the upper body, can be looked back upon as a Congress which accomplished a great deal, considering the situation.

The Democratic Party accomplished a great deal, and was able to conduct a thorough investigation of Donald Trump and the January 6 Insurrection at the US Capitol, with the great help of two courageous Republican House members, Liz Cheney of Wyoming, and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.

Democracy prevailed, and this Congress did more than any since the 111th Congress (2009-2011) with Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House on her first round in the job, and Barack Obama as President.

And it could be said that the 117th Congress actually accomplished more than the 111th Congress, and that the last Congress to have accomplished more was the 89th Congress (1965-1967) under Lyndon B. Johnson.

Foreign Born In The Upcoming 118th Congress (2023-2025)

Ronald Leave a comment

About 30 members of the upcoming 118th Congress in the House of Representatives are foreign born, and 5 US Senators are in that category!

The Senators are:

Colorado Democratic Senator Michael Bennet
Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz
Illinois Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth
Hawaii Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono
Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen

22 foreign born House members are Democrats and 8 Republican are in that category.

Among them and somewhat better known are:

Democrat Robert Garcia of California
Democrat Ted Lieu of California
Democrat Jim Himes of Connecticut
Democrat Sean Casten of Illinois
Democrat Sharice Davids of Kansas
Democrat Ilhan Omar of Minnesota
Democrat Tom Malinowski of New Jersey
Democrat Susan Wild of Pennsylvania
Democrat Pramila Jayapal of Washington
Republican Carlos Jimenez of Florida
Republican Dan Crenshaw of Texas

An All Time High Number Of Women In The 118th Congress

Ronald Leave a comment

The 118th Congress (2023-2025) will see an all time high number of women serving.

A total of 149 women will be members, with 124 in the House of Representatives and 25 in the Senate.

That means a bit more than a quarter of women in the House of Representatives and exactly 25 percent of the Senate will be women.

A total of 19 Latinas will serve, and 27 African American women, so a total of 46, a bit less than a third of all women members in Congress.

There are also 10 Asian-Pacific Islander women; 2 Native American, Native Alaskan, Native Hawaiian women; and one Middle Eastern/North African woman.

So more than a third of all women serving will be women of color.

Also, 42 Republican women will be in Congress, with 33 in the House of Representatives, and 9 Republican women in the US Senate, with a total of 5 Latina Republican women in the lower chamber.

The Democrats will have 91 women in the House of Representatives, and 16 women in the US Senate. So with 107 women, Democrats more than double the Republican total of 42 women.

And Democrat Marcy Kaptur of Ohio is becoming the longest serving woman in the history of Congress, having already served 40 years in total, breaking the record of Congresswoman and Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland.

Two Presidential Deaths Commemorated: Harry Truman And Gerald Ford!

Ronald Leave a comment

It has been a half century (1972) since President Harry Truman passed away.

It has also been 16 years (2006) since President Gerald Ford died.

These two Presidents, one a Democrat, the other a Republican, share the same day of death, 34 years apart.

Ford was elected to the House of Representatives from Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1948, the year of the miracle victory of President Truman against Thomas E. Dewey and the so called “Do Nothing” 80th Congress, with Truman gaining the nickname “Give Them Hell Harry”!

Both Truman and Ford have seen their stock rise in history, with Truman considered by many at the time of his retirement to be a “failure”, with a very low public opinion rating, but now generally acknowledged as either number 5 or 6 in all scholarly rankings of Presidents.

Gerald Ford remains in the mid 20s in scholarly rankings, but his reputation for his brief Presidency has improved dramatically. There is overall positive approval now of his transition from the corruption of Richard Nixon, and acceptance a quarter century after his pardon of Richard Nixon that he did the right thing to promote moving on beyond Watergate. And for many including this author and blogger, he has become a favored Republican President, more so than any Chief Executive of that party since Dwight D. Eisenhower, and with universal popularity of First Lady Betty Ford!

The Ten Greatest Political Villains Of 2022! And An Addendum!

Ronald 3 Comments

Yesterday, I published a post on the ten greatest Political Heroes of 2022.

So now, it is time to indicate who I believe are the ten greatest Political Villains of 2022!

In no special order, I would list the following:

Republican House Minority Leader, possibly Speaker of the House (hopefully not), Kevin McCarthy of California, who time again and again showed he had no spine, being a supplicant to Donald Trump, and demonstrating no principle or ethics in his crazed desire to be Speaker, two heartbeats away from the Presidency. The thought of him being that close in the line of succession is horrifying, not that there are very good alternatives!

Election Denier, and symbol with clenched fist, Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, who promoted sedition and treason! He faces reelection in 2024 and should be soundly defeated!

Election Denier and most obnoxious Senator (with other competitors), Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who this author and blogger thought in 2016 was the most dangerous Republican running for President, even more than Donald Trump! He faces reelection in 2024 and should be soundly defeated!

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a man who once had some intelligence, but after Arizona Senator John McCain died, has become a total Donald Trump sycophant!

Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, a very unstable and unpricipled excuse for a human being, who, somehow, was able to defeat one of the best US Senators of modern times, Russ Feingold, in 2010 and 2016, and then a very talented Lieutenant Governor, African American Mandela Barnes in 2022. Johnson is one of the worst figures in Senate history!

Republican Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio, an obnoxious and unprincipled man who, sadly, is likely to become House Judiciary Committee Chairman in the 118th Congress in 2023!

Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who won his third term as Governor in 2022, despite his horrendous policies and lack of compassion, and is likely to pursue a Presidential candidacy for 2024!

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who won a vast reelection victory in 2022, and is seen as the front runner for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2024, despite his intolerant and authoritarian bent, and his high level of arrogance and cockiness, on a multitude of issues. These include the COVID 19 Pandemic; Gay and Transgender Rights; Racial and Religious Minorities; interference in the teaching of History and Literature, and Manipulating School Boards and Libraries; and extreme Gerrymandering of Congressional Districts, which took away two African American seats, and gave the Republicans the control of the House of Representatives in the 118th Congress!

Arizona Republican Gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake, who used the same tactic as Donald Trump, promoting the “Big Lie” about her defeat in the recent elections in her state. She has just been repudiated in court in her attempt to reverse a clearcut victory by her opponent, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs. Good riddance to the most obnoxious woman imaginable!

Finally, on this list, former President Donald Trump, the most dangerous and worst US President in American history, twice impeached, and a close ally of totalitarian dictators around the world, willing to overthrow the US Constitution, rule of law, and American democracy. He needs to be prevented from running again for President, and indictment and conviction on the four charges brought against him by the January 6 House Committee is essential, to prevent any future tyrant from taking the kind of actions that this most evil man took! He harmed so many Americans during his term, as well as having the responsibility for the deaths, destruction and violence, in the worst attack on the US Capitol since the War of 1812!

And now an Addendum:

The Supreme Court has become a disgraceful, power hungry, extremist right wing organization!

Chief Justice John Roberts has lost his desired reputation as the leader of his Court, and in particular, Clarence Thomas (appointed by George H. W. Bush) and Samuel Alito (appointed by George W. Bush) have been totally out of control, and both will go down as two of the very worst Supreme Court Justices in American history! The names and reputations of both Bush Presidencies are permanently besmirched as a result!