Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Stamping your little feets and demanding that they see how important you are? Not working anymore.

Bad people in a position to do bad things will do bad things because they are bad people. End of story.

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

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

Disappointing to see gov. newsom with his finger to the wind.

Bark louder, little dog.

No Kings: Americans standing in the way of bad history saying “Oh, Fuck No!”

Text STOP to opt out of updates on war plans.

A tremendous foreign policy asset… to all of our adversaries.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

Innocent people do not delay justice.

Not loving this new fraud based economy.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

Republicans do not trust women.

“In the future, this lab will be a museum. do not touch it.”

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, door #2)

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Trump’s cabinet: like a magic 8 ball that only gives wrong answers.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

You are here: Home / Politics / The Vote: Hoping This Day Would Come, and Now It’s Here

The Vote: Hoping This Day Would Come, and Now It’s Here

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Those of us who had hope that a bill in the neighborhood of this one would actually pass were mocked and accused of being naive.

Well, this day is finally here, and I am all for it.

Here’s the link, if someone finds this on youtube or some other site that allows me to embed video, let me know. (thanks Another Scott!)

Live.House.gov

C-SPAN Link

Open thread.

 

Reader Interactions

232Comments

  3. 3.

    Omnes Omnibus

    [insert spiking a football gif here]

    Victory lap and all that.  Now let’s get to work on winning in November.  Something else that some of us have always thought possible.

  5. 5.

    Elizabelle

    @dmsilev:   Be forewarned:  at the moment it’s Kevin McCarthy shouting.  Talking about failed plans.

    Hard pass

    ETA:  “Why do you keep harming the American public, and you think doing the exact same thing ….”

    The projection is strong with this one.

  9. 9.

    Elizabelle

    @SiubhanDuinne:   You are a stronger person than me.  Like Alison Rose, I gave it 10 seconds, hit mute, then looked in again.  And, mute again.

    I do think his remarks are so pathologically obvious, it might be fun to scan the transcript after the little darling has exhausted himself.  Emphasis on “scan.”

  10. 10.

    Bupalos

    This is huge. The way the green initiatives are structured so that lower income folk are able to participate, and in fact technologies that will save them money immediately and for a decade to come will be free for them… that seems really quite unprecedented to me.

    That’s where these things do the most good and are the hardest to get to adopt this stuff because they are cash-strapped and can’t make that investment even though it’s simply a good investment. Air sourced heat pumps are going to be literally free for a lot of people. For most people, in fact.

    The EV subsidies too, they’re targeted at the lower end of the market. These things are usually “here’s a tax credit, if you’re rich enough to use it and have enough cash on hand to buy this very expensive tech.”

  13. 13.

    Captain C

    @trollhattan: Perhaps he’s worried about a significant portion of his party being exposed as outright traitors in the coming weeks and months, while already having to win elections when it’s become obvious even to ‘normies’ that the Democrats are the do something party and the Republicans are the do-nothing doo doo traitor/white supremacy party.

  14. 14.

    Dangerman

    @Alison Rose 💙🌻💛: Brain damage caused by the aromatic mixture of petroleum leaks and cow shit.

    ETA: I wonder if the Bakersfield Visitors Bureau is accepting applications. Its actually not that bad a place. Well, excluding the refineries and cow shit.

  15. 15.

    PAM Dirac

    @Elizabelle: I’m not sure there is a more pathetic loser in politics today than McCarthy. He really is a terrible speaker and his sucking up to drumpf only to get thrown under the bus time and time again might elicit some sympathy if he wasn’t such a horrible person.

  17. 17.

    Elizabelle

    @PAM Dirac:   McCarthy and Mark Meadows are in a foot race there.

    No sympathy for either, or any, of them.

    Who knows what these weasels are saying to themselves in private? They are probably at panic stage.

  20. 20.

    Geminid

    @trollhattan: McCarthy might as well make the most of his moment in the sun. This time next year he’s not going to be Speaker, or Minority Leader either I think.

  24. 24.

    Another Scott

    @Captain C:

    The golden oldie (from 2016) –

    “There’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump,” McCarthy (R-Calif.) said, according to a recording of the June 15, 2016, exchange, which was listened to and verified by The Washington Post. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is a Californian Republican known in Congress as a fervent defender of Putin and Russia.

    House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) immediately interjected, stopping the conversation from further exploring McCarthy’s assertion, and swore the Republicans present to secrecy.

    Before the conversation, McCarthy and Ryan had emerged from separate talks at the Capitol with Ukrainian Prime Minister Vladi­mir Groysman, who had described a Kremlin tactic of financing populist politicians to undercut Eastern European democratic institutions.

    (Emphasis added.)

    Everything’s connected…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  25. 25.

    PAM Dirac

    @WaterGirl: I’m not sure what the schedule is. For a while they were trading 1 and 2 minute segments. I wasn’t paying close attention, but someone asked how much time was left and it was 4 min for R and 5 min for D. I guess those ran out and now the minority leader gets a bigger chuck of time. I would guess Nancy Smash would probably have some time, but I suspect she might want to just get on with it.

  27. 27.

    Citizen Alan

    @Bupalos: And yet that won’t stop the fucking Greens for one second in trying to sandbag the Dems — a Green asshole just got on the ballot to day in (I think) North Carolina in a tight Senate race even though the bastard flat-out admits he doesn’t have a chance of winning.

  31. 31.

    Ken

    @PAM Dirac: I would guess Nancy Smash would probably have some time, but I suspect she might want to just get on with it.

    I would also accept staring at McCarthy for thirty seconds of silence, saying “Sir, this is a Wendy’s”, and calling for the vote.

  33. 33.

    UncleEbeneezer

    I confess, I gave up on the possibility of this day coming to pass, a while back.  I just couldn’t see Manch-enema doing the right thing.  I underestimated Schumer, Pelosi, Manchin and Synema.  I also thought Biden’s belief in passing major legislation with Bi-Partisan support (gun bill, infrastructure, CHIPS, PACT etc.) was a bit naive.  Very glad to admit that I was wrong!!

    Now let’s expand our hold of Congress so we can do Voting Rights, Abortion Rights etc.

  36. 36.

    Geminid

    @Benw: The Senate passed the bill on Sunday afternoon, 50-50 with Vice President Harris breaking the tie after an all-night session.

  40. 40.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Ken: ​ 

    Nancy’s not in the chamber, she’s voting proxy, McCarthy just spent 8 miutes whining about that.

  41. 41.

    CaseyL

    I just have it open, volume muted, and check back in now and then to see if Minority Leader & Traitor Enabler McCarthy is still yapping.

  43. 43.

    Jackie

    I wonder how McCarthy can focus on this, while inwardly freaking out about his bbf possibly being indicted for espionage against the USA lol

  44. 44.

    Geminid

    @divF: Earlier today Lauren Boebert ran past her time and got gaveled down with her mic cut off. Observers noted that this is unusual, but Boebert’s a real motormouth.

  48. 48.

    Benw

    @WaterGirl: huzzah! Thanks everyone. Climate action, TFG raided, even the FTFNYT is saying nice things about inflation and the economy, lawsuit against TFG organization is allowed to proceed: it feels almost like living in a real, functioning country for a change; it’s nice!

    Let’s fucking go in November! And I’m on the way to see fucking Rage Against the Machine! Let’s rock!

  50. 50.

    tam1MI

    A bit of good news from Michigan:

    https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2022/08/half-of-michiganders-hesitant-to-vote-for-candidates-who-downplayed-jan-6-riot.html

    Roughly 52% of Michiganders say they would be less likely to vote for a candidate that downplayed the events of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol or opposed Congress’ work in investigating it.

    That’s according to data released by the Defend Democracy Project, which also indicated both Michigan voters at large (49%) and independent voters specifically (46%) believe the riot did not just stem from former President Donald Trump’s encouragement, but because of Republicans who are staunchly loyal to him.

  52. 52.

    Baud

    @Benw:

    And I’m on the way to see fucking Rage Against the Machine! Let’s rock!

     
    Out: Rage Against Manchin!
    In: Rage Against the Machine!

  53. 53.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Baud: @PAM Dirac: @WaterGirl:

    I do not know and I muted McCarthy as he was saying it, but I assumed that her voting by proxy means she’s not in chambers, so that’s my guess and it could very well be wrong.

  54. 54.

    Lapassionara

    @Another Scott: I’m old enough to remember a time when an accusation like that would have ended a politician’s career. How far have we fallen, that a good portion of the electorate is drawn to a con man whose foreign policy centered on “Putin good,” “NATO bad.”

  55. 55.

    divF

    @WaterGirl: The chamber looks pretty empty – it may be that most of the members have already gone home and are voting by proxy. Judging from the two procedural votes taken already, there seems to be nothing to worry about – everyone is voting.

  57. 57.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Qevin is approvingly citing Bernie Sanders

    I wish there were some way to do a twitter search for the overlap between “Democrats suck at messaging!” and “LEAVE BERNEEE ALONE!”

  63. 63.

    SiubhanDuinne

    “The gentleman yields! The gentleman’s time has expired!”

    Narrator: And not a moment too soon.

  65. 65.

    Old School

    Nancy Pelosi held her weekly news briefing earlier today, so she doesn’t seem to be sick.

  67. 67.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Old School:

    She was on MJ for quite a while yesterday (or day before? — can’t remember). She sounded fine and looked spectacular in a bright red suit.

  68. 68.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @WaterGirl: Me too.  I always held out a sliver of hope but basically had already accepted the fact that passage was extremely unlikely.

  69. 69.

    Fake Irishman

    I love the “magic-minute” speeches where leaders can make their one minute speeches last forever.

  74. 74.

    Mike in NC

    Kevin McCarthy, the buffoon from Bakersfield. Never had the urge to visit when I was stationed in California. Assumed it to be a shithole. First heard about it in a Rolling Stones tune.

  76. 76.

    Frankensteinbeck

    Does anyone know what the minimum tax actually does?  The name sounds encouraging, sure, but the devil is always in the details and I don’t know any of those details.  I mean, obviously the only question here is ‘how good of a good thing is this?’

  77. 77.

    C Stars

    @Mike in NC: Bakersfield is shockingly horrible. You can’t really imagine how bad it is until you get there. I’m sure people who live in the suburbs/rural areas around it find qualities to love. But my god, the city itself is full of freeways that end in piles of dirt and porn stores at every intersection, and the air is barely breathable.

  79. 79.

    PAM Dirac

    I don’t know if there is some rule that if you give up your time, someone else gets to grab it, but come on Steny, you’ve had your say, let’s vote!

  82. 82.

    Suzanne

    @Benw:

    And I’m on the way to see fucking Rage Against the Machine! 

    I just saw them! They were so good! Enjoy!

    They are the band I need right now.

  83. 83.

    Fake Irishman

    @Frankensteinbeck: It essentially puts a floor under what they have to pay. So they can’t simply use a bunch of deductions to reduce their effective rate to zero. It will bring in several hundred billion over a decade.

  84. 84.

    C Stars

    @raven: Yeah…kinda seems like the sort of place where some people end up who couldn’t make it anywhere else (eg Kevin McCarthy). I had heard about it but didn’t think it could be as bad as the rumors claimed until I had occasion to spend the night there two years ago, on the run from wildfire smoke.

     

    Drove far enough down the 5 to get out from under the smoke and then a half hour later promptly found myself in the smog and feedlot haze of Bakersfield. And then it was time to sleep uneasily while adult men riding child-sized dirtbikes circled the cars in the hotel parking lot all night and cops hung out at the gas station next door

     

    ETA ooh i hadn’t seen the video, thanks!

  85. 85.

    Brachiator

    Those of us who had hope that a bill in the neighborhood of this one would actually pass were mocked and accused of being naive.

    I don’t think this is quite right. Senator Manchin had appeared to be firmly opposed to any version of this bill, even alternatives that conformed to his earlier demands. I don’t think that anyone saw a breakthrough coming.

    The bill is a good start.

  89. 89.

    Ruckus

    @Dangerman:

    Grew up in San Gabriel Valley and the elementary school I went to had a dairy next to the playground. Aromatic to say the least. Always good shots of cow ass as well, through the chain link fence. That is now all homes, a friend not far from there lived next to orange groves as far as one could see looking east across the street when they moved into their new house in 1949-50. It’s been homes for miles and miles for decades now. When I was discharged from the navy the XO told me I’d be back, my kind always comes back and I told him I’d rather shovel cow shit every single day for the rest of my life at that dairy than come back and work for people like him. And then walked out of his compartment and off the ship for the very last time.

  93. 93.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Well, here’s Nancy in the Chamber. Nancy SMASH! herself, not a proxy. Dunno what Qevin was nattering on about.

  94. 94.

    HumboldtBlue

    Newsom just signed free lunch bill into law for all California schoolkids, goes into effect in September. It really is nice to live in a super-majority blue state.

  95. 95.

    C Stars

    @HumboldtBlue: It’s weird how a small thing could mean so much. Went to a back to school open house type of thing at my 9 year old’s elementary school last night and when it was announced that all kids would be getting free lunch again this year all the parents just sort of looked around at each other cheered a bit. It’s so nice not to have to pack a lunch every freakin’ day, and it does make a big difference financially for a lot of people. More money to spend on a healthy dinner that night.

  96. 96.

    Brachiator

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    The tax applies to the adjusted financial statement (book) income of US corporations with 3-year average adjusted book income above $1 billion, as well as foreign corporations with average US income above $100 million.

    There is a good article about it here.

  97. 97.

    SiubhanDuinne

    She is super energised today! And rightly so. She and the Dems have every right to their victory dance!

  102. 102.

    Old School

    Can’t each party just designate one person for proxys to eliminate the repetitiveness of this?

  103. 103.

    raven

    @Ruckus: When we moved to Whittier in 59 there was nothin but orange groves in Orange County.  When I was a kid we’d drive up to Baldy (through Pomona I think) !

  107. 107.

    WaterGirl

    @PAM Dirac: I just checked back in on the video to see how much time they had left and saw 5:41 – and I wondered for a second how they could have 5:41 left when they were only supposed to have 5 minutes to begin with.

    Time moving backwards?  Then I remembered that it was 15 minutes. :-)

  110. 110.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Brachiator: I put down a marker last fall that some form of BBB would pass and that it would be something that Dems could run this fall.  Some people agreed with me. Many did not.

  111. 111.

    Mike E

    Wow I’m actually getting tired from all the winning! I think I will take a victory bicycle ride in a little bit, though. Heh.

  116. 116.

    J R in WV

    @Benw:

    …has this already passed the Senate?

    Yes, 50-50, Madam VP Harris broke the tie in favor of passage. Was historic!

  118. 118.

    Fake Irishman

    @WaterGirl:

    this is the senate bill amending the house version of BBB. They are concurring with the Senate bill, hence passing it and sending to Biden’s desk. This vote is for all the marbles.

  129. 129.

    The Thin Black Duke

    Trump doesn’t own the news cycle anymore. Bwahahaha! Damn, that felt good. 

  136. 136.

    Another Scott

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    My linky – from October:

    Another Scott

    OCTOBER 2, 2021 AT 1:20 PM

    @germy: Yes, there is that tweet:

    We need to make health care more affordable, lower prescription drug prices, and fix the problems in the system – not go back to letting insurance companies call all the shots. #AZSen pic.twitter.com/rlGiOGyeBf

    — Kyrsten Sinema (@kyrstensinema) March 9, 2018

    But there’s a LOT of wiggle room there. One could read that as she wants to go after insurance companies rather than drug companies. It’s not a specific proposal for, say, Medicare to negotiate most/all drug prices. There’s nothing specific in that tweet – by design.

    I get that people are upset with her. I think she’s being too coy with her voters, myself. But if it weren’t her and Manchin, it would be someone else demanding their pound of flesh before the RB is passed. It’s a huge, must-pass, bill that will pass and with a 50-50 senate every senator has the best opportunity they will ever have to press for what they want (for reasons good or ill). It’s the way politics works when every single vote matters.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

    (RB == Reconciliation Bill)

    My record on political prognostication is really bad, but I’m enjoying today. :-)

    Congratulations to you (and everyone else ;-) as well!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  137. 137.

    Fair Economist

    @WaterGirl: Yeah, the House has already passed the bill. They are voting to amend it the same way the Senate has, which will mean both houses have passed the legislation with the same text and to Biden it goes!

  139. 139.

    WaterGirl

    @PAM Dirac: I haven’t.  I imagine that everyone’s “day” as speaker is assigned well in advance, and she just hit the jackpot by getting to have that role today.  Just a guess.

  143. 143.

    Another Scott

    @WaterGirl: The vote clock is always aspirational.  Remember the Medicare Part D 15 minute vote under W that lasted many hours (with all the arm-twisting).

    ;-)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  147. 147.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @HumboldtBlue:

    Yup. And for all McCarthy’s bleating about how all the Democrats were at their vacation homes and too lazy to vote in person, there sure did seem to be plenty of Republicans voting by proxy as well!

  151. 151.

    H.E.Wolf

    And THIS is why we get out the Democratic vote in every Congressional election! :-)​
     

    ETA: Congrats to the Dems!

  152. 152.

    Cameron

    @Old School: I think it’s useful to have each person individually associated with their vote – I want a photo of Rep. Dickhead Sourass voting “no.”

  153. 153.

    West of the Rockies

    @raven:

    Any wild chance you remember the Tradewinds barber shop?   That was my dad’s place. Situated in an unextraordinary strip mall.

  154. 154.

    Brachiator

     

     

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    Does anyone know what the minimum tax actually does?

    The link I tried to provide to an explainer might not be good. As you note, the devil is in the details.

  159. 159.

    Fake Irishman

    @WaterGirl: I suspect that is true, but sometimes for big bills they’ll rotate the speakers a bit. For example, Pelosi made a point to ensure John Dingell was in the chair during part of the ACA debate in recognition of his long support of good healthcare legislation (not to mention his role in developing Medicare and Medicaid)

  163. 163.

    David 🌈☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    I don’t criticize Democrats. There’s nothing to be gained by it.

    Privately I didn’t think Schumer was up to the job.

    But he has made me a believer.

  164. 164.

    Fair Economist

    @WaterGirl:

    I’d like to see Biden sign the bill in about 45 minutes! :-)

    Tempting, but I expect them to delay a few days so it’s not overshadowed by revelations about Trump committing espionage.

  167. 167.

    Another Scott

    They’re still waiting for 4 GQPers to vote.  Maybe they left without turning in their red cards at the desk or something.  :-/

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  168. 168.

    Fake Irishman

    @WaterGirl:

    it is pretty arcane.

    Its both. It’s the senate bill, which is structured as an amendment to the original house BBB bill (HR 5376). The house is voting to concur with the Senate amendments.

     

    @WaterGirl:

  169. 169.

    dmsilev

    @Fair Economist:

    Tempting, but I expect them to delay a few days so it’s not overshadowed by revelations about Trump committing espionage.

    So, a month or so from now?

  176. 176.

    H.E.Wolf

    Motion officially carried, Speaker Pelosi gavels us out. Woohoo!​
     

    ETA: hat tip to Another Scott :)

  183. 183.

    Fair Economist

    Gotta say the House can clip right along on these minor resolutions coming up after the IRA passes.

  184. 184.

    Fake Irishman

    Sara jacobs of California. I have not heard of her, but even if she’s just a back bencher for a few terms, she’s got a story to tell her grand kids.

    @WaterGirl:

  186. 186.

    Bupalos

    Who here is still burning fossil fuels or resistive electric for your heating? Because with this bill, you should definitely stop that in 2023.

    Air source heat pumps will be nearly free for most situations. Those of you who can handle some costs, look into geothermal, an even better investment but you’ll probably be on the hook for about half of that installation.

  188. 188.

    Fair Economist

    @dmsilev:

    So, a month or so from now?

    LOL. Seriously, they can’t wait more than 15 days or whatever, and I think it needs to be signed by August 17th or so for the provisions on Obamacare subsidies to be active for the coming year, which is very important.

  191. 191.

    Fake Irishman

    @Bupalos: Alas, I merely chose to upgrade my gas furnace last year when I put in a new air conditioner (it was $7,000 more for the heat pump). But my gas water heater is on borrowed time and will be replaced by a heat pump model.

  192. 192.

    Fair Economist

    @Bupalos: Husband put in a new gas heater here a few years ago, over my objections. Southern California, so I’m inclined to let somebody else get the no doubt limited supply in 2023.

  193. 193.

    CaseyL

    Ya HOOO!  Go, Dems!!

    This is fantastic.

    And what a juxtaposition: Democrats working hard for the American people, Republicans working hard for the traitor they coddled for 4 achingly long years.

  194. 194.

    Bupalos

    Anyone need a new car? Let me introduce you to the 238 mile range 2003 Chevy Bolt, which depending on what state you’re in (that may have extra incentives up to 5k) should be able to be had for 15-20k out of your pocket. And should save you well over 10k in fuel costs over its life.

  199. 199.

    Fake Irishman

    @Bupalos

    Also, Anyone thinking about putting solar panels on your house? Or adding a backup battery system? The feds are paying for 30 percent of that.

  200. 200.

    Fair Economist

    @Fake Irishman:

    But my gas water heater is on borrowed time and will be replaced by a heat pump model.

    One thing I’ve wondered about is “smartifying” the various within-house heat pumps like water heater and fridge, so they pump either to the house or the outside, depending on which is more efficient.

  201. 201.

    Kent

    @Bupalos:Anyone need a new car? Let me introduce you to the 238 mile range 2003 Chevy Bolt, which depending on what state you’re in (that may have extra incentives up to 5k) should be able to be had for 15-20k out of your pocket. And should save you well over 10k in fuel costs over its life.

    Are you selling your 19 year old car?  Or were you referring to a new 2023 Chevy Bolt?

    I’m looking at a possible EV purchase in the next 2 years if I end up sending my daughter to college with my 10 year old Prius.  In addition to the Bolt I have my eye on the Nissan Ariya and other logical non-Tesla models.

    If Musk wasn’t such an uber-Douche and the Tesla fan-boys around here not also the same I’d be interested in Teslas too.  But the two people on my block who have bought Teslas are such MAGA douches (the upscale Northwest version of MAGA) I can’t see myself buying a Tesla anymore.

  204. 204.

    Bupalos

    Worried you’ll need to upgrade your electric? We’ve got you covered, half off your electricians bill. Oh, you’re on a lower income and things are tight? OK, we’ll pay ALL of your electricians bill then.

    It is a KICK ASS BILL.

    DEMS ROCK!

    WE DO GOOD SHIT!!!

  205. 205.

    Fair Economist

    @Bupalos: Ooh, clothes dryer, I think so!

    Quite apart from CO2 considerations, I’d be happy not to have explosive gas pumped through my house. I know actual problems are quite rare, but I feel so much safer with an electric oven/induction range.

  206. 206.

    Fake Irishman

    My youngest kid rolled over for the first time on the day that Manchin blew up initial negotiations over BBB. I get to rock her to sleep tonight secure in the knowledge that my votes, contributions, and campaigning have helped a little bit toward securing her future.

    Today is beautiful, we’ll get back in the horse and continue the fight next week.

  207. 207.

    Bupalos

    @Kent: Well you caught me there, but funny you should mention that if you are interested in an used EV (including up to 2021 model year) we’ve got $4000 here for you.

  209. 209.

    Bupalos

    @Fair Economist: And most people forget, if you can get rid of all the gas stuff and thus delete the account, you’ll save whatever the service fee is. Which in our case here is about $300 a year.

  210. 210.

    Fair Economist

    In terms of kick ass bills, California is currently considering a bill for a HUGE tax credit for going car-light. $2500 for each adult for whom the household had no street-legal vehicle registered other than an electric bike. Currently through the Senate and through Assembly committee.

  211. 211.

    Geminid

    @CaseyL: I haven’t heard yet if any Republicans defected to the Yea side. It sounds like it was  a straight party line vote.

    Some of the Republicans voting Nay may have that vote come back to bite them in November. The provisions in this bill are very popular. People who won’t benefit directly will have friend or family who do.

  212. 212.

    Bupalos

    What I love most about the politics of the way the green subsidies are structured is that it’s going to allow a lot of people who really haven’t been able to participate in greening up their life because of costs do so. In the past it’s always been if you have the MONEY and commitment, we’ll help you a bit. This approach is different. It’s removing a barrier to entry. Just care. If you care, you can do something.

    I have a feeling there are a lot of people who sort of subliminally don’t feel good about their fossil fuel choices, but defend those choices even to the point of political alignment because they don’t think of those choices as choices. It’s going to allow some people who couldn’t afford to be enthusiastically green to be so. I think that can actually change some people’s politics and political stances.

  215. 215.

    Bupalos

    @Eunicecycle: What is that, a gas stove?

    Go for induction. If you’re average to above average income, about 50% off. If you’re lower income, should be about free.

  216. 216.

    CaseyL

    @Bupalos: Oh, god, is that in there? I’ve been wanting to upgrade my electric panel, so I can get a heat pump installed.  I’ll have to keep an eye out for that!

  218. 218.

    Bupalos

    @CaseyL: INDEED IT IS IT’S A KICK ASS BILL!!!!!!

    It’s like someone actually sat down and said “how do we actually get this done, instead of tinkering around and helping out the few better-off folks who were probably going to do it anyway.”

  220. 220.

    Bupalos

    @🐾BillinGlendaleCA: Hmmm, yeah I was just starting to research it…sounds like existing programs haven’t really delivered, but you’ve got a bill going through this session that might be fixing that.

    Surprising to me because the NE including PA generally has really good community solar provisions, I’d have thought cali would be leading the way.

  222. 222.

    🐾BillinGlendaleCA

    @Bupalos: Good stuff for home owners, but not for renters.  You have to remember, home owners pay for both the solar improvements and the electric bill, so there’s an incentive for the capital costs.  With renters, there’s a disconnect…the renter pays the electric bill, the landlord would shoulder the capital costs.

  224. 224.

    Fair Economist

    @Geminid:

    I haven’t heard yet if any Republicans defected to the Yea side. It sounds like it was a straight party line vote.

    No defections on the vote count. 4 not voting; story not currently available (ducking voting against inflation reduction? Just lazy?) We’ll find out what’s up with them in a few days, I guess.

  225. 225.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Fair Economist:

    There was a Congresswoman (from Indiana, maybe?) who died in a car crash a couple of weeks ago, so that’s one R vacancy right there. I don’t recall any other Congressional deaths recently so have no idea about the others.

  226. 226.

    caphilldcne

    @PAM Dirac: it’s done but just an FYI the way it works is that there’s x minutes left but they essentially suspend the clock for the leadership so they are not actually taking time. Which is why McCarthy sneeringly said several times I have all the time I need. I think he said it twice.

  227. 227.

    caphilldcne

    @SiubhanDuinne: Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-IN. They named a clinic for her in a unanimous consent vote following the vote on reconciliation. she represented the Northwest of indiana – South Bend area. Very conservative.

  228. 228.

    caphilldcne

    I had to watch for my job.  Norbert’s speech was entirely out of control and got gaveled down about three times for exceeding time. McCarthy’s speech was among the most contemptuous speeches I’ve ever heard from the floor. Disgusting.

  229. 229.

    Yutsano

    Shut up and give me the damn money Joe. And sorry but Yellen can stuff her “no one under $400,000” directive. We need to catch the under $300K cheats too or this funding bump is worthless.

  230. 230.

    Ksmiami

    @caphilldcne: I just think Republican reps are just awful people and how they get elected is tragic for the country. They don’t do anything for anyone. No vision, no empathy, no basic manners. The party needs to be obliterated.

  231. 231.

    Ksmiami

    @Kent: Not to mention Elon shat on his main customer base so – eh the car companies will have a lot of offerings within the next few years and they can work w scalable platforms

  232. 232.

    Another Scott

    @Yutsano: I don’t read her letter (2 page .pdf) that way.

    Notwithstanding the changes that arose because of Republican challenges during the Byrd process, I write today to confirm the commitment that has been a guiding precept of the planning that you and your team are undertaking: that audit rates will not rise relative to recent years for households making under $400,000 annually.

    Specifically, I direct that any additional resources — including any new personnel or auditors that are hired — shall not be used to increase the share of small business or households below the $400,000 threshold that are audited relative to historical levels. This means that, contrary to the misinformation from opponents of this legislation, small business or households earning $400,000 per year or less will not see an increase in the chances that they are audited.

    Instead, enforcement resources will focus on high-end noncompliance. There, sustained, multiyear funding is so critical to the agency’s ability to make the investments needed to pursue a robust attack on the tax gap by targeting crucial challenges, like large corporations, high-net worth individuals and complex pass-throughs, where today the IRS has resources to initiate just 7,500 audits annually out of more than 4 million returns received.

    (Emphasis added.)

    As I read it, if the IRS has resources to audit many more of the richy-rich, then it will also have resource to audit more of the under $400k filers as long as the percentage of them does not go up relative to the high-filers compared to earlier years.

    She’s pushing back on the noise that the IRS is going to be auditing everyone who makes $50k a year now. She’s not saying that it’s open season on cheating as long as you don’t earn more than $400k a year.

    My $0.02.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

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