Category Archives: national news

national news

Santos needs harsh discipline

New York has a new congressman, a young man who lied his way into office, but the state’s Republican Party has uttered nary a peep about the disgraceful conduct of one George Santos.

There is supposed to be a “major announcement” coming from the New York GOP about the liar from the Empire State.

Let’s recall a bit of recent Republican history. GOP honchos in Wyoming decided that former Republican U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney’s insistence that Donald Trump broke the law by inciting the 1/6 insurrection was grounds for censure. So, it censured the congresswoman in early 2022. It banished her from the party she served with honor and principle. She then lost her primary battle to a Trump insider.

Fast-forward to the present day. We have another GOP officeholder who lied about his education, his employment history, his family’s background, and even possibly about his sexual orientation. He sold himself to voters as being someone other than who he is. He calls it an “embellishment.” No! It’s a lie. All of it.

What are the Republicans doing about that? Not a damn thing, at least not so far!

Double standard, anyone … anyone?

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

national news

Social media: celebrity makers

Social media have this way of making me crazy, as in they tend to make celebrities out of politicians who in another line of work would be relegated to sitting on stools with dunce caps on their noggins.

Consider, if you will, the current crop of Republicans serving in Congress. I want to direct your attention to the MAGA types in particular, the dim bulbs who believe they toss out pearls of wisdom when in reality they spew bullsh**.

Yet the media glom onto their sanctimonious drivel. We are treated on the nightly news and throughout the day on cable news networks to the spewing of the likes of those who — pardon the candor — cannot find their rear ends with both hands.

Yet there they are. Calling attention to themselves, as if they are important enough to have their words actually matter. Well … they don’t matter. Yet we hear from loudmouth numbskulls such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar and any other right-wing dipsh** with an opinion. As the saying goes: Opinions are like a**holes … everyone has ’em.

I continue to long for the day when we can return to a political culture that mandated that congressional newbies keep their thought to themselves and step aside while the wise men and women of both congressional chambers speak for their respective bodies.

There used to be a saying that a member of Congress had to serve at least two terms in the House and half a term in Senate before being allowed to make speeches from the floor.

Given the intelligence level of many of the MAGA blowhards, that notion is sounding more appealing all the time. Perhaps by the time they get some actual political seasoning they might wise up to the way government is supposed to work.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

national news

Don’t get ahead of yourself, Mr. Speaker

Kevin McCarthy, the newly installed speaker of the U.S. House, no doubt is feeling smug this morning as he begins his first week in Congress’s most powerful political office.

I mean, the Republican congressman was able to take the gavel after 15 votes among his colleagues in the House. He set a record for the number of tries he needed to cross the finish line. Is this the beginning of a new era in Congress? I doubt it … seriously!

Therefore, I feel compelled to warn the speaker against getting too far ahead of himself as he seeks to organize the legislative chamber. He gave away a lot — too much, in my view — to the right-wing radical wing of the Republican Party House conference to attain the office he coveted.

The most startling concession allows just one House member to call for a vote to remove the speaker. What, then, could happen if McCarthy pisses off one of the House members who held out until the last minute to approve his nomination? Could they call for a vote within the House to boot him?

Moreover, it should be obvious to Speaker McCarthy that voters sent a clear message to Congress in the November 2022 midterm election: They want Congress to govern, not obstruct; voters aren’t interested in these “investigations” into Hunter Biden’s laptop. Maybe most GOPers have such an interest, but they don’t comprise the bulk of the voting population.

I couldn’t help but think of the classic definition of insanity as McCarthy kept bringing the speakership up for a vote time and again. It is that insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

To be fair, Speaker McCarthy eventually got the “different result” he sought … but it was on the 15th try.

Wow! What a sh** show!

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

national news

Can they work together?

Hakeen Jefferies says he and Kevin McCarthy can work together when it matters. Count me as a skeptic … for the time being at least.

Jefferies is the newly minted U.S. House Democratic leader is the equally newly minted speaker of the House. Oh … McCarthy also is a Republican who had to fight through 15 floor-vote ballots before eking out enough support to get the speaker’s gavel.

Jefferies says he and McCarthy get along just fine, that they can “agree to disagree without being disagreeable.” Indeed, McCarthy said some pretty angry things about former speaker Nancy Pelosi, who in turn fired some nastiness at McCarthy.

Jefferies and McCarthy need to work together to craft legislation that President Biden can agree to sign into law. I fear that the task might be hampered by the MAGA crowd within the GOP House caucus that is intent on impeaching everyone who carries the title of Democrat.

Well, I will hold out a sliver of hope that the party leaders can forge a working relationship that puts country ahead of partisan concerns.

Many of us are watching you, gentleman.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

national news

Speaker McCarthy? Let’s get busy!

I find it strange and a bit discomfiting to refer to Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the U.S. House, but sure enough, he’s got the title and the gavel.

Now comes the test to see if he has the skill to manage a sharply divided legislative chamber that required 15 floor votes to decide on whether McCarthy should succeed one of the greater speakers in U.S. history, Nancy Pelosi.

The only thing these two individuals have in common is that they represent California in the House. Pelosi serves the people of San Francisco, while McCarthy hails from Bakersfield.

Furthermore, I am trying to imagine — and I can’t get close to realizing it — Pelosi getting herself trapped in the embarrassing spectacle that unfolded as McCarthy battled the MAGA wing of his party in trying to secure enough votes to become speaker.

I would not have occurred during Pelosi’s two runs as speaker.

Yet here we are. Speaker McCarthy has suffered heavy injury to his reputation by giving away damn near the whole power structure to the MAGA cult cabal in the House.  Hey, didn’t Pelosi once scold the Democrats’ progressive caucus by ordering its members to back off and let her run the House? Yep. She did!

McCarthy squeaked — or perhaps slithered — his way into the speaker’s chair by the narrowest margin possible. He is de-fanged, de-clawed and de-balled as he seeks to get the House apparatus lined up.

The MAGA clowns will take seats on key committees. Good luck with that … Mr. Speaker.

It’s a new day in Congress. May the forces of good government eclipse the morons who wrangled all those concessions from the gutless coward who now serves as speaker of the House.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

national news

Democracy is damn ugly

Winston Churchill had it exactly right when he described democracy as the most awkward form government, but better than any other form of governance ever created.

He said in a 1947 speech before the British House of Commons: Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.

The world witnessed an example of it with the election of Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the U.S. House early today.

Ugghh! I couldn’t stand watching it. I am not happy with the result, either … but I’ll accept that it’s what we have. So, let’s move forward and hope the House and Senate can get something done for you and me.

To be candid, I don’t expect much from the House. McCarthy gave away a lot of the real power the speaker is supposed to have. He surrendered it to the right-wing, MAGA cabal within the GOP House conference.

The cultists hate McCarthy for reasons I don’t quite grasp. He’s one of ’em, for criminy sakes! Anyone who would be critical of the treasonous moron who incited the 1/6 insurrection and then venture to his glitzy estate for a photo op cannot be trusted? Give me a break!

Well, we have a House speaker. At least the lower chamber can start its work. That’s some semblance of progress … even though it developed from the ugliest start in the history of the republic.

Oh, and thanks for the wisdom, Mr. British Prime Minister. You were so correct as always.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

national news

How can he govern?

For the life of me I am trying to grasp how in the name of good government Kevin McCarthy can hope to function as speaker of the House when he keeps capitulating to the right-wing nut job caucus of the Republican congressional conference.

I mean, holy yellow-belly coward, the dude is making deal after deal with MAGA lovers who don’t trust him as far as they can throw him.

And he still can’t get enough votes to be selected as House speaker!

He’s gone through 13 failed attempts at garnering the needed 218 votes to become speaker. Each time it goes to the floor for a vote he gives something else away.

He’s promised to put the election deniers on key committees, he has agreed to let a single House member call for a vote to remove the speaker, he is promising to open up investigations into every Democrat within spitting distance of Capitol Hill.

If he is able to be elected speaker, McCarthy is likely to learn in short order — as in immediately — that the prize he has coveted for years ain’t worth the effort.

The late Texan, former VP John Nance Garner, once said the vice presidency “ain’t worth a bucket of warm piss.” If he is able to seize the gavel as House speaker — and that remains an open question — I intend to wait for a similar description from McCarthy about the office he fought like hell to inherit.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

national news

Two years on, it still hurts

This is no day to ” celebrate” with vacuous expressions of “happy anniversary.” It is, rather, a day to commemorate with observations about how dangerously close this event came to unraveling our cherished democratic system of government.

Two years ago today the mob of traitors stormed the Capitol Building intending to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. I won’t go into the details of who ignited it or assess blame for the chaos that ensued.

All I want to do in this moment is note that the traitors who committed the insurrection came too damn close to succeeding in their failed effort.

The House select committee assigned to study the event and recommend ways to prevent a recurrence has finished its job. It was thorough and meticulous in its effort. I commend that. It has recommended criminal referrals to the former president. I comment that, too.

Let’s just today take note of what could have happened that day. Let’s also cling tightly to the love we express about our liberties and the benefits of living in this great nation.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

national news

Only half of a Congress …

Here’s something to ponder: At this moment, we have only half of a Congress.

There is no House of Representatives. All 435 members of the House are congresspeople-elect. None has taken the oath of office. Why? Because a cabal of Republican hardline, extremist, MAGA-supporting nut jobs are withholding their support for Kevin McCarthy as the next speaker of the House.

Nothing gets done without a speaker. No votes. No committee assignments. No swearing-in ceremonies. Not a damn thing, man!

Yes, the fruitcake caucus is holding our government hostage because they want the next speaker of the House to do its bidding … as if McCarthy isn’t already on board.

This isn’t good government. It is no government!

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

national news

Chaos in the House

I must admit to some joy in watching U.S. House Republicans stumble over themselves trying to nominate a speaker of their legislative body.

GOP leader Kevin McCarthy failed three times to get the required 218 votes to win election as speaker. He is being stymied by the right-wing nutjob caucus within the Republican conference. They think he’s too accommodating to Democrats. That makes me laugh out loud.

I don’t know who will emerge from the tumult in the House. It doesn’t matter too much to me at this point. My mind is occupied with more pressing concerns closer to home … such as the health challenge facing my bride.

I just had to take a moment to chuckle, snort and giggle at the sight of congressional Republicans try to find someone to lead the body.

Now I will turn back to the thing that matters more than anything else on Planet Earth: my bride’s well-being.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com