Pot, Meet Kettle

On Thursday, a member of the so-called Freedom Caucus in the House of Representatives claimed that Nancy Pelosi, not the FC, were diddling with House rules.   How typical - twisting meaning so as to make one's own position appear respectable.

But let's shine some light on this Janus-faced argument.  Here is a list of key concessions and promises the new (shudder) Speaker made in order to win the gavel.

• Any member can call for a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair – i.e., a vote on whether to 'fire' the Speaker, making it much easier to trigger a no-confidence vote in the speaker.  The FC pushed hard for this, but moderates fear - rightfully, as GOTV sees it - that this move will weaken McCarthy’s hand.
  

• A McCarthy-aligned super PAC agreed to not play in open Republican primaries in safe seats.  AKA make it easier for the far right in the GOP to weed out opposition before a general election.
  

• The House will hold votes on key conservative bills, including a balanced budget amendment, congressional term limits and border security.  How this might affect the debt ceiling, among other things, is worrisome.
  

• Efforts to raise the nation’s debt ceiling must be paired with spending cuts. This could become a major issue in the future when it is time to raise the debt limit to avoid a catastrophic default because Democrats in the Senate and the White House would likely oppose demands for spending cuts.
  

• Move 12 appropriations bills individually. Instead of passing separate bills to fund government operations, Congress frequently passes a massive year-end spending package known as an “omnibus” that rolls everything into one bill. Conservatives rail against this, arguing that it evades oversight and allows lawmakers to stick in extraneous pet projects.  Some truth to that, except that the pet projects are often those of FC members.

• More Freedom Caucus representation on committees, including the powerful House Rules Committee.  Scares the merde out of GOTV, since this could give FC members even more power than they already have.
  

• Cap discretionary spending at fiscal 2022 levels, which would amount to lower levels for defense and domestic programs.  Just what we need, given the growing popularity of authoritarianism across the world.
  

• Seventy-two hours to review bills before they come to floor.  Completely impractical, since bills are often hundreds of pages, and no amount of speed-reading will convey their true meaning.
  

• Give members the ability to offer more amendments on the House floor.  Like the 72 rule, could completely cripple any reasonable flow of legislation.
  

• Create an investigative committee to probe the “weaponization” of the federal government.  AKA Jim Jordan can't wait for the chance to defame someone in the Defense Department.

• Restore the Holman rule, which can be used to reduce the salary of government officials.  Some crystal balls see this rule as providing a means to blackmail government employees.
  

Ya Gotta Love It

It's poetic.  Hakeem Jeffries continues to get more votes for Speaker of the House than does Kevin McCarthy.

Majority or Plurality?

The 118th Congress begins today.  It brings with it a leadership fight that will determine who controls the speaker’s gavel.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy has the support of a majority of Republicans to be the GOP leader, but has been unable to garner enough votes to become House speaker.

 

What’s McCarthy's problem?  A handful of conservative lawmakers and MAGA-adherents, among them folks like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Louis Gohmert, have not yet been convinced that McCarthy will adequately stand up for Donald Trump and against Joe Biden and Democrats.

 

Republicans will only have a slim majority – 222 Republicans to 212 Democrats – which means McCarthy can’t afford many defections if he is to find the 218 votes needed to make him Speaker.

Since Congress can’t function until it has a House speaker, the position is filled on the first day of a new Congress, January 3, even before members-elect take the oath of office.  At noon Eastern time, the clerk of the House will gavel in the new Congress and will call a quorum. The first major order of business will be the speaker election. Democrats will place Rep. Hakeem Jeffries' name into nomination, and Republicans are set to place McCarthy’s name.  Then the clerk will call the roll, and each member will state the name of the person whom they are voting for. If no one amasses a majority of votes cast, it goes to a second ballot. If another ballot is needed, it is not clear if Congress will recess the chamber or if members will continue voting.

Be aware - there’s no rule that the speaker must be a member of the party that holds the majority of seats in the House, or even be a House member.  Members can vote for anyone, and they can protest by skipping the vote or voting present. 

It's very unlikely, but in the true spirit of GOTV, we're pulling for a first-time in the history of the vote for Speaker: that the leader of the minority, Hakeem Jeffries, takes the gavel.

Filling Gaps

According to WESA (90.5 FM), Pittsburgh's public / news radio station. the GOP in Allegheny County plans to use a MAGA tactic in an attempt to work ar0und existing rules and practices.

Justices of the Commonwealth Supreme Court will be asked to rule on the date set for interim elections, such as those to fill seats held by legislators who have passed away.  As you might imagine, the Republican Party in western PA wants the date moved forward or even postponed, because:

• Over the weekend, Democrats chose attorney Abigail Salisbury to run for the 34th House district vacated by Summer Lee, while Republicans picked retired police officer Robert Pagane
• In the 35th District seat vacated by Austin Davis (as candidate for Lieutenant Governor), Democrat Matt Gergley will run against Republican Don Nevills
• The GOP chose Clayton Walker, pastor of the fundamentalist Grace Tabernacle Church of God in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh, to seek the 32nd House district seat formerly held by the late Anthony DeLuca. Democrats nominated Joe McAndrew for that seat last weekend.

Looks like the Democrats' ticket is complete and ready to go ...

Inside Out

According to Spotlight PA, Republicans in Pennsylvania’s state House could hold a functional majority until at least mid-February.  Because of Democratic vacancies, these paragons of patriotism are considering using that advantage to pass a handful of far-reaching constitutional amendments. The strategy dovetails with GOP leaders attempting to delay special elections in two heavily Democratic Allegheny County districts, one being vacated by Summer Lee as she moves to the (Federal) House of Representatives.

Kiss the First Amendment Goodbye

This past Thursday, Donald Trump threatened, in effect if not in fact, to burn the Bill of Rights.

Trump promised that, if elected president again, he would:

• ban federal money from being used to label speech as misinformation or disinformation
• fire federal officials who have engaged in what he characterized as domestic censorship
• punish universities engaging in censorship activities with cuts to federal funding

Don't dismiss the meshugah.  His plans include:

• unilateral executive orders
• legislation that would need some degree of congressional approval

Be afraid - be very afraid.  Or better yet, get involved in local politics.  To paraphrase the late Rep. John Lewis, grass-roots activism is one of the best weapons we have for progressive political change.