Past front pages

The Patriot Pony

Sending a message

(Continued from page 13)

Dan Crenshaw, rumored to have been incubated in the same GOP Petri dish as Paul Ryan, practically had a mental breakdown on television as he railed against the holdouts, twitching with rage beneath a petulant scowl like a bearded child. It seems we’re stuck with Liz Cheney, after all.

More to the point, Good made an important observation, even if he didn’t draw the most important conclusion from it, which is that Republicans, under the status quo, punch harder to the right than the left. That is something those claiming we need to give McCarthy the speakership, no questions asked, don’t care to consider: it is impossible to issue a meaningful challenge to the left under these conditions. It’s also deeply ironic that the same people clutching their pearls at a few wily officeholders insist that they are all that prevents Republicans from ushering in Armageddon upon the “Biden regime,” if only Mad Dog McCarthy would be unleashed.

But the real problem, in fact, is that with Republicans like these, Democrats seem redundant. Just look at some of the key incoming House committee chairmen who are more aligned with Democrats than Republicans—another legacy of McCarthy’s leadership.

No one has documented McCarthy’s treachery better than Daniel Horowitz at The Blaze, so I’ll quote him at length. Horowitz relies on, among other things, each individual’s “Liberty Score,” which is a grade based on how often federal officeholders vote for the conservative position during a rolling 6-year period, as opposed to only the last election cycle. Starting with Energy and Commerce: economic and domestic policy. One would expect the rising chairman to be the most articulate foe of the global warming and green energy agenda. Instead, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who has a 60% Liberty Score, is the quintessential fusionist who likes to validate the global warming agenda and the need for green energy while merely opposing the most extreme measures of transitioning too quickly.

And for the final five big committees:

What about Appropriations? This is the committee that writes the budget, which is even more important than legislation. That is run by original never-Trumper Kay Granger, with a Liberty Score of 51%. She is one of the biggest spenders in Congress. The 12 appropriations subcommittee chairs, known as “cardinals,” are also run by big-government Republicans who love Pfizer, Ukraine, and the FBI more than our border.

The other major A-level House committee is Ways and Means, which is responsible for all tax and revenue bills. The front-runner for that job so far is Vern Buchanan with a 57% Liberty Score.

What about Foreign Affairs? Michael McCaul, another Republican Governance Group member, is slated to take over, after his disastrous tenure as Homeland Security Committee chair the last time Republicans were in the majority. That is when they couldn’t get the border taken care of—even with trifecta control—and the few good things implemented were done administratively by Trump.

Armed Services will be run by Mike Rogers, who holds a 61% Liberty Score in one of the most conservative districts in the country. The core reason we get crushed on every government funding bill is because people like Rogers believe in unlimited funding thrown at the woke and broken military without any policy changes in return. He didn’t utter a word on the vaccine mandates in the military until months after it was too late. Now he is advocating that those who rebel against McCarthy should get kicked off committees.

Finally, there is the Rules Committee. In many respects, the Rules Committee is the committee of committees, because it determines which bills are voted out to the floor and under what rules and circumstances. The Rules Committee chairman is therefore the most powerful party leader after the speaker and majority leader. The incoming chairman, as I’ve already noted, is Rep. Tom Cole, who has a 50% Liberty Score. There’s almost not a single issue of importance on which he doesn’t agree with the Democrat premise, including the need for even more funding of Jan. 6 FBI persecutions.

All that and more is precisely why the ongoing challenge is so important. Matt Rosendale, a Republican rebel from Montana, said that he had participated in more constructive discussion and debate over the last three days on the floor than he had for the last two years. “We cannot restore a functioning legislative body under current rules and leadership,” he said.

Maybe that means replacing McCarthy, or perhaps it will mean strapping him to a chair and having him sign his name in blood on a piece of parchment bound to his soul—if he hasn’t already sold it—that enumerates meaningful concessions. How this will end is yet to be determined, but it is the first time in a very long time that anyone in this country has tried to send a message to the powerful and hold their golden loafers to the fire, and that is, as they say, what democracy looks like.

Contra is a readersupported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Here Are The Concessions McCarthy Had To Make For Speakership

ZeroHedge By Tyler Durden

After four grueling days and 15 votes, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is finally Speaker of the House - but not without having made a pile of concessions to a group of hard-line Republicans who think he'll be too accommodating to uniparty interests.

The last vote came after a dramatic scene, where during the 14th vote Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) threw a wrench in the gears voting 'present,' which left McCarthy just one vote short of victory.

McCarthy - who clearly thought he had a deal, stormed up to Gaetz and exchanged words, during which a visibly angry Rep. Mike Rodgers bolted towards Gaetz and had to be muzzled and restrained.

During the final, 15th ballot, enough holdouts voted 'present' to bring the total required number of votes low enough for McCarthy to finally win around midnight.

Here's what McCarthy had to give up for the votes, according to The Epoch Times' Roger L. Simon, who interviewed first-year Congressman Andrew Ogles (R-TN), who has yet to be sworn in;

I spoke with Ogles by phone the night of Jan. 6, 2023, before the roll call vote during which, it was said, two of the remaining rejectionists who couldn’t accept McCarthy personally would absent themselves so that the magic number would be lowered and the new Speaker could go over the top.

Apropos, Ogles informed me that what many had guessed was true. His absence from voting in a previous round was also planned. He waited to see that all was going according to plan before stepping forward to flip his vote to McCarthy after the initial round. For Ogles, the basis of all the negotiations was to establish the rules of the game in Congress that had been altered over the years beyond recognition. As he pointed out, the rules of a game almost always determine the winner.

He shared with me a list of some of what has been roughly negotiated to date. The devil, as always, is in the details.

1. As has been reported, it will only take a single congressperson, acting in what is known as a Jeffersonian Motion, to move to remove the Speaker if he or she goes back on their word or policy agenda.

2. A “Church” style committee will be convened to look into the weaponization of the FBI and other government organizations (presumably the CIA, the subject of the original Church Committee) against the American people.

3. Term limits will be put up for a vote.

4. Bills presented to Congress will be single subject, not omnibus with all the attendant earmarks, and there will be a 72hour minimum period to read them.

5. The Texas Border Plan will be put before Congress. From The Hill: “The four-pronged plan aims to ‘Complete Physical Border Infrastructure,’ ‘Fix Border Enforcement Policies,’ ‘Enforce our Laws in the Interior’ and ‘Target Cartels & Criminal Organizations.'”

6. COVID mandates will be ended as will all funding for them, including so -called “emergency funding.” 7. Budget bills would stop the endless increases in the debt ceiling and hold the Senate accountable for the same. ment that the antiMcCarthy Reps. "changed the way the government will be funded," and "changed the way committees will be formed."

"We secured votes on term limits, the fair tax, the Texas Border Plan, and so much more."

Bobert goes on to slam President Biden for calling the speakership process 'embarrassing for Republicans.

"How sad is it that us governing as the founders intended looks embarrassing to Democrats?" Bobert asked, adding "I'll tell you what's embarrassing. 40year high inflation is embarrassing. 5 million illegals crossing our southern border is embarrassing/ Surrendering to ISIS and fleeing Afghanistan is embarrassing. Having a president that cant' finish his sentences is embarrassing."

"It’s safe to say that we believe there ought to be specific, concrete limits on spending attached to a debt ceiling increase," said Rep. Chip Roy (RTX) on Thursday.

"There will be no clean debt ceiling increase, that’s for sure," said Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), another anti-McCarthy lawmaker who was convinced to switch his vote due to the concessions.

No word from Ogles on committee assignments or agreements, however there are discussions on positions for members of the Freedom Caucus.

Also no word on whether the House will hold a different kind of Jan. 6 investigation, unless it's going to be part of the new "Church" committee.

Meanwhile, The Hill notes that chairmanships on subcommittees are still going to need to be earned.

40 years ago this week