A couple of days ago I assumed the newsmakers wouldn’t do anything alarming before today. Well, I was mistaken. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had busloads of migrants dumped in front of Vice President Kamala Harris’s house on Christmas Eve, in below freezing weather. A group called the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network swooped in and got the migrants food and shelter. They say they’re used to it, no big deal.
The nonprofits that have organized to take care of the humanity Abbott has been dumping on them say it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, if only Texas (and Florida) would be willing to coordinate what it’s doing with federal and local authorities instead of just randomly dumping busloads of people in northern cities with no advance notice. But of course this is all about Abbott showing off what an asshole he is to amuse the home folks and “own the Libs,” who are not in fact “owned.” So that’s not going to happen.
Speaking of assholes, a number of Republican office holders show are at least going through the preliminary steps of challenging Trump for the GOP nomination in 2024. Trump’s early declaration is not going to clear the field.
Even better, some circular firing squads are forming. Pillow Guy Mike Lindell is floating the theory that Ron DeSantis is guilty of election fraud. “On his show Tuesday, Lindell indicated that he’s going to turn his crack team of voter-fraud investigators on DeSantis’s win in the 2022 midterms,” it says here. Lindell is suspicious because DeSantis’s margin of victory looked too big, and because DeSantis is now considered the real front runner for the 2024 GOP nomination.
And then a few days ago a cat fight broke out between Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. They are no longer allies. I take it the basis of the rift has to do with Greene’s continued unwavering support for Donald Trump and for Kevin McCarthy to be Speaker of the House. Boebert refuses to commit to Trump in 2024 and to McCarthy ever.
And the Daily Beast reports that the Far Right has turned on MTG as a “faker.”
As for why fellow extremists are upset? That’s three-fold—and it involves Greene’s vocal support for Rep. Kevin McCarthy to be the next Speaker of the House, her public spat with onetime friend Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), and the finalization of her divorce.
“MTG wants to protect McCarthy from being removed if he is elected Speaker,” Jan 6th organizer Ali Alexander wrote on Telegram, seething over Greene. “There is something so odd about what is going on between McCarthy and MTG. I’ve only ever once before seen anything like it. It may be time for me to intervene.”
The “Stop the Steal” leader—once an ally of Greene’s—subsequently returned to Telegram to tear into the Georgia Republican, who he referred to as a “trailer park hoodrat,” for “attacking” Boebert earlier this week after the Colorado congresswoman ignited a public feud with Greene. …
… Likewise, former Right Side Broadcasting Network host-turned-failed Republican congressional candidate Mike Crispi suggested that Greene was being “blackmailed” by McCarthy, which he called the “only logical explanation” for her fervent support.
“All she does is bully and try to discredit,” he continued of the Georgia Republican.
White nationalist leader-turned-Kanye West informal campaign associate Nicholas Fuentes additionally turned on Greene earlier this month after she denounced him in late November, despite speaking at Fuentes’s annual AFPAC conference months earlier in March.
Fuentes—who now refers to Greene as “Large Marge”—has since encouraged his white nationalist “groyper” followers to heckle Greene at her campaign events.
Next year may not be that awful.
Say what they will, I believe Greene's detractors feel a bit inadequate in comparison, perhaps jealous of her ability to penetrate the nation's political discourse with her now infamous "butt plugs and dildos" speech.
How droll you are.
Kristen Wiig MUST revive her Target Lady SNL character for this.
I have to admit it's becoming hard to identify the factions within the GOP.
The known known is MTG, who is incapable of subtlty. She's a Trump loyalist. God knows what McCarthy promised Trump, but Trump is backing McCarthy for Leader and MTG is following orders by supportin McCarthy. Oddly, Matt Gaetz is bucking Trump in his opposition to McCarthy. Likewise Bobbert, as mentioned before.
So if Gaetz and Bobbert are bucking Trump and opposed to McCarthy, what's their end game? IMO, when the GOP has used a government shutdown as an extortion tactic, they've always blinked when public opinion turns against them for trying to ram through a minority policy position. When I say minority, I mean the voters and the Congress.
The anarchists are dead sure the tail can wag the dog, but only if the Speaker won't blink. As voters in swing states apply pressure when the pain of the GOP government shutdown mounts, the GOP won't have the votes to SUSTAIN the shutdown. Not if the Speaker will bring up the matter for a vote… after GOP approval is cratering and swing states are taking on a bright blue complexion (if polls can be believed.)
The firebrands in the House do not trust McCarthy not to cave. (That's my read.) They have the slimmest of majorities in the House – enough to stop legislative progress on any compromise legislation that might originate in the Senate but that's not enough. They want to dictate to the Senate and the WHite House, not negotiate with them. (When you consider that this is a minority of Republicans trying to dictate to the Speaker, and the Senate, and President Biden, you start to realize, it's a very small tail determined to wag a very big dog.)
Give the anarchists credit for "living in the moment." They aren't positioning for the next election. The suicide pact they're signing in blood had nothing to do with 2024. They aren't (that I can see) trying to save Trump from the DoJ. They're going after all the legislative goals without passing legislation – they're planning to hold a gun to the nation's head until everything they want is delivered to them by the majority.
I still think the only "factions" that matter in the GOP are (1) the old Big Money group (and the institutions they fund) and (2) Trump. I suspect that many of the real Trumpist politicians are starting to realize that hitching their wagon to Trump brings short-term notoriety and long-term poverty. They are slowly waking up to the fact that the Real GOP can guarantee long-term wealth.
Any other "factions" now are just short-term personal crushes. There are no divisions based on "policy"; that was true in 2016 (all the traditional GOP candidates espoused policies vetted by the Institutions that are the real machinery of the GOP), and Trump made it obvious that ignoring all that drivel is the path to power. Policy is obsolete (on the Right); emotional appeal is the only thing that matters.
Factions in the GOP: 1. Hydrocarbon barons (Texas-Saudi axis), 2. Grifters (TFG), 3. Evangelicals (perhaps Pentacostalists), 4. Neo-confederates and white power morons.
When you put this out in a venn diagram, it comes out to America First folks led by the Koch bros.
Yeah. But one faction has ALL the money, so they fund the Party machinery. A few of the other nuts can get elected occasionally, but they can't stay in politics long without bowing to the Money and the Machine.
Chaos on the right is MUSIC to my ears!
I look at it the way an enemy is "softened up" before the army shows up, en masse, to finish the job.
The "army" is going to be the mass of indictments, criminal proceedings, etc homing in on DJT and various Republican officials in the coming year.
I well remember how the public turned on Republicans during and after Watergate in the early 70s. In 2023 Idiocracy, it's a much more stupid and distracted public than from the 70s, but in 2023 the crimes are much larger and distributed among many more participants than Nixon and his henchmen.
I read that Jamie Raskin will be the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, facing down MTG, who's been Jonesing for this opportunity to crucify Democrats / own the Libs, and I suspect this is why she's so loyal to Kevin McCarthy who probably promised it to her. Jamie's not afraid to give someone a piece of his mind, so they're'll be no shortage of fireworks to soften up the enemy.
Be positive about the next 2 years – the wind is turning and is behind our backs.
Haha! " Lindell indicated that he’s going to turn his crack team of voter-fraud investigators on"!
George 'Honest Abe' Santos, the new republican representative from NY district #3 (the gullible district), has added two or more fresh faces to the party. The district gets an F for knowing their candidate. Talk about living a lie. They are all shoe ins for a seat(s) on the ethics committee.
Pillow Guy Mike Lindell and his crack team … suits
Santos says he "embellished" some parts of his resume.
No.
You didn't "embellish," Dude (more like 'Dud').
YOU LIED!
L!-I!-E!-D!!!
LIED!!!!!!!
You made a life up out of whole cloth!
You make presiDUNCE tRUMP look like Tommy Truetongue.
As for TexASS's Goobernor Greg Abbott:
Turning migrants away around Christmas time makes me think he's never heard of this Jesus Christ guy (arguably, history's most famous migrant).
Abbott is a Catholic.
I'm pretty sure that this Christ guy's life is still covered by the Catholic Church.
I know this new Pope seems a bit liberal, but he sure ain't no Nihilist!
My 2nd comment done got eated!
I really don't care to even think about these people, the republican party has become a cesspool of ignorance. It's really beneath what should pass for political discourse. We were better off when the ignorant assholes that vote for these miscreants stayed away from politics, they should all go back to watching professional wrestling!
OT: It occurred to me today that the Nixon crash from Watergate didn't happen overnight. I was around (HS age) and the drip, drip, drip of stuff took forever. Kinda like now.
June '72 – Break-in
August '72 – First WP link of Watergate to Nixon
Nov '72 – Nixon re-elected overwhelmingly
Jan '73 – First convictions (Liddy & McCord)
April '73 – Dean begins to cooperate with prosecution
May '73 – Senate Select Committee opens investigation
July '73 – Butterfield admits the WH taping system
Until Oct '73 – Nixon fights handing over the tapes
Nov '73 – "I am not a crook."
March '74 "Watergate Seven" indicted, including former A/G
July '74 – USSC orders Trump, I mean, Nixon to hand over tapes
July '74 – Three Articles of Impeachment approved by House Judiciary
August ''74 – Nixon resigns
Twenty-four months from the first report of a link between the WH to the break-in until Nixon resigned. A lot of people "knew" Nixon was behind Watergate soon after it happened. A lot of people remained in denial until the last few months. Taking down a corrupt president is not easy – nor should it be. There's a huge gulf between knowing and proving beyond a reasonable doubt. I think we're gonna get there on J6
Yes, but Nixon was smart enough to resign. donnie, not so much.
I wish I shared your optimism, but. Nixon didn't have Fox News or an all encompassing right-wing disinformation echo-chamber. Nixon was forced out of office because in 1974 truth still mattered a little bit. Now with Fox and other outlets both on cable and the internet we live in a post truth political universe. Where else could a creditably accused participant in child abuse (Gym Jordan) head the committee that will soon launch endless investigations into President Biden and his son. Where else could imbeciles like Marge, Gaetz, Bobert, Gohmert, etc, where else could such malcontents hold federal positions of power? I think the DOJ may bring charges against lil-donnie but I don't see them finding a Jury that will convict him. I hope I’m wrong.