Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

American History and Black History Cannot Be Separated

Consistently wrong since 2002

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

I really should read my own blog.

If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.

Second rate reporter says what?

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

You are here: Home / Past Elections / 2020 Elections / Monday Morning Open Thread: Nancy ‘Madame Speaker’ Smash

Monday Morning Open Thread: Nancy ‘Madame Speaker’ Smash

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She’s already started the new session, of course…

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday unveiled a package of ethics and legislative reforms for the new Congress set to convene Sunday, including barring former lawmakers convicted of federal crimes from the House floor…

One change angering Republicans is a revision to parliamentary rules that allow the minority to offer an amendment as part of a “Motion to Recommit” after a bill is approved. The new rules allow the minority to demand a vote on whether the bill should be returned to committee without any proposing or debating specific revisions.

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy on Twitter said the change “just destroyed over 100 years of representation in Congress.”

Democrats said the change would ensure the motion “is no longer used to hijack the legislative process for political gamesmanship.”…

Democrats would make it a violation of the Code of Official Conduct for a lawmaker or employee to disclose the identity of a whistleblower or disseminate manipulated media, including photos and videos, known as “deepfakes.”

The proposed rules would also protect House whistleblowers from retaliation…

Lawmakers would also change “pronouns and familial relationships in the House rules to be gender neutral,”…

The Repubs, of course, perceive all these changes as deeply hurtful and directed specifically at them — for some reason.

Reader Interactions

115Comments

  3. 3.

    Baud

    Lawmakers would also change “pronouns and familial relationships in the House rules to be gender neutral,”…

    I assume his is what Webber is referring to?

    We hurt ourselves big time in 2010 when we let the GOP take over the House from Nancy.

  5. 5.

    debbie

    Alright, so it will be nothing but outrage over gender and pronouns for the foreseeable future. Wonderful. Thankful that there are no other pressing issues.

  6. 6.

    Matt

    Modern centrist Dems in a nutshell: “LOL GOP, we’re gonna make you use pronouns while we let you make all the policy!”

  12. 12.

    Baud

    @debbie:

    No. They have no power over me.  The people I want to talk to aren’t interested in what the Republicans have to say..

  13. 13.

    Immanentize

    Good morning!
    I see it’s the whiny jerks who are crybaby “moderates(?)” Like Spanberger and Lamb who didn’t vote for Pelosi. But all the Progressives — every one — did.

    But it is Jayapal who is hurting the Party?

  14. 14.

    Baud

    @WereBear:

    Republicans want power to do WTF they want

     

    That’s what I want for Dems too. It’s just that what we want are decent and moral things.

  15. 15.

    Immanentize

    Adding — What’s with this “super thin majority” narrative?  In the House, a majority of one means that you rule everything.  The Dems therefore rule everything.  Sure, factions might have slightly more power, but it is not going to be factions of five or six.

    The Senate is pretty much also now that way.

  17. 17.

    Baud

    @Immanentize:

    Even though we kept the House we have to pretend that we lost the House because only then can people offer us unsolicited advice on how to win.

  18. 18.

    Immanentize

    @Baud: That is a nice solution.

    Imagine the previous pandemic(s).  No TV, no internet.  The parade had to go on.  Ask Pres. William Henry Harrison.

  20. 20.

    Mary G

    She’s such a professional.

    WaPo: Shortly before 5:30 p.m., Pelosi took the rostrum to speak before a chamber with fewer than 150 members, as the other two-thirds of the body watched on television.

    She began by noting that a new Congress’s first day usually begins with a bipartisan service at a Capitol Hill church — but not this year.

    “Until that is possible, let us pray personally.” Pelosi said. “Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with us.”

  21. 21.

    JPL

    @Baud: omg   I hope he brings the military, because trump is not going to let him in.     Jill will surely let trump know that three is a crowd.

  22. 22.

    Immanentize

    @Baud: Also, we should get another Dem out of the LA seat.  And I think Brindisi will pull it out in NY 22 adding another Dem

  25. 25.

    Immanentize

    @Baud: The Louisiana one would be just a two year gift.  It’s a very red district, but the Gov. appoints. I think?

    ETA. I was half right — there will be a special election in LA, but it is completely within the discretion of the Governor when a primary and when an election might happen. I just read that there will be a second louisiana House seat open because one of the re-elected House members is going into Biden’s admin.

  26. 26.

    Anne Laurie

    @Matt: Modern centrist Dems in a nutshell: “LOL GOP, we’re gonna make you use pronouns while we let you make all the policy!”

    Or, then again:  “We’ll let you Repubs whine endlessly about pronouns, while we put together actual legislation.”

    Give the babies a binkie to chew, while the grownups do the work.

  27. 27.

    Baud

    @Immanentize:

     I just read that there will be a second louisiana House seat open because one of the re-elected House members is going into Biden’s admin.

    I assume it’s a safe seat.

  32. 32.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Immanentize: The headlines described Pelosi as being reelected in a close vote as if there were some significant fight involved, and I expected to hear of some significant Democratic movement for someone else (like last time), but actually the vote was pretty much party-line with only a couple of dissenters. That’s a completely different story!

  35. 35.

    Geminid

    Today in Oswego NY, Judge DelConte resumes a review of disputed ballots in the NY 22nd Congressional District race. As of Christmas Eve, incumbent Democratic Congressman Anthony Brindisi had a 29 vote lead over former Congresswoman Claudia Tenney. Over two thousand disputed ballots remain.

    The contest is being covered closely in local media. Syracuse.com posted a good article this morning with a lot of detail on the technical legal questions. Judge DelConte seems to be playing this straight, and so far the trend is in Brindisi’s favor.

  39. 39.

    NotMax

    Welcome to the big leagues, Kai Kahele.

    Kaialiʻi Kahele was sworn in as a U.S. representative today in Washington, becoming only the second Native Hawaiian to serve in Congress.
    [snip]
    Kahele said in a news release today that his district office will be located in his hometown of Hilo, the first time that a congressional flagship district office will be based on a neighbor island. He said he also would have congressional field representatives on the islands of Hawaii, Molokai, Lanai, Maui, Oahu and Kauai. Source

  44. 44.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    “By failing to withhold their support in order to create the space for Kevin McCarthy to become Speaker, House “Progressives” missed a golden opportunity to put a stake in the heart of neoliberalism.”

    – Walker Bragman

    “The real danger to the American people isn’t Gluteus Maximus Trump (Praise Be His Name) extorting local officials to fabricate vote totals; it is the inconceivable identity politics that cause wretched liberals to continue selecting corporate shills like Nancy Pelosi to positions of leadership.”

    – Glenn Greenwald

  45. 45.

    Immanentize

    @p.a.: Brindisi is quite Dem. Conservative, but that district (which includes where I grew up) is conservative and rural and historically (like a lot of New England) Republican.  It is truly a 50/50 district which is why a conservative Dem is a good win for us there over the truly horrible crazy lady Republican, Trumpet, Tenney.

    I just looked it up — the nutty Libertarian got 2% which may have saved Brindisi (in the theory that Libertarians are just Republicans who alone pot).

  47. 47.

    Chyron HR

    @Matt:

    It’s okay, sweetie, Bernie’s bold strategy of losing 25% of his support every 4 years is sure to clench the nomination in 2024.

  50. 50.

    ByRookorbyCrook

    I imagine, judging by his self-control and erudite speaking in the GA phone call, Ex-Presidente for Life Chump’s aides have replaced his phone with a Fisher Price one. He can have it back after the runoffs if he doesn’t mangle his MAGA-thon tonight.

    Between the handling of the pandemic and the NY-22 election, county governments have been showing their ass these last few months. Madison County and Oneida County, in particular, have been showing a lack of leadership. Hope for the best seems to be the running strategy followed by ‘I can’t think of anything that will change the situation.’ The county workers soldier on, underfunded and overworked.

  51. 51.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Baud:

    But after Obama didn’t even try for single payer, the contradictions needed to be heightened, was what all the kool kids at FDL said.

    Doesn’t the world feel like it turned out better after the 2010 Congress and those following killed the earmark, killed ACORN, didn’t extend the VRA?

  52. 52.

    Baud

    This story is hitting my feed.

    Plane Sightings Fuel Rumors Trump Planning Escape to Scotland on Day Before Biden Inauguration

  53. 53.

    ByRookorbyCrook

    @p.a.: Brindisi is as purple a blue dog as you will find. He is no profile in courage but will vote with Dems on the majority.

    Claudia Tenney,  his Republican opponent, is indistinguishable from a Trump colon polyp, she has crawled so far up his ass. She ran her Congressional campaign as if she were Vice President instead of Pence. Big signs with her standing with Emperor Tang and Trump/Tenney on every MAGA lawn.

  57. 57.

    NotMax

    Peeked in the mailbox yesterday when rolled the trash bin down to the street. Had been several days since checked for mail.

    Two rather important looking letters there – one from the state tax department, another from a credit company which by feel has a new card in it – addressed to two different house numbers on this same street.

  61. 61.

    Spanky

    @Baud: If true, I don’t think the Scots would give him the welcome he may be hoping for.

    Eta, I’m sure there’s an appropriate Braveheart clip out there somewhere.

  69. 69.

    Mustang Bobby

    Checking in late this morning; first day back at the part-time job.  I wanted to say thanks to Watergirl and Immanentize for pulling together the New Year’s Zooms.  It was great to see so many faces to connect with nyms I’ve grown to respect and admire.

    Good news: I remembered my office computer password.

  71. 71.

    rikyrah

    Thread

    Trumpism is an American autocratic movement with Fascistic markers. There are seven specific parts that comprise its core 1. THE LEADER. Donald Trump is the unquestioned leader of this movement. It is a cult of personality and there are no serious challengers against his (1)— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) January 3, 2021

  79. 79.

    The Fat White Duchess

    Good morning, all.  How do you manage to be smart and thoughtful at this hour? My brain will take another hour to reboot.  (Well, having >5 hours of sleep would help. 5:15 to 7:30 really does not suffice.)

    I can, however, add a picture of Tobias to my posts, in lieu of intelligent conversation.

  80. 80.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Immanentize: I just did, got the letter with special instructions about needing a negative COVID test within three days of the procedure. I really don’t like getting major medical procedures like this done in a world where half the health-care workers apparently won’t even get vaccinated when the doses are right there. But it’s a question of weighing relative risks–I’ve already put this thing off too long.

  82. 82.

    geg6

    @Immanentize:

    I will not criticize my congressman for his vote.  He is in a district full of MAGAts and he has now won two elections he should not have.  He generally does the right thing when it comes down to critical votes, so I’m almost certain Nancy understands that he needs to do what he needs to do in order to win two years down the line.

  84. 84.

    Nelle

    @Immanentize: I was telling a friend, who is a doc, that I was putting the colonoscopy off because of Covid.  She suggested I ask my doc to prescribe a Cologard test, which one can do at home.  My doc agreed with that.  So, something you might consider, especially if infection rates are rising in your area.

  85. 85.

    Amir Khalid

    @Baud:

    I am not surprised to learn this, and neither are you. In all seriousness, Trump is a potential fugitive from justice, and someone needs to impound his passport toute de suite.

  86. 86.

    NotMax

    Heard from Mom (92) that she went in for a (non-emergency) dental appointment. Due to COVID, her dentist insisted on the precaution of opening up the office on a Sunday just for her so the chances of other people also being in the building was minimal.

  87. 87.

    Quinerly

    Good morning!

    Seems Lin Wood stayed up most of the night Tweeting. An actor named Kappy was forced off a bridge to his death. He was trying to deliver evidence to Trump. MI6, Mossad, the FBI, and the CIA are connected. CJ Roberts is still being blackmailed. And something, something, something “Lizard Squad.” Jeffrey Epstein’s plane and island.

    Twitter needs to block this Wild Loon. (L Linn Wood is an anagram for Wild Loon)

  88. 88.

    aliasofwestgate

    Morning. I seem to be sick, but i dunno if its Covid or bronchitis. I think it may be bronchitis with the lack of fever and i still have my sense of smell and taste and all. But the tightness of my chest hurts like hell, as it always does when bronchitis crops up. Either way, i’m going into urgent care at noon CST to get looked at. I’ve been distancing and masked whenever i go outside the house, and been in full hermit mode since march with my roomie being a worker at Amazon herself. Both of us are introverts so this doesn’t bug us all that much. We only go out for grocery runs or food runs for the most part.

    My bet is on bronchitis because i’ve gotten it before. Usually with about a 5-year or so pause between bouts for some reason. I had it as a baby, and then didn’t start getting it again until i was in my 20s when my allergy-triggered asthma decided to present. The stress of the last year certainly would be enough and the slightly different climate here in WI would do it, after my move from MI last spring.

    Either way, it will be good to know and also be able to do something about this pain. I caught it before it got more severe, but chest pain and shortness of breath of any kind is just horrible. Especially when my emergency inhaler can’t do much more than barely dent it.

  89. 89.

    Princess

    @Quinerly: There’s a big part of QAnon that is just Protocols of the Elders of Zion stuff, updated, but apart from that, I have long been convinced that the true believers in this cult are, many of them. themselves victims and/or perpetrators of abuse and this is their way of  dealing with it.

  90. 90.

    The Fat White Duchess

    Argh, sorry for the accidental double-post. I missed the editing deadline; is there a way to delete?

  91. 91.

    Geminid

    @geg6: I suspect Lamb and the other four holdouts would have voted for Speaker Pelosi had the result turned on their votes. Last year a friend caught an interview with Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), who voted “present” yesterday. Sherrill met with  Nancy Pelosi during Sherrill’s 2018 campaign to flip her Republican seat. When Sherrill started to bring up her campaign pledge to vote for someone other than Pelosi for Speaker, Pelosi cut her off, saying, “Don’t worry about that. Just win, baby!”

  92. 92.

    Cameron

    @satby: I like the description of Cruz that his face combines the features of all the Dick Tracy villains mashed together.

  94. 94.

    Nicole

    @Geminid: When Sherrill started to bring up her campaign pledge to vote for someone other than Pelosi for Speaker, Pelosi cut her off, saying, “Don’t worry about that. Just win, baby!”

    I read an article about Pelosi that mentioned that story, too.  Man, she is such the consummate politician (and I mean that as a compliment).  It’s never personal with her and her eyes are always on the goal.

  95. 95.

    geg6

    @Geminid:

    I suspect the same.  She knows Lamb is in a district full of nutcases and she’ll give him the slack to do what he needs to do.

  96. 96.

    Nicole

    @aliasofwestgate: I’m sorry you’re feeling unwell and I hope they can give you some relief at urgent care.

    It just sucks being in a timeline where any illness has that fear laid on top of the usual suckitude about being sick, doesn’t it?  I was really sick with a 102 fever for 3 days at  the end of the year.  And like you, I’ve been really, really careful.  I thought, “If I caught it,  then we’re doomed; how does anyone avoid it?”

    NYC Health+Hospitals does free walk-in testing, so I was able to get a test and get my results back the next day and so whatever I had, it wasn’t Covid, but I look forward to a time when we can be sick and just rest at home without frantically trying to get tested in the middle of feeling like crap.

  97. 97.

    Quinerly

    @Princess: I have avoided going too deep in trying to understand it. Since a little before the election and because Covid is keeping me in and I get bored, I started reading the comment sections of some local papers in the area of NC I grew up in. There are a lot of real people who truly believe this stuff. They will post 50-100 comments. Not trolls. I know the last names/families. Lately, I have had an interest in Powell and Wood (again, I guess I’m bored). They weren’t always crazy. I’m an early retired atty who hated my job for over 30 years. I’m just waiting to see when these freaks get sanctioned/disbarred.

  99. 99.

    laura

    @satby: Hey-oh! I requested a legal opinion for guidance on testing due to the refusal of an entire water district staff to biweekly free Covid testing. As expected, the opinion was clear on both testing – it can be a condition of employment (federal EEO and CA DFEH) so long as the requirement was no discriminatory – so all staff, not just field staff were subject to the policy. Additionally, refusal to follow a direct order by one authorized to give the order could subject the individual to discipline up to and including dismissal for insubordination so long as progressive discipline was followed. Now that the vaccine is available (check your local governmental bodies), many workers may find that vaccine may become a condition of employment. There may be a legitimate reason for refusal/inability to get the vaccine that would be subject to the reasonable accommodation process – and it is possible to reasonably accommodate yourself out of a job if the accommodation creates an undue burden on the employer. Good luck with the office pillbert.

  100. 100.

    laura

    Here’s a link to the EEOC on the anti-discrimination aspect of testing. At the bottom of the thread is a link to the Department of Labor on Covid testing and vaccines.

    https://www.eeoc.gov/coronavirus

    Many public sector employers require annual vaccinations for flu, testing for hepatitis, hearing loss, color blindness, diabetes etc., Private sector, I’m not so sure.

  102. 102.

    citizen dave (aka mad citizen)

    @laura: This is good information.  I was wondering Re: the health care workers not taking the vaccine why the employer can’t just mandate it?  My large government employer added a bonus $25 for getting a flu shot this season.  They reduced the annual incentives for a health self-assessment and wellness visit, so maybe they thought ahead and will give out a bonus for getting the covid vaccine.

  103. 103.

    Calouste

    @citizen dave (aka mad citizen): The vaccine can’t be mandated yet because the FDA has only given interim approval. Technically it is still an experimental drug. Once the FDA gives final approval, it will be mandated by most medical institutions (and avoid the once that don’t like the plague).

  104. 104.

    dnfree

    “Madame Speaker” is gendered, so what’s the non-gendered version of that?  I actually hope there is one. I applaud the change from, for instance, “firemen” to “firefighters”, and “workmen’s compensation” to “worker’s compensation”. Some fixes are easier than others.

  111. 111.

    J R in WV

    @WaterGirl:

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I heard from Japa just now and he said he will be checking in an a thread later today and he will bring us all up to date.

    A relief in these dread times~!~ Hope he is doing well…

    For the multitude worrying about me, I am fine, so far!      ;~)

  114. 114.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @NotMax: 
    I had a dental appointment today (started as a routine cleaning and x-ray) and I needed two fillings thanks to grinding my teeth. The dentist did the fillings right after my cleaning instead of making me come back in.

  115. 115.

    No One You Know

    @aliasofwestgate:  Fingers crossed for you. I’ve been hoping that all the usual suspects for coughs etc. mean it could be lighter than COVID.

    Chicken soup and garlic and good luck!

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