I agree with everything you predict except the GOP privatizing social security. I think they will just end it? They will claim there's no money left in it because the nation is $30 trillion in debt and there's no more money for social programs. They may try to keep food stamps for the women with children, because they need population growth for more soldiers,slaves and servants.
It is time for Biden to replace Garland and start prosecuting the 147 GOP seditionists. Their goal is to loot the treasury and act like God's while spouting stupidity and insanity.
And from Heather Cox Richardson's column yesterday:" How religion and authoritarianism have come together in modern America was on display Thursday, when right-wing activist Jack Posobiec opened this weekend’s conference of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) outside Washington, D.C., with the words: “Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely. We didn’t get all the way there on January 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it and replace it with this right here.” He held up a cross necklace and continued: “After we burn that swamp to the ground, we will establish the new American republic on its ashes, and our first order of business will be righteous retribution for those who betrayed America.”
Holy fuck! I never realized that the Speaker can refuse to swear in duly elected House members for no specific reason other than his own political needs.
Thanks Thom. A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose
1. We need to expand our base. We can sweep. https://www.fieldteam6.org/ If we swamp them, no basis for House intervention.
2. 14th Amendment section 3 remains viable against insurrectionists. Potentially 145 sitting House members, including Maga Mike have exposure for Jan 6, 2021.
3. Biden is/would be the elected President. Garland can bring actions for obstruction of justice an/or to stop the pretext that would be the predicate to the vice president to send the election to the house. Elise Stefanik and Thomas Massie have may have established a conspiracy. Sounds like extortion. 18 U.S.C. § 241 makes it unlawful for two or more persons to agree to injure, threaten, or intimidate a person in the United States in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured by the a form of Constitution or laws of the United States or because of his or her having exercised such a right.
Also 18 U.S. Code § 610 - Coercion of political activity
It shall be unlawful for any person to intimidate, threaten, command, or coerce, or attempt to intimidate, threaten, command, or coerce, any employee of the Federal Government as defined in section 7322(1) of title 5, United States Code, to engage in, or not to engage in, any political activity, including, but not limited to, voting or refusing to vote for any candidate or measure in any election, making or refusing to make any political contribution, or working or refusing to work on behalf of any candidate. Any person who violates this section shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.
(b)The terms “President-elect” and “Vice President-elect” as used in this section shall mean such persons as are the apparent successful candidates for the offices of President and Vice President, respectively, as ascertained from the results of the general elections held to determine the electors of President and Vice President in accordance with title 3, United States Code, sections 1 and 2. The phrase “other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President” as used in this section shall mean the person next in the order of succession to act as President in accordance with title 3, United States Code, sections 19 and 20.
(
4.. Several sitting House members requested a pardon and most probably are eyewitnesses to the January 6 case. If Garland and the FBI will not investigate them, three (3) civil cases remain viable and the perps can be deposed. If criminality is exposed, they can be arrested.
The new pres. will be certified on Jan 6, 2025. Jan 2024 was last month. MAGA Mike led the group voting to NOT certify Biden's election in Jan 2021, not 2020
W Bush also lost the popular vote in FL, despite the dishonest voter purge by Katherine Harris and the butterfly ballot, but the SCOTUS prevented a nonpartisan recount which would have found that Gore won by a little over 100 votes. Corporate media buried the story on the back pages and even then in the final paragraphs.
Republicans have already proven that they can steal presidential elections via treason. Nixon did it in '68. Reagan did it in '80. And they've proven, like Dixiecrats and machine Democrats before them, that they can steal local and state elections using all sorts of election rigging. But few of those posed the existential threat the fascist Republican leaders pose this year.
All of this highlights the widespread lemming-like stampede of voters obediently following party leaders on election day. Will Republican voters who say they won't vote for Trump follow through, or will they join the mindless stampede over the cliff?
If someone telegraphs a punch; by, say, dropping their balled-up fist behind them, arm-locked straight down, does it not make sense, esp. if they've hit you before and hurt you, assaulted you on Jan 6th; does it not make sense for you to friggin' DUCK !!!
The GOP? It's as if the Dems are in a long running street fight with a criminally insane gang. A group who believe in neither law nor order. And the Dems allow the insane GOP clowns to ambush and pummel them daily.
So, I say unto Democrats:
Figuratively: Fight like no one is watching. [But the whole world is watching with fear and loathing.]
There's no such thing as sarcasm with those fascists. When they say something outrageous like that, believe it. He may have tried to play it as sarcasm to appease Progressives and walk it back, but the far right that listens to him takes truly believes it.
If that scenario comes to pass, we are finished as a country. There will be enough members of the majority radicalized by such a coup, for that is what it will be, legal or not, that violence is inevitable. A very un-civil war will likely ensue, and this nation’s enemies will be overcome with delight as we destroy ourselves. I may not live to see the election, being of dubious health and nearing age 76, but I will be sure our youngest daughter and grandson have the paperwork and resources to leave this country if your scenario becomes a reality. I pray your prediction is wrong.
The only way to put an end to GOP wet dreams is a base campaign of 3 or 4 economic issues that low information Dem voters come out and vote. This did not happen in 2022 and so we lost the house. In truth low information voters do not believe that the GOP can take us down as a democracy. They think the Dems are over hyping the threat to get votes and will ignore such statements. And the Dems can have 3 or 4 economic issues in the campaign but not hear the message enough to know the promises exist. They can and will not vote if the daily campaign does not daily repeat the message strong enough. Unless the promises are not daily repeated sufficiently to allow the base voters to know what those promises are. Only when everybody knows what those economic issues are can we find salvation for democracy for us and around the world.
I agree with Thom’s assessment for the potential for obstruction and chaos come January 3 - 6, 2025 and I too have read recent similar articles. There is one part of the argument however which leaves me perplexed and questioning the legality, both under the Constitution, Federal law, and House rules, by which Speaker Johnson could pull off such a scenario.
The term of ALL members of the biennial Congress ENDS at noon, January 3 at which time the term of the new biennial Congress begins. The first duty of the House is the swearing in of the Speaker upon his/her election by the dean of the United States House of Representatives, the chamber's longest-serving member. (The current dean is Hal Rogers, a Republican from Kentucky, who has served in the House since 1981 and is running for reelection.). Speaker Johnson is a member of the current House of the current biennial Congress. (Note, See first sentence of this paragraph). Traditionally, the majority party of the incoming biennial Congress nominates a candidate for Speaker and given that party’s majority is voted Speaker. For the moment for this discussion, assume the Republican chaos of January 2025 is an anomaly. After a Speaker is elected, federal law states the Speaker swears in the House members in mass. That’s ALL the members at the start of the biennial session.
I cannot find any reference in the Constitution, Federal law, House rules, or several online sources which definitively states only incumbent returning House members elect the Speaker nor anything that definitively states the Speaker of the former biennial House is the de facto continuing Speaker absent election by the new House.
I therefore question the legitimacy of, and the rationale for debate, the continuation of Johnson’s legitimate claim to Speakership absent official election past noon on January 3, especially if the Democrats regain the majority or under the scenario due to defeat or retirement the Republicans do not have a majority of returning members.
The House of Representatives cannot organize or take other legislative actions until a speaker is elected. So here’s the follow up question on January 2025 chaos - without a legitimately elected House Speaker or sworn House members (note, the Speaker swears in all members-elect that are present in the Chamber in mass, he/she cannot pick out and choose only members of their party), can House members even participate in the January 6 certification?
You have said a mouthful here today. This lays out Frumpy’s plan of Dictatorship right to the “T”!
If we don’t get out and vote BLUE 💙💙💙💙, we are destroying ourselves. It’s our fault that we allowed the Republicans to take control of the House. We MUST get it back, and keep it!!!
There’s nothing Democrats can legally do to stop Speaker Johnson from pulling this off: he can postpone swearing a member in for as long as he wants WTF so our laws give all the power to the house of representative? WTF
The only hope then to set things right would be for the current POTUS which would be Biden calling for the Military to seize control in a Coup like other third world countries do from time to time. Piece of cake.
I agree with everything you predict except the GOP privatizing social security. I think they will just end it? They will claim there's no money left in it because the nation is $30 trillion in debt and there's no more money for social programs. They may try to keep food stamps for the women with children, because they need population growth for more soldiers,slaves and servants.
It is time for Biden to replace Garland and start prosecuting the 147 GOP seditionists. Their goal is to loot the treasury and act like God's while spouting stupidity and insanity.
And from Heather Cox Richardson's column yesterday:" How religion and authoritarianism have come together in modern America was on display Thursday, when right-wing activist Jack Posobiec opened this weekend’s conference of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) outside Washington, D.C., with the words: “Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely. We didn’t get all the way there on January 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it and replace it with this right here.” He held up a cross necklace and continued: “After we burn that swamp to the ground, we will establish the new American republic on its ashes, and our first order of business will be righteous retribution for those who betrayed America.”
Holy fuck! I never realized that the Speaker can refuse to swear in duly elected House members for no specific reason other than his own political needs.
Thanks Thom. A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose
1. We need to expand our base. We can sweep. https://www.fieldteam6.org/ If we swamp them, no basis for House intervention.
2. 14th Amendment section 3 remains viable against insurrectionists. Potentially 145 sitting House members, including Maga Mike have exposure for Jan 6, 2021.
3. Biden is/would be the elected President. Garland can bring actions for obstruction of justice an/or to stop the pretext that would be the predicate to the vice president to send the election to the house. Elise Stefanik and Thomas Massie have may have established a conspiracy. Sounds like extortion. 18 U.S.C. § 241 makes it unlawful for two or more persons to agree to injure, threaten, or intimidate a person in the United States in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured by the a form of Constitution or laws of the United States or because of his or her having exercised such a right.
Also 18 U.S. Code § 610 - Coercion of political activity
It shall be unlawful for any person to intimidate, threaten, command, or coerce, or attempt to intimidate, threaten, command, or coerce, any employee of the Federal Government as defined in section 7322(1) of title 5, United States Code, to engage in, or not to engage in, any political activity, including, but not limited to, voting or refusing to vote for any candidate or measure in any election, making or refusing to make any political contribution, or working or refusing to work on behalf of any candidate. Any person who violates this section shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/871
(b)The terms “President-elect” and “Vice President-elect” as used in this section shall mean such persons as are the apparent successful candidates for the offices of President and Vice President, respectively, as ascertained from the results of the general elections held to determine the electors of President and Vice President in accordance with title 3, United States Code, sections 1 and 2. The phrase “other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President” as used in this section shall mean the person next in the order of succession to act as President in accordance with title 3, United States Code, sections 19 and 20.
(
4.. Several sitting House members requested a pardon and most probably are eyewitnesses to the January 6 case. If Garland and the FBI will not investigate them, three (3) civil cases remain viable and the perps can be deposed. If criminality is exposed, they can be arrested.
The new pres. will be certified on Jan 6, 2025. Jan 2024 was last month. MAGA Mike led the group voting to NOT certify Biden's election in Jan 2021, not 2020
W Bush also lost the popular vote in FL, despite the dishonest voter purge by Katherine Harris and the butterfly ballot, but the SCOTUS prevented a nonpartisan recount which would have found that Gore won by a little over 100 votes. Corporate media buried the story on the back pages and even then in the final paragraphs.
Republicans have already proven that they can steal presidential elections via treason. Nixon did it in '68. Reagan did it in '80. And they've proven, like Dixiecrats and machine Democrats before them, that they can steal local and state elections using all sorts of election rigging. But few of those posed the existential threat the fascist Republican leaders pose this year.
All of this highlights the widespread lemming-like stampede of voters obediently following party leaders on election day. Will Republican voters who say they won't vote for Trump follow through, or will they join the mindless stampede over the cliff?
If someone telegraphs a punch; by, say, dropping their balled-up fist behind them, arm-locked straight down, does it not make sense, esp. if they've hit you before and hurt you, assaulted you on Jan 6th; does it not make sense for you to friggin' DUCK !!!
The GOP? It's as if the Dems are in a long running street fight with a criminally insane gang. A group who believe in neither law nor order. And the Dems allow the insane GOP clowns to ambush and pummel them daily.
So, I say unto Democrats:
Figuratively: Fight like no one is watching. [But the whole world is watching with fear and loathing.]
There's no such thing as sarcasm with those fascists. When they say something outrageous like that, believe it. He may have tried to play it as sarcasm to appease Progressives and walk it back, but the far right that listens to him takes truly believes it.
If that scenario comes to pass, we are finished as a country. There will be enough members of the majority radicalized by such a coup, for that is what it will be, legal or not, that violence is inevitable. A very un-civil war will likely ensue, and this nation’s enemies will be overcome with delight as we destroy ourselves. I may not live to see the election, being of dubious health and nearing age 76, but I will be sure our youngest daughter and grandson have the paperwork and resources to leave this country if your scenario becomes a reality. I pray your prediction is wrong.
The only way to put an end to GOP wet dreams is a base campaign of 3 or 4 economic issues that low information Dem voters come out and vote. This did not happen in 2022 and so we lost the house. In truth low information voters do not believe that the GOP can take us down as a democracy. They think the Dems are over hyping the threat to get votes and will ignore such statements. And the Dems can have 3 or 4 economic issues in the campaign but not hear the message enough to know the promises exist. They can and will not vote if the daily campaign does not daily repeat the message strong enough. Unless the promises are not daily repeated sufficiently to allow the base voters to know what those promises are. Only when everybody knows what those economic issues are can we find salvation for democracy for us and around the world.
OMG! This will keep me up at night, Thom!
I agree with Thom’s assessment for the potential for obstruction and chaos come January 3 - 6, 2025 and I too have read recent similar articles. There is one part of the argument however which leaves me perplexed and questioning the legality, both under the Constitution, Federal law, and House rules, by which Speaker Johnson could pull off such a scenario.
The term of ALL members of the biennial Congress ENDS at noon, January 3 at which time the term of the new biennial Congress begins. The first duty of the House is the swearing in of the Speaker upon his/her election by the dean of the United States House of Representatives, the chamber's longest-serving member. (The current dean is Hal Rogers, a Republican from Kentucky, who has served in the House since 1981 and is running for reelection.). Speaker Johnson is a member of the current House of the current biennial Congress. (Note, See first sentence of this paragraph). Traditionally, the majority party of the incoming biennial Congress nominates a candidate for Speaker and given that party’s majority is voted Speaker. For the moment for this discussion, assume the Republican chaos of January 2025 is an anomaly. After a Speaker is elected, federal law states the Speaker swears in the House members in mass. That’s ALL the members at the start of the biennial session.
I cannot find any reference in the Constitution, Federal law, House rules, or several online sources which definitively states only incumbent returning House members elect the Speaker nor anything that definitively states the Speaker of the former biennial House is the de facto continuing Speaker absent election by the new House.
I therefore question the legitimacy of, and the rationale for debate, the continuation of Johnson’s legitimate claim to Speakership absent official election past noon on January 3, especially if the Democrats regain the majority or under the scenario due to defeat or retirement the Republicans do not have a majority of returning members.
The House of Representatives cannot organize or take other legislative actions until a speaker is elected. So here’s the follow up question on January 2025 chaos - without a legitimately elected House Speaker or sworn House members (note, the Speaker swears in all members-elect that are present in the Chamber in mass, he/she cannot pick out and choose only members of their party), can House members even participate in the January 6 certification?
Uncharted waters.
You have said a mouthful here today. This lays out Frumpy’s plan of Dictatorship right to the “T”!
If we don’t get out and vote BLUE 💙💙💙💙, we are destroying ourselves. It’s our fault that we allowed the Republicans to take control of the House. We MUST get it back, and keep it!!!
These would be controllers of our society are not "conservatives" but FASCISTS!
We need to call them as they are.
WTF
There’s nothing Democrats can legally do to stop Speaker Johnson from pulling this off: he can postpone swearing a member in for as long as he wants WTF so our laws give all the power to the house of representative? WTF
Alarmist? I don’t think so. The force is strong with the cult of the Church of the Orange Jesus.
May g/God be with us.
The only hope then to set things right would be for the current POTUS which would be Biden calling for the Military to seize control in a Coup like other third world countries do from time to time. Piece of cake.