"House conservatives defied Leadership to get major concessions to empower them and their agenda. House progressives did what they were told and got nothing.... The reason the Squad and House Progressives never defy Pelosi or anyone else is because they have a pathetic partisan media... who defend their harmlessness and venerate partisan subservience.... If these Dem Party loyalists who pretend to be leftists or whatever had even the slightest integrity, they'd apologize to @jimmy_dore , @briebriejoy , etc., because Gaetz & Co. just proved how politics works when you care more about your constituents than head-pats from the DNC."
Tweeted Glenn Greenwald, just now.
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Kudos
I love honesty and people who speak from the heart
Pelosi could buy off her critics by promising appropriations for their districts and approving their pet projects. She also played political hardball. She had the carrots and wasn't afraid of using the stick.
McConnell isn't all that different from Pelosi. The House Republicans -- or at least some of them -- aren't easily bought off with pork, and the Republican House leadership is a revolving door. Short-termers rather than hardened lifers like Nancy and Mitch.
insiders v outsiders. Greenwald is nothing if not an outsider.
Squaddies are catnip for those who write our approved script for the day. The greasers are raising hell while the socs smile pretty for the camera.
Twas ever thus.
AOC was a bartenderess and Omar is (supposedly) a Muslim. They're used to doing what they're told.
wasn't the last Congress, the Most Progressive congress in History?
Isn't THE ONLY REASON, that the squad Didn't get EVERY THING THEY WANTED, was that Skinmax senator?
WHAT did the squad want, that DIDN'T pass the house?
In 2016, the Democrats and the Republicans both faced an insurgent reform movement. The Democrats successfully beat back their reformers and lost the election. The Republicans failed to stop their reformers and won the election. It’s the same thing here. The Democrats rallied around their old guard leadership and accomplished nothing. Or at least all their accomplishments were negative—they successfully didn’t fix anything. Republican reformers once again fought the good fight. It remains to be seen what they get for it.
When the Republicans toss the speaker during their next crisis, will Greenwald admit he was wrong?
He is currently gloating over unmatched chickens.
Greenwald is correct to a point but to pretend these nutty politicians "care more about their constituents" than other politicians is laughable.
Greenwald is right that the partisan media ultimately hurts the Democrats as much as it hurts Republicans and the American people in general. Most people gave noticed how bad the left is at making sound arguments in support of their issues and would rather silence people than show how they’re wrong. It’s because the media has built for them a cozy place where they are protected from most criticism and so rarely have to think critically about their own ideas.
A natural feature of the evolutionary process is that capabilities that go unused wither away.
Yes. How very fine this worked out to be.
I figure, however, that just like the Twitter Files, this beneficial event for the nation's representation will be buried by our Ruling Class Gatekeepers at NPR New York Times etc.
Sadly for them, The Squad and Clyburn of the CBC thought they'd won and were transforming the USA into a redistribution paradise in 2021. Biden issued umpteen vacuous happy-talk Executive Orders that said a lot of nice things to his supporters but deferred to the actual laws in the fine print (i.e., race blind with equal justice for all, etc.). The leftists apparently read the titles and first paragraphs, not comprehending that they'd been fooled. Similarly, the Democrats voted in endless spending and denied inflation would happen. Then inflation happened, and the free money turned into ashes. At least Modern Monetary Theory died a sudden and clear death. No trillion dollar coins for you!
The 20 Republican rebels are noteworthy for actually rebelling in public. The often apathetic, ineffective Republican tradition is to fall into line and follow the leader and wait your turn. If not that, they drop out and become isolated freethinkers with no influence. The 15 vote delay for Speaker in 2023 showed far more engagement in grinding through process than Republicans of the late 1990s. In that era they easily capitulated on court appointments and voluntarily imposed term limits on themselves (thereby cutting themselves out of senior committee roles). Bill Clinton era Democrats smiled from ear to ear.
We've got a major realignment going on right now. With just two parties people need to determine (1) their policy priorities and switch accordingly, and (2) their engagement style and methods. The hard left and hard right are 'united' in disliking the many status-quo, greased-palm, do-nothing establishment types...but the numbers mean they'll likely be pushed to the sidelines.
Greenwald, I think, mostly misses the point- "The Squad" was going to get what it wanted from Pelosi since the House Democrats are already far to left- the only problem is that Manchin put a stop to some of Pelosi's and the Biden hand-puppeteer's plans.
We caught a brief reprieve, but only for a couple of years.
The Squad are just a different flavor of political grifters while Gaetz and Co are demanding some sanity and checks from the political grifters in charge. Gaetz relayed the story of the rep lecturing to him that the trillions government was spending never had to be ‘paid back’. I used to think it was just Liz Warren who was that stupid and the rest of these Congress creeps knew better and just relished in perpetuating the lie. Now I believe most government types really are that stupid, loathe finance and believe unlimited government money can be wasted without consequence…
…throw in a former Fed chief and a pile of government ‘economic’ advisors, too…
Glenn Greenwald
@ggreenwald
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1h
The reason they were petrified by 5 days of debate is they don't want anyone seeing how DC really runs: in backrooms, with establishment leaders of both parties in full harmony with lobbyists, keeping everything churning with no debate or transparency.
There are lots of stupid members of Congress in both parties.
WHAT did the squad want, that DIDN'T pass the house? [sic]
I’d like to see someone answer gilbar’s question. My own take is that Pelosi agreed to all or nearly all of their demands behind the scenes and before the vote, whereas McCarthy, through his personal political ineptitude, was forced to make his concessions in public, after over a dozen votes were taken.
As I have written before, if McCarthy wanted to be elected Speaker without having to negotiate with the likes of Bob Good (whose district is one over from the district where I reside) then he and Tom Emmer should have gotten out and worked to get another twenty or so people into Congress who owed him.
Greenwald is still on and of the left. I often respect his take - often often! - but he cannot manage to untangle from within. The far left squad is as corrupt as the insider elite establishment grifter D's - but even more insane - and wrong. Esp when it comes to "climate change" - and their push to wreck the economy with little actual benefit for the environment or climate.
"...The Squad, also the Progressive Caucus headed by Jayapal, have utterly failed - refused - to use their leverage to stand up to Dem establishment & win ANY gains for working people." - Kashama Sawant, as quoted by Greenwald.
Sawant has explained the problem inadvertently. The Squad does not represent 'working people'. The Squad represents 'Woking' People, per se. The Woke don't work, in large numbers. It's an over-specialized niche of unpleasant activist characters. The Squad was in place to evince ideology, and Pelosi's iron-fist-in-the-lizard-glove made quick work of the lightweights. The MAGA-conservative Republicans that just got their concessions were willing to use leverage in a similar way. I wonder how much Trump was involved, behind the scenes. There shouldn't be much doubt that they represent a substantial demographic slice of Working people.
According to my local news last week, these were 15 "far right wing" congressmen, who were holding up the important work of Congress for the American people. This important work included honoring the heroes of the 1/6 violent insurrection against America, including 5 heroes who lost their lives during the invasion of the Capitol Building.
Joey B and the squad were/are the distraction required by the folks behind the curtain so that the Fundamental Transformation caused very concealable damage to the republic. And so it goes.
Ouch!
Who were those "5 heroes" who lost their lives on Jan 6th?
gilbar,: "WHAT did the squad want, that DIDN'T pass the house?"
Big Mike: "I’d like to see someone answer gilbar’s question. My own take is that Pelosi agreed to all or nearly all of their demands behind the scenes and before the vote, whereas McCarthy, through his personal political ineptitude, was forced to make his concessions in public, after over a dozen votes were taken."
In answer to gilbar's question, there were several "demands" the Squad claimed they would go to the mat over with the most important being to "Force The Vote" on Medicare for all.
"Force The Vote" was their "Make America Great Again" pitch and it brought in lots of true lefty believers.
The little Squadites yapped and yapped about how they were going to use their leverage as a tight knit group to do that and more.
But like all leftist loudmouths, like a Howard or an Inga or a gadfly, they immediately fell in line when directed to.
So much so that the Squadites and their backers began publicly excuse-mongering that any far left coalition holding firm to force Pelosi to give them a vote on medicare for all or anything else would have led to a fractured dem slim majority and a republican speaker.
That's why the events of last week are being thrown into the Squadites faces: that very same scenario in reverse was used by the populist conservatives to gain concessions without fracturing the republican slim majority leading to a dem Speaker.
That's why its so funny.
Biden blames ‘insurrectionists’ for Capitol cop’s murder by black radical
Read this and see the lies Biden and his liar corrupt media are spreading:
"WASHINGTON — President Biden on Friday blamed the “sick insurrectionists” behind Jan. 6 for the murder of Capitol Police officer Billy Evans — despite a Nation of Islam fanatic actually committing the crime three months after the pro-Donald Trump mob stormed the Capitol."
[...] &
"Four people died at the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot. Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt, 36, was fatally shot by a police officer as she climbed through the busted-out window of the House Speaker’s Lobby and three other pro-Trump rioters died of medical emergencies in the chaos. At least three accused rioters later died by suicide."
"got nothing"
Apart from a couple trillion dollars here and there, more subsidies, more regulation, and more debt. Oh, and Manchin effed pretty well. OK, until the day before yesterday Ukraine was a rogue state, and billions to prop it up would have been prog anathema. And sure, for progs it's never enough. But what's not to like?
I find that I am just not cynical enough, even though I spent years dealing with the California legislature. I hope the Freedom Caucus will see some of their goals accomplished but I am still doubtful.
Gaetz relayed the story of the rep lecturing to him that the trillions government was spending never had to be ‘paid back’.
The left has adopted this "Modern Monetary Theory" because it is convenient for their vote buying spree. It will destroy this country and soon. The Fed cannot stop inflation by raising interest rates. In 1980, interest rates hit 18%. Do you know what 18% of $30 trillion is?
Big Mike:
You say you're "one over" from Bob Good's district: are you in Ben Cline's? I am (Staunton).
"Gaetz relayed the story of the rep lecturing to him that the trillions government was spending never had to be ‘paid back’."
It never will be paid back, because it has gotten impossibly large. That is not to say, however, that there will not be serious consequences.
... when you care more about The Constitution., the People, and "our [unPlanned]" Posterity, will follow.
until the day before yesterday Ukraine was a rogue state, and billions to prop it up would have been prog anathema
An apartheid state, no less, with a Hussein-like strongman.
The reason the Squad and House Progressives never defy Pelosi or anyone else is because they...
...didn't need to. Pelosi catered to them by shifting significantly to the left and kept them satisfied.
WHAT did the squad want, that DIDN'T pass the house?
A person that watches MSNBC might say the Green New Deal. Sure a lot was done via EO, but legislation? Nope....
Of course that person never read the details of the $trillion + to end inflation (eg the fill the fire hoses with gasoline bill). Climate change galore...
I've become a big Jimmy Dore fan, because he's an honest leftist, and he's anti-war.
"wasn't the last Congress, the Most Progressive congress in History?"
No.
He's not wrong, you know...
'Pelosi could buy off her critics by promising appropriations for their districts and approving their pet projects...'
Or with premium, very expensive ice cream from her vast and equally expensive Sub Zero freezers.
Let them eat fucking ice cream...
The GOP inadvertently gave the democrats a lesson on hard core politics.
@Dr. Weevil, yes. I live a bit north of Strasburg. I love the Shenandoah Valley but am less thrilled about black bears in the back yard. Life near a national forest has its downsides.
rcocean: "I've become a big Jimmy Dore fan, because he's an honest leftist, and he's anti-war."
Dore is part of a growing number of those on the left who simply refuse to continue lying to themselves, unlike our own Robert Cook who always lapses into full democratical narrative suck up mode.
Well...he is right. Though the media, and the Democrats, along with a large number of other Trump-exhausted folk were wailing and gnashing their teeshes about those extreme right-wingers, those 'right wingers' were attempting to haul the House of Representatives, kicking and screaming, back to a...well...a House of Representatives. Not just a rubber stamp for a Head Person In Charge. Nancy ran the House like Boss Tweed ran Tammany Hall. It was a money trough for her and her loyal friends.
The 20 hold outs are trying to get it back to the 'people's house'. Democrats, of course, are shocked at the thought and will not have it.
Bob is homesick for the USSR that never existed.
Drago said...
gilbar,: "WHAT did the squad want, that DIDN'T pass the house?"
In answer to gilbar's question, there were several "demands" the Squad claimed they would go to the mat over with the most important being to "Force The Vote" on Medicare for all.
Thanx Drago, i'd forgotten that. My point (of course) was that the House passed LOTS of stuff (particularly HR1, and Statehood for DC and PR), which wasn't going to make it past the Senate.
BTW, what is so "incredibly radical" about the Squad, (as per Glenn Greenwald)? This is not a rhetorical question, (or, not much). I haven't paid any attention to their pronouncements or activities. What do they want that is so incredibly radical?
Robert Cook said...
BTW, what is so "incredibly radical" about the Squad,
The Green New Deal, just to start
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