Friday Open Thread

20
  by: Colorado Pols January 6, 2023 at 7:54 AM MST

“There is no such thing as paranoia. Your worst fears can come true at any moment.”

–Hunter S. Thompson

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20 Community Comments, Facebook Comments

  2. Dano says:
    January 6, 2023 at 8:55 AM MST

    It only helps so much to give a link to something that is behind a paywall.

  3. NOV GOP meltdown says:
    January 6, 2023 at 9:02 AM MST

    I see a ton of attempted deflection and bothsiderism today. It's not "look at what the Republicans are doing!", instead it's "look what Congress is doing!". C'mon, cut the bullshit, we all know who is responsible for this train wreck. 

    • Dano says:
      January 6, 2023 at 11:30 AM MST

      But we cannot use a general partisan brush either. This mess is being CAUSED by a small handful of malcontents. It has thus far been unresolved because the two parties are so entrenched in partisanship they can't agreee to end it.

      • JohnNorthofDenver says:
        January 6, 2023 at 11:35 AM MST

        Hostage takers. There is a group that took Kevin McCarthy hostage. Their bottom line demand is they get to kill the hostage. 

        AND the Republicans are negotiating with them 

      • NOV GOP meltdown says:
        January 6, 2023 at 12:17 PM MST

        It is not the Dems job to end it. This is strictly and totally, a 100% Republican party/MAGA fuckup.

        • The realist says:
          January 6, 2023 at 12:32 PM MST

          Agree 1,000%

        • Chickenheed says:
          January 6, 2023 at 12:32 PM MST

          This.

          If Republicans want help, they can ask for it but they won't because they've bought into their rhetoric that only Republicans are True Americans (TM) and refuse to even look across the aisle. Forget the idea of them crossing the aisle even in their own self-interest.

        • Dano says:
          January 6, 2023 at 1:19 PM MST

          No! It is the job of ALL 435 people elected to that chamber to get on with the country's business. Each and everyone of them are accountable if they do nothing to end this charade.

          Well, I guess I have to excuse the one from Virginia who died.

          • Chickenheed says:
            January 6, 2023 at 1:45 PM MST

            I've seen no effort from Republicans to solve this issue in a bipartisan way and I see no reason for Democrats to offer help that's not requested.

            It should not always have to be up to the Democrats to be the "adults in the room".

            • NOV GOP meltdown says:
              January 6, 2023 at 1:56 PM MST

              Exactly Chickenheed. What can the Dems do?

              When they were in the majority, they took care of much as much business over obstructionist nonsense as they could and acted like the adults that they are. They are not in the majority, and they are not in power now.

              McCarthy will not negotiate with them either. Sadly, It’s up to the arsonists to put out the fire this time.

      • Phoenix Rising says:
        January 6, 2023 at 12:35 PM MST

        What does it say that the supposedly not-as-whacky Republicans woukd rather negotiate to give significant power to the lunatics rather than step across the aisle and talk about common good governance?

        The "middle" in this negotiation has chosen which way they'd rather go.

        • Chickenheed says:
          January 6, 2023 at 12:47 PM MST

          This is an excellent point.

          When faced with negotiating with Democrats vs negotiating with extremists, the Republicans chose to negotiate with extremists without hesitation.

      • Phoenix Rising says:
        January 6, 2023 at 2:20 PM MST

        … and the news of what might be a bit of a breakthrough has come in, and it's not much different than what I suggested had to happen.

        More moderate Republicans are reportedly unhappy with McCarthy's bargains and have approached Democrats saying they would work to reject the various rules and committee changes he has promised to the HFC bomb-thrower caucus.

        That still leaves McCarthy in the Speaker's chair (maybe), but it also leaves him without the chair when the music stops. He'll have been unable to fulfill his promises to the recalcitrant bunch and he'll know that there are enough Republicans out there to block any truly stupid moves he might try to make, like holding the US Debt hostage in exchange for gutting Social Security.

  4. ajb says:
    January 6, 2023 at 9:29 AM MST

    George Conway:

    I'm no political scientist, but it does strike me that a guy who negotiates by giving stuff up and and getting nothing in return probably wouldn't make a good leader of a legislative body.

    https://twitter.com/gtconway3d/status/1611065588889313280

  5. JohnInDenver says:
    January 6, 2023 at 9:29 AM MST

    Boebert [and apparently some others] have a timetable for action on a Speaker, according to an MSNBC interview:

    [MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle]… also pointed out that House Republicans are dead in the water until a speaker is chosen. Voters are saying, “Hold on a second, I voted you in to get something done,” said Ruhle. “How long are you willing to wait?”

    Boebert responded: “As some of my colleagues have said, we could be here until the cherry blossoms bloom.”

  6. Chickenheed says:
    January 6, 2023 at 10:19 AM MST

    When I was a brand new adult, I liked the idea of governments that used money responsibly and lightly and that stayed out of my personal choices so I joined the Colorado Libertarian Party. It didn't take long for me to learn that this was not the political party I thought it would be. Those folks turned out to basically be Christian anarchists. A strong faith in God and rugged individualism was all they thought they needed to run successful governments. I left quickly.

    Between the Colorado Republican Party having no competent person willing to be their Chair and the shenanigans from Republicans in the US House, it seems that those Christian anarchists have gained influence in the Republican Party since then. They've told themselves for so long that government is bad and that leaders are elites that should be ignored that they truly believe it now.

    The only way back to healthy relevance is for the GOP to stop pandering to their "base" and work towards being a functional organization. I don't see that happening though.

  7. Lauren Boebert is a Worthless POS says:
    January 6, 2023 at 6:08 PM MST

    Look at who is allegedly a wide stance conservative…

    Conservative Activist Matt Schlapp Allegedly Groped Male Campaign Staffer’s Crotch (yahoo.com)

    Isn't Trump administration member, Mercedes Schlapp, his wife beard?

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