Tag archive: Washingtonia

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The Man Who Would Be Speaker: The Kevin McCarthy Debacle

Well, that was fun!  The 118th Congress kicked off with a bang on January 3rd, and an impressive showing of just how incapable of governing the House GOP majority truly is.  Far from running the country, they couldn’t even pick a Speaker!  Pardon me while I indulge in a bit of schadenfreude, a marvelously descriptive turn of phrase which in German means “shameful joy,” taking pleasure in the misfortune of another.  I really should be mourning the tragic state of politics in America, and I do, truly.  But somehow, I can’t help smiling at Kevin McCarthy’s discomfiture.

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Trump’s Noose Tightens

Well, he’s done it again – Trump continues to break records, right and left.  He’s now the first former US President to be referred for criminal charges.  On Monday, 19 December 2022, the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol gave Americans an early Christmas gift, when it voted unanimously to send four criminal referrals for Donald J. Trump to the Justice Department, based on his actions that day and in the preceding months since the 2020 election.  The House doesn’t have the power to file charges on its own behalf, but can recommend legal action to the DOJ, known to be deep into its own investigation of the insurrection planned, prompted and encouraged by the disgraced 45th President.

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Same-Sex Marriage in the US: From Defense to Respect

The US is poised to formally enshrine marriage equality in law, as opposed to allowing the practice via Supreme Court fiat.  Same sex marriage, first legalized in Massachusetts in 2003, was validated in all fifty states by the Obergefell v Hodges decision in 2015.  But recent events with the overturning of Roe v Wade and its abandonment of federally guaranteed reproductive freedoms have shown just how fragile governance by judicial rulings can be, and advocates have been pushing hard for legal codification of the right to same-sex unions.

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Election 2022: Several Senate Scenarios

While Uranus exactly conjunct the Moon for the Lunar Eclipse on Election Day warns us to expect the unexpected, loss of control of the US House of Representatives does seem likely.  Redistricting alone, in the wake of the 2020 census, should grant the Republicans ten more seats, more than enough to change the balance of power in the lower chamber and wrest the Speaker’s gavel from Nancy Pelosi, even if all current Dem incumbents not caught up in that redistricting shift keep their seats.

So it’s in the Senate where the real drama will unfold.  Currently split 50/50, Democrats maintain control (assuming they are all acting together, not always the case with consensus refuseniks like Manchin and Sinema in their ranks) due to VP Kamala Harris’ ability to break any ties in the administration’s favor.  Earlier this year, the likelihood of Dems holding their fragile majority, perhaps even picking up a seat or two, seemed fairly high.  But recent polling suggests Republicans are closing the gap, threatening Dem incumbents in some states, perhaps failing to pick up seats from retiring GOP senators in others.  I’ve chosen three contests to profile, the winners of which will likely determine who ultimately controls the US Senate:  Pennsylvania, Ohio and Georgia.

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AAA Profile: Liz Cheney

If anyone had told me two decades ago that I would be admiring, let alone praising, someone with the last name of “Cheney”, I’d have said they were nuts.  But that’s just the sort of uncomfortable position many progressives find themselves in these days, when contemplating the recent performance of Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY), daughter of the former Vice President, vis-a-vis the actions of Donald Trump and the bastardization of the GOP.

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Lout! A Little Bit Louder(milk) Now!

On June 15th, 2022, the House Select Committee on January 6th released Capitol security footage of an unofficial tour led by Congressman Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) the day before the January 6th Capitol Insurrection, clearly showing participants taking photos of congressional security checkpoints, stairwells, tunnels and basement hallways.  Not your typical tourist highlights.

Shortly after the attempted coup, Loudermilk was rumored to have assisted potential 1/6 rioters in “casing the joint”, providing access to areas normally reserved for members and staff.  At first Loudermilk denied giving any tours at all.  Then he said it was just families with young kids.  Then he admitted touring a group of 16 adults.  During a time period when official tours were banned due to COVID concerns.   But it was totally normal.  Riiight….

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