A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
I know it’s hard to start your Monday reading about the federal budget, but I’ll keep this one pretty simple even though it’s an important point.
First.
“They’re trying to use the debt ceiling to force the Democratic Senate and White House to re-open the books on 2023,”
And the WH and Senate GOPs ain’t having none of it. It was bipartisan. House GOPs still in search of the elusive “leverage”.
“The speaker of the House [talks in circles]”
Lot of that going on among House GOPs.
McCarthy exudes stupidity, and worse, he does it proudly.
As I’ve been saying…Post-Trump, every GOPer thinks they’re Trump. They all think they’re going to take over the MAGA and carry it through with the goal being the complete decimation of the “Democrat Party.”
Then they finally get some power back (a razor-slim margin in only one chamber), and they do the equivalent of a Superbowl contender claiming they’re gonna win the game 140-0.
BIG expectations.
NO results.
Which will make their ridiculous “investigations” land with a dull thud.
And it’s all backdropped by this George Santos insanity…which shows precisely how craven and shameless they all are.
Oh, they’ll find it, alright. In September. And no sooner.
Confess I started reading this article with a sense of dread, but the NYT showed unusual flourish in profiling Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL):
I think they missed a few.
What has Kamala Harris done to inspire the hatred and contempt of the MSM? In this discussion between Gail Collins and Bret Stephens, Ms. Collins almost breezily dismisses VP Harris as a 2024 contender. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/30/opinion/mass-shootings-police-brutality-debt-ceiling.html It was clear that MSM hated HRC, but its dislike of V.P. Harris may be even stronger.
Whatever
George Santos: Legend (townhall.com)
Let’s make no mistake – perhaps the most important and consequential Republican of the current era is one George Santos. AKA Anthony Devolder. AKA drag queen Kitara Ravache. He is an absolute hero, and he has done more for the cause of conservatism than a thousand GOP suits parroting Cato Institute and/or Chamber of Commerce clichés.
And, more importantly, Kevin McCarthy is refusing to call for him to resign. This is huge. This is momentous. This is long overdue. The Speaker is playing by the New Rules, and using them as an over-sized suppository for the Democrats.
It was hard to watch Brennan repeatedly kick him in the nads.
I offer ‘ee-jit’.
According to them, what’s to like? Black/mixed race, immigrant parents, and FEMALE – all markers of someone who should be nowhere near the levers of power.
Shouldn’t that be iDJiT?
Republicans don’t want to govern. Their agenda is to burn down the house (The USA) and blame the Democrats. This is what happens when you elect people to govern who have no interest in governing. They hate government (because their corporate minders tell them to) and are destroying our governing bodies from the inside. MTG and Boebert are perfect examples of this behavior.
All the slander that’s fit to print, although with the Democrats it really is slander (see Hilary Clinton October Surprise), with the Republicans it’s just “telling it like it is”. /s
And in news/non news from the southernmost left coast.
And she hasn’t single-handedly solved the border crisis, ended the war in Ukraine, or found the solution to world hunger: as V.P. of course…
As to the drone strikes in Iran, I like to go to my nerdy bathrobe military tech guy Ryan McBeth and he has an interesting take on the drone strikes happening in Iran. Here is his short video talking about it and his substack write up.
Smother the speaker of the House with continuous questions regarding Santos. Don’t give him any airtime without asking pointed and specific questions about Santos and why the Republicans are supporting him. No matter what the topic, return to this issue. Take a page from the House Republicans who were/are on committees. Constantly ask justified questions regarding this fraud. Two birds with one stone.