Monday Open Thread

16
  by: Colorado Pols January 2, 2023 at 12:05 AM MST

We don’t know how you top 2022, but 2023 is going to try.

That’s how it works.

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16 Community Comments, Facebook Comments

  1. ParkHill says:
    January 2, 2023 at 7:59 AM MST

    Nice Piece on Elizabeth Warren in WaPo by Perry Bacon

    Warren has been particularly effective in leveraging her policy ideas. Pretty good for a Finance professor specializing in bankruptcy law.

    Warren also emphasized that loan forgiveness was popular with the public, particularly with younger voters whom Democrats needed in the midterms. That was typical Warren. While she is often cast by the party’s centrists as proposing overly liberal ideas that will annoy moderate voters, Warren in fact tends to fixate on issues where she is aligned with popular opinion. For example, drastically increasing taxes on the wealthy, as Warren has repeatedly called for, is very popular with voters but not with major party donors.

  2. kwtree says:
    January 2, 2023 at 10:28 AM MST

    Popular Progressive policies ? I’ll take it. Let the sold-out “moderates” keep on fear-mongering about creeping socialism. They’ll benefit from the policies, too, and Democratic candidates will continue to win elections because they are associated with these policies whether their wealthiest donors like them or not. 

    • Lauren Boebert is a Worthless POS says:
      January 2, 2023 at 1:55 PM MST

      But let's remember, Biden's student loan giveaway scheme still needs to survive that gauntlet of Thomas, Alito, Roberts, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett.

      This may be the best of both worlds. Biden can tell millennials that he made good on his promise, but that nasty right-wing Supreme Court stopped him.

  3. JohnInDenver says:
    January 2, 2023 at 12:02 PM MST

    Boebert was significantly above average on one measure, according to The Colorado Sun.

    The average Republican in the House voted against the majority in their party on floor votes 8.3% of the time, ProPublica determined.

    U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Garfield County Republican, voted against the majority of her party much more often — 25.2% of the time. 

     

  4. JohnInDenver says:
    January 2, 2023 at 12:08 PM MST

    Some have been kind enough to show some interest in the Denver Urban Debate League tournament’s I’ve talked about.   The next tournament will be virtual, so if you are available, you could be judging while projecting a meaningful avatar and wearing your most comfortable clothes.  If interested, you can drop an email to Executive Director Jessica Clark – JessicaClark@urbandebate.org

    All rounds will be on Saturday, January 14, 2023, starting at 8:30. You could help all day or as little as about 90 minutes. The full schedule is at http://www.denverdebate.org

  5. 2Jung2Die says:
    January 2, 2023 at 2:38 PM MST

    I admittedly had no clue what would happen if the top House Speaker candidate didn't have the 218 votes needed to win on the first ballot. That's partially because failing to win on the first ballot hasn't happened for exactly 100 years.

    If McCarthy doesn't have 218 on the first ballot, it goes to a floor process, which I imagine would be a real spectacle given the typical demeanor of his detractors. Apparently McCarthy or someone else could ultimately win with less than 218 during if there are members absent or voting "present," according to this NYT story.

    But if it winds up in some prolonged process that doesn't yield a winner for days, or longer, this next paragraph concerns me a tad:

    The Constitution requires that the House elect a speaker, and the vote takes priority over all other business. Nothing else can be done until the question is resolved. The House votes on a speaker before it formally adopts the set of rules governing the body. The incoming members of Congress won’t even be sworn in until after they choose a speaker.

    • ajb says:
      January 2, 2023 at 3:43 PM MST

      So, if enough Rs vote present, then a Democrat could win? Oh wouldn't that be fun to see! 

    • kwtree says:
      January 2, 2023 at 3:50 PM MST

      2/3 of the Colorado GOP delegation will probably either be absent or vote “present”. Buck has often sidestepped controversial votes this way, including five “not voting” in the last session. Lamborn will bow to whomever puts on the most pressure or makes the best offer.

      Boebert, of course, will create a spectacle. 

    • JohnInDenver says:
      January 2, 2023 at 3:55 PM MST

      There are a few additional procedural rules to make things even MORE complicated. 

      Good news … I have no doubt things won't be the WORST ever:

      Sectional conflict over slavery and a rising anti-immigrant mood in the nation contributed to a poisoned and deteriorating political climate. As a sign of the factionalism then existing in the House, more than 21 individuals initially vied for the Speaker’s post when the Members first gathered in December, 1855 [sic … but the history actually is the gathering was December 1854]. After two months and 133 ballots, the House finally chose Representative Banks by a vote of 103 to 100 over Representative William Aiken of South Carolina.

       

      • Lauren Boebert is a Worthless POS says:
        January 2, 2023 at 4:29 PM MST

        "Sectional conflict over slavery and a rising anti-immigrant mood in the nation contributed to a poisoned and deteriorating political climate"

        As Mark Twain said, "history doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes."

        While the MAGA caucus is fairly blatant and non-apologetic when it comes to its xenophobia, not even MTG is advocating a restoration of slavery – at least not yet and not publicly.

        But they are pretty fixated on indoctrinating children with the fairy tale version of US history and scrubbing any references to the south's "peculiar institution" as being wrong.

  6. Lauren Boebert is a Worthless POS says:
    January 2, 2023 at 3:21 PM MST

    “which I imagine would be a real spectacle given the typical demeanor of his detractors”

    I’m looking forward to this degenerating into a complete shit show with the crazies fighting over the microphones with the non-Trump Republicans and fighting over whether to continue with an immediate second ballot or whether to recess for a couple of days to allow Mar-A-Lago to express an opinion. 

    They will not have even adopted rules by the time of the speaker’s election. To call it a “real spectacle” is probably an understatement.

    PS They are reporting that “Trump’s Kevin” has already moved into the speaker’s suite. Possession is 9/10 of the law.

  7. MichaelBowman says:
    January 2, 2023 at 3:59 PM MST

    I’m pretty sure BoBo and the rest of the clown car will be moved by Newt’s words 🙃

    Newt Gingrich blasts Republicans who oppose Kevin McCarthy as speaker: 'It's him or chaos'
     

    Gingrich says the handful of lawmakers don't have the 'moral right' to oppose McCarthy

     

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