Speaker Johnson is perhaps not ready for prime time.
And if you think that’s stupid, flaming idiot and Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke today introduced a bill proposing that Palestinians be expelled from the United States. This is his idea for Keeping America Safe From Terrorism. The actual effect of this would be to hang a big neon sign over America saying “Bomb Me.” More here.
“This is the most anti-Hamas immigration legislation I have seen and it’s well deserved,” Zinke said in a statement that conflated all Palestinians with Hamas.
As justification for this racist immigration overhaul, Zinke in a press release quoted articles from as far back as 2019 that have nothing to do with Palestinians or even threats to America, as well as articles from conservative outlets The Daily Mail and Fox News.
Marjorie Taylor Greene is one of the co-sponsors, naturally.
In other news: Secretary of State Blinken released a nearly tearful statement practically begging Israel to stop bombing civilians and allow for a humanitarian pause. Netanyahu promptly rebuffed this. No cease fire, no fuel, Netanyahu says. Israel “took credit” for bombing ambulances near a hospital today. The Biden Administration may have to explicitly break with Netanyahu. Palestinian lives do not matter to Netanyahu’s government.
"flaming idiot and Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke today introduced a bill proposing that Palestinians be expelled from the United States."
He should see if he can get some democratic co-signers! 12 including our former DNC chair (Wasserman) voted to gut the IRS, end funding for Ukraine and hand 14 billion to Bibi, no humanitarian money for Gaza, no aid for refugees, no food no water, just 14.5 billion in bullets and bombs for Bibi! I'd wager Zinke could get at least half of them on board!
https://www.businessinsider.com/which-house-democrats-voted-for-israel-aid-republicans-irs-2023-11
And an appeals court lifted the gag order in DC pending the final decision. I think this was a mistake but pundits have observed that Trump dives in with an attack on a potential witness every time he thinks he has a free shot. Trump undoubtedly thinks he's winning something every time he posts against a former partner in crime who is now poised to tell the truth. In fact, the list of attacks on witnesses only fortifies the argument that a gag order is justified.
So the appeal court will confirm the gag order and Trump will go to the Supremes. I do not think they will hear the case.
The case the USSC will not be able to duck is the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Court would LOVE not to have to decide the case but there will be multiple, probably conflicting State Supreme Court decisions which would remove Trump from the ballot. Ideally, the case won't go to the Supreme Court until AFTER a verdict in the DC case is rendered. Though that case will be under appeal, it will be a fact that the USSC can crank into the decision.
I'm absolutely not making a prediction here. I think at least one court will decide Trump is actively supporting the people who committed insurrection. (Offering pardons.) That's enough as I read the words. The USSC may try to frame a decision around whether the states can individually disqualify Trump without deciding whether Trump is ineligible. (Particularly if the DC case hasn't been decided yet.)
But if Trump is convicted in DC, somebody will get the issue to the USSC to decide if Trump can be sworn in if he wins the election. The timing gets really interesting – if Trump wins the nomination (likely) and then the USSC determines that due to the conviction (DC J6), the 'fact' established in that case makes Trump a non-candidate. Trump's VP would become POTUS if Trump won. (I think.) Trump could not even serve as VP or in any position in government. Would the GOP (post-primary) select someone completely different in a throwback to the old days when the nomination was up for grabs in the convention?
Which brings me to a change in political dynamics that's gone unreported. In 2015, pre-Trump and when I made my flight, big money ruled through K Street, particularly, but not exclusively the GOP. Trump paid attention to the traditional power structure of money in politics only when it suited him. GOP voters lined up behind performative congressional candidates who do not care about K Street money. IMO, the main signal that the donor class is over TFG is the way the Federalist Society has unofficially backed the 13th Amendment move to pull the rug out from under Trump. How much influence does the FS have over the new conservative justices? (I think Thomas is in the tank for Trump but I'm not sure about any of the others.) So if the FS has high influence over the court, and if the FS (directed by the donor class of the GOP) has decided against the chaos of a Trump dictatorship, the "fix" may be in for Trump to be off the ballot.
The beheading of Marie Antoinette comes to mind. MAGA would be without the figurehead they built the movement on. "A tiskette a taskette – Trump's head is in a basket." The idea of appointing a new figurehead is silly, IMO. A lot of wannabees will nominate themselves and this will enrage the MAGA-heads who won't be able to wrap their heads around the fact – Trump can not have power. Period. Final. They will choke on it and view any offering (new despot) as a conspiracy against Trump. (A narrative Trump will feed.)
In this moment, the old school will try to reinstate the old rule that money in the GOP determines who will have power. MAGAs will not accept that rule and the GOP will violently split on that fault line with no chance of reconciliation.
Folks, this is BEFORE the election barely a year from now.
re "I refuse to put people over politics" – I don't believe this is a typo. When somebody tells you who they are / what they believe – believe them. Very often the first thing out of their mouth gives them away, and I see this as that kind of moment.
I see Johnson as very dangerous. He's a much smoother Gym Jordan, who, unlike Jordan managed to pass the bar. He's a Christian simpleton / ideologue in a very powerful role.
He has no regard for the truth (see Johnson Hires the Perfect Flack to Push More Election Lies). Watch Madeline Dean scare you about Mike Johnson. She worked with him, you probably remember her from the Jan 6 hearings over the summer.
re Trump's gag order, temporarily lifted. Saw Neal Katyal say it's no big deal. The court needs some time to think about Trump's objections / how to proceed.
Flaming idiot and Western Montana Congressman who lives in California
Resume studiously avoiding comment …
An unofficial law of American political nature: whenever you see a cowboy hat on a politician you can expect stupid to automatically flow out from underneath it.
Stupid on Steroids and Moral Morons are proper pigeonholes for elected national representatives that propose such legislation. You know why they got elected? They represent the people that put them there, because, they are, to enough of the voters, considered as 'one of us'. They are. There is no difference, to them, to a large degree, between people of Palestinian decent and Hamas members. No distinction from Arabs or Muslims or anyone who appears foreign in any way, which includes (amazingly enough) native Americans in many house districts. These are the people that Fox News appeals. I have no idea about The Daily News which I assume is also biased far right. To them and their audience, I expect, this is just another war against foreign people, which they support, who should not be in our country. Genocide would be OK, but they would rather it be called ethnic cleansing, culling the herd, or anything that sounds less evil.
Somehow, we need to get across to them, that genocide is what this looks like to most of the rest of the world more and more every day. The rest of the world knows full well whose tax dollars are supporting this, and assume we have some control over BiBi. There is at least some truth to parts of this. They too, are not without people who are stupid on steroids and moral morons also. They too have leaders who influence and bend the information feed to influence for their agenda. Some, for certain, want us to look like people and a country who are aiding and abetting a genocide. The introduction of such laws, for certain, plays right into their hands. That is why they deserve residence in the pigeonhole of stupid on steroids. We are on moral thin ice. They want to visit us driving a bulldozer.
Bibi seems to be determined to create several generations of new Palestinian terrorists.
Instead of taking some time to figure out and isolate the 30,000 to 40,000 hardcore Hamas terrorists, and eradicating them, he's punishing the 2+ million Palestinian civilians for the sins of those terrorists.
And his indiscriminate bombing is deep-sixing any hopes of a peaceful compromise deal with Saudi Arabia – as well as anything like a "Two State Solution."
Bibi is a better dressed, better spoken tRUMP.
"God" help Israel with a "leader" like Bibi's Nuts&A- Yahoo!
Biden needs to figure out how to explain to the world why the US is against Bibi's murderous campaign of blind vengeance.
I still support Israel.
But Bibi and his conservative cohorts can all go f*ck themselves.
Talk about a man NOT meeting a moment!!!
"Biden needs to figure out how to explain to the world why the US is against Bibi's murderous campaign of blind vengeance."
Yes and quickly. Bibi is a rat; he was a rat 10 years ago when he stabbed Obama in the back on the floor of the house. He was a rat 10 months ago when damn wiped out Israel’s judicial branch, and may still do it. He’s way worse than Stump. Why Biden held his hand so closely early on is beyond me. It’s going to cost him.
"I still support Israel.”
I support Israel but it’s not what we say it is. When they have "peace" off and on for decades they occupy and settle the land of millions of Palestinians. Countless UN resolutions are ignored, of course enabled by our government. At war they carpet bomb, airports, hospitals, ambulance convoys, again funded by us. If Israel was half of what they are portrayed as (a Middle Eastern democracy) I could support them. But there are no real boundaries. Not everyone gets to vote. Israel just keeps building settlements, taking land, as you say creating more “terrorists”. Of course Hamas is worse, there is no justification for fundamentalist brutality no matter the religion. But as the head of the UN said, things don’t happen in a vacuum. Palestinians have been living in Occupied chaos since I’ve been alive (I’m old, collecting SSI), Islamists of course exploit the vacuum, who else wants it? We don’t separate populations based on race/religion, our constitution forbids it (for now), why do we support it in Israel or any other country?
If was in charge I would dissolve both governments, Israel, PA-Hama’s. Prop up a UN Transitional Authority. Rebuild the infrastructure, ban guns get god out of government, plant some crops, house the homeless, wait two years and hold an election!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrm2B0lhvYc
"Secretary of State Blinken released a nearly tearful statement practically begging Israel to stop bombing civilians and allow for a humanitarian pause"
Right, less than a month after he rushed to Bibi's side and damn near promised the moon. I'm a democrat, I support Biden 100% but they fucked this up. There should be no begging, there should just be one big fat no. They need to make it plain that we do not support what is happening, pull the plug.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn8o3o5lE4k&list=PLAk4lEF_fvlDz077lW5gUoQedggBCG0oJ&index=3
I am not a diplomat, but never is their fine work more needed. The military might win you the war, but the lack of diplomacy can lose you the peace in a heart-flash. I fear the BiBi has a contempt for diplomats that rivals Trump's. Both have their blasters on full power at all times. Ugly. Seriously problematic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta8GGx8gAPY