This is literally not how any of this works
Author’s Note: I know many of you have expressed concern about Juanita. I got in touch with her yesterday. She is experiencing some health problems that she would not get into. They are not life threatening but she is taking a break from writing for awhile. I and the others will do the best we can to give you something to chew on until she feels up to giving us the same great content she has always given us.
I don’t know much. I studied political science in college, but as I am fond of saying, I have slept since then. However, I remember the concept of political parties and how they are supposed to work. Every party polices themselves and I suppose that’s the main problem. Politics works in fairly simple and predictable ways. Parties have platforms and they use those platforms to govern their solutions to our problems. At least, those are the problems they identify as our problems. Conservatives have identified border security as a problem. Obviously, we can get into any number of discussions as to how true that actually is, but let’s keep things simple.
James Lankford (R-OK) helped broker a deal on immigration reform in the senate. It is about as conservative as any deal anyone could imagine, Remember, the senate is Democratic. There was no reason for the deal to be as conservative as it was except for the fact that Democrats want to make a deal. It included aide of Israel, Ukraine, and Gaza, but otherwise there was very little most Democrats would want. Obviously, the House is more conservative in the Senate. It is where the so-called Freedom Caucus lives. They could take the bill and delete things they don’t like and add things they would like, but they have chosen to kill it instead. Why? Their fearless leader has told them to do so. We can’t solve our nation’s problems because if we solve those problems then we can’t campaign on them.
It is what happened next that kills me. The Oklahoma GOP voted to censure Lankford On the one hand, that means virtually nothing. A censure has all the weight of Barney Fife yelling stop in downtown Mayberry. It is the story it tells to all of us and their party members. He helped negotiate a deal and it was a favorable one to them. He is essentially being punished for governing. You may not like the deal he made. I get that. In that case you either simply vote no or you get involved and make the changes you think you need to be made. We don’t punish and scold people for governing. At least we don’t if we are a functional political party.
This is a good news and bad news kind of thing. We won’t have a deal on immigration. From the Democratic side, we can say at least we won’t have a bad deal. On the bad side, it means we will hear all kinds of crap about open borders, catch and release, fentanyl, and terrorists flooding over the board. It is all Brandon’s fault. We know better and we hopefully can get most voters to know that. Even if they believe the malarkey about the border being the wild west, they can at least get the idea that the Republicans killed their own bill. They would rather have a problem to point to than solve it. This is not how things are supposed to work, but then again I have slept since my political science classes.
Thanks, Nick! Great stuff! I also majored in Poli Sci in undergrad school. Have been trying ovrr the years to understand why so many people of all strata will not vote. Finally found something that might throw some light on this:George Washingtgon once said that “Government is not reason, it is not eloquence – it is a force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master: never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action!” Apparently there are hordes of people who are scared to death of fire and prefer to not brecome firefighters. Hence we have way too many dangerous servants and fearful masters. And I still keep hoping for a much better future.
1Easily understood and well stated. Thanks for the update on the main hairdresser. Appreciated.
2First, thanks for the update on J.J.
3I personally am convinced that the biggest change that happened whilst you were sleeping can be illustrated by the review for this book.
https://history.princeton.edu/about/publications/burning-down-house-newt-gingrich-fall-speaker-and-rise-new-republican-party
It pretty well says what most of us in here have talked about at one time or another for years. But there’s an observation that I imagine has been made in here even if I don’t remember it.
IMHO before the gingrich era, for a long time it was expected for both parties to treat each other with at least a modicum of respect, even when disagreeing vehemently on policies.
The problem is that after the gingrich era where repugnantcans decided Democrats were the enemy and deserving of only scorn, at best, both sides, IMHO have expected the other to still treat each other with the same modicum of respect. Us out of a sense of decency, and then out of a sense of contempt.
As always that’s just my opinion and I’m just as full of shit as anybody else.
Them, out of a sense of contempt.
4Not then.
Thanks for the update on JJ/Susan. I have been worried about her.
5Thank you for letting us know about JJ. Sending prayers for her speedy recovery.
“Even if they believe the malarkey about the border being the wild west, they can at least get the idea that the Republicans killed their own bill.”
Malarkey is a surname. Please capitalize. 😉
6I have a couple of things rolling around my brain that need to get written up so I can help JJ during her break. I have been so disgusted with events lately, well, until yesterday when a couple of good things happened, that it’s been hard to get motivated to write. I’ll do better. BTW, I saw the best comment today in the WaPo re the failed impeachment and Israel aid votes: “They should not be called Republicans, they are Constipations, they can’t pass their own sh!t.”
7Thanks, Nick, for the update on Ms. Juanita Jean Herownself as we all wish her the best of health in the days ahead.
Lordy. Election season 2024 is enough to make us all sick. But. We need to focus on the bright spots. Teddie Crooze potentially being defeated in Texas keeps me smiling. Ignoring the pesky polls and pundits keeps me sane. While the cartoonists, late night monologues and WMDBS keep me informed. Thank you all!
8fenway fran @6 excellent. Those MAGAts ‘think’ they’re “constitutionals” when in fact they truly are constipationalists. Similar to the average arrogant idiot MAGAts who think they’re hot sh!t when in fact they’re less than room temperature manure. The Stanford-Binet Test only records to 20 at the lowest point, otherwise would take a few potshots at their intelligence.
As for any actual immigration reform, Dark Brandon is on the correct path. Instead of GOP fictional ‘border walls’ let’s produce legislation that expedites immigration from the person’s home of origin in a timely and fair fashion which would eliminates the death toll of folks seeking asylum status.
9Thank you for the update on JJ. I, too, have been worried, and I pray for good resolutions to the medical conditions.
I agree that Gingrich took what was at least a civil Republican party down the road to hell. The currrent Repubs have no interest in governing and have no respect for the governing institutions. They want only to sow chaos and destruction.
IMHO, they care very little about the death toll of folks seeking asylum status.
I have a very hard time listening to much news these days.
10How can there be a problem on the border? Trump built the wall, didn’t he?
Didn’t he?
11First, glad to hear that JJ is recovering and getting some time off to do that.
12Jane & PKM- the pesky polls and pundits also make me crazy. The self proclaimed legitimate media that report the polls that make no sense need a deeper dive. On second thought, these outlets wouldn’t know how to do that and would just pile more crap on to of crap and misinformation. So, I choose to ignore them.
I am holding my breath on the upcoming rulings from the supremes- will they see the light from the DC appeals court or emboldened a wannabe dictator. If they do support the DC ruling, expect the distractions of the repugnantican house of vengeance to accelerate. I only hope legitimate, rational non maga voters (and probably not poll participants) will see what’s going on here. Hoping 2024 restores sanity.
As someone put it on social media, we should say “Well played” to Dark Brandon.
Joe Biden knew the NSGOP would do this and shoot itself in its collective foot. They can shoot very straight when aiming in that general direction, and now he has yet another thing he can campaign on.
Well played, indeed.
Get well soon, JJ.
13Warm wishes for a speedy recovery, Susan. Things just don’t go away as quickly as they did in our younger days. And especially when we have lost our beloved husbands who would care for us.
14Hang tough Fran the Chicago girl who married into massive John Birch loving family from Texas…..thinking sweet thoughts for you.
Thank you for the update on Susan a/k/a Ms. Juanita Jean.
When there were several Fridays without cartoons, or her witty posts with so much you know what flying around, I knew something was up, and said a few prayers.
Will keep praying for her and universal health care because this is a tough system to be unwell in.
15“James Lankford (R-OK) helped broker a deal on immigration reform in the senate. It is about as conservative as any deal anyone could imagine, Remember, the senate is Democratic. There was no reason for the deal to be as conservative as it was except for the fact that Democrats want to make a deal. It included aide of Israel, Ukraine, and Gaza, but otherwise there was very little most Democrats would want.”
Here’s some counter point to that assertion. First, considering that we are $ 34T in debt, this ill fated bill added to it, with no offsetting cuts elsewhere. Next, I think the author doesn’t have a clear picture of what conservatives/America First/MAGA/insert your favorite pejorative here actually want.
What they DO want, is an end to the flooding of the country with illegals from parts unknown. So the bill proposes accepting 5,000 illegals a day from Mexico, then the BP can close down the border. What madness is this? If the border can be shut down after they count 5,000 Mexicans illegally crossing, then why can’t it just be kept shut down all the time?
Why did Trump finally get the border numbers down? Remain in Mexico? Title 42? Strong arming AMLO with threats of tariffs and pulling foreign aid to Mexico? That last one did get 27,000 Mexican troops on THEIR side of the border at least nominally trying to prevent illegals from crossing northward. It also got Mexican soldiers at their southern border with Guatemala, along the Suchiate River, a much smaller border to defend. Trump also threatened to pull the foreign aid of Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, if they didn’t stop the caravans. All that combined with allowing the Border Patrol to actually stop illegals from coming in. “No, you can’t come in.” Novel concept. Building wall won’t entirely stop people from getting through, but it is a force multiplier, meaning, fewer border patrol have to cover each mile. A wall stops a 4 or 10K strong convoy of illegals, if they’re having to climb 30′ ladders, or crawl through a cut out in the fence. It gives the Border Patrol time to respond….it creates choke points even if a hole is cut.
So this ‘border bill?’ It tosses a pittance at the actual people on the ground, but if they have been tasked to help illegals enter and get them quickly on to the interior of the country, then why would any conservative want that? Remember, we don’t want ANY of them. We’re racist, xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic, we hate brown people….the whole shootin’ match. We don’t want any illegals entering, period. So no, this bill offers us nothing.
What was it really about? Giveaways to support the Ukraine and Israel. I’ll give you that many conservatives seem to love Israel for some reason. But we are anti-war. The Ukraine? We keep adding NATO members, keep pushing closer to Russia. Of course they don’t like that, and then the 2014 Maidan coup? Talks of Ukraine joining NATO? Russia wants a buffer of client states separating it from NATO. So that’s Georgia, Belarus, and the Ukraine. It’s theirs. It’s historically theirs, if you listened to the dry, contemporaneous history lesson by Putin during the Tucker Carlson interview. Say what you want about that interview, but I haven’t heard anyone say Putin was wrong when he gave names, dates, and places. He certainly didn’t sound like he was about dead, or like a madman, both things the left accused him of, if you’ll recall.
Conservatives/America First/MAGA/Trump supporters/bigots/racists…..we don’t WANT to fund a proxy war with Russia. Not our circus, not our monkeys. All us funding that war does is cause an attrition of White people, who are, by the way, a global minority. I’m old enough to recall a time when it was the left that was anti-war. Kent State? More recently, Cindy Sheehan and Code Pink? Well, strangely enough, it’s the left that are the war hawks now, combined with the old guard R’s like Cocaine Mitch. MAGA/America First/racist deplorables? We want peace. We want the funding to stop so Ukraine will have to sue for peace.
And funding the Israel war? Many, but not all conservatives are against that, too. Imagine how idiotic it is. Pay for the bombs to destroy the Gaza strip, pay for aid TO the Gaza strip, and then, whenever this is finished, guess who will be called on to pay to REBUILD the Gaza strip? If you guessed the US taxpayer, you’d be right.
So, after all that, the TL;DR is, no, there was virtually nothing in that bloated spending bill that actual Trump MAGA/America First voters want, and we certainly don’t want to borrow money for it.
We want the money now being spent to REPEL illegals. All of them. We don’t want them, any of them, and this bill would have done nothing to change that. It was a war funding bill dressed up as window dressing for the open border.
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