As we are sworn in today, we accept a responsibility as daunting and demanding as any that previous generations of leadership have faced.
Our most urgent priority will continue to be defeating the coronavirus – and defeat it, we will! #117thCongress pic.twitter.com/HD5w1OUfx3
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 4, 2021
Pelosi officially wins her fourth term as speaker, in a 216-209 vote between her and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.), with five Dems voting "present" or for another lawmaker.
Story updated soon: https://t.co/t7woyTtxmd— Natalie Andrews (@nataliewsj) January 3, 2021
All of the members in this photo voted for @SpeakerPelosi today: https://t.co/h6fCxnzJK3
— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotnbc) January 3, 2021
She’s the DCCC’s best fundraiser, she keeps the lights on, all this stuff about wars between progressives and The Establishment is message board drama.
— Tentin Quarantino (@agraybee) January 3, 2021
She’s already started the new session, of course…
That’s “Madam Speaker” to you. https://t.co/IX3m5wsMQl
— Peter Wolf (@peterawolf) January 2, 2021
U.S. House Democrats introduce ethics, legislative reforms https://t.co/OedbuQhojQ pic.twitter.com/VbjwOQ5LHu
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 2, 2021
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.
rikyrah
Good Morning, Everyone???
rikyrah
Go Nancy Smash????
Baud
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.
Baud
@rikyrah: Good morning.
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.
Matt
Modern centrist Dems in a nutshell: “LOL GOP, we’re gonna make you use pronouns while we let you make all the policy!”
Baud
@Matt:
LOL. Are you auditioning to be Lin Wood’s paralegal?
Baud
@debbie:
No one except dead enders will care.
WereBear
Republicans want power to do WTF they want. That’s all they stand for now.
debbie
@Baud:
Unfortunately, they are the noisiest. Aren’t you at all tired of trying to speak above this noise?
Baud
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..
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?
Baud
@WereBear:
That’s what I want for Dems too. It’s just that what we want are decent and moral things.
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.
Baud
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.
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.
Immanentize
@Baud: Ha! So, as Pippin might say, “The closer we are to losing, the further we are from a loss?”
Mary G
She’s such a professional.
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.
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
Baud
@Immanentize:
Good news.
Baud
I’m glad the Washington Football Team is in the playoffs.
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.
Anne Laurie
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.
Baud
@Immanentize:
I assume it’s a safe seat.
debbie
Either someone’s scrubbed his feed or Trump hasn’t tweeted since January 1.
Immanentize
@Baud: Happily/Sadly both the Dem seat and the Covid death seat are safe for their respective parties.
Baud
NotMax
Thought for food. What’s in a nom?
;)
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!
eclare
@JPL: Turn Champ and Major loose on him
Baud
@eclare:
Aren’t you concerned about them getting rabies?
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.
p.a.
@debbie: He’s either treason-phoning or fetal-positioned on a bed full of McDonald’s wrappers 24/7.
eclare
@Baud: Hahaha, I’m sure they’ve had their shots.
p.a.
@Geminid: Of course as long as there’s a (D) it’s good, but wondering if this upstate (D) is R-lite on the spectrum?
NotMax
Welcome to the big leagues, Kai Kahele.
Mary G
@NotMax: Major upgrade over Tulsi!
Baud
@Mary G:
Hard not to be absent a Republican winning the seat.
Jeffro
@Baud: they’re on their way to getting their karma right ;)
Now if they could just lose that lousy owner…
JPL
@debbie: trump doesn’t care about social media. His sole source of information now is trump media.
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
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).
Geminid
@p.a.: Easy enough to find out. Look Brindisi up and decide for yourself.
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.
Baud
@Immanentize: Libertarians did us solid this year. I don’t mind. I feel like we’re owed.
Baud
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
They should know by now they can never destroy us.
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.
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?
Baud
This story is hitting my feed.
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.
JPL
@ByRookorbyCrook: It’s possible that trump has been warned that he will be charged with breaking GA state law, unless he stays on message tonight.
hmmm
Immanentize
@Baud: Agree!!
Matt McIrvin
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I’ve been assuming that Greenwald has already written the tweet about how the former-SecDef letter proves that Biden is the warmongers’ darling, but I haven’t bothered looking.
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.
Immanentize
@ByRookorbyCrook: Thanks for reminding me — I need to schedule a colonoscopy.
debbie
@JPL:
Didn’t realize that was active already.
Baud
@Matt McIrvin:
That should be the universal policy when it comes to Greenwald.
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.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@Matt McIrvin:
I just went to confirm your hunch, and got distracted by this magic…
debbie
@Spanky:
I’m imagining the colorful responses with glee!
JPL
@debbie: trump actually said that to Brad when Raffersperger told him that social media was just rumors.
satby
I asked a question in the covid thread that I was hoping our attorney jackals would weigh in on. Any input?
Gin & Tonic
@NotMax: Here I thought you’d find a supply of first-person singular pronouns in there. I know I shipped you a bunch.
debbie
@JPL:
That I remembered, but didn’t connect. Where is he now, on Parler?
NotMax
@Baud
Probably sending in minions to barricade the place in order to keep out Melania’s decorators.
//
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.
The Fat White Duchess
@Baud: Yes. (And I appreciate all your earlier comments, too.)
@rikyrah: Good morning!
rikyrah
Thread
NotMax
@Gin & Tonic
Shall keep an I out for them.
;)
The Fat White Duchess
@Mustang Bobby: Good morning! It was good to meet you and others, and to see again people I met at Thanksgiving Zoom.
The Fat White Duchess
@Immanentize: Thank you.
Dorothy A. Winsor
Have we heard from japa in the last couple of days? I saw he was sent home. I wondered how he was doing
Patricia Kayden
@Matt McIrvin: The MSM will have its “Democrats in disarray” story even if it’s obviously manufactured.
satby
I like Michael Tallon’s latest post at Medium: Spare a Moment for the Loathsome Mr Cruz
zhena gogolia
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
I was wondering the same thing.
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.
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.
Dorothy A. Winsor
If the House hasn’t updated its pronoun and relationship references, that’s long overdue. Get a grip, Rs.
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.
Gin & Tonic
@Matt McIrvin: I had one in November, no need for a test prior, all standard precautions were taken by everyone involved.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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.
The Fat White Duchess
Argh, sorry for the accidental double-post. I missed the editing deadline; is there a way to delete?
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!”
Cameron
@satby: I like the description of Cruz that his face combines the features of all the Dick Tracy villains mashed together.
satby
@aliasofwestgate: Hope you get better soon. Good luck at the doctor’s office.
Nicole
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.
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.
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.
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.
Amir Khalid
@The Fat White Duchess:
Beg for a frontpager to do it for you. They will usually be understanding and glad to oblige.
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.
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.
SiubhanDuinne
@debbie:
Trump has tweeted many times since January 1 (admittedly, most of them are retweets).
https://factba.se/topic/twitter
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.
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).
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.
laura
@citizen dave (aka mad citizen): Just to clarify – there are almost always exceptions that may include legit medical reasons – and reasonable accommodation exists to ensure that wiggle room.
WaterGirl
@The Fat White Duchess: Gone!
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.
debbie
@SiubhanDuinne:
Odd then that when I opened his account, the newest Tweets were all dated Jan. 1.
daryljfontaine
@dnfree: “Honorable Speaker” (may or may not actually apply depending on who wins it)
D
briber
@dnfree:
How about Right Honorable Speaker?
J R in WV
@WaterGirl:
A relief in these dread times~!~ Hope he is doing well…
For the multitude worrying about me, I am fine, so far! ;~)
satby
@laura: Just checked back while at work, and thanks for this!
satby
@Calouste: That was my doctor’s concern too. So it looks like we’ll have to wait until it’s fully approved. She may be gone by then anyway.
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.
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!