Quo Vadis GOP?

[Caliga]

Best comment I've seen so far: "Mitch McConnell is taking this anti-woke stuff too far."

[Caliga]

Someone accidentally hit Mitch's pause button again today.

I would feel sorry for him if he hadn't spent decades being an asshole.

Mitch is my Senator, and while I've never and would never vote for him, I don't think he's an asshole.  I think he's an effective party tool and I could do much worse in terms of being represented in the Senate than him, even though I loathe his politics.  I genuinely feel bad for him and while he clearly should retire at this point, it'd be a bad thing for Kentucky overall if he did.  That's kind of the problem with these guys and their endless terms... they get so entrenched that anyone with a bit of pragmatism in their thinking would be loathe to eject them from their seats given the pork and shit they can direct to their constituents.

[Valmy]

Someone accidentally hit Mitch's pause button again today.

I would feel sorry for him if he hadn't spent decades being an asshole.

Mitch is my Senator, and while I've never and would never vote for him, I don't think he's an asshole.  I think he's an effective party tool and I could do much worse in terms of being represented in the Senate than him, even though I loathe his politics.  I genuinely feel bad for him and while he clearly should retire at this point, it'd be a bad thing for Kentucky overall if he did.  That's kind of the problem with these guys and their endless terms... they get so entrenched that anyone with a bit of pragmatism in their thinking would be loathe to eject them from their seats given the pork and shit they can direct to their constituents.

His shenanigans with the Supreme Court will forever linger in my memory 

But fair enough. I mean it isn't like I feel particularly sorry for Feinstein either. It isn't like it is news that people at their age should retire. They both decided to roll the dice and go for one more term, they just lost.

[grumbler]

His shenanigans with the Supreme Court will forever linger in my memory 

But fair enough. I mean it isn't like I feel particularly sorry for Feinstein either. It isn't like it is news that people at their age should retire. They both decided to roll the dice and go for one more term, they just lost.

They rolled the dice and we lost.

[Tonitrus]

Weren't the voters in on these dice rolls too?

[Valmy]

Weren't the voters in on these dice rolls too?

For the Voters of Kentucky I get it. You don't want to elect the opposite party at a moment where the control of the Senate hangs by a hair, especially when your guy is the party leader.

I have no idea what happened in California and why people decided to elect a 86 year old in an election between two Democrats. I think the younger politicians coming up in California might be too progressive and people felt comfortable electing a more moderate older person. Didn't really work out huh?

I will say that it looks like everybody who was anybody among the big national names endorsed Feinstein and she outraised her opponent about 20 to 1. Only the progressive fringe endorsed the other guy. Not really a fair fight.

[crazy canuck]

Weren't the voters in on these dice rolls too?

Shhh Clinton's emails were the priority

[Eddie Teach]

Someone accidentally hit Mitch's pause button again today.

I would feel sorry for him if he hadn't spent decades being an asshole.

Mitch is my Senator, and while I've never and would never vote for him, I don't think he's an asshole.  I think he's an effective party tool and I could do much worse in terms of being represented in the Senate than him, even though I loathe his politics.  I genuinely feel bad for him and while he clearly should retire at this point, it'd be a bad thing for Kentucky overall if he did.  That's kind of the problem with these guys and their endless terms... they get so entrenched that anyone with a bit of pragmatism in their thinking would be loathe to eject them from their seats given the pork and shit they can direct to their constituents.

One thing you can say for Rand, he'd be pretty dismal at amassing pork.

[Admiral Yi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oJ3jpSsiTU

Meaningless video of the Texas Attorney General impeachment trial (interesting that Tejas does it in a court room and not in their state assembly), BUT can someone tell me what's going on with the gaggle of suits behind the judge that he confers with?  I've never seen anything like that before.

[grumbler]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oJ3jpSsiTU

Meaningless video of the Texas Attorney General impeachment trial (interesting that Tejas does it in a court room and not in their state assembly), BUT can someone tell me what's going on with the gaggle of suits behind the judge that he confers with?  I've never seen anything like that before.

Maybe those are the other members of the state Supreme Court.

[The Minsky Moment]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oJ3jpSsiTU

Meaningless video of the Texas Attorney General impeachment trial (interesting that Tejas does it in a court room and not in their state assembly), BUT can someone tell me what's going on with the gaggle of suits behind the judge that he confers with?  I've never seen anything like that before.

The presiding officer in the Paxton impeachment is the Texas Lt. Governor, a former media personality.  He has no legal or parliamentary experience other than some terms in the Texas state legislature.  I assume the people behind him are aides or parliamentarians with relevant expertise to advise him.

[Syt]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/republicans-secret-police-sparks-fight-with-democrats/ar-AA1hzNBc

Republicans' 'Secret Police' Sparks Fight With Democrats

Republicans in North Carolina are facing criticism for including a measure in their state budget critics say will create a "secret police force."

North Carolina's state budget is set to expand the authority of the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, a legislative investigative committee. The changes will allow the committee to investigate state a local government agencies, "or non-State entity receiving public funds."

The budget will allow the GOP-controlled committee to access "any documents or records related to any contract awarded by a State agency, including, but not limited to, (i) records related to the drafting and approval of the contract and (ii) documents and records of the contractor that the Commission determines will assist in verifying accounts or will contain data affecting fees or performance," according to its text.

Democrats have raised concerns about this measure being a government overstep, arguing that the text would state allow agents to enter any government contractor or subcontractors' homes to access these documents. Republicans have argued the committee's expanded scope is necessary to ensure greater oversight following criticism over the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent hurricanes.

State Representative Allison Dahle compared the investigative body to a "secret police force" during debate on the budget on the floor of the House. She warned that it would "give carte blanche to legislators and legislative employees to look into any entity that receives state funding," according to The News & Observer.
"This secret police force can even come into, for example, a law firm that receives state funding for court-appointed lawyers. This now means that the sanctity of the attorney-client privilege is now defunct," she said.

State Senator Graig Meyer warned that the budget would give "Gov Ops broad, intrusive, & punitive powers to investigate any state entity or any 'non-state entity' that has pretty much any connection to the State of NC at all," in a post to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

"Let's say you're a subcontractor to a contractor w a state agency...get ready to turn over your docs," he wrote.

Republicans, however, have defended the legislation against Democratic criticism.

"Why is it taking so long for these people to get back in their houses? What's taking so long. So, when our Gov Ops committee went in and started asking these same questions, they were stonewalled as well," State House Speaker Tim Moore, a Republican, said, according to a report from Raleigh-based television news station WNCN.

Senate leader Phil Berger, also a Republican, told the news station that expanding the committee's authority is "not a partisan thing."

"It is something that is designed to assist the General Assembly and all members of the General Assembly in carrying out our constitutional obligations to oversee the money that's being spent," he said.

Newsweek reached out to Speaker Moore's office for comment via email.

[Caliga]

House to McCarthy:  You're fired.

[Sophie Scholl]

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[Hamilcar]

Is this effectively a split in the coalition? Are MAGA and regular Republicans now at irreconcilable differences? In a parliamentary system, would the US have new elections now?