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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Sunday Evening Open Thread: Matt Gaetz Gets Some of the Attention He Craves

Sunday Evening Open Thread: Matt Gaetz Gets Some of the Attention He Craves

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This isn’t chess — it’s barely a step up from tic-tac-toe. Which makes it catnip for Politico:

… Let’s assume Gaetz starts with only a handful of Republicans — perhaps just five, maybe as many as 10 — and that McCarthy has no chance of turning this group around. It’s not much, and that means Gaetz needs Democrats — perhaps as many as 200 — to oust McCarthy. (Ironic considering that his line today was that McCarthy is the Dems’ speaker.)…

One senior Democratic lawmaker told us this morning that the instructions from leadership to “all Dems” right now is “keeping powder dry.”

While Gaetz might be right that he can get lots of votes from progressives, his only chance after that is if Jeffries himself locks down the caucus in favor of the MTV. But that could take some persuading. For a bloc of moderates — a mix of perhaps 25 to 40 Blue Dogs, Problem Solvers and Dems in Trump districts — a vote to prove their bipartisan credentials by keeping McCarthy as speaker could be very tempting…

STEPPING BACK FROM THE CHESS GAME: The big question all Democrats have to answer — and quick — is whether it’s better to have McCarthy as speaker or not.

On the pro-keeping-McCarthy side of the ledger is that he’s the devil they know, and there is nobody better waiting in the wings. By avoiding the government shutdown, he also just showed he can be more responsible than some Democrats had believed. It could also take two weeks for another speaker to emerge from the ashes of the chaos, all while the White House and Democrats are trying to push through aid for Ukraine and fund the government over the next 45 or so days. And if you are at the White House and care about all of this, in addition to the fate of the impeachment inquiry, which Democrats have already raised as an issue in any discussion of helping McCarthy, then McCarthy may be the better bet. This is the institutionalists’ argument.

The other side of the argument is that McCarthy is the GOP’s greatest fundraiser, and getting rid of him would help Democrats take back the House. No replacement for McCarthy would have the same set of relationships and the donor network and political operation. In addition, the argument goes, the GOP chaos in the House would pay political dividends…


CNN, in mid-July:

Investigators from the House Ethics Committee have begun reaching out to witnesses as part of a recently revived investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, focused on allegations that he may have engaged in sexual misconduct, illicit drug use or other misconduct.

At least one witness in Florida told CNN they have spoken to investigators about the Republican congressman in recent weeks about alleged lobbying violations, and sources familiar with the Ethics Committee probe say other witnesses also have been contacted…

The Ethics Committee, which at the time was controlled by Democrats, originally opened an investigation in 2021, publicly announcing that they were examining a range of allegations including that Gaetz violated sex trafficking laws, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, converted campaign funds to personal use and accepted a bribe, among other claims.

Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing…

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told CNN this week he doesn’t “know anything about” the investigation, noting that he’s barred by House rules from discussing it with committee members. The Republican-led investigation into Gaetz comes as the Florida congressman finds himself repeatedly at odds with his party’s leadership.

“I never know anything on (the) Ethics Committee,” McCarthy told CNN. “I don’t know what investigations they have. I don’t know anything about it.”

Asked to comment on whether he thinks the investigation should move forward, McCarthy declined to do so and referred questions to the committee…

You know it’s Sunday when Brand Gingrich has an opinion to share:

Reader Interactions

122Comments

  3. 3.

    Alison Rose

    If he’d trafficked boys (AFAIK not what he was accused of) they’d have had him out of there right quick, I imagine.

    Also, come on, news people:

    his only chance after that is if Jeffries himself locks down the caucus in favor of the MTV

    Anyone old enough to give a shit about this stuff is old enough that you can’t use that acronym. Type it out, you lazy gits.

  4. 4.

    MattF

    Except that without a Speaker, the House can’t do anything. Does anyone recall what happened before, when McCarthy was first elected Speaker? Was that too far in the past? Does any Republican actually want to be Speaker? So many questions…

  6. 6.

    bbleh

    I still don’t think Gaetz actually wants McQarthy removed; I think he just wants the drama.  Come to think of it, another Speaker might be less inclined to put up with Gate’s bullsh!t.

    And all necessary genuflection to Politico, but re Democrats, I think the fundraising issue is a strawman.  Why would McQarthy become less of a fundraiser?  Perhaps he’d even be more of one, because he’d be a martyr, or because he’d have more time to devote to it.  (Speaking of drama, enter Politico.)

    It’s all a show.  Fortunately, at least for now, it’s not getting in the way of keeping a shutdown from tipping the economy into a recession or, y’know, cutting off food subsidies for needy children!!!  But of course, such trivial matters don’t concern Politico …

  7. 7.

    Spanky

    @Alison Rose: Unfortunately, this is coming from people in the DMV. DC/Maryland/Virginia. Since that acronym has started being used, it seems people feel free to create whatever dumbass acronyms they like.

  9. 9.

    SpaceUnit

    Dems should extract some concessions before they save McCarthy’s ass.  Stupid ones.  Make him wear a bucket on his head any time Congress is in session.

  14. 14.

    Jackie

    Watching the Mehdi Hasan show and he’s interviewing Eric Swalwell. Mehdi played this clip from the 2019 Presidential Debate when Swalwell challenged Biden: https://youtu.be/pzmtQHcK9BQ?si=8p4U9UDj_FLwCMEY

    Swalwell looked like a baby! (It’s amazing what four years of death threats can do towards aging 😢) Swalwell had a very sheepish grin as he told Mehdi “Babies shouldn’t run for for President.” And added “Biden proved me wrong.” Swalwell had nothing but praise and admiration for all Biden has done.

  15. 15.

    bbleh

    @Alison Rose: @Spanky: in Wash’nun, everything is acronyms.

    LONG long ago, before the days of the Web (yes children, I remember that) there was a book — a thick paperback book — of “forgettable acronyms” that was a handy resource for DC functionaries.

  16. 16.

    bbleh

    @Spanky: I thought exactly this when I saw a pic of him today!  But with even more forehead, and a kind of … Nixonian aspect.

  17. 17.

    Wag

    @SpaceUnit:   And anything that passes the House has to follow a bipartisan Hastert rule. Any legislation has to be bipartisan with equal GOP/Dem votes.

  20. 20.

    bbleh

    @SpaceUnit: @MattF: of course they will.  I can’t imagine they didn’t already with the CR.  And yes, McQarthy’s word is worth less than the gas it takes to push it out of his mouth, but this is a repeated game: he will need House Dems in the future, so he can’t renege on a deal quite so easily as he did with the debt ceiling (which to be fair was less important than the legislation itself).

  21. 21.

    Suzanne

    @Spanky: Remember when that “truckers convoy” had the great idea to drive to the Beltway and slow down traffic, apparently not realizing that it’s always a got-damn parking lot and no one would notice? And they got as far as the mall parking lot loop road in Hagerstown and gave up?!

    That was funny as shit.

  24. 24.

    Barbara

    @Alison Rose: DMV is really recent. I didn’t know what it meant at first. Obviously, I figured it out. I usually say metro DC area.  DMV has been spoken for, as you suggest.

  27. 27.

    Jackie

    @bbleh: Someone here described him as Flattop from Dick Tracy. Once you see that, you can’t unsee it.

    Eta: link didn’t work😡

  29. 29.

    Barbara

    @Suzanne: Well, they did make a few trips inside the Beltway but gas is expensive and they were warned that any parked vehicle inside DC would be impounded.  But it is kind of funny that they thought driving slowly around the Beltway would somehow be new and different.

  30. 30.

    bbleh

    @Suzanne: that’s what I mean by Nixonian.  And looks like Jack Nicholson except … Nicholson never seemed to have that degree of genuine malice.

    It kinda goes along with the model of MAGAts as children throwing temper tantrums.  Children exude a terrible malice when they’re doing that, even if in the end it doesn’t really mean anything.  But with these folks …

  31. 31.

    Citizen Alan

    @Alison Rose:

    If he’d trafficked boys (AFAIK not what he was accused of) they’d have had him out of there right quick, I imagine.

    Somewhere,  Gym Jordan just started giggling but doesn’t know why

  33. 33.

    frosty

    @Alison Rose: It looks like it’s made of Silly Putty and then someone laid a heavy book on top of it for a few moments.

    OMG that’s it exactly!!​
    ​

    @EarthWindFire: ​  He looks like Beavis and Butthead had a baby.

    OMG that too!

  34. 34.

    Geminid

    @Alison Rose:  “The DMV” is a marketing term for the greater DC area that was adopted (I think) this century. I first noticed it listening to WTOP Radio, where it’s used sometimes by the reporters but more often by advertisers. Its like how Chicago radio stations talk about “Chicagoland,” except that Chicagoland sounds kind of magical whereas The DMV just sounds dorky.

  36. 36.

    Villago Delenda Est

    POLITICO (and its siblings, Axios, Roll Call, and The Hill) needs to be nuked from orbit.  Only way to be sure.

  39. 39.

    Another Scott

    I don’t want to give Politico a click – maybe they discuss the details in paragraph 87. But the screaming headlines make it sound like as soon as Gaetz files the motion, then Qevin is gone. But it’s Congress – nothing is ever that simple.

    NPR.org:

    How does a motion to vacate work?

    Gaetz, or any combination of McCarthy detractors, could at any time introduce a privileged resolution to declare the office of the speaker of the House of Representatives vacant — known as a “motion to vacate.” The introduction alone doesn’t guarantee a vote, but it would be like firing a warning shot to to the House that it’s coming. This is precisely what former Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., did back in 2015 against then-Speaker John Boehner, but Boehner stepped down before a vote was called.

    After introduction, a lawmaker would have to go to the House floor and request a vote on the resolution, which would be considered privileged and therefore require a vote to occur within two legislative days. Party leadership can determine the timing of the vote, and it could happen as soon as it’s introduced.

    [ Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., talks to reporters just after a plan from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to keep the government temporarily open collapsed on Friday.
    J. Scott Applewhite/AP ]

    The resolution is subject to motions that could ultimately block it from getting a vote. For example, motions to table the resolution, or refer it to committee would be in order. If any of those intermediary steps succeeded, then a vote on the resolution to vacate the speakership would not occur.

    If the blocking motions fail, and a vote on the resolution is called, it requires a simple majority of lawmakers present and voting to succeed. If it passes, the speakership is immediately vacated.

    (Emphasis added.)

    Lots of conditionals.

    “a simple majority lawmakers present and voting” – So, democrats could block it simply by showing up in sufficient numbers and voting “present”, nicht wahr??

    If Gaetz goes through with his threat, I expect him to lose. Reagan’s 11th Commandment still has some sway with the folks in that caucus who aren’t totally insane. Democrats have an interest in getting a budget passed that includes explicit funding for Ukraine. Gaetz’s clown-show isn’t going to help, and seeing him and the other crazies continue to tear the GQP apart may be much more effective politically than having Qevin thrown out.

    We’ll see.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  41. 41.

    Ken

    @frosty: I was going to say he looks like the little space alien got inside the human suit and didn’t quite close the hatch all the way. Does that work too?

  42. 42.

    frosty

    @Suzanne: No, that’s just wrong. Delmarva is Delmarva. It’s easy to say and easy to understand. I’ve never heard anyone reduce it to DMV and I hope I never do.

    The other way to refer to it is from our dear departed Baltimore Mayor/Maryland Governor Schaefer: “That shithouse of an Eastern Shore.” Apparently he was pissed that he didn’t get the majority of votes from that part of the state.

  45. 45.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Villago Delenda Est: “Tri-State Area” just makes me think of Phineas and Ferb now. The show took place in a Tri-State Area, though it was never specified what the states were, and Heinz Doofenshmirtz’s inept plans always revolved around conquering the Tri-State Area.

  46. 46.

    bbleh

    @Another Scott: I will pledge not to comment for a week if a MTV is approved.  Hell, two weeks.*
    Na ga ha pa.

    * (this would be a trial beyond all understanding for me)

  48. 48.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Matt McIrvin:

    “Tri-State Area” just makes me think of Phineas and Ferb now. The show took place in a Tri-State Area, though it was never specified what the states were, and Heinz Doofenshmirtz’s inept plans always revolved around conquering the Tri-State Area. 

    The ENTIRE Tri! State! Area!

  52. 52.

    Jackie

    @Geminid: I live in one! In WA state. Funny story, when my daughter lived in eastern TN, I’d fly from the Tri-Cities, WA to the Tri-Cities, TN and back.

  54. 54.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Jackie: Ah, Seattle Thunderbirds, facing Tri-Cities in the WHL playoffs!  Cry-Cities suck!  Cry Cities suck!  Then there was that big brawl in ’86 that we folk from Fort Lewis saw when on some TDY to Germany!

  57. 57.

    Suzanne

    @frosty: I agree. I got confused the first time I heard someone call the Delmarva “DMV”. Like, it’s already abbreviated! Don’t make this confusing! Stop trying to make fetch happen!

  58. 58.

    tokyokie

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Oh, it’s like “Tri-State Area” for NYC and environs, or “The Metroplex” for Dallas-Fort Worth.

    The town of Smithville in Texas, which is roughly equidistant from Austin, San Antonio, and Houston, proudly proclaims that it’s the “Heart of the Megalopolis.” But it’s pretty much the middle of nowhere.

  62. 62.

    Scout211

    @MazeDancer: Awesome!

    Here is the text from that tweet:

    BREAKING: Governor Gavin Newsom will appoint EMILY’s List President Laphonza Butler to fill the seat of the late senator Dianne Feinstein, elevating the head of a fundraising juggernaut that works to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights. This is a fantastic choice.

  63. 63.

    Jackie

    @MazeDancer: WOW! She’s gonna make a MARK! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

    She’s an awesome choice! Great job, Newsom! (And now we know why he modified “interim senator” if she chooses to run for the seat in ‘24!)

  64. 64.

    Scout211

    Laphonza Butler’s Wikipedia.

    Butler began her career as a union organizer for nurses in Baltimore and Milwaukee, janitors in Philadelphia and hospital workers in New Haven, Connecticut. In 2009, she moved to California, organizing in home caregivers and nurses, and served as President of SEIU United Long Term Care Workers, SEIU Local 2015.

    Butler was elected President of the California SEIU State Council in 2013. She undertook efforts to boost California’s minimum wage and raise income taxes on the wealthiest Californians.[3] As President of SEIU Local 2015, Butler endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary.

    In 2015, Butler was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to a 12-year term as a regent of the University of California.  She resigned from her role as regent in 2021.

    Butler joined SCRB Strategies as a partner in 2018. At SCRB, she played a central role in Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign. Butler was known as a political ally of Harris since her first run for

    since her first run for California Attorney General in 2010, when she helped Harris negotiate a shared SEIU endorsement in the race.[

    Butler left SCRB in 2020 to join Airbnb as Director of Public Policy and Campaigns in North America.[

    Butler was named the third president of EMILY’s List in 2021. She was the first women of color and the first mother to lead the organization.[

    On October 1, 2023, it was reported by Politico that Governor Gavin Newsom will appoint Butler as the next U.S. Senator of California, succeeding U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein.

  67. 67.

    sdhays

    @bbleh:

    And all necessary genuflection to Politico, but re Democrats, I think the fundraising issue is a strawman.  Why would McQarthy become less of a fundraiser?  Perhaps he’d even be more of one, because he’d be a martyr, or because he’d have more time to devote to it.  (Speaking of drama, enter Politico.)

    This was my reaction. To actually take McQarthy out, you have take him out of the House. A successful Motion to Vacate would simply kick him out of the Speakership, it wouldn’t take him out of the House. He could, potentially, resign and take his ball home, but why would he do that? I just don’t see it.

    Also: I didn’t know our Kevin was an adulterer, but I’m far from surprised. It seems like if you throw a ping-pong ball in a group of politicians, Republican or Democrat, you’re more likely than not to hit someone who sleeps around. I don’t particularly care in this instance, except for the general culture of hypocrisy Republicans have.

  69. 69.

    prostratedragon

    Sounds like a good choice. Glad Newsom didn’t wait; after all were it the Presidency a successor would have been sworn in immediately. No need to add to the general din.

  71. 71.

    dmsilev

    LA Times blurb on the pick:

    Gov. Gavin Newsom has picked Laphonza Butler, a Democratic strategist who rose to prominence in the labor movement, to fill the Senate seat held by Dianne Feinstein, who died Friday at age 90, Newsom’s office confirmed.

    The pick fulfills the governor’s pledge to appoint a Black woman but rebukes calls for him to tap Rep. Barbara Lee, a prominent Black congresswoman from Oakland who is running for the position in the 2024 election.

    Butler is the president of EMILY’s List, a national political organization that focuses on electing Democratic women who support abortion access. She has deep experience in Democratic politics, having previously served as president of a powerful labor union and as an advisor to Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign.

    It’s an historic appointment for a governor who has prioritized appointing LGBTQ+ people to positions of power — Butler will be the first out person of color to serve in the Senate.

    It also could scramble the 2024 race for Senate that is well under way. Butler has connections that could make her a formidable fundraiser, which would be necessary for any candidate jumping into a race just six months before the March primary election, when other candidates have been fundraising all year.

    Newsom has faced withering criticism ever since announcing plans to appoint a short-term caretaker to the coveted post, heat which his administration tried to alleviate on Sunday by offering assurances the governor’s appointee would be free to launch a 2024 senate campaign.

  74. 74.

    Alison Rose

    @dmsilev:

    Newsom has faced withering criticism ever since announcing plans to appoint a short-term caretaker to the coveted post, heat which his administration tried to alleviate on Sunday by offering assurances the governor’s appointee would be free to launch a 2024 senate campaign.

    WTF did people want him to do? Not appoint anyone and leave the seat empty? And he can’t just name someone as a permanent Senator and like, declare the next election null and void. By naming a caretaker, he’s doing his job. What is the problem?

    And the drama around Lee annoys me. She’s running for the seat! If he named her, it would basically be an endorsement, and he’s not going to do that, and rightly so. People are ridic.

  75. 75.

    Steeplejack

    @Geminid:

    I always laugh when I see “Tri-City Area,” because everyone assumes that their TCA is the only one and everyone will know where it is—which is rarely the case.

    A few commenters on this very blog live in the “Tri-City Area.” Jackie was kind enough to explain that theirs is Richland, Kennewick and Pasco, WA.

  76. 76.

    dmsilev

    @Alison Rose: I read the pressure to pick Lee as, basically, an organized campaign from her supporters and allies. Which is fine in and of itself, that’s the essence of politics, but it does mean that the statements of great moral outrage need to be taken with grains of salt.

  79. 79.

    sdhays

    @Alison Rose: I seem to recall Barbara Lee saying something about how insulting it is for a black woman to be a “caretaker” – basically choosing someone to “check a box” but in such a way that they can’t run with it. I didn’t think Newsom intended that when he made his pledges, and this pick seems to bear that out.

    I’m interested in Butler’s ties to labor given that Newsom just vetoed a major labor-backed bill.

  80. 80.

    RaflW

    On the pro-keeping-McCarthy side of the ledger is that he’s a terrible negotiator and has now orchestrated two major GOP-led cliff events that have netting next to nothing in terms of policy, but lots and lots of bad press for Republicans. So, yeah, keeping him is probably better than having a headless House that cannot even bring bills to the floor.

  81. 81.

    Alison Rose

    @dmsilev: Yeah, Lee herself was being pretty obvious about that. I wanted someone to ask her why she thinks she deserves such a boost over the other two. I mean, not to be a bitch, but she’s polling well behind Schiff and Porter. I won’t deny that some of that is due to racism, but she’s also just not as well-known state-wide as the other two. In the Bay Area, she certainly is, but beyond that, I don’t know. Plus, she’s 77, and while I don’t agree with all the age-related hand-wringing that’s been going on, the idea of electing someone who will be 78 on Election Day to replace a 90 year old seems…odd.

  83. 83.

    Jackie

    @dmsilev:

    Among all her qualities, this can’t be ignored:

    Butler is the first openly LGBTQ person to represent California in the Senate.

    She makes me wonder if our STRONG Dems in Congress should maybe stay where they are. It’s a double-edged sword we have so many qualified candidates who we may lose in the House by running for one seat in the senate.

  84. 84.

    Alison Rose

    @sdhays: But “caretaker” is just a term. That’s what it would be no matter who he picked. You can call it interim or whatever, but he could pick the white white man to ever exist and it would be the same term.

    I guess it was the notion that whoever he picked wouldn’t be allowed to run, but even there, I could see the argument that Newsom appointing someone was a massive potential boost, and he has always stayed out of that kind of thing.

  85. 85.

    Ken

    @Steeplejack: You also see “Tri-County Area”, when the region can’t scrape up three cities. They all seem to come with a “Tri-County Shopper”, too — a newspaper that exists largely on grocery store coupons, classified ads for used camper shells, and the public notice required by some legal proceedings.

  86. 86.

    sdhays

    @Alison Rose: A big part of power in Congress is putting in the time. A 77 year won’t be able to put in the time unless she’s a big outlier. I think it’s reasonable for California voters to want someone who can be there for a couple decades, at least.

  87. 87.

    wjca

    @Alison Rose: In NorCal, it’s Fremont, Newark, and Union City.

    I wonder why, despite living in the East Bay for over 75 years, I have never once heard “Tri-cities” applied to those 3.

  89. 89.

    Chetan Murthy

    @sdhays: by that metric Adam Schiff is also disqualified.  Both Butler and Porter are just fine though.  I like Adam Schiff a lot but I’m Happy with Porter and it’s quite possible I’d be happy with Butler.

  90. 90.

    Scout211

    @Alison Rose: The only way Newsom could control whether the appointed Senator ran for the full Senate term or not is if they agree to the stipulation that they not run for the full term seat.

    Newsom can’t change California election  law. I don’t think this is well understood.

    ETA: edited for clarity.

  91. 91.

    Honus

    @Alison Rose: Gaetz famously said pro choice women who “look like a thumb” don’t have to worry about getting pregnant because they’re so unattractive.  When I read that I thought “wow, talk about projection”

  96. 96.

    sdhays

    @Alison Rose: I certainly thought that he was intending to not disturb the current race. That may have been his initial preference.

    But he had already said that he intended to appoint a black woman if a vacancy arose, so he had these two declarations which, together, were less than ideal.

    So, I think he backed down on not disturbing the current race (at least explicitly) by picking someone who could choose to make a real run if she wants to (as opposed to, I think, the Secretary of the Treasury or something who is very impressive, but also 75 and less likely to try to challenge the existing people in the race). Or else everyone read too much into his “caretaker” words, like you said.

    Either way, this seems like a solid choice, as much as I like both Schiff and Porter.

  98. 98.

    Jackie

    @Honus: I saw MTG’s new boyfriend comment words to the effect of “Democratic women were too ugly to date.” My immediate reaction was someone seriously needs an eye exam – pronto!

  99. 99.

    Steeplejack

    @Alison Rose:

    A lot of those “tri-[whatever]” terms are extremely local—a convenient way for advertisers and radio/​TV to avoid having to say “Springfield, Shelbyville and Melonville” all the time. Unknown/​meaningless to everybody else.

  102. 102.

    Shalimar

    @Jackie: His reason is that his stereotype of Democratic women is hippies who don’t wear makeup or dress in formal clothing.  Which is just silly and clearly not true of pretty much any woman in elected office.

  103. 103.

    Ksmiami

    @Steeplejack: yeah. I actually think he’ll make a great Senator and has a great chance of winning. I like Porter but Schiff is just a level up in terms of statesmanship.

  105. 105.

    Chris T.

    @Steeplejack:

    Delmarva ≠ Eastern Shore.

    Doesn’t help that there’s an “Easton” in the Eastern Shore Delmarva Peninsula, either. 😀

    (My grandfather ran a Birdseye Freezer plant in Easton or Salisbury or something, at one point.)

  106. 106.

    Chris T.

    @Alison Rose: Lee is great—she was my Congresscritter for the years I lived in Oakland—but I agree that Newsom’s actual pick is a better one…

  107. 107.

    Alison Rose

    @Chris T.: I like Lee and probably would agree with her on almost everything. But I feel like there’s this weird “I deserve it” thing happening, and a studious avoidance of the fact that Newsom naming her would have been massively unfair to the other candidates. Plus, at the absolute most, she’ll be able to serve two terms. I have nothing against her, but I think she and her supporters have just been a little over the top about this.

  108. 108.

    Citizen Alan

    @Jackie: Has there been another out LGBT+ in the Senate at all? Or am I blanking on someone obvious because it’s late.

  112. 112.

    lowtechcyclist

    @MattF: ​
     

    Except that without a Speaker, the House can’t do anything. Does anyone recall what happened before, when McCarthy was first elected Speaker? Was that too far in the past? Does any Republican actually want to be Speaker? So many questions…

    My question is, is that true now, or was that a consequence of having no Speaker at the beginning of the session when they haven’t ratified the rules or anything yet?

    Because as I see it, the first priority is to get Ukraine aid passed. So the key question is, how does any change affect that? If vacating the Speakership means nothing passes the House until there’s a new Speaker, then the Dems have to make sure the Motion to Vacate doesn’t pass.

  113. 113.

    janesays

    @Alison Rose: Honestly, two terms would be a stretch. She’s 77 now, and she’ll be 78 next November. If she were to be elected next year, she would take office more than halfway to her 79th birthday, and her first term would end when she we will be 84 years old. A second term would keep her in the seat until she’s 90. We don’t need that anymore. Our elected representatives in Congress are overwhelming a gerontocracy as it is (Democratic members median age is higher than Republican members median age), and we need to get more Gen X and Millennial representation (and even a few Gen Zs, now that they’re old enough to be in the House).

    I think Barbara Lee is one of the finest legislators the state of California has ever sent to Congress. And I think she could have made a fantastic U.S. Senator, if she had gone after the job about 20 years ago.

    But 78 is just too damn old to be an incoming freshman senator (she would be the oldest incoming senator in U.S. history, by a lot).

  115. 115.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Geminid: ​
     

    “The DMV” is a marketing term for the greater DC area that was adopted (I think) this century. I first noticed it listening to WTOP Radio, where it’s used sometimes by the reporters but more often by advertisers. Its like how Chicago radio stations talk about “Chicagoland,” except that Chicagoland sounds kind of magical whereas The DMV just sounds dorky.

    Yeah, I first heard it from the deejays on either DC-101 or whatever the classic rock station is, probably about fifteenish years ago.

    How much harder is it to say “DC area,” fercryinoutloud? Especially when the license/tags/title places in both DC and Virginia are the DMV? (We Marylanders have the MVA, fwiw.)

  116. 116.

    Anne Laurie

    @Jackie: I saw MTG’s new boyfriend comment words to the effect of “Democratic women were too ugly to date.”

    Translation:  None of the Dem chicks I took out would let me grope their tits in public on a first date.  Much less give me a handy in response!

  117. 117.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Anne Laurie: The assertion that liberal women are ugly and conservative women are hot has been a central element of right-wing dogma for as long as I can remember. I figure part of is that they promote this very particular lacquered-Barbie look (think Fox News presenters) that few people who aren’t reactionaries will even try to achieve. But there’s a heavy dose of pure fantasy in there too, the same kind of imagination that will transform Donald Trump into a chiseled Adonis.

  118. 118.

    trnc

    @SpaceUnit: Dems should extract some concessions before they save McCarthy’s ass. Stupid ones. Make him wear a bucket on his head any time Congress is in session.

    Or real concessions, like power sharing so we have the ability to get things done in the House instead of having to wait for Qevin to decide to do his job. Short of power sharing, I’m with Pelosi – let the repubs own their shit. The most likely outcome is that Qevin eventually gets reelected speaker, or the morons screw it up so badly that Jeffries gets it.

  119. 119.

    trnc

    @Alison Rose:

    WTF did people want him to do? Not appoint anyone and leave the seat empty? And he can’t just name someone as a permanent Senator and like, declare the next election null and void. By naming a caretaker, he’s doing his job. What is the problem?

    And the drama around Lee annoys me. She’s running for the seat! If he named her, it would basically be an endorsement, and he’s not going to do that, and rightly so. People are ridic.

    Agreed!

  121. 121.

    fancycwabs

    The GOP is steadfast in following the Hastert Rule.

    I mean the other Hastert Rule: You can rise to the highest echelons of the Republican Party no matter what sex crimes you may have committed.

  122. 122.

    Geminid

    @Steeplejack: There are so many “Tri-City” areas I am surprised there isn’t an Association of Tri-Cities. They could collaborate on developing fungible Tri-City promotional material. That would save a lot of duplication.

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