It’s time to end the Hastert Rule that has proven so destructive to by-partisanship. The position, after all, is the Speaker of the House and not of the majority party. So legislation that has majority support of all members should advance to a vote and no longer only bills that can be passed solely with the votes of the majority party. The only way to avoid being taken hostage by the extremists within your party is to appeal to the broad middle - which is, in fact, the true reflection of where the vast majority of Americans stand politically.
I doubt it will happen, but that would be a good start.
The abysmal tragedy is that while Johnson and the gop fiddled and "played chess", hundreds, if not thousands, of men, women and children died horrible deaths. We sold out our allies and appeared weak. Johnson and the gop very literally have blood on their hands.
We gave our opponents (Russia, China, Iran) time to collaborate and we showed the world that we can be ignoble and petty in the worst way. It will take a concerted effort over the next 20 years to begin to correct the damage and defeat the autocratic / kleptocratic forces in our own country.
The Hastert rule isn't even at fault. Hastert said no bill gets a hearing if a majority of Republicans don't favor it. A majority of Republicans DO favor aid to Ukraine, Israel and border security. The problem is a handful of Republicans who have accepted massive Soviet (hey, call it what it is) bribes (campaign contributions) like that of American Ethane and not doing Putin's bidding could cripple re-election prospects. Or, the FSB/KGB has solid blackmail material to work with.
Not to say getting rid of Hastert isn't worthy in itself, but bipartisanship is very unpopular in the GOP, even among the electorate. They like partisanship; even if it helps the mini-Soviet Union. The comfort the GOP has with doing the total opposite of what they did 30 years ago is on par with the Sothern Strategy. Utter abandonment of principles in service of power at any cost.
My point in getting rid of the Hastert Rule is to break the hold of the more extreme elements of either party that comes into play when the party majority is a very one - a condition likely to endure given our fraught politics of the moment. While these bills have massive bipartisan support, the House should be passing bills that have majority support. There is no filibuster in the House and bills should not be limited to those having the equivalent of filibuster-proof support to pass.
Floor Action Response Team? Hands Off Our Home Appliance Act? Do magas not see how these spell out in the abbreviations???? My word the Putin faction of the GOP gets nothing done wastes precious time & $$$! Thanks for all you do, Jeff!! Good luck in NC!
Fascinating and lucid commentary on this complex moment where the obstructionist majority party is so dysfunctional riven with their own dissidents. Irony will be if they pass with Democratic votes. Johnson then appears to be toast, which will be no great loss, he being a lunatic evangelistic Christian nationalist. Thx.
Keep calling your Congress folks, even if they’re already a “yes” vote. Ask them not just to vote but to fight for our ally Ukraine. What this right-wing cult has done for six months is unconscionable. Grateful to you, Jeff, and to all others working and fighting to support 🇺🇦 Ukraine.
Jeff, I am not a resident of your district, nor of your state. I have really appreciated your straight forward updates via email and also on social media. I only wish more members of Congress were as mature and honest as you. I'm sorry that your district was redrawn and you won't have a seat. Thanks for serving the people.
Wouldn't it be interesting if every congress critter were obligated to write detailed and timely updates as you do, Jeff? I just upped my monthly contribution to you.
Thanks Jeff! We've been praying for Ukraine, Gaza, Haiti & all who are suffering as well as our leaders. With the chaos all over the world, each of us can be more loving to all around. I just came home from visiting an ailing sister in NYC. I was never afraid & people were courteous. It is a beautiful world!
Thank you for these updates & your continued service! This country is a better place because of you.
Jeff, it's time for the non-right flank to go ballistic! We, the American People are done with this. We are so tired of being held hostage by the likes of Marjorie Greene. In fact, you should lead the effort to kick her out of Congress. You guys got rid of George Santos, you can get rid of Greene too. And you, Jeff, are the person to lead that effort. Greene and her right-flank compatriots are the tools of Russia. They are traitors, plain and simple, betraying the interests of the U.S. in favor of those of Russia. They need to go!
I’d say it’s all tRump. Ukraine wouldn’t supply the dirt trump wanted on Joe Biden. tRump is vindictive. Plus buddy Putin had certainly let trump know to leave Ukraine to him (Putin).
1. We are trillions of dollars in debt so our tax dollars pay for this 2. They are not NATO 3. Until we get our own country in order, we really cant possibly save save anyone else
Thanks Jeff, for making your message so understandable considering the Congressional labyrinths it takes to understand these bills. It would seem that the MAGA authoritarian wing of the party is more interested in serving it's own special interests rather than serving the majority of Americans. MAGA already has a lot of blood on their hands from the unnecessary deaths in the pandemic,to their anti abortion stances and the unnecessary deaths in the Ukraine. They are all callous and indifferent to the suffering of others.
Thanks for the update. I strongly disagree with Mr. Johnson's politics, but since becoming Speaker I think he's behaved responsibly as a rational agent of government. The Democrats have an obligation to help him keep his post.
Thanks for this particularly informative post. I really appreciate your support for Ukraine. It’s so important for freedom and US security. I hope that you can work with your colleagues to get it over the finish line. Thanks.
It’s time to end the Hastert Rule that has proven so destructive to by-partisanship. The position, after all, is the Speaker of the House and not of the majority party. So legislation that has majority support of all members should advance to a vote and no longer only bills that can be passed solely with the votes of the majority party. The only way to avoid being taken hostage by the extremists within your party is to appeal to the broad middle - which is, in fact, the true reflection of where the vast majority of Americans stand politically.
I doubt it will happen, but that would be a good start.
The abysmal tragedy is that while Johnson and the gop fiddled and "played chess", hundreds, if not thousands, of men, women and children died horrible deaths. We sold out our allies and appeared weak. Johnson and the gop very literally have blood on their hands.
We gave our opponents (Russia, China, Iran) time to collaborate and we showed the world that we can be ignoble and petty in the worst way. It will take a concerted effort over the next 20 years to begin to correct the damage and defeat the autocratic / kleptocratic forces in our own country.
OMG so true, if our country is even still around in 20 years… which I doubt it will be
The Hastert rule isn't even at fault. Hastert said no bill gets a hearing if a majority of Republicans don't favor it. A majority of Republicans DO favor aid to Ukraine, Israel and border security. The problem is a handful of Republicans who have accepted massive Soviet (hey, call it what it is) bribes (campaign contributions) like that of American Ethane and not doing Putin's bidding could cripple re-election prospects. Or, the FSB/KGB has solid blackmail material to work with.
Not to say getting rid of Hastert isn't worthy in itself, but bipartisanship is very unpopular in the GOP, even among the electorate. They like partisanship; even if it helps the mini-Soviet Union. The comfort the GOP has with doing the total opposite of what they did 30 years ago is on par with the Sothern Strategy. Utter abandonment of principles in service of power at any cost.
My point in getting rid of the Hastert Rule is to break the hold of the more extreme elements of either party that comes into play when the party majority is a very one - a condition likely to endure given our fraught politics of the moment. While these bills have massive bipartisan support, the House should be passing bills that have majority support. There is no filibuster in the House and bills should not be limited to those having the equivalent of filibuster-proof support to pass.
Well said
Floor Action Response Team? Hands Off Our Home Appliance Act? Do magas not see how these spell out in the abbreviations???? My word the Putin faction of the GOP gets nothing done wastes precious time & $$$! Thanks for all you do, Jeff!! Good luck in NC!
Jeff
Fascinating and lucid commentary on this complex moment where the obstructionist majority party is so dysfunctional riven with their own dissidents. Irony will be if they pass with Democratic votes. Johnson then appears to be toast, which will be no great loss, he being a lunatic evangelistic Christian nationalist. Thx.
Thank you for your updates, I appreciate the facts and lack of drama!! Looking forward to you being our new AG!
Keep calling your Congress folks, even if they’re already a “yes” vote. Ask them not just to vote but to fight for our ally Ukraine. What this right-wing cult has done for six months is unconscionable. Grateful to you, Jeff, and to all others working and fighting to support 🇺🇦 Ukraine.
Jeff, I am not a resident of your district, nor of your state. I have really appreciated your straight forward updates via email and also on social media. I only wish more members of Congress were as mature and honest as you. I'm sorry that your district was redrawn and you won't have a seat. Thanks for serving the people.
Wouldn't it be interesting if every congress critter were obligated to write detailed and timely updates as you do, Jeff? I just upped my monthly contribution to you.
Thanks Jeff! We've been praying for Ukraine, Gaza, Haiti & all who are suffering as well as our leaders. With the chaos all over the world, each of us can be more loving to all around. I just came home from visiting an ailing sister in NYC. I was never afraid & people were courteous. It is a beautiful world!
Thank you for these updates & your continued service! This country is a better place because of you.
Maybe for the next speaker vote, some GOP will stay home and Hakeem Jeffries will win.
It’s mind blowing that a significant number of Republicans in Congress are pro Russia. Ronald Reagan would be appalled.
Jeff, it's time for the non-right flank to go ballistic! We, the American People are done with this. We are so tired of being held hostage by the likes of Marjorie Greene. In fact, you should lead the effort to kick her out of Congress. You guys got rid of George Santos, you can get rid of Greene too. And you, Jeff, are the person to lead that effort. Greene and her right-flank compatriots are the tools of Russia. They are traitors, plain and simple, betraying the interests of the U.S. in favor of those of Russia. They need to go!
Thanks for this update and assessment. Please, Congress, do your freaking job and stop farting around! Oh, wait…
Perfect! 😂😂😂
Why is the right flank against aid to Ukraine? Is it just politics or is it Trump?
I’d say it’s all tRump. Ukraine wouldn’t supply the dirt trump wanted on Joe Biden. tRump is vindictive. Plus buddy Putin had certainly let trump know to leave Ukraine to him (Putin).
Mr T recently said it is in the US interest to keep Ukraine from falling so he has changed his position a little.
He’s realized public support for aid holds the majority. Under the bus for the freedom caucus, while Trump’s positions change like the wind.
Its all about Putin. rump is his vassal/slave,
oh, and the security of all eastern Europe, and Taiwan.
Vlad's useful idiot . ..
Trump?
Yes
I’d like to read that.
Check this out: https://www.reuters.com/world/donald-trump-says-ukraines-survival-is-important-us-2024-04-18/ Also this: https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/trump-ukraines-survival-is-important-to-us/ Also: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/19/ukraine-war-briefing-donald-trump-says-survival-of-ukraine-important-to-the-us I actually read it somewhere else but can't recall where.
Its all about Putin. rump is his vassal/slave,
oh, and the security of all eastern Europe, and Taiwan.
1. We are trillions of dollars in debt so our tax dollars pay for this 2. They are not NATO 3. Until we get our own country in order, we really cant possibly save save anyone else
Thanks Jeff, for making your message so understandable considering the Congressional labyrinths it takes to understand these bills. It would seem that the MAGA authoritarian wing of the party is more interested in serving it's own special interests rather than serving the majority of Americans. MAGA already has a lot of blood on their hands from the unnecessary deaths in the pandemic,to their anti abortion stances and the unnecessary deaths in the Ukraine. They are all callous and indifferent to the suffering of others.
Thanks for the update. I strongly disagree with Mr. Johnson's politics, but since becoming Speaker I think he's behaved responsibly as a rational agent of government. The Democrats have an obligation to help him keep his post.
Thanks for this particularly informative post. I really appreciate your support for Ukraine. It’s so important for freedom and US security. I hope that you can work with your colleagues to get it over the finish line. Thanks.