IF YOU COME AT THE SPEAKER YOU BEST ONLY MISS, LIKE, 3 OR 4 TIMES…5 TOPS
— Jason Linkins (@dceiver) January 6, 2015
Boehner dismissed the challenge to his speakership, and in the end, only 20 or so of the village idiots voted against him. Accordingly, they are already being beaten about the head and neck:
After he secured his third term as speaker Tuesday afternoon, losing 25 votes on the House floor to some relative-unknown members of the Republican Conference, Boehner moved swiftly to boot two of the insurgents from the influential Rules Committee. That could be just the start of payback for the speaker’s betrayers, who might see subcommittee chairmanships and other perks fall away in the coming months.
Boehner’s allies have thirsted for this kind of action from the speaker, who say he’s let people walk all over him for too long and is too nice to people who are eager to stab him in the back. The removal of Florida Reps. Daniel Webster and Rich Nugent from Rules was meant as a clear demonstration that what Boehner and other party leaders accepted during the last Congress is no longer acceptable, not with the House’s biggest GOP majority in decades.
Should be fun to watch, because their incentives are not within the house power structure. Their incentives are on the wingnut welfare/AM radio/Regnery press crowd.
jonas
That’s just hilarious. Payback’s a bitch.
Citizen_X
“These men are cowards, Donny.”
Though, in this instance, I think it makes them more dangerous. Though others may be too driven and delusional (Ted Cruz), or simply lazy (Sarah Palin) to do anything but please the talk radio goons, most of the incoming House GOP class will be strongmen-worshipping authoritarians; too careerist to take any risks with House leadership. Their willingness to follow may make them more united, and thus difficult to deal with.
jl
I can’t find the tally, but looks like Boehner had 8 or 9 votes to spare.
Far as I can figure from news reports:
216 for Boehner
25 for GOP nutcases
167 for Pelosi or other Democrats
26 or 27 Dems missing for some function (I forget what it was).
I guess the two dozen or so missing Dems gave the GOP crazies the idea that they could force a second ballot.
And, nothing happen to Yoho or Gohmert, or are they is such a desperate state as they are that they are beyond meaningful punishment?
jl
Found the vote tally
216. Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio.
164. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
12. Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla.
3. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas.
2. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla.
2. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.
1. Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn.
1. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore.
1. Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C.
1. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.
1. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga.
1. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
1. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
1. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.
1. Colin Powell, former secretary of State.
1. Present
Vote totals for Speaker Boehner, others
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/01/06/6002952/vote-totals-for-speaker-boehner.html
25 GOPer votes against Boehner split between 10 Congresscritters, 8 Reps and 2 Senators. Watching these nutcases is going to be fun, as long as they can’t do too much permanent damage.
Which two lunatics voted for Gohmert, besides Gohmert?
lamh36
I will say it again, ICYMI, since apparently the deliberate detonation of a IED near an NAACP office isn’t news enough for MSM coverage…
Explosion outside NAACP in Colorado deliberate, FBI says
John Cole +0
@jl: Mario Cuomo’s funeral.
jl
@John Cole +0: Thanks for reminding me.
Omnes Omnibus
Does Elijah Cummings look like he is about to smack the shit out of Trey Gowdy or what?
catclub
Boehner is no Natalie Portman. Brain bleach anyone?
Violet
Any relation to the crazy Ted?
MomSense
@lamh36:
This is terrible.
Cain
@lamh36:
Yes, because after all, who cares about those guys, amirite? Now if it was the NRA, that would be different, those folks are Americans!
Violet
@lamh36: Colorado Springs. Christian evangelical central. White Christians, I mean. Not a big surprise it would happen there. Terrible.
Little Boots
there’s just something so funny about picturing boehner in a mood.
maybe that’s unfair.
David Koch
4 years ago there were about 4 or 5 Dems who didn’t vote for Nancy Smash. A negligible amount, right. But the media made the biggest deal of the handful of blue-dogs with their standard “dems in disarray” articles.
Today 25 voted against Orangeman, the worst showing in 155 years and the very same media responses with a collective “meh”.
Thanks libuerl media.
PsiFighter37
Rahm Emanuel (cursed be his name) would have left dead fish on their desks after he did the deed.
All this talk about Boehner being a badass (which is exactly what happened 2 years ago) is window dressing. If he really wanted to make a statement, he’d do something LBJ-esque – give them ‘The Treatment’ in public or subtly accuse one of the wingnuts of being pigfuckers.
Otherwise, this payback is as smooth as a smoothie from Orange Julius.
jl
@David Koch: Johnny Bones is a wise man, a serious man, a sound man, bravely surmounting serious seriousness. Not some silly little wimmins in charge of The Party in Disarray.
As PsiFighter37 implies, a hilarious conceit, but some people will believe anything they read.
Violet
Since this is a thread about Republicans, yesterday I heard on NPR that the Republicans are considering raising taxes on gasoline to raise funds for maintenance and repairs of roads and bridges. Heard the story twice. Yes, really. I think the reporter was insane. This won’t happen, will it? Raise taxes? On gas? WTF?
In a discussion on the Diane Rehm show, some of the guests were from Kansas. A caller from Kansas asked if the rest of the country would learn from Brownback having gone too far and the Kansas budget and economy being a mess. The so-called political experts claimed that Brownback was going to have to pull back some of his policies because they’ve gone too far for the Nice Republicans of Kansas. Uh huh. Again WTF?
RobertDSC (Quad Intel Mac)
@Violet: “Evacuate now? In our moment of triumph? I think you overestimate their chances.”
-the late Grand Moff Tarkin.
Please proceed, you domestic terrorists.
Mike J
@Violet:
If it passes, it will be the Obama gas tax. If it fails, it will be Obama is trying to kill the domestic oil industry.
Did you know, if you had a couple of beers with dinner, it’s very easy to mistype “oil industry” as “poi industry”. A different thing altogether.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
the poi industry could never afford Mary Landrieu
goblue72
A more unified, controlled House GOP caucus is not something we should be celebrating. We under-estimate these nutjobs. Hilz is by no means a lock on the Presidency.
We’d like to think that any Bush running would be electoral poison. But as the last few election have shown, American voters are racist, pig-ignorant sacks of poo with the memories of a flea.
Just imagine a Jeb Bush in the WH, a House GOP with a post-war historically huge GOP majority, a Senate in GOP control even if nominally, and the Roberts Court. All in a country where the majority of voters who show up are scared old white people who have no problem torturing people and would gladly eviscerate the social safety net if it means those coloreds don’t get a chance to leave “their” neighborhoods and move into white ones.
Omnes Omnibus
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Bullshit. Those fuckers put a Hawaiian in the White House. Underestimate them at your peril.
Omnes Omnibus
@goblue72:
And that is why Romney won in 2012… Oh wait….
jl
@Omnes Omnibus: I thought Big Spam put Obama in the WH.
Omnes Omnibus
@jl: It was a collaborative effort.
David Koch
I had no idea Elizabeth Warren had such a smokin hawt body
jl
@goblue72:
” A more unified, controlled House GOP caucus ”
But is that what this looks like? This thread is about GOP lunatics trying to mess up Big Weeping John’s Speaker election, and coming closer than they had before. Not that it was close or that the GOP nutcases had much to do with it, since their ‘big chance’ was mostly due Dem Reps going to Andrew Cuomo’s funeral. But it was closer.
Boehner is not a wise, serous or sound man (IMHO, but maybe you never seen a pic of him in his baby blue golf shorts?) and the lunatics feel empowered by their brave stand today.
goblue72
@Omnes Omnibus: We won’t have a relatively young, charismatic racial minority candidate on the ballot in 2016. We can try and pretend that those factors didn’t play a role in breaking to the ballot box the kind of voters that are both our base and also not good at showing up on election day – but we’d just be fooling ourselves.
Hilz has the “first woman President” thing she can use to pull women generally – and white women specifically – to show up and pull the “D” lever – but she’s also getting quite old – and has shown a propensity for having a completely tin ear. I expect a drop-off in youth vote and minority vote from what we saw with Obama in terms of turnout. Maybe white women (who are NOT consistently strong Dem voters) will make up for that. But its not this slam dunk that this young, brown wave is going to save us in 2016.
jl
@goblue72: it wasn’t a slam dunk in 2008 or 2012 either. The stakes are high, the Dems and all of us will have to work hard. But the chances are much better in 2016, and that is the best you can do in national politics. So don’t get overly depressed after the first day of the New GOP Congressional Order. There will be many more chances to be depressed over the next two years (Whoopee!).
Omnes Omnibus
@goblue72: I am just tired of the doom and gloom that has been prevalent here since the election. It’s not like bad shit hasn’t happened before. I also am tired of the faux-revolutionaries who call for violence in the streets even though we all know they will never put their own asses in the line.
goblue72
@jl: Yes. When a small handful (20 or so) nutjobs in a historically HUGE caucus (the biggest in 70 years) winds up voting for a bunch of reps (as well as votes cast for two members of the OTHER chamber as well as for a guy who isn’t even in either Chamber), then yes, the House GOP is pretty unified. This whole insurgency thing was just so much 24 hour news cycle nonsense.
Need I remind folks that in 2010, Nancy Pelosi saw over 40 votes go to Heath Shuler as minority leader. And that had exactly how much consequence on the unity of the Dem caucus on things that really mattered?
Omnes Omnibus
@goblue72: Votes for minority leader can be different than votes for majority leader. I think that the reasons for this should be rather obvious.
ruemara
If only Democrats enforced party unity like this.
jl
@goblue72: That is 25 nutjobs, not 20, thank you very much, who were not organized enough to even unify themselves around one alternative, but split their votes up in a pointless and disorganized meaningless protest vote for 12 candidates (all of whom were eligible, since don’t need to be member of House to be Speaker).
So, sorry, but I like it. But if you want to always feel hopeless dread and gloom, that is fine. It’s a free country.
Edit: though I would have liked it better if there had been a few GOP votes for Micky Mouse or Daffy Duck. (edit2: Oh wait, maybe there were. Let me think this through for a minute).
goblue72
@jl: I am not depressed. I am a management executive. Depression is not in my DNA. However, a realistic assessment of facts on the ground as they inform an analysis of risks on the horizon is.
And 2016 is way more fraught for us than 2008 or 2012 were. There’s a reason the best the GOP could throw up in 2008 was John McCain and a clown car parade of also-rans. Bush was complete poison and whomever won the Democratic primary was going to have way better than even-odds at winning the Presidency. 2012 was chancier, but the power of incumbency is quite potent.
Going into 2016, in addition to the increasingly angry white electorate in this country, we face the hard truth that the American electorate has a tendency to want to switch parties in its President after one party has had the office for 8 years. Not ironclad, but a tendency that must be overcome.
Can Hilz do it? Possibly. But she’ll have to work her tail off, as she has yet to show much in the way in the past of having a natural talent for campaigning.
PsiFighter37
Reading up on Mario Cuomo’s funeral. Not to be a calloused asshole, but it’s pretty much the only time I have felt sympathy for Andrew the Lesser.
Omnes Omnibus
@ruemara: How does voting for a particular person as leader implicate party unity?
goblue72
@jl: The point being, that the nutty nutbars tossing a bunch of meaningless votes around is NOT evidence that the GOP is in disarray. Its not much of a fractured caucus if a meaningless number of nutbars vote for Snoopy and Garfield for House Speaker. It evidence of the opposite.
Violet
@goblue72:
Why would you be depressed? Your kind are doing well.
jl
@goblue72: Well, if you do GOTV, volunteer for election work, and contribute as well as you worry, then I got no problem. Let us all work hard hope for the best, always acknowledging that nothing is for sure in politics.
jl
@goblue72: I have no illusions that the GOP as a party, during elections is. or will be, anything that is in disarray. I do look forward to nutjobs causing problems for Boehner, and I think today is a positive sign on that front, that is all.
goblue72
@Violet: My “kind”?
Violet
@goblue72: The management executive kind.
Omnes Omnibus
@jl: Being an asshole for a bit – so far what I have seen of goblue72’s expressions of participation, he would like to see people shooting random cops. If I misunderstood, I apologize.
goblue72
@jl: I doubt they will cause much problems. There was nothing to win over the last two years in terms in the WH. The nutbars could do whatever they wanted – Obama had won.
Now, I’d expect some modest nutbarring in first half of 2015, because as the last almost shutdown showed, the American electorate can’t even remember its own home telephone number. GOP suffered zero consequence from that particular hissy fit. So they’ll engage in a lot of brinksmanship over taxes and the budget in early 2015, counting on half the electorate to develop early onset Alzheimer’s when it comes to remembering anything come November 2016.
But as second half of year rolls around, they’ll be tightening up, ready to roll into 2016 for the Presidential election.
tsquared2001
@jl: On the one hand, the Crazy Caucus got that name for a reason and Boehner earned his Weakest Speaker In The History Of The World, Ever title easily.
On the other hand, the Senate is now in GOP hands and as we have seen at the state level, absolute power turns morons into power hungry morons, ready to band together for cutting of the corporate & richie rich tax rate, the subjection of women whenever possible & various other fuckery of society while relying on their unindicted co-conspirators to carry their water when POTUS starts up the veto machine.
My vote is torn between fucked or completely fucked.
Tree With Water
@goblue72: Right you are. Louis Gohmert might well be the King of Clowndom, but he does have a vote in congress. Congressional republicans are all soulless whores, but they are soulless whores prepared to move as one when the chips are down. That fact alone makes them dangerous, in the most sinister sense. They make war for kicks and profit, and they get away with it.
goblue72
@Omnes Omnibus: When countless POC are being assassinated on our city streets under color of law by goosesteppers in badges, I have a hard time getting upset when the oppressed strike back.
lamh36
Guys, I’m really disturbed by the essential silence from the media on the IED detonated outside of the NAACP office in Colorado Springs.
I mean this is domestic terrorism right? I mean…it un-fucking-real.
Now tell me this wouldn’t be breaking news if it occurred outside an NRA headquarters or a church or some rotary club somewhere?
I mean really, what gives?
Talk me down from conspiracy theories
Omnes Omnibus
@tsquared2001: In Wisconsin, Walker is trying to throttle back the goals of the legislature. They want the crazy while they can. He wants to be nationally viable.
goblue72
@tsquared2001: “Weakest” speaker with a large GOP house majority in 70 years. And GOP controlling a huge number of state. In 24 states, the GOP controls BOTH houses AND the governorship. By contrast, Dems can claim that in only 6 states. Overall, the GOP control 70 percent of state legislative chambers.
The clowns may get to parade in front of the cameras in our Bread & Circus TV driven mass media, but you don’t win that kind of power by being stupid.
I’m just glad Obama has no more fucks to give and appears ready to make sure his veto pen has a fresh new ink cartridge in it.
Omnes Omnibus
@goblue72: No offense intended, but I think that you are full of shit. Your last comment does not match your previous comments. I can delve – probably tomorrow – if need be. Do I really need to go back and find your kill a pig (ish) comments?
goblue72
@Omnes Omnibus: you really are a completely obsessive tool, aren’t you?
tsquared2001
@Omnes Omnibus: I am on a huge losing streak but if Scott Serial Killer Eyes Walker even sniffs the presidency, I will be compelled to eat my hat.
Omnes Omnibus
@goblue72: You may think want you want. I just think that people who call for the random death of others might well be assholes. YMMV.
tsquared2001
@goblue72: What has Congress accomplished in the last 4 years? Boehner is weak because there is an agenda that should have been passed for the benefit of their paymasters but all the GOP can agree on is the naming of post offices.
And, by ANY definition of the word, nearly everyone of GOP congressmen are stupid. Amoral – yes, but don’t confuse that with smarts.
John Cole +0
@David Koch: It was over 40, including Heath Schuler, but that was for minority leader.
Violet
@lamh36: I agree it would be breaking news if it was an NRA office, however, I put “NAACP into Google News and the following news organizations came up with stories on it:
ABC News
LA Times
Colorado Springs Gazette
Reuters
NBC News
Denver Post
So some national outlets, a wire service a local news. That’s not a bad mix. On my general Google News it’s the second item under “US News.”
I don’t think it would be breaking news outside a church or Rotary club unless people were badly hurt or killed.
Little Boots
walker is too obvious a tool to be president. christie worries me.
Little Boots
@Omnes Omnibus:
true, I don’t think he’ll be able to, though.
Origuy
@lamh36: It’s Colorado Springs, not Brooklyn. If it doesn’t happen on the East Coast, it takes z while to make an impact.
lamh36
@Violet: No one reads online newspaper headlines.
People still watch national news programming.
So far all the people i know have learned of it via twitter or social media.
People still tend to turn to national broadcast news for breaking news…and I don’t see anything about any of them reporting anything.
Chickamin Slam
Speaking of newspapers : Has anyone seen this ?
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/kirby-delauter-maryland-newspaper-editorial
If the Republicans don’t like what you are saying they will threaten to sue you. Even if you publish just their name.
lamh36
@Origuy: reported locally at 1pm today. Over 12 hours ago? tweets occurred almost soon as story reported locally…
Violet
@lamh36: By “national broadcast news” do you mean cable news? They don’t really do “news” in the evenings. It’s all personality shows. And like Origuy said, if it’s not east coast it takes awhile to filter through, unless maybe it’s L.A. or involves a celebrity.
I don’t know about the nightly news broadcasts, but I can tell you from their commercials their demographics are older people–it’s all medications for older people.
Villago Delenda Est
About fuckin’ time Orange Julius grew some balls and started kicking the asses of teatard trash all around Capitol Hill.
Origuy
I will say that I cannot find anything on CNN’s website about the NAACP bombing. Not surprised to see that the top story in that the AirAsia black box has been found.
Mnemosyne
@Origuy:
I just looked a few minutes ago (10:47 pm Pacific time) and CNN has a headline about the bombing on their front page that was posted 30 minutes ago.
Violet
@Mnemosyne: Interesting. I looked about an hour ago and it wasn’t there. Just checked because of your comment and sure enough it’s there. Way to be on top of breaking news CNN.
Sherparick
@Omnes Omnibus: You are thinking of the off-year election after five years of economic depression and pushing of tribal buttons. And even then, only 60% of the white vote (and if subtract the southern white working class, Obama got about near 50% of the Northern white vote and a majority of the Northern white working class.) Two more good years of economic growth under the Kenyan Usurper and a progressive economic platform may get that back down to 55% to 45% advantage in the white vote which will result in a landslide win.
A very bad attack in France on a satirical magazine “Charlie Hedbo” that run stories on ISIL and cartoon caricature of Muhammed. I expect that this will dominate Faux News coverage for the rest of the week. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30710883
Renie
@PsiFighter37: While reading about Mario have you noticed how much of a disappointment his son Andrew is? I hope this clown doesn’t decide to run.
Elie
@goblue72:
While in some ways I understand your contempt, there are some serious things that we liberal/progressives in blue states need to understand or we and the progress we value is going to be screwed. I have attached a link from a thought provoking piece in the NYT a few days ago that argued that people in blue states are actually experiencing more disparity and that trends for cost of living in blue and red states are not going as you might think. Lets think about what is going on and prepare.. The job,housing and education situation is bad and getting worse in states with the highest mean incomes..
Elie
..I might add that politically, IMHO, the next big economic crisis that will explode is college loan default. That may not erupt in the next year or two, but these kids are shouldering massive loans and the interest rates are going to go up. No jobs they can get are going to allow them to pay these things off with being able to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. This could be a very radicalizing event in the favor of more progressive policies but we will have to produce leaders who are not afraid to talk about it.