The twenty members of Congress who held out against Kevin McCarthy were able to get some massive wins for the republic. They upended how the budgeting process will work. They secured substantive rules changes and got committee assignments allowing them to enforce other promises. They were big wins.
Greenwald has a nightly show on Rumble at 7 pm. It May still be free? He was all about the “20”. Saying the “squad” was supposed to do similar but just joined the establishment. Interesting
Why, oh why were cuts to vital defense spending part of the “deal?” Is it some backdoor anti-Ukraine thing. Do they think the ChiComs will reciprocate and cut their budget? Do they really think the Pentagon will cover the lost funding by firing DEI instructors and vaccine administrators? Our county needs new aerial tankers, new fighters, new bombers, new SSBN’s and the missiles to put on them. These cuts, to the extent they occur, leave me feeling betrayed.
I understand and empathize with your concern over China, Bill. But for perspective, remember that the US spends more on defense than the next sixteen (16) countries COMBINED. Some of this is clearly necessary to maintain our dominance, but some is just bloat and lack of accountability. The DOD is no better than other government offices; pockets are lined and palms are greased to push through pet projects, all in the name of protecting us from the big bad (fill in the blank). In 1991, Iraq's Republican Guard was supposed to be some of the most elite forces in the world...we crushed them in a matter of days. Russia's new SU-57 stealth fighter, purported by Russia to be better than the US F-22, isn't allowed to fly into Ukrainian airspace for fear of showing its faults on a world stage. BTW, they only have ten of them, so a single loss would be devastating. China's Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter is more concerning, but there's still a lot of smoke and mirrors obscuring its true performance and production numbers. Russia has one aircraft carrier, China has two...we have eleven. You can see where I'm going here. China, Russia, and to a lesser degree Iran and North Korea are all very real enemies, but the DOD plays on our fears to sustain the type of defense program we've enjoyed for decades. We could spend less while enhancing our current level of dominance if we just eliminated some of the graft and corruption.
Thanks Tucker. I suggest that comparing gross expenditures on “defense” is a really bad way to compare military capability. We pay our military far, far more that the Chinese or Russians. We pay more for almost everything because that’s our economy and we can’t behave like they do. Of course, they lie and hide expenditures being tyrants.
"The victory may be shortlived. It may all be undone." Two short sentences that are in desperate need of further exposition. Are you telling us that McCarthy can now waive his magic wand and eliminate all of his concessions?!
This is the very definition of a principled stand. ANYONE can make a "stand" when the cause is popular, but very few have the cajones to stand firm when the world mocks you. As many have already pointed out in the comments below, we would not have known why these people were making a stand without your op-eds, Erick. How many more of us would've been suckered in by the likes of Newt, Hannity, Ingraham or Crenshaw had you not been a resource?
I'm confused by these two comments from your article, Erick.
"The victory may be shortlived. It may all be undone. But it was a victory nonetheless"
and...
"and locked in gains that will serve us all well."
I ask out of ignorance and a desire noit to be, not from malice. Are these gains locked in or are they possibly changed later? Do you mean when Dems own the Speakership again?
In all this loss in November( it is a loss because it was supposed to be a red wave which never happened) is getting hidden.
I think the 20 took it too far. Initial 2 days were ok but then it prolonged and the party became a joke.
Hannity Ingram are blind and they do not see how many black marks republicans have received after Jan 6. I feel this was more detrimental than the Supreme Court decision. Many trumpers like me became non voters. That was the issue in Nov.
Erick to your credit I see you use seldom used words(Atleast in USA) like bifurcate in your English, and I admire and appreciate your English language skills.
Vasu, I'd like to hear why you believe the battle will be remembered as a black mark, please. I am of the opinion, absolutely no one was harmed from this. No stories of gov employees shivering in the dark for lack of food and water (hyperboly) only the folks who adore gov largesse shrieking. I think John Q. Public has already forgotten the fight even if they saw it in the first place.
Very sorryy you decided not to vote. You passed up some good candidates and clearly helped usher in some very sad ones. Peace, friend. Joe
My opinion is that 2016 was legitimate and 2020 was legitimate too. We should not be like the other side (democrats started this election hoax thing). So we should have been presidential and take it that way.
It is still very difficult or impossible to fix elections in our country.
I loved it last week when Hannity tried to backtrack and say he was all for the concessions that were made by McCarthy to get the Speaker role. He was one of the first ones calling for them to just go along to get along. Now, he’s on their side? Ha!
I am very proud of what they accomplished by sticking to their principles. We need two hundred more like them. Proud of my Ga. Representatives Clyde and Loudermilk
Well said, Erick! Thanks for being the voice of clarity in the midst of what can sometimes seem like so much smoke & mirrors from both political parties.
Not sure I see the logic here: if this was all a ploy to defeat McCarthy's 'delay/crisis/ram' tactic - which in retrospect seems about right - why keep that a secret? Had they explained that up front they could have spared me some red faced spit-flecked screaming at the TV
Every time these guys have dealt with the press in the past, it has provided avenues for others to undermine their plotting. They are most effective when they don't forecast their maneuvers.
I have to say this was a sad eye opener for me because people I thought were conservative probably are not. But I do have a question- in the 14th vote, Gaetz & Boebert voted present, 14 voted McCarthy because they had the things they were looking for, but 4 still voted for other people. Not for McCarthy and not present. They were the reason it went to #15.
Thanks for your guidance and insight throughout this sausage-making ordeal! It was painful to watch…..so I didn’t watch much of it! I knew it was in God’s hands so I got on with my life. Did you listen to Hannity yesterday? He was backtracking and playing CYA like any good Democrat! I don’t care for him and hardly ever listen or watch, but my tv was on the fritz so I turned on my radio! My ears were bleeding after about an hour……
This subscriber disagrees with your disdain for Donald Trump. I do not consider myself a Trumper, blindly pledging allegiance to a narcissist.
Each of us, from the couch potato to the protestor, impacts this country's direction. Our attitudes and actions dictate whether our contributions negatively or positively affect the political landscape.
The Founding Fathers knew this and gave guidance on how to mitigate our vices, beginning with reliance and accountability to The Creator and the core values needed to keep this Republic afloat.
In my view, Donald Trump left office as a changed man. But, like any stone being polished, stubborn blemishes take time and care to remove. Erick, Mark, and Donald all have scars that tarnish our appearance. It is wise to remember that fact.
Donald Trump's resilience, persistence, and obnoxiousness impacted the Republican party and the conservative movement positively. Without his contributions over the last seven years, we would have never witnessed what played out over the previous five days.
And to your point, former President Trump did assist during the later rounds of what we witnessed. Chip Roy was magnificent in hammering home changes that were sorely needed in the People's House, but Donald Trump did play a role with the six rudderless holdouts by moving them to vote "present."
Mark, I hear all you say, but what sticks in my mind is how DJT 100% needlessly attacked John McCain about his captivity/POW experience . Want to dissagree about policy? GREAT, but do it clearly and forcefully, not insultingly. Trump did the same to Carly Fiorina calling her ugly and worse. John McCain was a human, he held a grudge. He was insulted by Trump's uncalled for insults and in the end, voted against removing Obamacare only to spite Trump.
For me, that's clearly enough to say NO, after voting for DJT 2X (Wanted someone else in the primaries, but REALLY disliked Hillary and Biden). Now, I have a choice again. I think we can do much better and frankly, I do not trust Trump to behave.
Joseph, I have no reservations about agreeing with your point. He was insulting, and I also wanted a different candidate than Trump in 2016.
However, God allowed Donald Trump to be President over my objections. He also allowed Joe Biden to enter the Oval Office instead of, what I believe, should have been the 2nd term for President Trump.
I have a reasonable theory on his critique of McCain and Cheney and the final results of both elections, but I do not want to alter the direction of the original post. Hopefully, I can offer my thoughts on those subjects later or privately.
I fully respect your thoughts, Mark and appreciate your kindness and civility.
I will interject that it is my belief God gives us all the ability to educate ourselves (I speak of the general population including myself and not specifically you) and make our own choices. The quality of final presidential candidates (post primaries) has been declining, surely starting with Obama, if not prior. I don't think God chose that decline, but again, gave us the tools to do better and yet, we did not.
While I could probably agree with some of your reasoning as to why God would have a Trump presidency (abortion, The Abraham accords, to name two you might put forward) I absolutely cannot fathom a Biden presidency if the Biggest Guy was directing the action. Ha Unless he is trying to teach us humility? MISSION ACCIMPLISHED!
I'd just say that the people on the floor of the House who were involved directly in the negotiations say the former president's phone calls played no role in persuasion.
There was one representative interviewed that did state the telephone call from Trump did influence at least two of the six holdouts moving them to present. That said, it is not a hill to die upon, so I have no problem believing your sources (of which, I have none).
I was so disappointed by Fox's coverage of the Speaker battle. I often wonder what the late Dr Charles Krauthammer's view would have been. Thank you for your insight. I now see that the resulting concessions were well worth the temporary delay.
Thank you for giving us the inside track on this, Erick!
Great point.
Greenwald has a nightly show on Rumble at 7 pm. It May still be free? He was all about the “20”. Saying the “squad” was supposed to do similar but just joined the establishment. Interesting
Why, oh why were cuts to vital defense spending part of the “deal?” Is it some backdoor anti-Ukraine thing. Do they think the ChiComs will reciprocate and cut their budget? Do they really think the Pentagon will cover the lost funding by firing DEI instructors and vaccine administrators? Our county needs new aerial tankers, new fighters, new bombers, new SSBN’s and the missiles to put on them. These cuts, to the extent they occur, leave me feeling betrayed.
I understand and empathize with your concern over China, Bill. But for perspective, remember that the US spends more on defense than the next sixteen (16) countries COMBINED. Some of this is clearly necessary to maintain our dominance, but some is just bloat and lack of accountability. The DOD is no better than other government offices; pockets are lined and palms are greased to push through pet projects, all in the name of protecting us from the big bad (fill in the blank). In 1991, Iraq's Republican Guard was supposed to be some of the most elite forces in the world...we crushed them in a matter of days. Russia's new SU-57 stealth fighter, purported by Russia to be better than the US F-22, isn't allowed to fly into Ukrainian airspace for fear of showing its faults on a world stage. BTW, they only have ten of them, so a single loss would be devastating. China's Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter is more concerning, but there's still a lot of smoke and mirrors obscuring its true performance and production numbers. Russia has one aircraft carrier, China has two...we have eleven. You can see where I'm going here. China, Russia, and to a lesser degree Iran and North Korea are all very real enemies, but the DOD plays on our fears to sustain the type of defense program we've enjoyed for decades. We could spend less while enhancing our current level of dominance if we just eliminated some of the graft and corruption.
Thanks Tucker. I suggest that comparing gross expenditures on “defense” is a really bad way to compare military capability. We pay our military far, far more that the Chinese or Russians. We pay more for almost everything because that’s our economy and we can’t behave like they do. Of course, they lie and hide expenditures being tyrants.
"The victory may be shortlived. It may all be undone." Two short sentences that are in desperate need of further exposition. Are you telling us that McCarthy can now waive his magic wand and eliminate all of his concessions?!
If McCarthy does backtrack on the deal then he would prove the people right that say he’s a weasel and does not care about the people
This is the very definition of a principled stand. ANYONE can make a "stand" when the cause is popular, but very few have the cajones to stand firm when the world mocks you. As many have already pointed out in the comments below, we would not have known why these people were making a stand without your op-eds, Erick. How many more of us would've been suckered in by the likes of Newt, Hannity, Ingraham or Crenshaw had you not been a resource?
I'm confused by these two comments from your article, Erick.
"The victory may be shortlived. It may all be undone. But it was a victory nonetheless"
and...
"and locked in gains that will serve us all well."
I ask out of ignorance and a desire noit to be, not from malice. Are these gains locked in or are they possibly changed later? Do you mean when Dems own the Speakership again?
Thanks...
Yeah! What he said ...
In all this loss in November( it is a loss because it was supposed to be a red wave which never happened) is getting hidden.
I think the 20 took it too far. Initial 2 days were ok but then it prolonged and the party became a joke.
Hannity Ingram are blind and they do not see how many black marks republicans have received after Jan 6. I feel this was more detrimental than the Supreme Court decision. Many trumpers like me became non voters. That was the issue in Nov.
Erick to your credit I see you use seldom used words(Atleast in USA) like bifurcate in your English, and I admire and appreciate your English language skills.
Vasu, I'd like to hear why you believe the battle will be remembered as a black mark, please. I am of the opinion, absolutely no one was harmed from this. No stories of gov employees shivering in the dark for lack of food and water (hyperboly) only the folks who adore gov largesse shrieking. I think John Q. Public has already forgotten the fight even if they saw it in the first place.
Very sorryy you decided not to vote. You passed up some good candidates and clearly helped usher in some very sad ones. Peace, friend. Joe
Again, it is purely my opinion.
My opinion is that 2016 was legitimate and 2020 was legitimate too. We should not be like the other side (democrats started this election hoax thing). So we should have been presidential and take it that way.
It is still very difficult or impossible to fix elections in our country.
Thank you..
I loved it last week when Hannity tried to backtrack and say he was all for the concessions that were made by McCarthy to get the Speaker role. He was one of the first ones calling for them to just go along to get along. Now, he’s on their side? Ha!
I am very proud of what they accomplished by sticking to their principles. We need two hundred more like them. Proud of my Ga. Representatives Clyde and Loudermilk
Well said, Erick! Thanks for being the voice of clarity in the midst of what can sometimes seem like so much smoke & mirrors from both political parties.
Not sure I see the logic here: if this was all a ploy to defeat McCarthy's 'delay/crisis/ram' tactic - which in retrospect seems about right - why keep that a secret? Had they explained that up front they could have spared me some red faced spit-flecked screaming at the TV
Every time these guys have dealt with the press in the past, it has provided avenues for others to undermine their plotting. They are most effective when they don't forecast their maneuvers.
Makes sense. Thanks
I have to say this was a sad eye opener for me because people I thought were conservative probably are not. But I do have a question- in the 14th vote, Gaetz & Boebert voted present, 14 voted McCarthy because they had the things they were looking for, but 4 still voted for other people. Not for McCarthy and not present. They were the reason it went to #15.
Why? What were they looking for?
Thanks for your guidance and insight throughout this sausage-making ordeal! It was painful to watch…..so I didn’t watch much of it! I knew it was in God’s hands so I got on with my life. Did you listen to Hannity yesterday? He was backtracking and playing CYA like any good Democrat! I don’t care for him and hardly ever listen or watch, but my tv was on the fritz so I turned on my radio! My ears were bleeding after about an hour……
Erick,
This subscriber disagrees with your disdain for Donald Trump. I do not consider myself a Trumper, blindly pledging allegiance to a narcissist.
Each of us, from the couch potato to the protestor, impacts this country's direction. Our attitudes and actions dictate whether our contributions negatively or positively affect the political landscape.
The Founding Fathers knew this and gave guidance on how to mitigate our vices, beginning with reliance and accountability to The Creator and the core values needed to keep this Republic afloat.
In my view, Donald Trump left office as a changed man. But, like any stone being polished, stubborn blemishes take time and care to remove. Erick, Mark, and Donald all have scars that tarnish our appearance. It is wise to remember that fact.
Donald Trump's resilience, persistence, and obnoxiousness impacted the Republican party and the conservative movement positively. Without his contributions over the last seven years, we would have never witnessed what played out over the previous five days.
And to your point, former President Trump did assist during the later rounds of what we witnessed. Chip Roy was magnificent in hammering home changes that were sorely needed in the People's House, but Donald Trump did play a role with the six rudderless holdouts by moving them to vote "present."
Mark, I hear all you say, but what sticks in my mind is how DJT 100% needlessly attacked John McCain about his captivity/POW experience . Want to dissagree about policy? GREAT, but do it clearly and forcefully, not insultingly. Trump did the same to Carly Fiorina calling her ugly and worse. John McCain was a human, he held a grudge. He was insulted by Trump's uncalled for insults and in the end, voted against removing Obamacare only to spite Trump.
For me, that's clearly enough to say NO, after voting for DJT 2X (Wanted someone else in the primaries, but REALLY disliked Hillary and Biden). Now, I have a choice again. I think we can do much better and frankly, I do not trust Trump to behave.
Joseph, I have no reservations about agreeing with your point. He was insulting, and I also wanted a different candidate than Trump in 2016.
However, God allowed Donald Trump to be President over my objections. He also allowed Joe Biden to enter the Oval Office instead of, what I believe, should have been the 2nd term for President Trump.
I have a reasonable theory on his critique of McCain and Cheney and the final results of both elections, but I do not want to alter the direction of the original post. Hopefully, I can offer my thoughts on those subjects later or privately.
I fully respect your thoughts, Mark and appreciate your kindness and civility.
I will interject that it is my belief God gives us all the ability to educate ourselves (I speak of the general population including myself and not specifically you) and make our own choices. The quality of final presidential candidates (post primaries) has been declining, surely starting with Obama, if not prior. I don't think God chose that decline, but again, gave us the tools to do better and yet, we did not.
While I could probably agree with some of your reasoning as to why God would have a Trump presidency (abortion, The Abraham accords, to name two you might put forward) I absolutely cannot fathom a Biden presidency if the Biggest Guy was directing the action. Ha Unless he is trying to teach us humility? MISSION ACCIMPLISHED!
I'd just say that the people on the floor of the House who were involved directly in the negotiations say the former president's phone calls played no role in persuasion.
There was one representative interviewed that did state the telephone call from Trump did influence at least two of the six holdouts moving them to present. That said, it is not a hill to die upon, so I have no problem believing your sources (of which, I have none).
Yep, I seem to recall lauren Boebert thowing a bit of shade at Mr. Trump.
I was so disappointed by Fox's coverage of the Speaker battle. I often wonder what the late Dr Charles Krauthammer's view would have been. Thank you for your insight. I now see that the resulting concessions were well worth the temporary delay.