U.S. Politics January 2023: Kevin McCarthy's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Life

Lol I was gonna say "not me", and then lo and behold

Minnesota politics continue being endearingly unique ... first trans lawmaker sworn in by governor juggling a tin of bars in his other hand:

Leigh Finke ( @leighfinke ) first #transgender person elected to the state's legislature, attends the first day of the 2023 legislative session in Minn. @MPRnews pic.twitter.com/63XOjn5n5j

— Kerem Yücel (@keremyucel) January 3, 2023

Re: the Speaker race... I see no indication that tomorrow won't be a replay of today. This is viewed by the trumplings as a personal branding exercise, rather than coherent legislation

The only thing I remember from the New Yorker profile is that a young Kevin McCarthy ran a deli out of his aunt and uncle's yogurt shop.

https://www.republicanleader.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/kevin-o-deli-2.png

Santos trying to leave the Capitol tonight, still not answering any questions pic.twitter.com/L4OcDZEF4m

— Caitlin Huey-Burns (@CHueyBurns) January 4, 2023

Like Sinema - just utter contempt for any non-donors

I think at this point he has no friends at all. He lives in an era when he’s expected to carry on even though everyone knows he’s a fraud. In the past it would have been rough but he would’ve been forced down by now, out of...what was it? Shame? I forget how it used to work.

Santos/Sinema '24

Republicans need to settle this, they are rapidly running out of time for the Hunter Biden trials

"I didn't mean that holocaust, I said hellacaust!"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/01/03/george-santos-first-day-in-congress/

I feel like this conversation is happening somewhere in DC this evening:
Santos: I can't do this! I can't take 2 years of this!
Shadowy figure: We're paying you to do this, so you're going to fucking do it. You know what happens if you don't.

...or I've been watching too much tv.

nah that sounds about right

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2023/01/03/heres-all-the-legal-trouble-george-santos-faces-as-he-joins-congress/?sh=2cb8ba3a6ac1

Of course they really neeeed him in the House, so---?

the GOP works in deleterious ways

As much as I have worried about a slide into some form of authoritarianism — and still do — I have always allowed the caveat that these guys are incredibly dumb and capable of fucking up just about anything.

my proposal: Santos for speaker

the Santos hilarity is played out at this point

Not generally much of a fan of humor-based political stunts on the House floor, but honestly, Democratic MOCs arriving with vats of popcorn is a solid bit.

— mstdn.social/@emilylhauser Emily L Hauser אלה אסתר (@emilylhauser) January 3, 2023

I'm not so much amused as amazed at Santos: just how far does his fraud go, and how much does it matter, legally and politically? Too soon to know, esp. if somebody gets him some really ace legal advice: either cop to a plea and get it over with as quickly as possible, or maybe brazen/ draw it out as long as possible and sink back into the news cycle---either way, while in or out of office---I suspect further revelations will be upstaged by factions of House members, and what they get whichever Speaker to do.

I'm also surprised that nobody checked his claims, incl his basic bio ffs, until he was about to take office. Apparently if McCarthy was already in and doing business, Santos would be too.

not quite true

A tiny paper broke the George Santos scandal, but no one paid attention

popcorn buckets is a played out bit

why check his claims when McCarthy has his vote?

George Santos told his first lie of the New Year, falsely claiming to have been sworn in as a Congressman by the Speaker of the House on January 3rd.

The House has no Speaker, and no Congressman has been sworn in. pic.twitter.com/dGY0iV4osi

— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) January 4, 2023

I'd be fair on this one and say his staff likely set an e-blast to go out days ago. But it's still funny

GOOD MORNING

Where's the tax r...

o never mind

Lol

👀👀 pic.twitter.com/vA7GPu9XSO

— Zack Stanton (@zackstanton) January 4, 2023

Seems unlikely, but so does everything else.

Benoit Blanc for speaker

List of today's nominees released:

https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best/rockcms/2022-12/221201-gop-kanye-tweet-mn-1415-5d8d24.jpg

Stefanik maneuvering in the background.

Stealthfanik

I didn't know that Fred Upton is Kate Upton's uncle.

rumbles in the rotunda

Democratic leaders are urging the rank-and-file to stay united. Amid rumblings that Republicans will try to adjourn when the House convenes at noon, leaders told Democrats during a closed-door meeting Wednesday morning not to help the GOP. They told caucus members to vote against such a motion, forcing Republicans to solve their problems.

haha, sorry one more thing. i was kind of astonished.

“Republicans are the party of ‘never,’ and it's always ‘never’ when they don't like somebody and that's how we failed the country.”

who said it?

marjorie taylor greene, yesterday

She's starting to taste the possibility of larger office, evidently

She should taste a bullet.

Apologies; that was churlish of me.

List of today's nominees released:

A triumverate! They could rotate days.

I wasn't sure who Upton was and I was going to make a joke about Kate Upton would be a good candidate for speaker of the house

but I just discovered that Fred Upton is actually her uncle

small world!

nepo-uncle smh

Fremme Nepo venuncle

Speaking of Nepo Babies:

Trump belatedly spoke out in favor of McCarthy this morning and urged Republicans to turn their fire on Mitch McConnell pic.twitter.com/tKjFWguaX0

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 4, 2023

Some details from yesterday. What a happy bunch!

https://thetriad.thebulwark.com/p/kevin-mccarthy-the-chaos-speaker

byron donalds is a nominee for this fourth round of voting. chip roy is making the nomination speech. Roy says that republicans judge people by the content of their character, rather than the color of their skin.

jordan is not a nominee, in this round.

What a statement. Comes across as "most of you wouldn't be ok with a Black man for the job, we're kinda maybe alright with it kinda"

He made a comment about how for the first time two black people were nominated for Speaker, got a round of applause, and then had to add that well we don't see color.

Anyway, looks like McCarthy lost again.