It’s Mike Johnson and the House Republicans:
Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday tried and failed to kill a bipartisan effort to change House rules so that lawmakers would temporarily be allowed to vote remotely after the birth of a child, suffering an embarrassing defeat that paralyzed the chamber and signaled that the proposal could soon be adopted.
Using strong-arm tactics in a bid to block the measure, Mr. Johnson tried an extraordinary use of the speaker’s power to prevent the House from even considering a measure backed by half its members. But nine Republicans refused to go along, instead dealing him a public rebuke that left him without a strategy for moving ahead.
After the vote, Mr. Johnson abruptly canceled votes for the rest of the week, sending members home and leaving legislative business unsettled. Under House rules, Republican leaders are required to bring the proxy voting resolution to a vote within two legislative days. But they appeared to be refusing to do anything else until the holdouts in their party cave, which they have shown no sign of doing. As Republicans left Washington for the week having passed no bills, it was not clear how or when the issue would be resolved.
Our forced birthers doing everything they can to prove Democrats are right about not giving a fuck about you and your baby after it is born. Wish I had a 200k a year job with amazing benefits that I could just take the week off if something hurts my feels on a Tuesday.
Andrew Abshier
My otherwise useless ‘Critter, Greg Steube (FL-16) actually voted with the Democrats today along with 8 other Republicans. In all the time I’ve had him as my so-called representative, this is the first time I recall him voting for the right thing.
Suzanne
This country hates children. Hates them. Covid radicalized me on this.
Mousebumples
@Andrew Abshier: worth a call to thank him?
rikyrah
WIRED
@WIRED
NEW: The doctor behind breakthrough Parkinson’s research was among the scientists purged from the National Institutes of Health, the US’s leading medical research agency.
https://x.com/WIRED/status/1907225125264429453
WaterGirl
@rikyrah: un-fucking-believable.
Pure evil
On the plus side, he and his research will be quickly snapped up by another country. Right?
bbleh
All I can figure about Preacher Mike is that he and most of his fellow cultists engage in this kind of performative nonsense that makes sense only within the very narrow confines of their particular sect because they don’t have anything else to do and they know it.
On anything important, they will do what their Orange Prophet tells them to do. So they’re left with stuff like this in the meantime.
Chief Oshkosh
@WaterGirl: Eh…maybe? Top research teams are pretty complicated. Hell, mediocre research teams are pretty complicated.
NotMax
Refer you once again to Johnson’s bonkers ultra-evangelist roommate/puppetmaster.
Ohio Mom
@Andrew Abshier: Please call his office and thank him, compliment him profusely, tell him you hope to see many more humane votes from here, that he was incredibly courageous to go against the Speaker in the cause of doing the right thing, that what he did was deeply ethical.
Slather it on. And what the hey, go to his web page and call every office listed, he has one or two in the district and one in D.C. Chat up the interns who answer the phone, consider this a teachable moment for them.
Yes, the motion has not yet passed but maybe some positive reinforcement will help him stick to his guns.
Ohio Mom
@rikyrah: I hope some other country’s national health research institute snaps him up, let that country reap the financial rewards a new Parkinson’s drug will bring.
Scout211
The Anna Paulina Luna vs Pastor Johnson death match was discussed a bit in the afternoon thread.
Pastor Johnson was so very offended that some Republicans did not listen to him but listened to Anna Paulina! Anna Paulina was so very offended that her very own
crazyfreedom caucus was mean to her because she didn’t listen to Pastor Johnson! Pastor Johnson was so mad that he decided to send everyone home! Anna Paulina decided to ditch hercrazyfreedom caucus buddies forever! She’s out, losers! No more Anna Paulina to kick around in thecrazyfreedom caucus! And everyone is dismissed!, said Pastor Johnson.The end
Karen G Jaeckel
Talk about waste; new hearing on the death of JFK has to be one of most idiotic. Oliver Stone was called, so he ranted about CIA; my dog if the CIA had anything to do with death any and all information is long gone down the rabbit hole or burned.
Mousebumples
Whoops, wrong thread.
RaflW
Given how little output this new Congress has had in the first few months, will people even notice that they’re losing like 2.5 legislating days?
Johnson clearly sucks at his job, but the House would probably just pass shit we hate, so leaving is definitely a win for the week.