Time to Check on the Latest Mess in the People’s House…

abuse of power, current events, government, political parties, Ukraine 3 Minutes

You can read the nbcnews.com story referred to in the above link, headlined “It’s embarrassing: Republicans worry they have no achievements to run on,” here.

One of the least well-reported stories of late occurred on January 18th, when the Senate and House passed a continuing resolution (CR) that prevented a partial government shutdown by agreeing to short-term funding.

Although news reports noted the bipartisan nature of the passage, it’s important to state what many may have missed. Accomplishing this most basic, minimal element of governing occurred with only 107 Republican votes; 106 Republicans voted against it. Without the nearly unanimous 207 Democratic votes, important federal agencies would have had to furlough their workers.

Thus, although they hold a thin majority, the Republicans are fighting among themselves and once again failed to do their jobs. The result was that they kicked this big can down a very short road: they (and our country) will have to face these funding issues again on March 1 for some agencies, and on March 8 for others.

Regardless of one’s politics or lack thereof, I like to think that people reject the urge to throw their hands into the air (metaphorically) and condemn “the legislature” for accomplishing nothing.

There are actually two legislatures. The Democratic minority, led by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, is seeking to do the work of government, to compromise when necessary, with a current focus on passing legislation to fund the government and prevent a shutdown, to meet our obligations to our allies by funding aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, and to address the vast influx of migrants at the southern border.

The slim Republican majority, haltingly led by election denier/theocrat Mike Johnson, has been focused on theatrics: threats of impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and President Biden based on purported abandonment of the border.

In fact, the Biden administration’s record of arresting and removing illegal border crossers has actually surpassed Trump’s, and Mayorkas is currently engaged in seeking a compromise plan that would gain bipartisan approval.

The problem is that though progress has been made in the Senate, the speaker-nullifying far right is demanding absurd terms that the Democrats will not accept. Johnson is tying aid to Ukraine to it, as he told the president himself when Biden called the legislative leaders to the White House to persuade them how urgent aid to Ukraine is.

A statement said the president “was clear: Congress’s continued failure to act endangers the United States national security, the NATO Alliance and the rest of the free world.”

Tragically, there’s been nothing to suggest that Johnson’s insurgents wing will accept aid to Ukraine under any circumstances–knowing full well that Putin is stepping up his attacks on the Ukrainians in the belief that the US aid will dry up. Republican senators, including Graham and McConnell, have been urging acceptance of the terms the Senate’s been discussing.

The Republican insurgents’ goal, which several of them have publicly stated, is to keep the border issue, unresolved, as their primary focus in order to elect Donald Trump. This is a cruel approach to an issue that needs humane and responsible bipartisan Congressional agreement.

In the meantime, bad actors internationally are watching the US Congress carefully. The implications to our foreign policy and national security are enormous. But the Republicans don’t care; their daffy, deranged leader is fond of Putin and other dictators, so they follow suit.

Fortunately, the Democrats are the grownups in the room. While James Comer (R-KY), who chairs the House Oversight Committee, has been floundering in his attempts to find dirt on “the Biden crime family,” the committee’s Democrats, led by ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-MD), published a report detailing the nearly $8 million that Trump earned from foreign governments as president. This is in direct violation of the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution.

That amount is assumed to be a small portion of Trump’s total haul, but the committee couldn’t gain access to most of the needed documents because Trump’s organization and his accounting firm refused to turn over the records.

Here’s Rep. Raskin pointing out the House Majority’s hypocrisy in making false accusations about the Biden administration while ignoring yet another of Trump’s egregious violations of the US Constitution.

Please do not fall into the erroneous “politicians are all the same” belief–or allow others to say that without pointing out the differences. They are huge and substantive, and they affect our daily lives.

In October, I asked: “Can Anyone Clean Up the Mess in the House?” If anything, it’s worse now.

Stay tuned for the next installment of “How Many House Democrats Are Needed to Save the Country From the Republicans?”(*)

We’ll see that installment in March, when Super Tuesday and President Biden’s State of the Union Address will collide with the outrageous far right demands that will potentially undermine agreements to meet the next funding deadlines.

(*Spoiler answer for November: A majority…the larger the better!)

Annie

Published by annieasksyou

I've been a nonfiction writer for many years, exploring diverse topics that pique my curiosity, as noted in my first blog posting (Greetings!). I'm seeking dialogue with others committed to joining me in this exploration, sharing my conviction that different views can be exchanged in a respectful, civil discourse where we can learn from one another and be agreeable, even when we disagree. These postings depend for their enrichment on your participation: your ideas, insights, knowledge, opinions, and personal stories.

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50 thoughts on “Time to Check on the Latest Mess in the People’s House…”

  1. Republicans once thundered against continuing resolutions, for kicking the can down the road and preserving the status quo. Lately they seem to accept them as the best they can do. They have passed three so far, frittering away the extra time they gave themselves. It is very likely they will need a fourth.

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  2. What concerns and scares me, Annie, is that MAGAts are happy the governers are not governing. They want “nothing” to happen!
    And if the Republicans suddenly have a change of mind, and try to pass a bill that is clearly not in We the People’s favour, they are going to look even worse than they already do. Stupid as it sounds, to keep the MAGAt vote the best thing they can do is tolļ continue doing nothing — which can only help the Democrats!
    They are “lieing” in the bed they made. It is time to reap what they failed to sow — absolutely nothing!

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    1. The problem, rawgod, is that doing nothing is untenable. The government must be funded or it will grind to a halt. A shutdown that goes on for any length of time will not only hurt many people, it will negatively affect the economy. That’s the Insurgents’ goal–while falsely claiming the Biden economy is in a shambles, they’re doing everything they can to make that happen.

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      1. The funds are there. They are always there. They just need to be made usable when they are needed.
        This is something I do not understand about America. Why the hell do you have this need to control government funds to run the country. It’s not like your money isn’t limitless. It should not be in the hands of politicians who try to pretend that they have limited resources for certain things but not others. The way money works today you need it you print it. Or rather, you open a computer program and send electric money, which does not even have to be printed. So many trsnsactions this days happen online the printed money does not have to exist to make it meaningful.
        When money was limited by the Gold Standard, it was hard to become a millionaire. There wasn’t enough paper money in existence to do like Sctooge McDuck and play in the money vault! But someone had the great idea of ending the Gold Standard, and now every Tom, Dick, and Harriet can be a millionsire without ever seeing a dollar bill. This is why there are billionaires today, and why there will be trillionaires in the future. Money is just numbers in a computer. Actual paper money does not exist to cover all the electic money. Ask yourself, where would it be stored?

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      3. Just saying, but your Constitution was written whe there eas a Gold Standard. There has not been a Gold Standard in tne USA for over 50 years. Just like modern weapons were unforeseeable, they wrote the Constitution to suit what they knew. Your Constitution need updating, serious updating!

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      4. The problem is—and I learned this years ago—the way things have been in this country for decades, a Constitutional Convention will open up a Pandora’s box that will set us back even farther! We have to win back state legislatures and rebalance the courts before we do that!

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      5. And the likelihood of that is close to zero. I know. But no one demands change. Other nations have revolutions over things like that, but not America. For a nation with the level of pride you show to the world, you are too civilized to try to take charge of your own governing bodies, and the Old Guard makes it impossible to be changed peacefully.
        I’m not trying to be critical (maybe a little) but I am telling you how you are seen from outside. Your republic works for the wealthy, it certainly does not work for the working class.

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      6. I don’t disagree, rawgod. That’s why I support Biden so strongly—and why there are so many diverse groups against him. He’s been effective in showing strategies that build the economy from “the middle out” can be good for all. The United Auto Workers just endorsed him bc he walked the picket line with them. He’s helped lower income workers get pay raises, etc etc.

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      7. But there are things he has not done that his voters need to do:
        1. Make sure everyone can vote, and that individual states cannot prevent minorities and other groups from voting (students, seniors, etc)
        .2. Do something to show he is trying to reinstate Roe vs Wade. He has disappointed a lot of women. He has to rely on women voting, but he needs to do something substantial to make them want to vote for nim, not just vote against Trump. He failed this totally so far!
        3. Do something more for voting stud ents. He tried to give them some discounts on their debt load, but it didn’t work well. Students are disillusioned also. They need to see concrete action. Remember, they are youn.g and idealistic — but inexperienced at life. They don’t experience life the way we do. Put yourself into their shoes. What do you need to make you go to vote? They have a very short attention span. They want action NOW!

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      9. I haven’t heard anything sustantive in 2. up here in Csnada, and what I heard in 3. was sbout the xstudent loan forgiveness program which was s good idea, but I thought it had been totally watered down, or stopped by Congress.

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      10. Biden/Harris are making reproductive rights central to their campaign—and linking it to other freedoms, such as to vote and have your vote counted. They rallied together in Virginia this week. Harris is on a nationwide tour.
        Here’s some stuff.

        https://x.com/jonfavs/status/1750571071961731211?s=46&t=nVuexwyjz5lAYgTHGa2APw

        https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/01/22/fact-sheet-white-house-task-force-on-reproductive-healthcare-access-announces-new-actions-and-marks-the-51st-anniversary-of-roe-v-wade/

        As to student loans, though the Supreme Court wrongly struck down his ambitious plans, he’s continuing to work around it.

        https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-announces-nearly-5-billion-additional-student-debt-relief

        https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/student-loan-forgiveness-amount-biden-ab289d75

        Still, Dems are trying to secure more—and Republicans want to roll back what he’s done.

        This is just a sampling, rawgod.

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      12. Rawgod, the efforts have been ongoing since the Supreme Court overturned Roe in 2022–and the Biden administration took office in January, 2021. They’ve involved multiple federal agencies doing multiple things. It is incorrect to assume the federal government has done nothing for four years. You can simply Google and see for yourself.

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      13. I am talking about the appearance, the public face. I am not American, abortions are still legal here in Canada, and hopefully they always will be. I thank you for all the information, but what is being done behind the scenes does not help Biden’s public image. I read random blogs on Word Press, and every once in a while I run into women wondering who they should vote for, or if they should even vote. They expected so much, and to them they got nothing.
        This isn’t my job to do, and I have hardly any readers. Could you write a post, putting all that into one post..You have a .ot of readers. Give women something they can reblog, something to give them hope.
        I have read some very hopeless blogs…

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  3. Excellent points. Robert Reich also has a video out about how Republicans keep voting against President B’s efforts to address border security. They want to whine about it as a problem and not do anything to fix it in order to undermine President B and keep his administration from being more effective. They love power more than their country and dismiss the need to do their jobs – again, again, and again. Meanwhile, when will their supporters awaken to the Republican plan to tear apart social security and Medicare? Cheers, Michael

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  4. Annie, thanks again! Along with hoping for a Democratic victory in the Presidential race (Biden over Trump, it looks like), I we can be hopeful for a strong Democratic victory over the Republicans in November’s congressional elections, to get rid of the do-nothing Republicans whose actual aim is to do nothing, as one of the above replies said— they would’ve looked at shutting down the government as a victory.

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  5. Way to many people confuse leadership with telling others what to do. You can ask me to do anything. I derive a fair amount enjoyment passing time from orders to do something and the discovery that I didn’t do it.
    I have heard a story from several navy veterans of an officer appearing on a WWII carrier flight deck lost in chaos covered in fire and blood, , completely naked. Grabbing a midshipman and a hose began issuing orders inspiring action. Sometime during the battle to save the ship he acquired a life vest and pants. His rank was leader. I want to find that man. I don’t have any qualms about following Joe until he comes.

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      1. I spent the weekend camping with a group of teenagers testing themselves. It was very pleasing to work with a significant numbers of young ladies. The BSA allowed girls to join right when my boys were graduating. Smart men(oxymoron?) have always known to shut-up and follow the quiet leadership of women. A matriarchal society is developing IMO. Kamala will make a great president three years from now.

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  6. Jill, well articulated post. Speaker John Boehner had a similar situation ten years ago and on important matters he would go across the aisle to garner votes since the Freedom Caucus was just as unruly back then. Boehner probably did that a dozen times. Yet, it wore on him and he finally retired. But, just before so doing, he gave his successor, Paul Ryan a gift and passed the funding for the Highway Trust Fund for infrastructure.

    Today is different as Kevin McCarthy made a deal with the Freedom Caucus devil and sealed his fate when only one critic could call a vote. Mike Johnson will suffer the same fate. I shared with McCarthy he should form a governing caucus with Democrats to get the people’s work done.

    As for this Biden attack, it is an embarrassing distraction, especially when the most guilty one is named Trump.

    Keith

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    2. Thanks, Keith. Yes, Boehner and Ryan were the House speakers who began to feel the brunt of radical Republicanism that emerged from the Tea Party movement. Interestingly, one of that movement’s primary goals was to crush the Affordable Care Act, which has grown more popular with each passing year, despite continuing Republican efforts to kill it, as well as Medicare and Social Security–two government programs that the vast majority of the public supports and many depend upon.

      I agree that Johnson, probably the least experienced speaker to ever hold the gavel, is unlikely to last much longer.

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  7. This post looks at recent events in the U.S. Congress, talking about efforts to avoid a government shutdown. It explains how both Democrats and Republicans are different in their approaches, with Democrats actively working on legislation. The post covers topics like funding, aid to Ukraine, and the border issue, showing Democrats as taking proactive steps. The message to reject the idea that “all politicians are the same” is strong, emphasizing real differences. In simple terms, it’s a thought-provoking commentary on politics today.

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  8. At least 50%, perhaps more, of the current Republican party members are anarchists at heart. Followers of Bannon and Putin. They do not want any government to work effectively, unless it imposes fundamentalist doctrine. They are “winning” because it is easy to oppose good legislation. They refuse to compromise because compromise is seen as “weakness”. This is not new. It has been the road the GOP has been on since the Reagan years. We have to accept that large numbers of Americans, for whatever reason, do not want a democratic society.

    When I taught high school it quickly became apparent that one kid could disrupt the learning of an entire class very easily. When cooperation is essential to achieve a goal it does take total cooperation, at least as regards the “rules” of the game. We now have half of a political party intent on destroying cooperation. How do you overcome that? I am sure I don’t know.

    To use an example from education. When I began my teaching career in 1977 if a youngster was disruptive he could be sent to the “office”.The vice principal would call in the parents and that usually settled the matter. As time went on administrators became less and less inclined to “do discipline” and expected teachers to “do your own discipline”. Of course, that meant using teaching time to handle disruptive students. By the time I left teaching in 2009 , at least in my school, it was understood that disruptive behavior in the classroom was something the administration viewed as a problem caused teachers who simply did not understand students.

    I use this example not to bemoan the “good old days” but to illustrate a change in society. The acceptance of disruption. The ideology that emphasizes my “rights” to do whatever I want with little or no regard for others. Underlying this is an attitude that “authority” is bad because no one should tell me what to do. Again, this is not a majority view, but it need not be a majority. A tiny minority can cause a lot of damage.

    The irony, to me, is that the same mentality that demands total freedom and disregard for legitimate authority at the same time demands an authoritarian leader. Perhaps it is a belief that only a cruel dictator can control “you”. I want to do what I want, and I want to control you. Cognitive dissonance?

    I am not sure this makes any sense. Sometimes I think people of my generation, born after WW2 , grew up in an exceptionally odd period in American history. When the majority tended to believe and trust in government. They had just defeated the forces of authoritarianism through cooperation and the feeling that we were “all in this together”. And the acceptance of compromise. Perhaps we are the ones truly out of step with the reality of the American experience?

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    1. I appreciate your sad and thoughtful comment, Joseph. I think “the acceptance of disruption” is an apt phrase that explains a lot. And sure, it’s cognitive dissonance. Many people who opposed the government’s telling them they had to wear masks for their own good and the health of others have no problem with the government telling a twelve-year-old child that she must carry and give birth to her rapist’s child.

      You’re more of a student of history than I am, but I do think much of what we’re seeing now is a reaction to all the progress that preceded it. I continue to hope that all the small d-democrats at the grass roots will help us get through this important election in a way that beats back the anti-democratic forces.

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    2. I am an anarchist. Neither Bannon or Putin are. I forgive your slur.😇 Perhaps I might help as I was that child disrupting you. I was bored! Teachers were ALWAYS looking for the lowest common denominator neglecting the edges. Not once in my first nine years of formal education did a teacher think to line us up in reverse alphabetical order. Authoritarianism is the antithesis of anarchy. I do not want to rule any man nor will I be ruled by man. State your rules and I will decide to play or not. There is always one question: How much?

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      1. I stand corrected. Bannon who sometimes pretends to be an anarchist (ignoring subpoenas) is , I agree, an authoritarian. And Putin, as well. When you say you are an anarchist are you an “active” anarchist, as in the Sovereign Citizen movement or a “philosophical” anarchist as someone who finds the ideas attractive but cannot implement them today?

        I think you may have misinterpreted my concerns about “disruption” in schools. In today’s educational systems there is an enormous disability awareness. Students with “disabilities” (I put it in quotation marks because the term can sometimes be misapplied) have special attention that meets those needs. It was much different when I began my teaching career back in the 70s. In that way things have changed for the better.

        I was not referring to students who say they are “bored”, although that is much less likely today with the understanding of multiple intelligences and modern techniques. I am referring to anti -social behavior or intentionally disruptive behavior. In other words, an attitude that if “I” feel like it I can disrupt the learning for 20 other youngsters, demanding attention for my misbehavior which takes away teaching/learning time for others. As a classroom teacher I was responsible to all students, especially in classes where they would be evaluated by state exams. It would be unprofessional and a dereliction of duty on my part to allow one student to prevent 20 others from being able to obtain an education.

        Traditionally in the USA one of the primary goals of education has been to socialize youngsters. That is, take youngsters who may come from significantly different backgrounds, beliefs, families, etc and help them to understand and respect each other. Since we have always had a diverse society there was a conscious attempt to help youngsters learn to deal with others.

        Today we see a real backlash against the idea that schools should help in the socialization process. Moms For Liberty and other authoritarians want to wipe out the idea of “diversity” from schools and return to the early 20th century when schools functioned to “Americanize” immigrants and others by emphasizing conformity, not diversity. Fortunately most people do not subscribe to book banning, etc. although we see in some states the government itself seems intent on wiping out diversity.

        Regarding your statement that “Authoritarianism is the antithesis of anarchy”. I tend to agree. Although in practice, if there was no government authority what would happen? Would pollution run rampant? Would there be no labor laws? Would those with the most money and power simply impose their will on the rest of us? In other words, in practice would anarchy inevitably lead to a type of authoritarianism since there would be no limits on actions? Just a thought.

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      2. I guess I’m a philosophical christian er anarchist. A “true” anarchy cannot occur because of criminals, free-riders and women.😉GTG doctor in 40 min.

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  9. “The Republican insurgents’ goal, which several of them have publicly stated, is to keep the border issue, unresolved, as their primary focus in order to elect Donald Trump.”

    Earlier this month, Troy Nehls of the Confederate State of Texas said, “Let me tell you, I’m not willing to do too damn much right now to help a Democrat and to help Joe Biden’s approval rating. I will not help the Democrats try to improve this man’s dismal approval ratings. I’m not going to do it.”

    A brazen admission of party over country and a statement that should be broadcast every single day by the Democrats from now until November. The other statement that should be broadcast daily is the one by the (not so) reverend Mike Johnson in which he essentially revealed that Trump is the de facto Speaker of the House. Hell, there are scores of quotes by Republicans that should be aired every day.

    My hope is that Republicans such as Dan Crenshaw, who said on the MAGA outlet Fox, that if he saw a meaningful border bill he would vote for it. He went on, “My actual priority is not worrying about the politics of Trump versus Biden, my actual priority is border security.” He continued by saying those who want a border bill scuttled for political reasons are “more concerned about their red jersey than the border.” To be clear, I’m not a fan of Crenshaw but right now we need a small handful of Republicans to see past the red jerseys.

    I am hopeful that another couple of Republicans will resign between now and November. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the next Speaker of the House will be Jeffries. And sooner rather than later.

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    1. Yes–Nehls’ remark was running through my mind. I’m glad you cited it here, Paul. It’s good for people to see what you aptly call “a brazen admission of party over country.”

      Although I worry what someone like Dan Crenshaw would find acceptable, I agree that his willingness to buck the MAGA rhetoric is hopeful.

      And I’m sure with you in hoping for a few more Republican resignations, leading to a responsible grownup speaker, Hakeem Jeffries, who has quickly consolidated support among his caucus as they are forced repeatedly to confront the nihilists in trying to do the people’s business.

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    2. If anything wouldn’t it be politically smart for the GOP to pass a bi-partisan immigration bill? To show that they can achieve something? Right now they have done nothing to demonstrate that they should be in power.

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      1. When have the Republicans done anything smart since June of 2015, when Trump waddled to a podium and unleashed a racist announcement for his candidacy? They’ve had 9 years of offramps to free themselves from Trump but they just continue speeding down the highway to hell.
        The strategy, if you can call it that, is being driven by Trump from Mar a Whacko. The idea is that Biden’s weakness is immigration and if that can dog him through the election cycle then Trump stands a better chance of winning.
        They’re more interested in impediment than improvement. There’s no interest from the hard liners to get any legislation done.

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    1. Thank you, Matthew. Yes—that’s what a lot of the wise folks I follow have been saying too.

      Now we must hope Haley stays in as long as possible. She’s finally getting fiercer with her attacks, and being attacked by anyone—much less a brown woman he thinks owes him for her UN position—will make him explode into newer levels of incoherence.

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  11. Pingback: Mike’s Blog Round-Up ... from Crooks & Liars Tengrain - Tom Bettenhausen's

  12. Well done, thank you. Look forward to part two. Enjoy as well the comments of your readers. Always a robust exchange here. Also, a small point: when’s the last time I saw the word “daffy” in print? Thanks for your exquisite care with language. Always a delight to read.

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