Election results
The news is not good from yesterday’s election. I’m not going to analyze it in depth; others have done so. I refer you to this, this, and the initial portion of this. If you want a brighter take on things, … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Politics
Well folks, we have a Speaker
And he’s a Republican. And it was the GOP that elected him, not the Democrats. So both of those are good things. Who is it? Mike Johnson of Louisiana – no one I previously knew a thing about, but that’s … Continue reading →
Voting for Speaker
Jordan has failed to get a majority in the first round of voting, although he reached 200. He needs 217. I assume there’s a lot negotiating going on. McCarthy was elected after 15 rounds of voting. I really really really … Continue reading →
No Speakership for Scalise so far
So far, in a GOP House vote for Speaker, Scalise hasn’t gotten enough votes. In this case, because of the slim majority the GOP holds, “enough votes” means “near-unanimous.” Only four defections can be allowed. That’s extremely difficult, and factions … Continue reading →
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 … Continue reading →
Here’s my question about Gaetz’s method of removing McCarthy
As just about everyone who reads this blog already knows, the mechanism Gaetz used to get rid of McCarthy as Speaker was basically to allow the Democrats and a small GOP group to remove a Republican Speaker through the alliance … Continue reading →
About the history of party control of Congress and the presidency
As part of the discussion of Gaetz’s move yesterday, commenter “Sharon W” wrote (I’m pretty sure sarcastically): Maybe Art Deco can enunciate for us all the gains conservatives experienced when the House, Senate and Presidency were in Republican hands. Most … Continue reading →
Newt Gingrich on Matt Gaetz’s move
Those of you who think Gingrich was a good Speaker, and knowledgeable about the workings of the House, please take a look at what he wrote just prior to yesterday’s vote to oust McCarthy: Newt Gingrich on Tuesday urged House … Continue reading →
The House votes McCarthy out as Speaker
This is what happened: Lawmakers have voted to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from his leadership role, the first time in the history of the House of Representatives that the chamber voted to boot a member from the top job. … Continue reading →
Jamall Bowman: pulling the fire alarm and then pulling our legs?
What a long strange trip it’s been. To wit, you’ve probably read quite a bit about this: Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), a former school principal who pulled a fire alarm in the U.S. Capitol complex moments before the House was … Continue reading →
It’s Senator Laphonza Butler till the next election
You might ask – who’s that? I certainly had never heard of her before. But Butler fits the previously declared identity boxes – a black woman- and Newsom has said she’s a temporary placeholder. However, she’s certainly not barred from … Continue reading →
Physical anthropologists, beware – the woke brigade has come for you
From the party of science-non-deniers: The world’s largest anthropological conference with the American Anthropological Association and the Canadian Anthropology Society had hoped to answer [the question of making sex distinctions through skeletal remains] in a panel using science we’ve had … Continue reading →