TMEW and I have been ill most of the week and we’re just getting back on our feet – really bad cases of the flu. I generally don’t get sick often but when I do, it’s full beast mode. The typical aches, pains, low-grade temp – but no coughing for me. What I did get is that it “went” in the base of my spine and I got sciatica back that I have experienced in decades. So bedridden. Add in brain fog and I couldn’t string two sentences together and couldn’t sit at my desk.
So, in between sleeping a lot, I did a lot of watching of the US House Speaker votes. Pretty much what I expected in the first 10 votes and then the Freedom Caucus members’ insistence that the “system” be changed to be more “membership friendly” than Leadership “top/down/command” decries (sound familiar to other places?). They were vilified as being rebels, insurgents, traitors, not team players, and a whole other string of invectives.
But they wouldn’t budge. They got their agreement and they changed their votes for “others not McCarthy” to “Present” (which meant they were not voting but it did lower the threshold to get to the majority of those voting (finally down to Jefferies and McCarthy” and last night at 1 am (or so), McCarthy finally won on the 15th round. By two votes.
The rest was pure ceremonies the first of which was to have Jefferies give a short speech and hand the Gavel to McCarthy. He had but one job to do.
He #FAILED.
What a sanctimonious, self-righteous, self-promoting, grievance-mongering individual. Jeffries couldn’t even muster a few moments to recognize that it wasn’t about him but should have been about the “House continuity”, traditions, and a bit of bipartisanship. Instead, he made it about him, boasting about what the Democrats had “given” to the People”.
And then he went all Nasty in comparing adjectives favorable to Democrats to using adjectives denigrating Republicans (yes, he went there and used “racism”). Instead of being a congratulatory event, he turned it into a Democrat Rally Speech. While you can see it right from the get-go, if you are short on time, the worst starts around 11:00 (although to get the full import, listen to the whole thing). Full shade:
“A moment of Transition. From a year of Accomplishment to a year of Ambiguity”.
And gets worse from there. Quickly. Oh it sounded good but then he went on a tear comparing “Democrat Principles” to “Republican ones” at 13:15”
Schmuck. He made Ray Buckley (NH Democrat Chair – but who knows for how much longer?) look like a choir boy. And it was easy to see that he was enjoying this immensely.
“Maturity over Mar-a-Lago”. Yep, this was a full-on declaration of war. As Kurt Schlicter at Townhall has said “Now go crush them” (paraphrasing). No mercy.
Yes, McCarthy lost the 14 times. And then won the 15th.
Hakeem should now be known as the guy who lost 15 times straight.
Oh, and at 14:43, there’s Annie Kuster in a dark blue suit with her normal “Raise the Roof” hands in the air jumping up and down schtick, just eating it up.
NEVER be persuaded that she “bridges the divide” – that’s an act. In the wee hours of this morning, her true Progressive/Republican-hating self was there on display.
Yes, Chris Pappas was here – two rows behind her and to the right.
And Hakeem? He sulked the rest of the time as McCarthy took his victory lap, gave his speech, and swore in the House members.
And no, WMUR didn’t give Hakeem’s insouciance any coverage at all this morning.
