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.