Preview of the week ahead: I understand there are nine candidates for House Speaker. The GOP plans to choose a nominee tomorrow. I can’t see how this group of House Republicans will ever give any one candidate the votes to win the speakership.
I don’t know that anything new is expected in the various Trump civil and criminal cases. But we can always be surprised. We may hear something about scheduling the remainder of the Fulton County defendants, since the trial that was supposed to start by is no longer needed. Joyce Vance says that if Judge McAfee doesn’t try to squeeze it in before the J6 trial starts in March, then it probably won’t happen until summer 2024, if then.
For your reading enjoyment … see A President, a Billionaire and Questions About Access and National Security in the New York Times. No paywall. The billionaire is Australian and spent tons of money at Mar-a-Lago to get acccess to Trump. And now he says Trump shared foreign policy and nuclear secrets with him. Which Trump denies, of course.
The GOP will meet and vote by secret ballot until they have one candidate. Worth watching is whether McHenrey will open up the floor for OTHER nominees after the GOP has caucused to select the one. McHenry did before but not in the last set of Jordan votes. The Democrats seem to want a moderate GOP candidate to be introduced by Republicans.
I do not see why the Democrats can not introduce the name of a moderate Republican themselves except that they might know that if it's the proposal of the Democrats, the Republicans who go along will be crucified – nails and everything.
The radical GOP, within the Republican party and in all contacts and policy outside the GOP, know they are a minority. The Freedom Caucus wing in the final secret ballot was 86 for Jordan. The next candidate who emerges will (or won't) be a moderate non-theatrical, non-bomb-throwing moderate who the Democrats might support. OR, the majority will go back to the Freedom Caucus to test if Jordan was personally offensive or whether a significant number of Republicans still believe in governing by the majority without death threats as incentive.
The Democrats know that the FC will kill the nomination of any GOP candidate willing to consider (I considered the word "embrace", but the FC won't allow a Speaker who will consider compromise legislation. NO negotiation with Democrats. Finally, the principles of democracy have become clear to Democrats, who like to have their way 100% when they can, but recognize that's a rarity. Democrats are in an epic battle for a Speaker from the majority party (GOP) who is willing to bend.
The Democrats want to steal the thunder on this one. The ideal outcome is a true GOP statesman (or woman) committed to old-time GOP principles. That candidate might only secure 20 (or less) GOP votes but the Democrats could seal the deal by voting as a block. This is a nightmare scenario for the Freedom Caucus because the results would please voters, most of whom want and expect the government to function. A comprimise government might demonstrate by example that the strategy of domination of all government by the numerical minority is poison to democracy which will lead to authoritarian domination by fanatics. Far too few voters appreciate the dynamic in play. (I think Biden appreciates that this as an election theme for 2024. Democrats would do well to use it in congressional contests citing the way the Republican voted.)
Regarding the Trump Trial Schedule, if Cannon delays the document trial that opens a window for the GA trials. And the GA trials will be televised. The lawyers in each trial may be operating in silos – if Trump had to select, he wants to delay the GA trials but Trump thinks all of them can be delayed until after the election. He really thinks that voters believe they should select a president in ignorance, without the facts of Trump's guilt or innocence being established in the rigid forum of the courts before the contest of an election. Not enough pundits are asking out loud (and repeatedly) how this makes sense.
"Ideal" ( = least worst possible) outcome in short run would be a Moderate Republican as Speaker, but in longer term, Democrats should find ways to encourage the Magats to tear apart the GOP.
So maybe it would be a good strategy for them to pick a GOP moderate who last won by a slim margin (in either Primary or General) and vote for them. This would guarantee a nasty (and expensive) Primary fight for that Rep in 2024, and give Democrats a chance of picking up a seat!
Even better, since we expect several rounds of voting, Dems could do this for/to a different Republican on each round!
I’ve read that 7 of the 9 speaker candidates voted against certifying the election (they’re election deniers). The leading candidate, Tom Emmer isn’t.
Joyce Vance went over Trump’s trial schedule, including Fulton County, here. She said it’s possible his Fulton County trial could begin early January, but it’s a squeeze given all his other court dates, later in the year. With or without Powell and Chesebro, there were a number of dates set for pre-trial activities, that are still in effect, so that’s how she arrived at the early January date.
If they nominate Emmer I'd like to see some democrats vote for him, lets get this over with, we are going to have a GQP speaker might as well get one that actually believes in election results? O.T. covid is still here, I tested positive last week (my first infection), I had all the boosters and the latest jab 8 days prior to my symptoms? I think I got it when I went to me old college football game? Anyway not horrible but not fun either, it's still around!
To me, that Aussie billionaire looks like a Red Buttons* candle that's been left out in direct sunlight for far too long.
Btw: After his habit of blurting out national secrets, we should start calling tRUMP "Aunt Blabby" after one of Johnny Carson's** comedic characters.
The only thing is, Aunt Blabby was always described as "beloved."
And the only way tRUMP is "beloved," is if he 'be' payin' someone for that 'love' (see Don Jr., Eric, and Ivanka: children; and Stormy Daniels: porn star, and… And, uhm, professional "belover."
*For you post-Boomer generations, Google his name.
One hint: Red Buttons never had a dinner!
**Please tell me you didn't have to Google Johnny Carson as well! Please…
I hope to see the day when I have successfully repressed Donald Trump as well as I have forgotten Red Buttons.
@gulag – my Medicare Advantage plan has a free gym benefit, and so last week I signed up at a Planet Fitness (did the research, they're kind of ideal for people at the beginner end of the fitness spectrum, and they're cheap). The young lady who registered me asked for a phone number, which I gave, and I explained that it doesn't do text, it's a landline. Her eyes widened, "Wow, I haven't seen one of these in ages/ever". She might associate Red Buttons with the red coats and George Washington.
Here in flyover America, we are used to having three political parties at least. Government here is always by coalition, with the exception of the period of the Brownback takeover. In the great Brownback "experiment" the extreme right wing took control in an absolute manner. The result was a disaster that no one wants to watch reruns about.
Gerrymandering is practiced as an art form here, and large problems come with it. When you create "safe" areas for republicans no one in that area has a vote that counts any more than a vote in Russia. As we are seeing, the sane republicans are the ones from "non-safe" areas. They know they need independent and cross-over votes to stay in office. They cannot let the extremists take over or they face the same fate shown in the Brownback "experiment". Without a sane middle, you get political chaos and ideological absolutism which involves the prominence of some really fringe people who are usually kept on the fringe for a reason. What is that reason? The pragmatic bottom line is that government is needed to do a number of very critical functions. The far-right, the neo-nihilists, wearing many cloaks, fail to understand this simple fact.
When you fly over give us a wave. We were the Ginney pigs that had to suffer the chaos that could not be painted even by reality benders as anything but a complete political failure.
Eventually a coalition will form. For the good of us the extremes will have to give a bit. The camel is often described as a horse designed by a (bipartisan) committee. I guess the camel might be better adapted to our future climate anyway. I hear they spit though. Oh well. The things we are forced to tolerate are growing in number on a daily basis.
They're dropping like flies!
Jenna Ellis becomes latest Trump lawyer to plead guilty over efforts to overturn Georgia's election (msn.com)
I read the article^ you linked. Her statements – including the tears – are the most honest thing I've seen from her. I'm glad she's still going to have a felony on her record.
In her statement, she blames herself for not verifying things other lawyers told her. I've seen it over and over: Conservatives believe things because they want them to be true, not because any actual data supports their beliefs – they don't want to be bothered with facts and data.
Someone on MSNBC speculated a few days ago that Ellis might be next, given her legal bills. Looks like she's put on some weight.
"Conservatives believe things because they want them to be true, not because any actual data supports their beliefs"
Correct, isn't this the natural result of having a media infrastructure that never questions your actions and will defend all your blunders as long as you have a R next to your name? As much as the likes of Tucker, Hannity, etc think they have promoted the GQP, FAUX et-al have actually ruined the very concept of "conservatism" in this country.
Danielle Allen suggests Hakeem Jeffries be elected speaker in an opinion piece in the WP today. This piece inspired many comments, one suggesting that the term oathbreakers be used to designate one of the new parties. Andrew G. Bjelland PhD., wrote quite a response with one of the longest one sentence paragraphs since Sarah Palin. At least it made sense.
The newly dropped fly had to plead guilty to a felony. No jail requited but quite the short leash.