Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I did not have telepathic declassification on my 2022 bingo card.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Eh, that’s media spin. biden’s health is fine and he’s doing a good job.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

The willow is too close to the house.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

People are complicated. Love is not.

The words do not have to be perfect.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

You are here: Home / Politics / Violent Insurrection at the Capitol / Investigations Into Violent Extremist Attacks / Thursday Evening Open Thread: Legislative Sausage Being Made

Thursday Evening Open Thread: Legislative Sausage Being Made

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  4. 4.

    Ken

    [Memo to self. If this gets a good comment number, go back and edit it so it looks like something clever. — EDIT: Damn. Four.]

    I agree with David Rothschild above. It’s like, oh, voting against an anti-human trafficking bill. You have to ask why anyone would take that stance.

  5. 5.

    Calouste

    If McCarthy has to testify under oath, he will have complete and utter amnesia about 1/6. He won’t even remember where he was that day.

  6. 6.

    New Deal democrat

    David Frum, former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, wrote in 2018, “If conservatives become convinced that they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy.”

    Beginning then, I read a raft of history books on all of the most important Republics: Ancient Rome, Venice, Genoa, Florence, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution, as well as Locke’s famous Treatise. I also read a few books commenting about the current situation.

    Modern liberal democracies, like all Republics, are ultimately all about a fundamental allegiance to the Rule of Law.

    And Frum’s pithy comment is true about about any entrenched, privileged group in any of the historical polities I studied.

  7. 7.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    Easy, better solution to a joint commission that gets games – name Preet Bharara as special prosecutor, empanel a grand jury, and announce that your witnesses will include every Trump, Kevin McCarthy, MGT, Boebert, Gohmert, every guilty pled 1/6 Defendant, Stephen Miller, Bannon, Stone, Acting SECDEF, NG. bureau commander, etc.

    Set ‘em up like dominoes – or like The Godfather baptism scene.

  8. 8.

    eddie blake

    the gop did everything they could to sandbag the 9/11 investigations. W refused to testify under oath or even alone.

  11. 11.

    Cheryl Rofer

    I recognize that I have shaped a liberal bubble for myself in Twitter, although conservative and mutinous sentiments leak in from time to time. My sense is that the events of 1/6 are far from being forgotten, much as Republicans, and Kevin McCarthy in particular, would have it otherwise. In fact, every time they take an action to minimize those events, they get more attention.

    I don’t watch Cable tv, get all my national news from the internet.

    It seems to me that one way or another, we will find out more. Thirty-five Republicans even broke with the “See No Evil” party yesterday to vote in an investigatory commission. And yes I know it’s not the commission everyone here wanted, but if they just keep fighting, the events will stay in the news into next (election) year.

  12. 12.

    Timill

    In other news, Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus and Decimus Junius Brutus would prefer not to dwell on the Ides of March.

  13. 13.

    Shana

    Just popping in to say that I am disheartened to see Barbara f*&king Comstock showing up a lot recently. She happens to be right about a January 6th Commission, but I’ve seen her on Chris Hayes and another show on CNN recently. She tries to come off as a “moderate Republican” but she’s still shilling for the worst elements in the current version of the party. She lost her seat to Jennifer Wexton in the adjoining district to mine in 2018 and I think she’s trying to make a comeback if her media appearances are anything to judge by. She’s been pretty quiet up until a few weeks ago. I wish she’d go back to wherever she’s been the past 2 years.

  14. 14.

    No One of Consequence

    @eddie blake:

    I for one am always stunned by the fact that W can talk when Cheney is drinking a glass of water. That’s fuggin’ magic man!

    Peace,

    NOoC

  15. 15.

    Brachiator

    @New Deal democrat:

    David Frum, former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, wrote in 2018, “If conservatives become convinced that they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy.”

    Pretty much nails it.

    I had assumed that the Republicans would settle for obstructionism when out of office, but they have become complicit in Trump’s most vile delusions. The GOP is now an ongoing danger to the country.

  16. 16.

    Citizen Alan

    Can anyone post a link to the voting roll for the 1/6 commission? I’m certain my Puke Congressman voted against it, but I want to know for sure so I can start calling him a traitor on Facebook.

  18. 18.

    Nora Lenderbee

    35 Repubs voted in favor of the commission, including all ten who voted for impeachment. I haven’t found the list.

  19. 19.

    geg6

    Since this is an open thread, fuck Bibi and fuck Israel, but cease fire has finally been agreed to, so I guess 200+ dead innocents was enough for now.
    Why do we keep funding apartheid there?!?!?!?

  21. 21.

    JanieM

    Who voted which way. Just a list of names, though, it doesn’t include which district or party they’re from.

    I was prepared to be pissed off that Jared Golden didn’t vote, then I remembered that his first kid was just born

     

    ETA: Oh, wait, I didn’t even see the note at the top. Rs in italics. That helps.

  23. 23.

    Elie

     

    These folks are about doing the business of dismantling our democracy, one brick or decision point at a time.  They are absolutely serious about this work and it does no good to make fun of them.  Between them and the State Legislatures, they are doing a damned good job of grinding shit to a halt and gumming up the real work of true representative governance.  I lay awake some nights thinking of how to jam these fuckers up, but it aint and won’t be easy

  24. 24.

    Karen

    Anyone in Maryland: There will be a lottery for people who have been vaccinated. $40,000 a day and a grand prize of $400,000. You don’t have to register, they get the info from the MD Dept of Health.

    Here is the info

  25. 25.

    Ken

    @geg6: Why do we keep funding apartheid there?

    Millenarianism, I think, unless I mean millennialism.  Anyway, the “Left Behind” checklist for what has to happen before Jesus comes back includes re-establishing the kingdom of Israel, after which Russia and Ethiopia will attack it. Expectations get a little unrealistic after that.

  26. 26.

    geg6

    @Ken:

    It makes me crazy.  I was involved with anti-South African apartheid activism in college and I am just over my tax dollars, of which I pay a hell of a lot more now than then, going to the scum of the earth like this.  Bad enough I pay taxes that fund our fascist, bigoted police but why must I fund foreign fascists?

  30. 30.

    Ohio Mom

    Karen @24:

    I didn’t like the lottery idea when my state, Ohio, announced it so I can’t say I’m impressed that Maryland will follow. But I will say that giving out less money to more people strikes me as an improvement.

    And nice Biblical allusion with the number 40: while Noah was in the ark, it rained 40 days; the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years; Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness.

    Why the number 40? That’s how many weeks a normal human pregnancy lasts, ending with a new life, full of promise. We can only hope that the Maryland vaccine lottery ends similarly, with a new Covid-vanquished era, um, delivered.

  31. 31.

    CliosFanBoy

    @Baud: on money for extra security for the Capitol.  Only 3 Dems voted against. I do not know why.

  33. 33.

    Baud

    @CliosFanBoy:

    Symbolic BS.

    The three Democrats who voted against the bill were Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Cori Bush of Missouri and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. The three Democrats who voted present were Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Jamaal Bowman of New York and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. They are all members of the so-called squad, a group of the most liberal lawmakers in the House.

    Opposition to the bill largely stemmed from a provision allocating more funds to the police — which would run contrary to calls on the left to “defund” the police.

    “There are some things about the bill that I support, like making sure our custodial staff and our cleaners have the resources they need to respond and deal with this trauma. But there are other parts of it that I don’t support, like adding more funding to police budgets,” Bowman said. “So that’s why I decided to vote present.”

  35. 35.

    Catherine D.

    @Old School: Whoa, Tom Reed (R-NY  “don’t let the door hit you on the ass on your way out”?) actually voted Yea? Wonder why?

  37. 37.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Baud: I think it is all covered under being averse to voting for more funds for the police (of any kind).  It’s consistent with the Defund the Police mantra.

    ETA: Or we could assume that AOC. et al., are out to destroy the Democratic Party from within and this is all part of their scheme – which I think is a stretch.

  40. 40.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Baud: Yep.  They got their symbolic vote, and the legislation was passed.

    ETA:  It’s rather funny that this discussion has come up in a thread about legislative sausage making.

  41. 41.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Ohio Mom:

    Also, Lent is forty days long; the time from Jesus’ resurrection to his ascension was forty days; a Jewish man is supposed to have attained the age of 40 before he is considered ready to study Kabbalah; and the prophet Muhammad is said to have been 40 years old when he received the revelations from the angel Gabriel. The number is all over the place in religious scriptures and traditions.

    Really interesting about human gestation lasting for 40 weeks. I hadn’t thought of that before.

  42. 42.

    Barney

    Alexandra Petri’s column today:

    Opinion: I do not wish to learn anything more about my wealthy husband’s near demise (which would have been sad)

    Oh, detective. Must we look into the events of the past? Must we really? Must we dwell on the unpleasantness of a few months ago rather than moving forward? I for my own part would much prefer to move forward. Indeed, it strikes me as unavoidably morbid to ponder too closely what nearly befell my poor husband, Henry. I say “poor” only in the sense of unfortunate, of course — Henry is quite well off, and if I were ever to be his widow, I would also be quite well off. But fortunately Henry is still alive, and I am not his wealthy widow, and that is not a scenario we need to worry about or look into at all!

    …

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/19/jan-6-commission-republicans-wealthy-husband-near-death/

  45. 45.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Baud: You get unity when you really need it by being flexible about it when you don’t.  Not everything is a three line whip.

  47. 47.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: I feel like this is flipping off the police officers who fought and some died and some nearly died, protecting the elected officials.

    I’m thinking funding the police to prevent successful insurrections surely could be an exception to defunding the police.

  52. 52.

    Mai Naem mobile

    @Cheryl Rofer: with her daddy’s connections i am pretty sure Liz Cheney knows stuff other GOP(and non leadership Dem) congressional critters don’t know and that was why she was willing to go out on a limb and be so outspoken on Trumpov. That’s the reason McCarthy, McConnell don’t want the commission. There’s going to be quite a bit of evidence coming out clearly connecting the insurrection to Trumpov. I know i sound political saying this but I just hope this stuff comes out in time for the 2022 election.

  54. 54.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: I am not a fan of the slogan either, but I don’t think the slogan matters much at this point.

    But I am most definitely not a fan of the police, yet I still think that the Capitol police being able to defend against insurrections, and being able to defend Democrats from Republicans, would be the exception that proves the rule.

  57. 57.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    Study Contradicts GOP Claims That Extra Covid Benefits Prevent People From Taking Jobs

    The model in the paper posits that the decision of whether to take a new job depends on several factors, including the availability of jobs, how long the job is expected to last and the runway for unemployment benefits.
    By that thinking, a worker with a high school education making $800 a week before the pandemic would not have been deterred from taking a job, even if additional unemployment benefits were 25 percent higher than the wages.

    Are we really talking about $20/hour jobs here? Last I checked, these fast food restaurants are paying shit wages because the entire business model is about lining a business owner’s pockets with the exploited productivity of others.

  60. 60.

    Citizen Alan

    @WaterGirl:

    I think the issue for them might be that for every Capitol police officer who acted with conspicuous heroism in defending our democracy, there were others who were happy to take selfies with the insurrectionists.

  61. 61.

    Gin & Tonic

    AZ Sec of State tells Maricopa County that the voting machines subpoenaed by the Senate and now in the control of “Cyber Ninjas” can no longer be considered secure and should all be replaced.

    I’m sure this will be litigated extensively, but I’m inclined to agree with her.

  62. 62.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: I couldn’t bear to read the articles.  I am tired of blurting out “Fuck” in despair after reading articles today.

    I think “Fuck” is definitely a step worse than “What the fuck is wrong with these people?” which used to be my go to when reading.

  67. 67.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @WaterGirl: The bill passed.  Also I am more likely to think that the Defund the Police issue is a matter of principle for the Squad since they will actually take some heat over this vote.  A principle ain’t a principle unless it costs you.

  68. 68.

    Benw

    @WaterGirl: do we know that the capitol police funds are actually inadequate or were they purposefully deployed inadequately and riddled with sympathizers on 1/6?

    I listen to the BIPOC (including the squad) who express their fury at police brutality in their communities with defunding the police.

  78. 78.

    debbie

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Nor am I. TFG’s supporters had a history of mouthing off and threatening, but not of actually becoming violent. It was Trump’s stooges who knew what to expect, but they weren’t sharing anything with the Capitol Police.

  83. 83.

    Another Scott

    I don't think we've fully internalized the significance that Republicans are expecting their supporters to show up and vote in a democratic elections they no longer believe are legitimate

    — Michael McDonald (@ElectProject) May 20, 2021

    Yup.

    We have to fight them every single day, but we’re not doomed. Making voting more of a hassle hurts them too.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  84. 84.

    debbie

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Does the Capitol Police monitor social media or do they rely on government agencies to keep them informed? I’ve always assumed the latter; if nothing else, it would seem sharing information is better and less wasteful of resources.

  85. 85.

    satby

    @debbie: Social media is monitored by law enforcement, especially groups of concern like Proud Boys and 3%ers (or whatever those nutbags call themselves).

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