Kevin McCarthy Drops Out of Contention for Speaker of the House

I have to wonder if the withdrawal of Kevin McCarthy for Speaker of the House has more to do with a) his accidental revelation that the Benghazi/email investigations were about hurting Hillary Clinton; b) Rachel Maddow's very effective campaign to show that the potential "Speaker" doesn't speak very well; c) the Tea Party faction and their resistance to the establishment; or d) that Mr. McCarthy is possibly about to have a sex scandal. Time will tell, but it's kind of fun for a Democrat.
 

It's just the icing on the cake that McCarthy managed to mangle a metaphor in his announcement.

John Boehner (Barely) Holds On to Speakership

Image found at NoTeaPartyToday

Well the weeping, orange boner gets to keep his job. Even though the 112th Congress was less effective than the infamous "Do Nothing Congress" of 1948. Even though he's a perpetually drunken (allegedly), oafish clown. It wasn't in the bag though. He had some defectors, and only got in by two votes. I'd say, "no wonder he cried in his acceptance speech," but by now it would be weirder if he didn't.

[Excerpt]

Boehner reelected as Speaker; nine Republicans defect in vote

Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) was reelected Speaker of the House on Thursday after a week of rumors of a possible GOP revolt.

Boehner won a bare majority in a vote that saw nine Republicans vote for other GOP members, and several others who abstained from voting or voted "present." Two years ago, Boehner won all 241 available GOP votes. . .

Read more: The Hill

The Boner (Rocky Mountain Mike Song Parody)

It's been a while since I've posted a good ol' Rocky Mountain Mike song parody. And since we may not have John Boner Boehner to kick around anymore (though we probably will), now's as good a time as any. This one is a parody of The Boxer by Simon & Garfunkel. Good work, Mike!

Will John Boehner Keep His Speakership?

Will Boner clear the shark?

Speaker of the House of Representatives is a lofty position, second in the line of succession to the Presidency, just after the Vice President. So it is puzzling that a fake-tanned, seemingly perpetually drunken, teary-eyed, clownish man like John Boner Boehner is the best the GOP House can elect to the position.When you throw in the fact that he's also spectacularly bad at his job, and that he's fought (and often lost) endless embarrassing political battles, it's especially odd that he's apparently going to keep his position. If I were Boehner, I'd withdraw my name, and just go back to being an ordinary Congressman. He'd get a lot more tavern time, and wouldn't have to work so hard to obscure the slurring.

[Excerpt]

John Boehner is battered but likely to retain speakership

When Republicans chose John A. Boehner as House speaker two years ago, the former plastics salesman who had served two decades in Congress finally had the job he wanted.
Trouble was, he couldn't have picked a worse time. . .

Read more at: Los Angeles Times

Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi's Take on House Speaker John Boehner

Image from source, Rolling Stone

He goes by many names. The Weeping Orange Boner, Oompa Loompa, Agent Orange. But we all have to accept that John Boehner is now the Speaker of the House; third in line for the White House.  It's a bit baffling, frankly, that such a clownish fellow has ascended to such heights. He's got a facial twitch that no one seems to notice, maybe because he has a facial hue that is very distracting. He often gets overtly emotional to the point of tears over unlikely topics. He even often seems somewhat drunk while speaking on the house floor. So what, it was just his turn or something. This is the best you've got, GOP? Really?

Matt Taibbi, a reporter at The Rolling Stone (and a fantastic one at that) has done the legwork to get the facts behind some of my more subjective opinions. As always, it is great reading, but will leave you deflated and depressed. Read on anyway, you've gotta know this stuff.

[Excerpt]

Matt Taibbi: The Crying Shame of John Boehner

John Boehner is the ultimate Beltway hack, a man whose unmatched and self-serving skill at political survival has made him, after two decades in Washington, the hairy blue mold on the American congressional sandwich. The biographer who somewhere down the line tackles the question of Boehner's legacy will do well to simply throw out any references to party affiliation, because the thing that has made Boehner who he is — the thing that has finally lifted him to the apex of legislative power in America — has almost nothing to do with his being a Republican. . .

Read (much) more at: Rolling Stone

John Boner Boehner Becomes Speaker of the House

It finally happened. The weeping orange boner got the gavel. And what a gavel! Agent Orange picked the biggest hammer this side of The Mighty Thor's for his desk. While I think that Boehner's reign as Speaker is bound to be both disasterous and entertaining, I hope for one thing. That somebody besides me starts to notice his bizarre mouth twitch thing, and comments on it. That and a determination whether or not the man is actually sauced all the time, or just seems like he is.

FBI Arrests Man for Threatening Nancy Pelosi

Image from Blognet News

Since Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the House, she has been vilified on right-wing talk radio and FOX "News" as practically the devil incarnate. So how surprising is it really that someone on the fringe would threaten her? Not that it is easy to sort out just who on the right counts as "fringe" anymore. But the vehement denials on the right that they are stirring up violent sentiments seem thinner and thinner.

[Excerpt]

Man Arrested for Allegedly Threatening Nancy Pelosi

The FBI arrested a San Francisco man this afternoon for allegedly making dozens of threatening phone calls to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over health care reform, the latest in the backlash against lawmakers who supported the legislation. . .

Read more at: AOL News

Rachel Maddow Interviews Speaker Nancy Pelosi

I've said many times (probably too much) that I'm a fan of Rachel Maddow. And it isn't just because she's a liberal and she's on TV. Her show and her persona are so different from the standard-issue cable news talking head. She's thoughtful, and brainy, and asks the important questions, while being affable and interesting.

Tonight, she interviewed Nancy Pelosi on her MSNBC show, and managed to make a bit of actual news. The interview is chock full of important questions, and unlike many politicians, Pelosi actually answered many of them. In some cases, pointedly. I'm especially interested in the investigations into the Bush Administration for lawlessness. Check it out, it's pretty good.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Dennis Hastert's Tenure Analyzed

Photo from Reuters.com

Earlier, I posted the news of Dennis Hastert's impending departure, but I didn't do a thorough job of explaining his abysmal performance. To rectify that, here is an outstanding dissection of Hastert's tenure. It also includes a warning to Speaker Pelosi, should she find herself with a Democratic President.

[Excerpt]

The Worst House Speaker in American History

Dennis Hastert, who served eight years as the most lamentable Speaker of the House in the chamber's history, began a slow exit from the Congress Friday. It was on that day that the former wrestling coach, who attained the speakership not on the basis of any political skills or policy expertise but because he was willing to front for the unpalatable Tom DeLay, announced his decision not to seek reelection from the Illinois district that has elected him since 1986. [snip]

Could the shambling, ineffectual and frequently inarticulate Hastert really have been a worse Speaker of the House than a crude proponent of slavery, or a crook like Jim Wright or a conniving partisan like Newt Gingrich? Absolutely. . .

Read the rest at: TheNation.com