If the execs at major outlets had a lick of sense, they’d dump the editors and reporters who embedded themselves in McCarthy’s orbit. Odds are that the minority had far better intel into what was going on across the aisle and were more likely to give an honest readout.

But standard operating procedure among House reporters is to camp out by the GOP leadership’s offices and let their staff feed them the storyline of the day.

Tim Alberta had them all pegged as bad faith operators going back to Mark Meadows’ time running the Freedom Caucus. McCarthy is just another faker in the same mold as Meadows.

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/10/04/mark-meadows-trump-covid-425912

Hill reporters need to expand their source networks to include more Democrats and stop treating the GOP’s statements as remotely close to reality. But that means thinking and admitting mistakes, so I’m not holding out hope.

Serious point – this all begins with gerrymandering and Republican-only primaries.

When you have districts where literally anyone on the Republican ticket will get elected, and the Republican primary voters are lunatics who will reliably vote for the candidate with the Q badge who wants to disband the Government and send the Dems to Gitmo, you end up with a House full of Gaetzes, Bohberts, Taylor-Greenes and Santoses.

I am somewhat amused by the call to expel Gaetz. I expect it to go nowhere. There have been much bigger, more obvious crimes committed by Trump, and they didn’t. Of course, if Gaetz turns out to be unpopular with Republican primary voters…

Oof. It doesn’t quite reach, but it’s such a gallant effort that we’ll give it to you.

I have to wonder who’ll replace McCarthy and how many ballots it’ll take to get them in. Guess it’s time to go buy some popcorn. The clock is tickin’, although I have a sneaking suspicion parts of the GOP aren’t too worried about that 45 day deadline. We live in interesting times.

Isn’t McCarthy a little too old for Gaetz’s taste?

Just saw live coverage of McCarthy press conference. Quite a tale he told to justify the impeachment investigation. In sum, “The president shouldn’t have lied to us” … about the meetings, the payments, the shell companies, etc. No sign of skepticism from the crowd of reporters.

This made me sick to my stomach:
https://twitter.com/RepMTG/status/1709397608576266457?

When I think of the idiot personalities and the clown show they treat us to, I can find pleasure and even laugh out loud sometimes. But when I think of the existential threat facing our republic and the consequences of losing it, the humor quickly fades. This is a time to think, not in terms of personalities and individual come-uppance, but rather in terms of strategy in the context of combatting a ruthless external threat to the independence of our country. I agree with those who have argued that this is a time to make common cause with anyone who supports constitutional government and the rule of law no matter what other differences exist. These differences can be sorted out later by means of the messy democratic process. Such strategic joining of forces is a lot easier to talk about than to accomplish.

If the Dems actually made their decision to oppose McCarthy on the basis of something he said on tv, I find that to be petty and disturbing. On the other hand, if their calculation was that the republic is best served by ousting the speaker, then I support them. I don’t claim to know the best course of action.

I’ve been thinking of Solomon’s proposal to cut the baby in half. One claimant said “Sure” while the other claimant would prefer to part with the baby than to see it killed. The Solomon story has a happy ending because, when the claimants revealed their true feelings, he had the power to award the baby to the person who cared for it. There is no Solomon to award control of the House to those who would place survival of democracy above achieving their party goals. This asymmetry is a big advantage to those who want to burn it down.

Did the temporary speaker change Pelosi’s locks out of anger that the Dems refused to provide cover for GOP dysfunction? And in response, will the Dems be even less willing to compromise in future? If the pols retreat to their corners to shout epithets across the aisle, Gingrich’s dream will have been realized. Indeed, the government may be drowning even now. Are there any GOP pols left who would respond to honest bids to make common cause in rejecting the extremism? I can only hope that Dems of good will are working hard through back channels to find out.

I think often of George Washington’s stern warning about the dangers of party. I hope that enough of us can take his advice to heart, because I believe that our democracy is in grave danger. In his farewell address, Washington described forces that could destroy the nation’s new constitutional order. Among them he “warn[ed] you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally.”

This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but, in those of the popular form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy.

The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.

Proving Washington’s point is the current discussion of a Red Caesar, a concept made no less dangerous by its stupidity and fundamental anti-Americanism.

One of the things I find interesting is the silence about what lobbyists are doing now. Billions are at stake for companies like Lockheed Martin in getting defense funding through, but there seems to be no reporting on what they’re thinking or doing.

The contrast to health bills is striking — there is always a flood of press releases and reporting about off the record sources.

This is a perfect setup for lobyists — with margins so narrow, they ought to be in a position to throw a lot of weight around, and I can’t believe there is no evidence for any reporter who looks for it. Even complete disengagement from all sides would be news. But I think it’s a sign of how bad the Hill press corps is that it’s being left unmentioned. It would be like reporting on a new car model and leaving out any mention if it ran on gas or batteries.

Btw, Trump has again dropped off the Forbes 400 list, and his desire to get back on this list was mentioned at his trial in NY as one of his motivations for fraudulently inflating the value of his properties.

My source for the above trial coverage information: https://nitter.net/KlasfeldReports? —hope it works; I deleted the stuff after the question mark and copy/pasted it into another window, and it worked for me.

My thanks to the poster who provided a link to this reporter a couple days ago.

You know, I didn’t think Hannity was a serious journalist until he told Gym Jordan that Trump can be POTUS and Speaker at the same time.