Speaker of the House – Page 2

Video Thread 1/15/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:45 am Open Thread, Politics

Jan 152023

Glenn Kirschner – Trump Organization sentenced. Next up, NY AG Tish James suit against Trump Org AND Tump personally

Thom Hartmann – What Really Happened During McCarthy’s ‘Battle for the Gavel’ Featuring Rep. Mark Pocan (title not 100% accurate, but some interesting points made)

Farron Balanced – Giuliani Hit With Subpoena As Special Prosecutor ‘Follows The Money’

Robert Reich – Do We Have to Bribe Corporations to Do What’s Right?

Pittie Puppy Rescued From The Worst Owner Smiles Through Every Setback

Beau – Let’s talk about Georgia and the Special Grand Jury….

Video Thread 1/12/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:47 am Open Thread, Politics

Jan 122023

Glenn Kirschner – Allen Weisselberg, another Trump fall guy, goes to prison while Donald Trump golfs

The Lincoln Project – Waning

MSNBC – In Trump’s classified documents case, the obstruction makes the difference

Farron Balanced – Matt Gaetz And Pals Are Raising Money By Embarrassing The Republican Party

Tiny Kitten Befriends The Wild Deer Who Visit Her Yard

Beau – Let’s talk about 6 republicans and McCarthy….

Video Thread 1/8/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:01 pm Open Thread, Politics

Jan 082023

Glenn Kirschner – Special Counsel Jack Smith puts together aggressive & experienced Trump prosecution team

The Lincoln Project – MAGA vs. MAGA (The Project is rapidly making up for the long holiday break.)

Thom Hartmann – Shocking Reason These Republicans Hate McCarthy

Ring of Fire – Kari Lake Is TERRIFIED About Becoming Irrelevant

Watch This Scruffy Feral Cat Turn Into A Blue-Eyed Beauty

Beau – Let’s talk about what McCarthy knows that you should too….

Open Thread January 6, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:56 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 062023

Yesterday, Steve Schmidt published a Substack column about which he felt so strongly that he made the whole thing available to unpaid subscribers. Basically, he wanted to oppose the idea that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” He refers to the inability to see situations and alignments as other than binary as “an addlement in the American character.” I’d’ love to tell him it’s not limited to Americans – C. S, Lewis complained about the same “addlement” in Brits in the 1940’s and 50’s. It isn’t specifically American. It’s just human. He got onto the subject – the rant, if you will – because Sean Hannity and Stephanie Ruhle were both on their respective netwotks tring to tell Boebert the same thing and he wanted to point out that, because Hannity and Ruhle agree on this one thing, and both oppose Boebert, that doesn’t make Hannity a good guy. I’m sure the fact that Hannity is not a good guy is not news to anyone here… but he was right to point it out. There is a lot more in the column, so I’ve linked it in case anyone wants to pursue the idea. Aside from that, and the fact that it’s still cold, and my space heater for the computer room died, and the one from the living room is inadequate for this space (but I do have a new one on order), it’s pretty quiet.

Cartoon – 06 Jan6 in used

Short Takes –

Newsweek – Secret Service Members Found To Be Part of Far-Right Extremist Group—Report
Quote – The list of dues-paying Oath Keepers included 21 people who said they were currently employed by DHS at the time their names were added to the list. A total of 306 identified themselves as being affiliated with DHS…. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which monitors extremist groups, describes the Oath Keepers as advocating “for Americans to prepare for inevitable conflict with the government by stockpiling goods and supplies, engaging in paramilitary training and working to create small, self-reliant community networks.”
Click through for details. Surely no one is surprised by this. But it’s always good to have proof. And, of course, the question is – “Now what?”

Colorado Public Radio – This Ukrainian refugee is sharing her country’s history, culture and spirit through cooking classes in Fort Collins
Quote – “My idea was to make a cooking class about Ukraine, Ukrainian food, Ukrainian tradition,” said [chef Tetiana] Stratilat, who mentioned in an interview that she speaks fluent Russian and Ukrainian and “a little bit English.” What she decided to bring to the cooking classroom was not just ingredients. “I explain the Ukrainian tradition, how we serve [the] table, what‘s the symbol of these dishes, give some history so the people more understand about my country,” she said.
Click through for story. Anyone surorised that all the best “Russian” food is actually Ukranian? I suppose for those of us who grew up and really spent most of our lives equating the Soviet Union with Russia, it’s understandable. But it’s time to learn the truth.

Food For Thought

Open Thread January 4, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:17 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 042023

Yesterday, I decided, with everthing else here quiet, to give you an update on the mailbox for tomcat@politicsplus.org. After getting it cleaned out initially, I’ve been trying to check it every week, or at least every other week. I tried at one point to close his Twitter account, but was not successful. However, this last week he did not get any emails from Twitter … so maybe Elon Musk suspended him for something (non-payment of the new feea?) I’ll just hope there aren’t any more. I did manage to close his account at Fantasy Pros – the fantasy football site. I don’t think there is enough interest for it, and in any case, I would be incompetent to run it. I am only aware of football when something horrible happens, such as the Bengals-Bills game this week. I certainly hope Hamlin survives, but the longer he has to stay in intensive care, the less likely it is that he will ever be able to play again (in fact he may already be past that point) and that will certainly be hard on him emotionally. Back to TC’s inbox, at this point everything that is coming is is emails from WordPress or their partners such as updates or expirations, many of which I already know about because alerts on the Dashboard have advised me. Besides that, there is only spam, and there really is no way to get rid of that.

These articles are not old news yet, since after 3 failed ballots they adjourned. Anyway, one has to take the Schadenfreude where one can get it.
Black Woman – Beforre Noon – Round 1 – Chaos

Cartoon – 04 0104Cartoon.jpg

Short Takes –

Crooks & Liars – Zelenskyy Delivers Most Powerful Speech Yet To Ukraine
Quote – “Of course it was hard to celebrate fully because we understand that our soldiers can’t be with their family,” Evheniya Shulzhenko said while sitting with her husband on a park bench overlooking the city. But a “really powerful” end-of-year speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on New Year’s Eve lifted her spirits and made her proud to be Ukrainian, Shulzhenko said.
Click through. The full video in the headline has a voiced-over English translation, but no CC. But the Twitter clip in the body does have CC. And it’s pretty powerful by itself. I’m not sure I could take much more without melting into a puddle.

Washington Post (no paywall) – White contractors wouldn’t remove Confederate statues. So a Black man did it.
Quote – As a small group of Confederate heritage defenders assembled nearby — at least one of them armed — city safety coordinator Miles Jones lectured the work crew on wearing hard hats and eye protection. And who, he asked, would be the site supervisor? A bearded man in Ray-Ban sunglasses and a Norfolk State University sweatshirt stepped forward. “What’s your name, sir?” Jones asked. “Devon Henry.” “Devon Hen—” Jones began, then dropped his voice respectfully. “Oh, Mr. Henry. Of course.”
Click through for story. This mixes my emotions. Sadness because so many wypipo are so bitter and small minded, but happiness that the statues are coming down and that Devon Green exists.

Food For Thought

Open Thread December 30, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:12 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 302022

Yesterday, my eyebrows were raised hearing that I25, north of Denver, southbound was closed by a 25 vehicle crash, at about 2:30 p.m. (Then, to rub it in, the station played “Journey through the snow” from the Nutcracker.Clearly, Denver and points north have snow. We don’t. We have dry ground. That shouldn’t be surprising, given that in the years I have lived in Colorado, I have seen things liek an actual line on the roadway with snow north of it and dry ground south of it. Many places in the US and the world use the saying, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes.” Only Colorado, in my experience, scan say, “If you don’t like the weather, just move about a hundred feet – in any direction.” Of course, it isn’t always true – but it can be true fairly often. Also, I did receive confirmation to see Virgil Sunday. ( was getting nervous!)

Cartoon – (background if you are interested)

Short Takes –

The Daily Beast – Far Right Turns on ‘Faker’ & ‘Liar’ Marjorie Taylor Greene
Quote – In a phone interview with The Daily Beast, [far-right radio host Stew] Peters said that Greene was “actually a threat to national security” and declared that she would “burn in hell” one day. “Marjorie is NOT America First, but regrettably a faker and a liar who raised millions claiming she would impeach Biden, and now backs a man for Speaker who refuses to impeach Biden,” he said Friday evening. Additionally, Peters—like many other far-right pundits—engaged in an extremely sexist attack referencing the allegation that Greene had an affair with a “tantric sex guru” ahead of her recent divorce.
Click through for details. This may sound like good news – but it isn’t really. The iissue is that she’s not extreme enough for those who are turning against her. We might be able to use that to our advantage in the battle for the Speakership, but I don’t know that our delegation is savage enough to do so.

Crooks & Liars – Blue America Says #DraftLucas
Quote – Blue America started running [a #DraftLucas ad campaign] across Missouri [Monday] morning before dawn. So far, the ads are on Facebook and Instagram. We’re primarily asking people in Missouri to join us in calling to #DraftLucas– and anyone else… please use #DraftLucas on social media.
Click through for details and video ad. This is really for Nameless, as the rest of us aren’t big social media users – but useit when you can (maybe put it in an email signature?)

Food For Thought

Open Thread December 29, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 292022

Yesterday, Jamie Raskin broke my heart with the announcement that he has been diagnosed with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma, a “serious but curable form of cancer.” I’ve linked to the story which when I received the breaking news alert, said no more than that, because it is a “devloping story,” so when they know more, they’ll share more.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Democratic Underground (highplainsdem) – Warrior of Light: The national costume that will be worn by Miss Ukraine Universe 2022
Quote – The national costume is called Warrior of Light and designed by costume designer Lesia Patoka. It symbolizes her nation’s fight against the darkness, like an archangel Michael with a sword protecting Ukraine. The costume was made in four months, in extreme conditions.
Click through for image. No words can really express it. The amateur (and professional manqué) costumer in me just resonates to this.

The Daily Beast – Republicans Play Chicken With Kevin McCarthy’s Speakership
Quote – The “Never Kevin” camp is small: just five archconservative lawmakers have publicly said they will not, under any circumstances, vote for McCarthy. But if they stick to their guns, five votes is all it could take to throw the process into chaos—and potentially open up an avenue for another candidate to ascend to the top job. The much larger “Only Kevin” camp, meanwhile, has formed to head off that scenario before it even materializes. Dozens of GOP lawmakers, from moderates to MAGA loyalists, have said they will only vote for McCarthy for Speaker, no matter how many rounds of votes it takes. If followed, that commitment to respond to hardball with hardball would basically ensure no other Republican comes close to the gavel.
Click through for more analysis – but, for another, more imaginative (and IMO more likely) take, click here. At least we can hope.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 11/19/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:59 am Open Thread, Politics

Nov 192022

Glenn Kirschner – Mike Pence reveals Trump’s crimes in book but WON’T testify about Trump’s crimes to the J6 committee

The Lincoln Project – Trump’s Announcement (I doubt they would, but technically, the people atopped from leaving could sue him for the tort of false arrest.)