The 46th POTUS - Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

[tommy]

We need a system for replacing the President if they die in office, so that we don't have to whine so much about how old they are.

How about an age cap?

[McParadigm]

Finally impeaching this senile, dementiated, so old he can’t even dress himself, liver spotted, criminal genius mastermind. It’s about time.

Caving to the Freedom Caucus on this sure does not bode well for McCarthy.

I understand the trap he was placed in….refusing impeachment was likely to result in a shutdown, which itself would be a brutal position for the party as the elections cycle ramps up.

But impeachment is likely to last longer and be in people’s minds much closer to Election Day…and it is going to be a shit show run by the biggest boobs in the party. It grants enormous control over the party’s messaging to the most stalwart and uncompromising faction of the FC at a crucial time.

It’s also an average of more than 15 points underwater among independent voters in swing states where Republicans have House seats. So it seems like the two most likely outcomes are that Republicans in moderate seats feel the need to vocally disapprove, leaving McCarthy’s Speakership a casualty of a divided and bitter House….or they risk posting L’s in keepable seats, and his Speakership is ended by a failure to manage elections.

Either way, it looks a lot like keeping warm through a winter storm by burning down your house.

Annnnd it didn’t even work

https://www.npr.org/2023/09/13/11992217 ... t-shutdown

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy launched an impeachment inquiry this week to show those on the far right of his conference he was listening. He also calculated it could help fund the government and avoid a shutdown at the end of the month.

It doesn't look like that's working.

Hours after his Tuesday announcement, members of the House Freedom Caucus insisted that the impeachment inquiry isn't changing their calculations on spending.

"Those are two separate conversations and two separate actions by Congress," said Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles, a Freedom Caucus member. "There is no leverage with an impeachment process. And if anyone tries to use that to leverage votes for a CR [a short-term spending bill known as a continuing resolution], there will be hell to pay."

Ogles and the rest of the Freedom Caucus represent the threat that has loomed over McCarthy, R-Calif., for months: agree to demands from the far right, or lose his job as speaker.

On Wednesday morning McCarthy presented a plan to his members behind closed doors. Under that plan, they would continue passing individual spending bills to present a united GOP front to respond to the bipartisan bills coming out of the Senate. But off the 12 annual appropriations bills, the House, so far, has passed just one. McCarthy told House Republicans the chamber would need to pass a CR to prevent a shutdown on Oct. 1.

House leaders planned to move ahead with the spending process on Wednesday by holding votes on funding for the Department of Defense. But by midday, the plan was starting to crumble.

Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, said it's a sign lawmakers could be careening toward a shutdown.

"Fasten your seatbelts, because it's going to be a s*** show," Simpson told reporters. "If you can't pass defense, you can't pass any of them."

Members of the Freedom Caucus are calling for overall spending to return to fiscal year 2022 levels, as they pushed for when McCarthy was elected speaker. Those levels are lower than what McCarthy and President Biden agreed to during debt ceiling negotiations this spring.

They also say they will oppose any stopgap bill that does not include additional border security funding, changes to Pentagon policies and measures to address alleged political bias in the Justice Department.

Freedom Caucus member Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., said he will oppose moving forward with any of the 12 appropriations bills until he has seen topline spending numbers "that are satisfactory" for all of them.

With a razor-thin majority, McCarthy can't afford to lose fiscal conservatives, unless he courts Democratic votes — a move that would further enrage the group already threatening his job.

Freedom Caucus member Rep. Andrew Clyde said Tuesday passing a CR without conservative concessions would "endanger Speaker McCarthy's leadership."

Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz took to the floor Tuesday to warn that McCarthy was "out of compliance" with the deal he cut in January to be elected speaker. Gaetz cited votes on all 12 spending bills as one of the items McCarthy hasn't delivered on. But it was conservatives who forced the speaker to table one of those bills in July, when their demands made it clear leaders didn't have the votes to pass the bill.

Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., a member of the Freedom Caucus, told reporters he wants the speaker to outline in writing how the spending puzzle fits together. He said the House can stay in session for the rest of the month and pass bills one-by-one at the levels conservatives want.

House Rules Committee Chair Rep. Tom Cole disagreed that there wouldn't be any impact from a shutdown, saying "it is a big deal and the American people will notice, and the problem is if you stumble into it whatever reason triggered it won't be what you're talking about, you'll be talking about the shutdown."

"Shutting down the government is the political equivalent of putting a gun to your head and saying 'do what I say or I'll shoot' — you hurt yourself, you're not going to advance your objective," Cole warned.

[96583UP]

maybe Freedom Caucus should rename themselves to Kindergarten Caucus ?

[96583UP]

nah

kindergarteners are more rational

[Bi_3]

More public nudges. The fix is in to get Biden to step down.

[tragabigzanda]

FUCK ICE

[tommy]

Is the fix in, or are they just doing some journalistic due diligence so that they won’t be seen as a completely towing the WH line?

It's CNN so I think we can rule out journalistic integrity

[simple schoolboy]

I had seen floated the escape valve of Feinstein resigning so Harris can get appointed as Senator, but seems demeaning to go back to her old job. Is her party base so miniscule they can just shove her aside without any concern?

There has to be some story for her to step aside and save face, or what am I missing?

[96583UP]

too bad John Edwards had those affairs

[B]

Why does Harris need to step aside?

[wease]

Why does Harris need to step aside?

Because she’s black. And a lady.

[tommy]

Why does Harris need to step aside?

Because she’s black. And a lady.

Also useless and unpopular

[BurtReynolds]

She spouts almost as much random nonsense in speeches as Biden.

[tragabigzanda]

FUCK ICE

[tommy]

Other than Dick Cheney, when has a VP had any modicum of actual influence ?

She seems particularly invisible

[Bi_3]

Other than Dick Cheney, when has a VP had any modicum of actual influence ?

She seems particularly invisible

*hidden

[B]

America voted for Biden and whatever he said once, knowing he might die, and Harris might take over.

Now that we're possibly up against the guy that lost once, has become less popular since, and will be spending all of his campaign money on court cases OR someone less popular ...

... I'm not sure why the Democratic ticket needs to change at all.

Biden/Harris 2024

[B]

Then again, Harris IS Black AND a Lady.

[tommy]

Then again, Harris IS Black AND a Lady.

Right, nobody could possibly dislike her for any other reason than sexism and racism.

[B]

Then again, Harris IS Black AND a Lady.

Right, nobody could possibly dislike her for any other reason than sexism and racism.

Cuz she has a funny name?