DemocraticPatriot
DemocraticPatriot's JournalThe Longest and Most Contentious Speaker Election in House History... 1856, or NOW ??
Could history repeat itself here ?
"At the conclusion of the longest and most contentious Speaker election in House history, the House elected Representative Nathaniel Banks of Massachusetts as its presiding officer for the 34th Congress (1855–1857). 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. 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. Banks, a member of both the nativist American (or “Know-Nothing”) Party and the Free Soil Party, served a term as Speaker before Democrats won control of the chamber in the 35th Congress (1857–1859). Banks retired from the House to serve as governor of Massachusetts."
https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1851-1900/The-longest-and-most-contentious-Speaker-election-in-its-history/
also https://www.politico.com/story/2009/02/house-ends-longest-ever-speaker-fight-feb-2-1856-018286
That speaker election was complicated by the conflict over slavery. The Republican party was brand new, and had no majority. The Whig party was dying off, with most of the Northern Whigs folded into the Republican party. The Democratic party at the time was split into northern and southern pro-slavery wings. No faction had a majority.
Because of my personal interest and study of the civil war and the period leading up to it, the situation today, with its very slim GOP margin in the House, made me recall this situation from history, where the House failed to elect a speaker and organize for several months.
“There are, by my count, at least eight to ten Republicans who are adamant that they will not support Kevin McCarthy for Speaker," @JonKarl says of possible GOP House majority. "This is going to be a long, brutal process when they...make that vote." https://t.co/8eqtjqhWmT pic.twitter.com/nc1i7a3QuB— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 13, 2022
If that is accurate, and those 8 to 10 Republicans exist who will refuse to support McCarthy for speaker, and they hold the line-- McCarthy cannot be elected speaker without buying them off somehow.... he will not have 218 votes.
OR, Democrats could hold the balance of power in the election of the next speaker. (Votes for speaker do not happen in a party vaccuum-- the Democrats also get to vote.)
If McCarthy really wants to be speaker, he may have to make some kind of deal with enough Democrats to get him to 218!
(I am not advocating either for or against that... just laying out the possibilities here.... but I don't have much faith that McCarthy would keep his promises. I hope that the GOP Freedom Caucus is successful in changing the rules, so that any "motion to vacate the speakership" will again be legal. That would certainly complicate matters.)
Also, it has been noted elsewhere... that it might be possible to elect Liz Cheney as Speaker of the House, if Democrats could find a handful of Republicans to vote for her, along with them. (The speaker does not have to be an elected member of the House-- and just think of how that would make the heads of the Trumptards EXPLODE-- not to mention that of TBL *The Big Loser* himself!)
If the contest drags on without a result for a while, I would suggest that those Republican votes for Liz Cheney might be found within the New York GOP delegation, especially those who won in majority-Biden districts...
The consequences of failing to elect a speaker of the House, include inability to organize it, inability to assign members to committees-- basically everything becomes a complete standstill, so far as I know...
To me, the possibilities of this situation are DELICIOUS!
An airplane banner was trolling Trump today, according to MSNBC--
with a banner to the effect that
'Trump is a Loser! DeSantis 2024!'
LOL
Now, my instincts say that this came from OUR side--
we've already been reported as trolling DeSantis with airplane banners...
gotta love it!
Democrats Poised to control Michigan Legislature for first time in nearly 40 years!
Source: Detroit News
Lansing — Michigan Democrats say they've won full control of state government by taking majorities in the Legislature for the first time in 40 years, along with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's reelection victory.
While votes were still being tallied Wednesday morning and not all of the key races had been called by the Associated Press, House Democrats said they would hold 56 of the 110 seats in the chamber, a slim, one-vote majority. The Democrats last won control of the House in the 2008 election for the 2009-2010 session.
House Republicans have conceded their 12-year-long hold on the majority, said Gideon D'Assandro, spokesman for the House Republican caucus.
Senate Democrats, who haven't been in power since 1984, announced they had achieved a majority at about 4 a.m. As of 8 a.m., Democrats were leading or had won in 19 of the 38 districts, according to the Associated Press. If their caucus held at 19 seats, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist would serve as a tie-breaking vote.
Read more: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/michigan/2022/11/09/michigan-democrats-poised-to-win-control-of-legislature-for-1st-time-in-decades/69632790007/
==========================================
THIS is what a non-GOP-gerrymandered legislature looks like!
We voted to hand reapportionment to an citizen's commission in 2018...
Michigan Democrats have often won the legislative statewide vote totals-- but Republicans had firmly gerrymandered themselves into minority control. Well, not any more!
Also, my "endangered" congresswoman, Elissa Slotkin has been projected to have won re-election by a narrow margin. This is one of the 20 or 30 seats that have been judged to be "pivotal" to US House control.
Democrats poised to win control of Michigan Legislature for 1st time in decades
Source: Detroit News
Lansing — Michigan Democrats say they've won full control of state government by taking majorities in the Legislature for the first time in 40 years, along with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's reelection victory.
While votes were still being tallied Wednesday morning and not all of the key races had been called by the Associated Press, House Democrats said they would hold 56 of the 110 seats in the chamber, a slim, one-vote majority. The Democrats last won control of the House in the 2008 election for the 2009-2010 session.
House Republicans have conceded their 12-year-long hold on the majority, said Gideon D'Assandro, spokesman for the House Republican caucus.
Senate Democrats, who haven't been in power since 1984, announced they had achieved a majority at about 4 a.m. As of 8 a.m., Democrats were leading or had won in 19 of the 38 districts, according to the Associated Press. If their caucus held at 19 seats, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist would serve as a tie-breaking vote.
Read more: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/michigan/2022/11/09/michigan-democrats-poised-to-win-control-of-legislature-for-1st-time-in-decades/69632790007/
THIS is what a non-GOP-gerrymandered legislature looks like!
We voted to hand reapportionment to an citizen's commission in 2018...
There IS NO "red wave"! Democrats are holding the line!!
'There has not been one single surprise victory for Republicans so far' ~ MSNBC
If there ever was a 'red wave' coming, it is being negated with increased Democratic turnout.
I don't expect either side to run away with the results tonight, from what I see so far, but it is good news that "they" are not running away with anything... indeed, the only "good" indicators I see favor the Democrats, but in small ways.
We will probably lose the House, as the Republicans only needed 5 seats to take it over, and they could do that mostly on the strength of their gerrymandering gains alone-- but I would predict a very small majority for them there. If they do take it over, it will be a non-stop batshit-crazy overreach clown show for 2 years, which will give the house back to Democrats in 2024...
However, according to MSNBC, "it in not inconceivable" that Democrats could keep the House!
We are projected to hold the N.H. Senate seat. Fetterman is looking good. Warnock is battling...
I think we hold the Senate, possibly with the same 50+1 majority-- but this is not as all the "mainstream pundit" assholes were projecting that things would go tonight....
I am saving some rotten eggs to throw on their faces.
And I give my thanks to women, young people, and new voters... 
She Had an Abortion With Herschel Walker. She Also Had a Child With Him.
Source: Daily Beast
After a woman revealed that Republican senatorial candidate Herschel Walker had urged her to have an abortion, Walker adamantly denied the story and claimed he had no idea who this woman could be.
But there’s a good reason the woman finds that defense highly doubtful: She’s the mother of one of his children.
When the woman first told The Daily Beast her story, we agreed not to reveal certain details about her identity over her concerns for safety and privacy. But then Walker categorically denied the story and said he didn’t know who was making this allegation.
On Wednesday morning, Fox News host Brian Kilmeade asked Walker whether he had figured out the woman’s identity, based on details in the original report.
Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/she-had-an-abortion-with-herschel-walker-she-also-had-a-child-with-him
How deep can this hole be dug? lol
The woman who had an abortion paid for by Walker,
is also the mother of one of his children??
(I just caught the tail-end of something on MSNBC, while I was posting about something else, right before their commercial break)...
Did I get that right?
Wellllll, if she was the mother of one of his children, I can see how he might have difficulty remembering her...
(Actually, I am willing to believe that he has no memory of the abortion incident-- what with his level of brain damage, and all...)
Edit: YES, I heard that correctly!
https://www.thedailybeast.com/she-had-an-abortion-with-herschel-walker-she-also-had-a-child-with-him
Warnock Opens 12-Point Lead on Walker in Georgia Senate Race
Source: Bloomberg
US Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia has opened a double-digit lead in his bid for re-election next month against Republican challenger Herschel Walker, a new poll shows.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-05/warnock-opens-12-point-lead-on-walker-in-georgia-senate-race?leadSource=uverify%20wall
Yahoo news reposted more of the text here:
https://news.yahoo.com/warnock-opens-12-point-lead-181924087.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJWaP7CLYQo5eRrV4XOklZYr_5NHdW-nUXhbBZ6F9EObBo05srhUBY78iqWOo-FXr-w0Ar2WC99_1YffswUhhzd5eydt3gHCYt0S5ZW14rn0qLEvUMxF5YKJdqamsLvCE9eymUe8YqNPh0UmXjuRD4FOz1MZ8x9y3_2xKUnrsh3e
:snip::
Warnock, a first-term Democrat and pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, leads Walker by 50% to 38%, according to a poll of 1,076 likely voters taken from Sept. 30 though Oct. 4 by Survey USA for an Atlanta-based television outlet. Previous polls showed the race to be much closer or even statistically tied.
Almost all of the polling was completed before the evening of Oct. 3, when the Daily Beast reported that Walker had paid for a former girlfriend’s abortion 13 years ago. Walker, who supports a national ban on abortion, has called the Daily Beast report untrue.
A former football star and longtime Donald Trump acolyte, Walker has also in recent days been publicly criticized and called a liar on social media by his 23-year-old son, Christian.
Walker’s support is especially weak among women, according to the poll. Although male voters were evenly split on the two candidates, women favored Warnock by a margin of 29 points. The poll, conducted for WXIA TV’s “11 Alive” news, has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.
"Joe Biden's Most Shameful Moment"
That was the crawl that was displayed on Faux News, for the approximately 7 seconds I observed them, while my President was speaking.... (that was as long as I could stand it without vomiting. Tucker was holding forth, but I have no idea what he was saying beyond "Biden Bad.."
Sorry Faux and Tucker, "Make America Great Again! ABORT Tucker Carlson!"
but I beg to differ.
I think this was President "Fighting Joe" Biden's GREATEST moment... so far...
and I cannot wait to receive my absentee ballot in Michigan so I can vote straight Democratic-- and vote for the Democratic ballot initiatives, I hope, if democracy can prevail in the state Supreme Court, regardless of Republican ideological obstruction (the GQP representatives on the state ballot access board voted against allowing the abortion rights and voting rights initiatives to be placed on the ballot, despite being approved elsewhere with unprecedented signature support...)
I really hate the GQP..... They shame their own roots...
If Lincoln were alive today, he would be a Democrat.
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: Michigan
Member since: Thu Jan 7, 2021, 04:31 AM
Number of posts: 5,410