And other people gloating about how much “better” their government is totally helps Americans solve all the problems with our own!
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I’d say that in Trump’s case specifically, it was likely a combination of both. “Checks and balances” were certainly a factor but it is difficult to deny that a more competent incumbent would probably have been able to cause much more damage.
I know Ofcom has said that having sitting MP’s as presenters is not against the rules (but having them as news readers is!) but this really should be stopped. MP’s have official channels where they can be presenting their views and policies.
I get why Ker is keeping very tight lipped on everything the Tories are saying at the moment - I lived in Australia during the last elections and Anthony Albanese did exactly the same thing, he refused to get drawn on anything that could be used as a wedge issue and now that he is in government is able to make changes. What I would like Labour to do is to indicate strongly that anything that the government is introducing now will have an immediate review as soon as they get in. The Conservatives seem desperate to break all the furniture on the way out the door.
The end of the this term of government cannot come soon enough. I will be voting from the other side of the work, my Labour MP will get reelected without my help but I still want to show my support.
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Labour (UK) has brought in some of the advisors who guided Labor (AU) to victory, so it looks like both big parties are going to use Aussie tactics. The Tories of course will also be relying on dark money from the US.
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I’ve been thinking that if I was a Democratic congressman (shudder) I would have promised to vote for McCarthy for speaker to get a budget passed. Frankly, if he can count of a few Democratic votes, he is no longer forced to deal with the lunatic fringe. And that IS a good thing for Democrats.
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Uh ohs, he done went and did it.
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I wonder how long until the details of that ethics inquiry are leaked?
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I don’t know that I want him to think he can count on getting Democratic votes but it would be nice if he realized he is more likely to get legislation passed by supporting policy that is moderate enough for Democrats to support than by supporting policy that is extreme enough for the MAGA freaks to support.
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Asked by ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott if he would he try again if his efforts fail, Gaetz said, “Yeah.”
“Well, like I’ve said, it took Speaker McCarthy 15 votes to become the speaker. So until I get to 14 or 15, I don’t think I’m being any more dilatory than he was,” he said.
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McCarthy is now in a position where the only way he gets enough votes to remain speaker is if some dems vote for him. This is an opportunity for serious concessions.
Gaetz is a moron. What possible outcome of this could help him or the rest of the Freedom Caucus?
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But he won’t take it, I bet…
Their whole goal is tearing shit down so that government can’t work. Any outcome that generates that is good, in his mind.
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Oh really?
ETA: NSFW
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I think you are underestimating their ambition.
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There probably should be a rule like Godwin’s Law for how long it takes before someone mentions Winston Churchill’s opinion on democracy.
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I thought the motion to vacate needed a majority of votes to remove McCarthy, not a majority of votes to keep him. That difference would be important.
If you assume the entire Dem caucus will vote as a single block (an irrational assumption, but pretend), it leaves the Dems with a choice, vote to vacate and side with Gaetz or vote not to vacate and side with McCarthy.
There’s no way Gaetz gets enough GOP votes to vacate along party lines alone. He’ll need large scale support from the Dems. To remove McCarthy, Gaetz will require broad support and a deal with Dems. The very thing that he is mad McCarthy did.
On the Dem side, I wouldn’t think of it as a vote for McCarthy or not. It’s more of a vote to throw the House into chaos or keep the status quo. Between those two choices, status quo seems more likely.
If they do manage to successfully vacate, the vote for new speaker is likely to be even worse than the first 15 times they did it this session.
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Why? The status quo sucks and McCarthy already broke his word once. Either McCarthy gives them something they want, backed with serious teeth or they let him twist in the wind. I think the latter is more likely.
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Based on the tweets in the last 10 minutes, it looks like the choice is chaos.
I wonder how long the house will stay in session and how many votes until we get a new speaker then.
Is anyone tracking the odds on if we have a new speaker before the budget CR ends? Without one, I don’t think they can work on passing the budget or another CR.
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Looks like some birds are coming home to roost
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The status quo narrowly kept the government running a little bit longer. If Matt Gaetz had his way that wouldn’t have happened.
Democrats only stand to gain from McCarthy’s ouster if there is a plausible “less-bad” alternative. So far no one has presented one.
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Jeffries said don’t help him, so I don’t know what the ultimate game plan is. Gaetz is probably trying to drag out over the 45 days, no idea what the Democrat counter to that is
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