After two years of suffering under Congress tainted with UniParty rule, the slim Republican minority is flexing in the House with surprising audacity. We will see how long it lasts. But last week, McCarthy officially denied Democratic Reps. Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff from the House Intelligence Committee for ties to China in the case of Swalwell and "misuse of the panel" on the part of Schiff. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday accused Republicans of "political revenge."
Today, however, the real waterworks began when the House of Representatives voted to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Yes, there was outrage. Heck, there were tears. One of her colleagues, a "proud Jew," stood for Ilhan's being an "American member of the Islamic woman."??!? That is exactly what she said. Another defender even brought up J6 and these "committees" populated by Freedom Caucus members. Because J6 and "election deniers" are obligatory subjects regardless of the topic in D.C. Honestly, I still haven't quite made the connection other than the fact that "election deniers" is pretty much code for terrorists now. And we all know that Matt Gaetz is a domestic terrorist.
Still, those whose feet are firmly planted in reality know that Omar was not removed because she is Muslim. Nope. Omar was targeted for removal because of her consistent propensity for anti-Semitic comments and not because she is a Muslim "woman of color."
One of the more titillating moments was when pal and fellow "Squad" member AOC chimed in to deliver her defense of Omar. Poetry slam? Tent revival, maybe? I am not sure who or what AOC was channeling. In any case, she is not particularly self-aware or smart. But she is a good actor, so props, girl. Dear reader, take a moment to enjoy the theatrics. AOC is in da House!! Can I get an "Amen!?"
For Spanish speakers, please see this version. All translations are welcome here. We aim to please:
The Brits weigh in on the tantrum here. By George! AOC's gone international!!
However, nothing beats this poignantly rendered video documenting the Democrats' rush to Omar's aid. These guys pulled out all the stops. The stuff is soul-penetrating. It will go down in the annals as a testament to the lengths to which Democrats will go to further their cause. They are nothing if not united in their mission. *Republicans, take note. And thank you @Pepelivesmqtter, for your cathartic work here.
One of my faves, though, was the grand finale in the line-up—delivered by Rashida Tlaib. So moving. I think it may have been a defining moment for her, tbh. It was majestic.
Then on Wednesday, we witnessed a new low during an opening moment on the floors of Congress when one Jerry Nadler refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance at the request of Representative Matt Gaetz. FYI, Nadler is a ranking member in the minority on the House Judiciary Committee. Nadler's argument was that he didn't want to say the Pledge "twice in one day." I was actually wondering when he was going to go full "Method actor" to connect with the psyche of a two-year-old. Guys, these are the tykes who decide where taxpayer dollars go.
Matt Gaetz, on his Firebrand Podcast, referenced the View and their word salad take on the Pledge. One of the cohosts stated that America hasn't met "the dream of being exceptional. It hasn't met this dream of being this beacon on a hill." The View is where brain cells go to die. Do not tell me I am wrong.
Finally, there was the refusal by a few well-placed Democrats to support a resolution to "denounce socialism in all its forms." According to Colorado News Online, "The resolution from Florida Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, approved on a 328-86 vote with 14 members voting present, notes that "socialist ideology necessitates a concentration of power that has time and time again collapsed into communist regimes, totalitarian rule, and brutal dictatorships."
Colorado Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette voted against the measure, saying it is "a cheap political stunt." Her press release states:
"With all of the problems facing us in this country—rising energy prices, a scourge of gun violence, the stripping of reproductive rights—the last thing we should be wasting our time on is a cheap political stunt like this."
"This resolution shows the true intent of the Republican majority. As several GOP members admitted during the debate, when the GOP says 'socialism,' what they really mean is Medicare and Social Security. And today's debate is only a preface to the coming attacks we will see on these key programs that millions of hardworking families rely on."
That is quite the hill to die on, Ms. DeGette.
All four members of "the Squad," composed of Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) voted against the resolution. 26-year-old Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla), Reps Pramilla Jayapal (D-Wash.), and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) opposed it. So did some "high profile Democrats" like Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), who served as House majority leader during the 117th Congress, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), 2024 Senate contender Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.).
The full list of 'No' votes is provided below.
Alma Adams (D-N.C.)
Becca Balint (D-Vt.)
Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.)
Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio)
Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-Va.)
Earl Blumenhauer (D-Ore.)
Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.)
Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.)
Cori Bush (D-Mo.)
Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.)
André Carson (D-Ind.)
Greg Casar (D-Texas)
Joaquin Castro (D-Texas)
Judy Chu (D-Calif.)
Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.)
Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.)
Gerald Connolly (D-Va.)
Joe Courtney (D-Conn.)
Danny Davis (D-Ill.)
Diana DeGette (D-Colo.)
Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.)
Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.)
Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas)
Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.)
Dwight Evans (D-Pa.)
Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas)
Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.)
Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.)
John Garamendi (D-Calif.)
Robert Garcia (D-Calif.)
Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas)
Jesús Garcia (D-Ill.)
Daniel Goldman (D-N.Y.)
Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.)
Al Green (D-Texas)
Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.)
Jahana Hayes (D-Calif.)
Brian Higgins (D-Pa.)
James Himes (D-Conn.)
Steny Hoyer (D-Md.)
Jared Huffman (D-Calif.)
Pramilla Jayapal (D-Wash.)
Henry Johnson (D-Ga.)
Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.)
Robin Kelly (D-Ill.)
John Larson (D-Conn.)
Barbara Lee (D-Calif.)
Summer Lee (D-Pa.)
Betty McCollum (D-Minn.)
Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.)
Jim McGovern (D-Mass.)
Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.)
Gwen Moore (D-Wis.)
Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.)
Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.)
Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.)
Richard Neal (D-Mass.)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)
Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)
Frank Pallone (D-N.J.)
Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.)
Donald Payne (D-N.J.)
Chellie Pingree (D-Maine)
Mark Pocan (D-Wis.)
Katie Porter (D-Calif.)
Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.)
Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.)
Jamie Raskin (D-Md.)
Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.)
John Sarbanes (D-Md.)
Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.)
Robert Scott (D-Va.)
David Scott (D-Ga.)
Brad Sherman (D-Calif.)
Adam Smith (D-Wash.)
Mark Takano (D-Calif.)
Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.)
Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)
Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii)
Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.)
Norma Torres (D-Calif.)
Juan Vargas (D-Calif.)
Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.)
Maxine Waters (D-Calif.)
Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.)
Nikema Williams (D-Ga.)
North Carolina Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry pushed back on the criticism saying:
"There's nothing in this resolution about entitlement programs or banning social services or anything of the like."
The resolution surfaced in part because of GOP plans to "reduce government spending in their upcoming budget resolution." House Democrats are worried that the spending cuts will affect the funding of Medicare and Social Security. McHenry also lamented the absence of the defense of capitalism and "optimistic" American ideals:
"What I would have preferred in this resolution was a fulsome defense of capitalism and the juxtaposition between that optimistic sense of freedom that is born out of our property rights, our speech rights, our individual rights in this country that has deeply connected us with an economic sense of freedom—and the juxtaposition of that to the misery of socialism."
I'd vote for that, McHenry. But I am just wondering whether there is a way to finagle an amendment to vote these toddlers off the island.
