Thursday, October 26, 2023

The Best People?

The Republicans finally have a Speaker of the House -- someone they all voted for, someone nobody knows anything about. The internal communications of Republicans reveal a lot about who they are. Dana Milbank writes:

“Let’s get our poop in a group, people. We’ve got to figure this out,” Rep. Bill Huizenga (Mich.) admonished his GOP colleagues in a closed-door caucus meeting on Tuesday. (The remarks, naturally, were immediately leaked to reporters.) “I don’t want us to go out there and, in front of the entire world, puke on our shoes again. That’s what we’ve been doing.”

Grouping poop? Puking on shoes? The Chaos Caucus had finally found its new digs: in the sewer. Huizenga’s was an unpleasant (if reasonably accurate) gastrointestinal diagnosis for what ails House Republicans. But it was arguably preferable to the urological diagnosis being offered by some of his colleagues.

Then, of course, there was this from the ever-eloquent Marjorie Taylor Greene:

The evening before, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), asked the panel of nine men then running for speaker whether they would impeach or otherwise harass various Biden administration officials. “I want to know which one of you have the balls to hold them accountable,” she said, as relayed to the indispensable Olivia Beavers of Politico.

This was the second time in a week that a woman in the GOP caucus had raised doubts about her colleagues’ testicles. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), irritated that Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) blocked her on social media, posted: “This is exactly what’s wrong with this place — too many men here with no balls.”

Actually, the problem is almost certainly the opposite: A toxic overdose of testosterone, resulting in aggressive behavior and excessive risk-taking.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Tex.), from the Houston area, blamed the Republicans’ latest disarray on the outcome of the American League Championship Series. “I told people there would be problems if the Rangers won, and that’s exactly what’s happened,” he said.

“Congratulations Speaker-designate @SteveScalise!” she posted on Oct. 11.

“Congratulations Speaker-designate @Jim_Jordan!” she posted on Oct. 13.

“Congratulations Speaker-designate @GOPMajorityWhip [Emmer]!” she posted at 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday.

And finally: “Congratulations Speaker-designate @RepMikeJohnson!” she posted at 9:54 p.m. on Tuesday.

Donald Trump calls them, "the best people."

Really?

Image: National Review

8 comments:

zoombats said...

I guess the lack of interest is obvious to the overload of truly dispicable news that is going on. The incredible systemic corruption and bile that is dissolving US politics into a swamp is unbelievable to the average intelligence. Despite calls from a more sober world for a ceasefire it seems the israeli spin machine is very much in tact and everyone is falling all over themselves to stand with Israel and fails to see that 7,000 Palestinian men women and children might be payback enough. Insulting the Head of the UN and calling for his resignation shows that "standing with Israel" as long as they adhere to the UN mandate is in itself a cruel joke. One can only surmise that the downward spiral of the US pales by comparison to what is happening else where. The shit that they are about to start shovelling is real though.

Owen Gray said...

It simply gets piled higher and deeper, zoombats.

hels said...

Imprisoned with hard labour for up to 10 years for an abortion? Is the new speaker thinking about this punishment for the mother? Her husband? Her gynaecologist? His proposed fine is worth more than some families' homes.

Has he thought about making guns illegal in Maine and elsewhere, to save innocent lives?

Owen Gray said...

Apparently, he believes that school shootings are the result of schools teaching Darwin's Theory of Evolution, hels. This man is not a bright bulb.

Northern PoV said...

So it seems that the Rethuglicans have found their Taliban-Man.

Meanwhile, yet another US gov't shutdown looms, yawn, potentially threating the audience-ratings for exciting mass shootings at home and abroad.

Owen Gray said...

It keeps getting worse, PoV.

jrkrideau said...

Actually Johnson looks like a typical run-of-the mill US Republican.
What everyone should know about the new House Speaker, Mike Johnson

Owen Gray said...

The trouble, jrk, is that run-of-the-mill Republicans are crazy.