Playing musical offices: Pelosi loses
I’ve read so many differing reports about who ordered Pelosi out of her office and why. Here’s the latest:
We wrote earlier about how one of the first orders of business for speaker pro tempore Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) in the aftermath of the House’s ousting of Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as Speaker was to notify former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that she needed to immediately remove her things and vacate her hideaway office. …
In an update to this story, we’re learning that it wasn’t McHenry but McCarthy himself who was behind the call to get Pelosi kicked out of her hideaway office, something few on the House side have outside of high-ranking members. Further, the person who will be utilizing that office will be … McCarthy …
Interesting.
I also want to call your attention to this comment by “former legislator.” If you haven’t seen it yet, please take a look.
I read that the office is for the “previous speaker” who is now McCarthy.
That comment by “former legislator” is worth reading and pondering. Among other things, we need conservative think tanks to be developing and refining legislative proposals so when the golden moment comes when we have some power, we can drop those in the hopper and get it done.
It’s a discouraging read, and I don’t think I could be a legislator.
A further comment on “former legislator’s” comment. This is one of the reasons I think DeSantis would be more successful than Trump this time around. He’s been in that snake pit in the Capitol and presumably has some grasp of how to get legislative proposals through.
Kate:
I completely agree.
From “former legislators’s” post:
The D’s have a massive institutional advantage of think tanks, activist groups, etc. who actually WRITE legislation, and implementing regulations to go with it. (Want to know why all of a sudden Medicaid/Medicare will cover transgender hormones? Because Planned Parenthood, university activists, NGOs, unions, etc. will have already drafted and socialized the legislation within their networks, and gotten all of them to agreement, and agreed who will be the lead negotiator for all of them, so that when the moment strikes, a D legislator just has to put their name on it and file it).
I remember all the talk in the Gingrich-Bush years about Republicans letting lobbyists draft legislation. I don’t know if it was true, but lately the Democrats have been letting lobbyists draft legislation. The lobbyists just call themselves public interest activist groups, even though they’re sometimes just shills for industry groups. I wonder if it was ever really different.
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Is there something a little Shakespearean about the McCarthy/Pelosi saga? The weak king Richard II meets up with Iago …
Or maybe King Lear turned out onto the heath, this time by his ungrateful mother-in-law, turns the tables on her and throws her out of the castle.
Is it time for “MacBiden!” a drama about our current leader and his rise to power? “MacBird!” was a sensation in the Sixties.
Former legislator’s comment reminds me of some dreams I have where I’m trying to get something done and I can’t find the right tool, or a door is locked and I don’t have the key, or the people in my dream keep lying to me about how to do my project, etc.
The task of legislating should be difficult, but it should not be done primarily by representatives (lobbyists/NGOs/think tanks/etc.) of special interests.
I once knew a lobbyist. He convinced me that he did good work in informing politicians about various legislation that was coming up and how it would affect his employer. He also told me that there were certain politicians whose votes he knew he could “purchase” with a campaign contribution. How do you stop that? Nearly impossible unless rules about meetings with lobbyists are strictly monitored and enforced.
Democracy and freedom are not easy and as Franklin said, “When the people find that they can vote themselves money that will herald the end of the republic.”
Well, I guess we’re seeing what happens to countries that were once powerful and productive. (Great Britain/Spain/Germany/ France/etc.) They grow fat and lazy. No one wants to do the work and uphold standards. Decline sets in and there’s no turning back. It is to weep.
Abraxas,
Somehow, around age 8 or 9, I got a copy of “Macbird” and read it cover to cover. I had no idea what was going on. I may have already read, “Macbeth,” which I also would have mostly not understood,* and probably understood “Macbird” was a satirical look at the LBJ administration, but I’m sure that’s about all I got out of it. But I still remember the cover.
“… he knew he could “purchase” with a campaign contribution. How do you stop that?”
A good start would be repealing the XVIth and XVIIth amendments, forcing Congress to do the work they were intended to do for the people they were intended to work for.
If Congress can’t capriciously tax income they are forced to raise taxes by targeting specific transactions, activities and/or material resources. If a Congressperson has a widget lobbyist greasing his or her palm to lower taxes on widgets, then he or she has to either raise taxes on some other pet industry or reduce spending. And, if the pet industry is important in the Congressperson’s state the state recalls him or her and sends a replacement who will act on behalf of the state’s interests.
Bill Clinton wishes he had a “hideaway office”.
Banned Lizard:
I would wager he does.
“neo. on October 5, 2023 at 8:42 pm said:
Banned Lizard:
I would wager he does.”
Is this hideaway office in his pants ?
And “we, the people,” are supposed to give a F about the office arrangements of congressional members.
Then again, I can’t think of any other issues of national import that we should be pondering.
Re: comment by Kate @ 5:25.
Not disagreeing with you , but I think one of Trumps mistakes while president, due to his lack of political experience, was under-estimating the degree of
incompetence, back-stabbing, deviousness, dishonesty, lying and corruption within DC sewer.
If he were once again president (which, I don’t think will happen) he would be cognizant of the toilet bowl that is DC and act accordingly (as would DeSantis).
Trump got burnt real bad as president; he would not let it happen again.