 “The office of Speaker of the House of the United States House of Representatives is hereby declared vacant”, said presiding officer Representative Steve Womack, after the historic vote on October 3, 2023. Kevin McCarthy’s speakership ended after just nine months following the 216-210 vote, making him the first speaker in history to lose his job by being voted out by his own party. Immediately after the gavel came down on McCarthy’s speakership, the House Clerk announced that Representative Patrick McHenry would act as the temporary speaker (speaker pro tempore) until a new speaker was selected. In his first act, McHenry put the House of Representatives into recess, throwing it into confusion and chaos, effectively closing down one third of the Federal Government. So how did we get to this sorry state of affairs, and what are the implications for the Republican Party and for the United States?  What Led to McCarthy’s Downfall? Kevin McCarthy’s speakership was doomed from the start. It took fifteen rounds of voting over four days to secure enough votes to be elected last January. Most of the twenty or so Republicans who opposed McCarthy were members of the House Freedom Caucus, a group opposed to compromise, particularly with Democrats. McCarthy’s chief nemesis, Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, supports the views of the House Freedom Caucus and generally votes with them. McCarthy made several concessions to secure enough votes to become speaker. But the concession that sealed his fate involved rule changes to the “motion to vacate the chair”, a procedure House members can use to remove the speaker. Previously a majority of House Republicans were needed to call for such a motion. Under the new rules, any single member of the House could now call for a motion to vacate the chair and force a vote. Only a simple majority of the votes cast would be needed to remove the speaker. Matt Gaetz called for a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair on October 2nd. The following day the House voted to remove McCarthy. The House Democrats unanimously voted against McCarthy, as did eight Republican hardliners, most of whom originally opposed McCarthy’s speakership.  Why Did House Republicans Fire McCarthy? The vast majority of House Republicans (210) voted to keep McCarthy as their speaker. What did McCarthy do that was so egregious that eight members of his own party would vote to remove him from leadership and throw the House into chaos? He worked with Democrats to reach compromises in order to maintain a functioning government. There were two things in particular that Matt Gaetz and some members of the House Freedom Caucus couldn’t stomach. The first was the deal that McCarthy negotiated with President Biden in June to lift the debt ceiling, resulting in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. But the straw that broke the camel’s back was McCarthy’s recent deal struck with House Democrats to pass a short term spending bill to avert a government shutdown. The spending bill lacked the deep spending cuts and new border policies demanded by the conservatives in the House. A small number of House Republicans were ready to shut down the government in order to get their way. McCarthy did the right thing by standing up to them. Here is what Kevin McCarthy said in his own defense: “I don’t regret standing up for choosing government over grievance. It is my responsibility. It is my job. I do not regret negotiating. Our government is designed to find compromise. I don’t regret my efforts to build coalitions and find solutions.”  Why Did Democrats Choose Not to Support McCarthy? If just three House Democrats voted in support of Kevin McCarthy, he would still be Speaker of the House. So why didn’t they? According to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, it was not the Democrats’ job to rescue McCarthy, who they viewed as untrustworthy. Here are some of the other reasons given by Jeffries:
The House Democrats couldn’t miss the opportunity to capitalize on the political vulnerability that the House Republicans had created for themselves. Democrat Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal put it this way: “Let them wallow in their pigsty of incompetence.”  Damage to the Republican Brand: The majority of House Republicans who supported Speaker McCarthy are not happy with what they view as a self-inflicted wound. Matt Gaetz who led the charge on ousting McCarthy, had no plan on what was to come next. With no clear path forward, the House Republicans look incompetent, dysfunctional, and lacking in the unity and ability to govern. This dysfunction does more than just damage the Republican brand, it further erodes confidence in our government at home and abroad.  What’s Next? Until a new speaker is elected, no House business can be conducted. The start of a new war in Israel and the temporary spending bill that expires on November 17th demand immediate attention by our House of Representatives. Let’s hope that the House elects a speaker soon, before any more damage can be done to one of our great institutions, and to the credibility of our government. In order to restore credibility, the House Republicans must come together and act like a unified party. The adults in their caucus must understand that compromise and reaching across the aisle are essential to governing in a democracy. Even if they could ram partisan legislation through the House, how do they expect to get it passed in the Democrat led Senate, and signed by a Democratic president? At the very least, House Republicans must change the rules on the “motion to vacate”, and require a majority of members, not just one, to initiate the process. No speaker should ever again be held hostage by a few malcontents in their caucus. Kevin McCarthy’s ambition to become Speaker of the House knew no bounds. He risked his reputation and the prestige of the U.S. House of Representatives to fulfill that ambition. He made a deal with the devil to reach the leadership position, and should not have been surprised that he got burned in the end.  Mr. Gaetz, now that you have ousted the speaker, what are your plans? To stay in the headlines and on cable T.V. of course.Post Scrip: On late Friday afternoon (10-13-2023) House Republicans selected Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio as their nominee for speaker. At this time Jordan does not have the support of enough House Republicans to secure the speakership. House members have left Washington D.C. for the weekend, so the drama will drag out well into next week.
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 Earlier this month Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy directed the House of Representatives to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. According to McCarthy, “House Republicans have uncovered serious and credible allegations into President Biden’s conduct. Taken together, these allegations paint a picture of a culture of corruption”. These are serious allegations. Is there any truth to them, or just the actions of a group of House Republicans attempting to damage the President in the runup to the 2024 presidential election? Let’s examine the allegations and the implications for President Biden. Does Donald Trump factor into any of this, and what are Kevin McCarthy’s true motivations behind his impeachment inquiry into Biden?  The Allegations: During a September 12, 2023 news conference Speaker McCarthy outlined the following charges against President Biden:
 A Little Background: The President’s son Hunter has gone through a much-publicized period of his life addicted to alcohol and crack cocaine. Hunter is currently in recovery and we wish him well. Let’s just say that Hunter was not a model citizen during this period of his life. Hunter Biden has been under investigation by the U.S. attorney’s office in Delaware since 2018, looking into his foreign business dealings, amongst other things. The investigation uncovered the fact that Hunter failed to pay taxes on approximately $1.5 million in undeclared income he earned from his foreign business activities. He subsequently paid the income taxes and penalties, and in June of this year plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges. The U.S attorney’s investigation also discovered that Hunter had made false statements on an application to purchase a firearm, and illegally purchased a firearm while addicted to drugs. These gun charges have led to Hunter being indicted on three felony counts earlier this month.  President Biden loves his son and is very protective of him. The Republicans know this, and the cynic in me believes that they sense that the President is vulnerable because of this relationship and will try to exploit it. In other words, they are attempting to damage Joe Biden through the dealings of his troubled son. Basis for the Allegations Against Joe Biden: Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine and China have been extensively reported on over the past few years. Hunter details his foreign business deals in his 2022 book “Beautiful Things, A Memoir”. Hunter Biden also provided information about his foreign business dealings in court testimony during his trial for tax evasion. This information is not new, but more importantly, there has never been any proof that Hunter Biden’s activities or those of other Biden family members were linked to Joe Biden. For several months the House Oversight Committee has been conducting an investigation into Hunter Biden’s foreign business activities. The Committee is also looking into the financial and business dealings of other Biden family members. The Committee’s intent is “to determine whether these activities compromise U.S. national security and President Biden’s ability to lead with impartiality.” The witness testimony during the Congressional investigation didn’t provide any direct link between President Biden and his son’s business activities, but it nonetheless formed the basis of Speaker McCarthy’s impeachment inquiry.  Where is the Crime? Let’s look at the allegations one at a time.
 Impeachment as a Political Weapon: The allegations against President Biden seem pretty thin, but that’s beside the point. A handful of House Republicans on the extreme-right had vowed to impeach President Biden as soon they took over leadership of the House of Representatives. Kevin McCarthy is beholden to these hard-liners for voting him in as Speaker. In order for McCarthy to move ahead with his agenda, not the least of which is a spending bill to fund the government, he must appease his right wing. More importantly, if McCarthy had not moved ahead with the impeachment inquiry there was a real possibility that he would lose his speakership.  The extreme right within the Republican Party has pledged its fealty to Donald Trump, not to Kevin McCarthy. It has been reported that Donald Trump has privately discussed the impeachment of Joe Biden with House Republicans. In a recent interview with Megyn Kelly, Donald Trump suggested that the impeachment inquiry is payback for the Democrats impeaching him twice. “They did it to me,” Trump told Megyn Kelly during an hourlong interview on SiriusXM radio. “And had they not done it to me, I think, and nobody officially said this, but I think had they not done it to me … perhaps you wouldn’t have it being done to them.” During several campaign rallies this summer Trump has been pushing for the impeachment of Joe Biden, and has threatened Republicans by stating that “Republicans in Congress that don’t act on Biden, they should be immediately primaried and get out”. Donald Trump is out for revenge and he has plenty of loyal foot soldiers to do his bidding.  Impact on Joe Biden: There is slim possibility that the House of Representatives will vote to impeach President Biden. Even if they did, he would not be convicted in the Democrat controlled Senate. Nonetheless, House Republicans have succeeded in appeasing Donald Trump, creating a distraction for President Biden, and may even have convinced some voters that he is guilty by association with his son’s sketchy foreign activities. The 2024 presidential election is going to be close, and one more vulnerability for Joe Biden, no matter how small or inaccurate, doesn’t bode well. It creates more grey clouds over his campaign in what is already gearing up to be a stormy election. Hunter Biden benefitted handsomely off his famous last name. This may be unseemly, but it is not illegal. Joe Biden has no one to blame but himself for his current predicament. Yes, the House Republicans are acting shamelessly, but that’s politics. Biden should have stifled his son’s ambitions about becoming an international business and political consultant before it started. Joe Biden has too much political experience, as well as intimate knowledge of his son’s weaknesses, not to have kept Hunter on a tight leash. President Biden is not guilty of the allegations leveled against him by Speaker McCarthy. But he is guilty of letting the love for his son cloud his better judgment.  If you enjoy reading this type of commentary please subscribe to my blog and tell a friend. You will receive an email notification when new blogs are posted. The email will come from the site’s email: armchairamerican1776 @gmail.com.
Thanks, Armchair American September 25, 2023  Only in Washington D.C. can you get congratulated for simply doing your job. President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy both took a victory lap last week with the signing into law of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. The President and the Speaker did the right thing by reaching a compromise deal leading to legislation to lift the debt ceiling, thus avoiding a fiscal calamity. The debt ceiling drama, which had consumed Washington D.C. for the past several weeks is over for now. Let’s hope that Congress can get back to work on more important issues, such as immigration reform, border security, and gun violence. As I stated in a previous blog on the subject, the debt ceiling showdown could have been avoided if the President pushed through a debt ceiling resolution last fall when the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress. Now, with the House of Representatives in the hands of Republicans, Biden had to move away from his position of not negotiating to lift the debt ceiling. It was inevitable that the President would have to negotiate with Speaker McCarthy to get any legislation passed.  Highlights of the Debt Ceiling Legislation:
 In the Fine Print:
 In the end, the debt ceiling legislation was a win for both President Biden and Speaker McCarthy. The President can claim success for signing into law a truly bipartisan piece of legislation and minimizing draconian budget cuts that Republicans were demanding. McCarthy can claim that he extracted some spending cuts and imposed new spending discipline on the Democrats. He also showed that he could lead the House and get results in the face of strong opposition from the conservative members of his party who demanded far steeper spending cuts. It will be interesting to see if he is punished by the Freedom Caucus for not extracting more spending cuts from the Democrats.  The spending “cuts” won’t put a dent in the massive federal debt and ongoing budget deficits that this country faces. But at least the debt ceiling negotiations got the federal government talking about the need for fiscal discipline. But it will be up to the American electorate to demand that tough choices be made, sooner rather than later. The longer the tough fiscal choices are ignored, the more painful the solutions will become.  My views on the debt ceiling have not changed. I still think that it should be abolished. Government debates over pubic debt and borrowing limits should be part of the appropriations and budgeting processes. It is a little late to think about how to pay for something after you have already ordered it.
If you enjoy reading this type of commentary please subscribe to my blog and tell a friend. You will receive an email notification when new blogs are posted. The email will come from the site’s email: armchairamerican1776 @gmail.com. Thanks, Armchair American  I previously wrote about the debt ceiling in October of 2021. It was the last time a divided Congress threatened the financial stability of the country, and indeed the world, by withholding support for increasing the amount of money the U.S. Treasury can legally borrow to pay its bills. The only thing different this time is the cast of characters in Washington D.C.  The federal government reached its $31.4 trillion debt ceiling on January 19, 2023. It took the government decades to reach this level of debt, and is the result of tax cuts and spending increases from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has stated that through the use of “extraordinary measures” (fancy accounting), the federal government will be able to continue to pay its bills through early June. Congress must increase the debt ceiling in order for the Treasury to raise the money needed to pay the bills that Congress has already approved. If this doesn’t happen, the Treasury will run out of money and not be able to pay all of its financial obligations. No reasonable person wants this to happen, but it is a test of the new Congress and President Biden as to how the current impasse gets resolved.  President Biden’s Position: The President has stated that he will not negotiate over the debt ceiling. He wants it increased with no strings attached. President Biden’s refusal to negotiate with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy stems from his experience during the 2011 debt ceiling negotiations between the Obama Administration and Congressional Republicans. When negotiations broke down, the United States suffered its first ever credit downgrade, financial markets were rattled, and recovery from the Great Recession was threatened. Biden pledged that he would never again allow debt ceiling negotiations threaten the financial stability of the United States. President Biden should have pushed through a debt ceiling resolution last fall when the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress. I believe that he feared that such a move would have appeared too partisan. To that I say, “so what”. It’s better than allowing Congress to threaten the financial credibility of the country, and diverting legislative attention away from more important issues.  Speaker McCarthy’s Position: During his fight for the House Speakership last month, Kevin McCarthy assured the ultraconservative members of his party that he would use the debt ceiling as leverage to force budget cuts. The new House Speaker has met with the President in recent days to extract spending cuts in exchange for a debt ceiling increase. McCarthy wants an 8% reduction to the current budget, which would bring spending down to 2022 budget levels. Apparently, the meeting was not a negotiation but simply a discussion, with each side stating their position. But McCarthy has not shown the President, or the American people, his proposed budget. He has spoken in general terms, but has not defined which budget items would be cut and to what extent. Speaker McCarthy has mentioned that he would like to see changes to major entitlement programs, and to cut annual spending that funds the operating budgets of federal agencies. All well and good, just show us your plan. I don’t think that McCarthy will be able to gain much ground with the President on this issue anytime soon. The government won’t run out of cash until sometime in June, which gives McCarthy more time. This will be a real test of his leadership abilities, and show just how secure his position as Speaker of the House really is.  Do Away with the Debt Ceiling: Paying our federal debts should be an automatic act, not subject to the whims of political brinksmanship. The debt ceiling doesn’t control federal spending, and needlessly burdens Congress with legislation when its time is needed for much more urgent matters. It often brings the Congress to a standstill and prevents the Treasury from performing its functions efficiently. It’s time for the United States to join most other industrialized countries and abolish the federal debt ceiling altogether.  The fact that the U.S. government is on the verge of adding more debt to the $31.4 trillion already owed is incomprehensible to most Americans. Interest payments alone on the national debt amounted to $475 billion in the last fiscal year. It will be significantly higher this year. That is money not available for social programs, infrastructure spending, or any other national priority. An alternative to borrowing more money to fund public spending is to collect more taxes. But one of the first bills passed by the new 118th Congress was to rescind the $80 billion in new funding for the I.R.S., passed in the last Congress. That makes it hard for me to believe that the Republicans are serious about getting the government’s fiscal house in order. Fortunately, the bill will never get approved by the Democratic held Senate.  The discussion over government spending and public debt is a discussion worth having. But having that discussion when the debt ceiling has already been reached, is a little late. The money has already been spent. The time for that debate is during the presidential election season. Substantive discussions around government spending, paying down the national debt, and other fiscal initiatives would be welcome, and long overdue. Bring on the debate!  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Thanks, Armchair American  Scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis has just appeared in her final movie of the “Halloween” franchise. But not to worry, there are plenty of real-life scream queens to haunt our dreams. The foremost is the far-right conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene who is masquerading as a member of Congress. Normally I wouldn’t waste my time writing about a person I don’t respect, don’t agree with, and who represents a cancer within the Republican Party. But rather than becoming marginalized for her outrageous views and shunned by her political party, Greene’s star is shining brighter than ever and her influence within the Republican Party is alarming. She represents a real danger to our democracy and she shouldn’t be ignored. Why? Because the Republicans are heavily favored to win back the majority in the House of Representatives in the midterm elections next month. The next Republican Speaker of the House, presumably Kevin McCarthy, will need the support of the Trump wing of the party. There is no more vocal supporter of Donald Trump and his lies about the stolen election, than Marjorie Taylor Greene.  Who is Marjorie Taylor Greene? She is a first term congresswoman from the mostly white and rural 14th congressional district in northwest Georgia. Greene is a member of the Republican Party and a very vocal supporter of former president Donald Trump. She frequently claims that Trump won the 2020 presidential election in a landslide and that the election was stolen from him. Greene arrived in Congress with no previous political experience and describes herself as a “Christian Nationalist”. What she did bring to Congress was a lot of baggage stemming from her support for far-right conspiracy theories, which she freely shared on social media. Some of her most outrageous posts supporting white supremacy, antisemitism, QAnon, and Pizzagate, to name a few, have been taken down.  Upon entering Congress Greene quickly established herself as a Democrat foil. She voted against certifying the election of Joe Biden, filed articles of impeachment against President Biden for dereliction of duty, and has antagonized several Democrat members of Congress. Barely a month into her congressional term Greene was stripped of her two committee assignments in response to her extremist statements and endorsement of political violence. Eleven Republicans as well as all Democrats in the House voted for her removal from all committee assignments. A formal censor of Greene has been referred to the House Ethics Committee.  Without any committee assignments Greene has been very busy, appearing on right-wing media outlets like Newsmax and Steve Bannon’s “War Room”. She has also become a prodigious fundraiser, bringing in more money in the past year than all but three other House Republicans. In 2021 she raised over $7.4 million, mostly from small donors. Corporations have mostly shunned Greene for her outrageous views. Greene has become a huge draw at Republican events, and she has been very active on the campaign trail. She has recently stumped for other MAGA firebrands such as Arizona Gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, and J.D. Vance, the Republican candidate for the Ohio Senate seat. Greene is a regular at Trump rallies, firing up the faithful for her political hero Donald Trump.  Views Held by Marjorie Taylor Green 2020 Presidential Election: The election was stolen from Donald Trump making Joe Biden an illegitimate president. January 6th Capitol Riot: Antifa was responsible for the riot, and the FBI is to be blamed for possibly instigating the violence. She voted against awarding police officers who defended the Capitol that day the Congressional Gold Medal. Abortion: Should be outright banned and anyone providing abortion services should be tried for murder. Climate Change: Advocates eliminating any and all laws intended to address climate change. COVID-19: Opposed to mask-wearing, and was fined over $100,000 for refusing to wear a mask on the House floor during the pandemic. Greene claims that COVID-19 is not dangerous for non-obese people and those under 65. She has refused to get vaccinated, calling the vaccine ineffective at best and possibly responsible for killing people. Greene was kicked off of Twitter for spreading misinformation about COVID-19. It will be interesting to see if Elon Musk allows her back on the platform. FBI: Should be defunded for the raid on Mar-a-Lago. Gun Rights: All gun-control laws should be overturned. She has introduced legislation to abolish the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Immigration: Through the “Protect America First Act”, which she introduced in Congress last year, Greene calls for the suspension of all immigration into the United States for four years. She advocates building the border wall and naming it after Donald Trump, and cutting off federal funding to sanctuary cities. Religion: America should have a Christian government and prayer should return to public schools.  No Lone Voice in the Wilderness: Since joining Congress, Greene’s views have not moderated. If anything, they have become more extreme. Rather than being ostracized for her views, more Republicans in and out of Congress have shifted their views to be more in line with hers. It is important to remember that 139 Republican members of the House of Representatives voted to dispute the Electoral College count on January 6, 2021. Greene is a member of the Freedom Caucus, the most conservative caucus within the House Republican Conference. This group of at least 44 members of the House is a powerful far-right voting bloc. Its members are among Donald Trump’s most loyal supporters within Congress. If the Republicans regain control of the House, many within this group will gain leadership positions in the new Congress.  Kevin McCarthy’s New Best Friend: On September 23, 2022 Greene sat directly behind Kevin McCarthy as the Republican House leader announced his legislative agenda at a manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania. In recent months McCarthy has invited Greene to high-level policy meetings, such as a discussion about the National Defense Authorization Act. According to Greene, in order for McCarthy to be an effective speaker of the House and to please the base, “ he’s going to give me a lot of power and a lot of leeway. And if he doesn’t, they’re going to be unhappy about it.” McCarthy has reported to have spoken to Greene about a possible leadership position, which she neither confirms or denies. But according to Greene, “I don’t have to have a leadership position. I think I already have one, without having one.” Scary, but probably true.  What to Expect Under Republican Leadership in the House: Kevin McCarthy would probably sell his soul to the devil to become the next Speaker of the House of Representatives. That is why he is aligning with Marjorie Taylor Green and the Freedom Caucus. Under Speaker McCarthy, the House will utilize its investigative authority to avenge the wrongs done to Donald Trump, investigate Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine, and possibly go after companies that stopped donating to the Republican Party after January 6, 2021.  At the top of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s agenda will be the impeachment of President Joe Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas. The Republicans will certainly disband the January 6th Committee, and minimize or reject any recommendations that the committee makes. Republicans in Congress will work to block President Biden’s agenda and attempt to pull back some of the initiatives that the President has championed. But the main focus of House Republicans will be to prevent President Biden from winning a second term.  The Republican Party had their opportunity to marginalize Marjorie Taylor Greene and bar her from the House Republican Conference. They could have endorsed and funded a 2022 primary opponent against her. But they allowed Greene to stay within the Republican tent, perhaps to appease Donald Trump, which seems to have normalized her. The Republicans’ embrace of Donald Trump’s lies and the fringe views of Marjorie Taylor Greene, has ushered in a dangerous chapter in America’s political life. Greene has turned political rhetoric into a dangerous weapon. In her opinion, Democrats are not just wrong, they are evil, and left leaning Democrats are no longer Socialists, but members of the Communist Party out to destroy our country. If Greene is given any type of leadership position in Congress, it will come back to haunt the Republican Party. But even worse, it could become a national nightmare. Greene’s style of politics will only lead to further division, hate, and violence. The attack on Speaker Pelosi’s husband Paul on Friday is the latest example of this.  Right-minded people can prevent Congress from becoming a real horror show. This means being informed, voting in the upcoming election, and holding elected officials accountable for their words and deeds. This Halloween let’s keep the scream queens in scary movies and out of positions of power.
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AuthorThe Armchair American. 
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