"When I noted that the bill specifically aims to allocate money for the East Wing Modernization Project, which the National Capital Planning Commission describes as the establishment of “a permanent, secure event space that provides increased capacity for official state functions,” otherwise known as a ballroom, Moreno briskly walked away and said, “No,” adding, “No, no, no, no.”
Thank you, Joe, for your continued eye on the Article I branch. I must admit, I don't read and comment on Press Pass as much as I read and comment on JVL's Triad (I long ago became addicted to the comments section there). But we in the prodemocracy coalition must keep on eye on them as we work to save our constitutional democracy and you're helping us do that. Much appreciated!
These "senators" SINOs should take a lesson from the woman who got torched for saying 'keep your cotton on pickin' hands off' whatever she got bashed for, and keep their CPH off shoveling Billion$$$ to crazed prez who's a poster boy for how NOT to spend taxpayer money for asinine junk and is bankrupting the country. And these stupid SINOs just lies down and let him get away with it. You are ALL MAD!
I am super excited to take Sean Duffy’s idea and go on a cross country road trip after Mike Lee’s proposal becomes law. Imagine the quality of the roads in MT WY SD or AK when the 100,000 people who live there are all willingly paying their fair share of the cost of maintaining the Interstate Highways. AZ? TX? FL? Sure those pinko commies will be all in to pay for that out of their state gas tax. This is going to be outstanding.
Joe, Thanks for the in the weeds reporting on the Senate revolving carnival show. How do you keep a straight face when these guys sling their bullshit? You should get a raise for getting the walking billboard for term limits, Chuck Grassley, to string two sentences together, eventhough his asinine oil production comment was oblivious to his own State of Iowa crisis under Republican policies. Susan Collins, Mike Lee, Bernie Moreno, Crist Joe, you must be a glutton for punishment. Why do people vote for these clowns, were they offering free milestone neck ties? At least you didn't subject us to the shameless Lindsey Graham, if I would have heard one word of his arrogant horseshit, I would have broken yet another favorite coffee mug. Let's hope we can take some of the hot air out of this Republican balloon in November, we won't have much of a country in two more years if we don't.
Jeebus. It’s amazing how some Republican senatorial minds can be changed, depending upon who is doing the asking. Biden? “How DARE he?” Trump? “Oh, that might actually be a good idea.”
And the ballroom. One billion dollars? “Peanuts,” say the Republicans. “If President Trump says that he needs it, we’re happy to oblige.” Imagine how much money could have been saved if the East wing still existed.
And measles. MAGA and MAHA (not sure how much they overlap) want nothing to do with vaccines. Mothers of newborns are stupidly refusing vitamin K for newborns. And measles? “Piece of cake, no big deal,” say these cretins. That’s true, unless you get a severe case and get pneumonia or encephalitis. I feel sorry for their kids.
These utter idiots do not know how stupid they really are. In the case of Republican Senators, they know what they are doing. They just have jelly where their spine should be.
One of the biggest f*ck-wads in the Senate, Josh Hawley, is going to introduce legislation to suspend the gas tax. Here's what he told Clay Travis & Buck Sexton on their show in 2022 when a real President suggested doing the EXACT same thing: “this is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard of.” He went on to expound more stupidity, but you cannot expect anymore from a republican.
Gee. What a surprise. Republicans think canceling the gas tax is good. Under Biden they were adamant that it was a foolish idea because of that funny thing called “The National Debt,” now, not only is it good, it should be ended permanently and the maintenance costs be paid by the states. Is Utah going first? It’s Mike Lee’s idea. I guess in his world there is no National Debt. It hides until a Democrat is elected.
On a serious note, history will look back on this time and condemn the people responsible for this measles tragedy. I hope they name everyone involved. I’d say that some should wear the scarlet “M”, but that might be going too far.
Susan Collins (R-Maine): "We’re going to be hearing from the head of the Secret Service on what the enhanced security needs for the White House and others are in this heightened environment of political violence." Exactly what political violence has happened in and around the White House? I know that occasionally, a lone gunman is stopped at or just inside the White House grounds, but why do they need $1B to stop that.
I believe our entire culture has become FAR too security conscious over the last 30 years. And focused on the wrong things and situations. An effective civilian ban on military-grade weapons would do far more for personal security than the billions of dollars we spend on all manner of security enhancements.
This is all so bogus. We are oil self sufficient - now we are a major exporter. The oil companies are gouging us. This is ok with the GOP and especially Trump - who loves the richest. Under prior administrations the Dems would be suing the oil companies for price fixing. Not every oil company is exporting and those that are not are price fixing - and gouging. This is not making America great - it is bringing us up to the world wide gas cost - EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SELF SUFFIICIENT.
There was never a MAGA - it was make the rich richer and make the rest work harder and give up their small fortunes and retirements. We have a criminal for POTUS that has his own little mafia and corrupt loyalists. Starting with at least 4 in SCOTUS and 140 Insurrectionists in Congress. And Ted Cruz thinks we should be nicer to pedophiles - all those in Congress and the international Monarchs - probably Bibi too. Corruption rules
Speaking of congressional Republicans' hypocrisy, they slagged Biden’s releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in 2022 after Putin's invasion of Ukraine and resulting disruptions to petroleum markets. But nary a peep when Trump opened the valves for his Iran war.
As for OH Sen. Bernie Moreno saying about Trump's ballroom, “There’s a lot of subterranean things that are classified that are part of the project.” Indeed, so many so very subterranean... things about that scammy project they want to keep hidden from the public. On this, we agree.
I'm gonna go a little Dark JVL on the measles topic - from the Atlantic piece: "roughly 500 kids died every year," referring to the worst years in the 1930s & '40s. More measles deaths will be a tragedy, especially because we know how to prevent them and have largely succeeded for years. Throwing away that science, that public awareness, that civic responsibility, that basic component of being a loving, responsible parent - breathtakingly sad. Just for comparison: "For third straight year, firearms killed more children and teens, ages 1 to 17, than any other cause including car crashes and cancer... 2,526 gun deaths in 2022 among 1- to 17-year-olds" - see https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/guns-remain-leading-cause-of-death-for-children-and-teens Our national ability to fail our children is unrivaled among modern developed countries.
"When I noted that the bill specifically aims to allocate money for the East Wing Modernization Project, which the National Capital Planning Commission describes as the establishment of “a permanent, secure event space that provides increased capacity for official state functions,” otherwise known as a ballroom, Moreno briskly walked away and said, “No,” adding, “No, no, no, no.”
What is Moreno 12? Spineless idiot.
so pausing the gas tax saves the average family $10 per month, but we lose billions in infrastructure revenue?
Best article I’ve seen in a while from The Bulwark.
Thank you, Joe, for your continued eye on the Article I branch. I must admit, I don't read and comment on Press Pass as much as I read and comment on JVL's Triad (I long ago became addicted to the comments section there). But we in the prodemocracy coalition must keep on eye on them as we work to save our constitutional democracy and you're helping us do that. Much appreciated!
These "senators" SINOs should take a lesson from the woman who got torched for saying 'keep your cotton on pickin' hands off' whatever she got bashed for, and keep their CPH off shoveling Billion$$$ to crazed prez who's a poster boy for how NOT to spend taxpayer money for asinine junk and is bankrupting the country. And these stupid SINOs just lies down and let him get away with it. You are ALL MAD!
It will not help. So sorry
I am super excited to take Sean Duffy’s idea and go on a cross country road trip after Mike Lee’s proposal becomes law. Imagine the quality of the roads in MT WY SD or AK when the 100,000 people who live there are all willingly paying their fair share of the cost of maintaining the Interstate Highways. AZ? TX? FL? Sure those pinko commies will be all in to pay for that out of their state gas tax. This is going to be outstanding.
Joe, an excellent piece!
Susan Collins is Charlie Brown kicking the football. Ooops, Lucy pulled it again.
Joe, Thanks for the in the weeds reporting on the Senate revolving carnival show. How do you keep a straight face when these guys sling their bullshit? You should get a raise for getting the walking billboard for term limits, Chuck Grassley, to string two sentences together, eventhough his asinine oil production comment was oblivious to his own State of Iowa crisis under Republican policies. Susan Collins, Mike Lee, Bernie Moreno, Crist Joe, you must be a glutton for punishment. Why do people vote for these clowns, were they offering free milestone neck ties? At least you didn't subject us to the shameless Lindsey Graham, if I would have heard one word of his arrogant horseshit, I would have broken yet another favorite coffee mug. Let's hope we can take some of the hot air out of this Republican balloon in November, we won't have much of a country in two more years if we don't.
Jeebus. It’s amazing how some Republican senatorial minds can be changed, depending upon who is doing the asking. Biden? “How DARE he?” Trump? “Oh, that might actually be a good idea.”
And the ballroom. One billion dollars? “Peanuts,” say the Republicans. “If President Trump says that he needs it, we’re happy to oblige.” Imagine how much money could have been saved if the East wing still existed.
And measles. MAGA and MAHA (not sure how much they overlap) want nothing to do with vaccines. Mothers of newborns are stupidly refusing vitamin K for newborns. And measles? “Piece of cake, no big deal,” say these cretins. That’s true, unless you get a severe case and get pneumonia or encephalitis. I feel sorry for their kids.
These utter idiots do not know how stupid they really are. In the case of Republican Senators, they know what they are doing. They just have jelly where their spine should be.
One of the biggest f*ck-wads in the Senate, Josh Hawley, is going to introduce legislation to suspend the gas tax. Here's what he told Clay Travis & Buck Sexton on their show in 2022 when a real President suggested doing the EXACT same thing: “this is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard of.” He went on to expound more stupidity, but you cannot expect anymore from a republican.
Gee. What a surprise. Republicans think canceling the gas tax is good. Under Biden they were adamant that it was a foolish idea because of that funny thing called “The National Debt,” now, not only is it good, it should be ended permanently and the maintenance costs be paid by the states. Is Utah going first? It’s Mike Lee’s idea. I guess in his world there is no National Debt. It hides until a Democrat is elected.
On a serious note, history will look back on this time and condemn the people responsible for this measles tragedy. I hope they name everyone involved. I’d say that some should wear the scarlet “M”, but that might be going too far.
Susan Collins (R-Maine): "We’re going to be hearing from the head of the Secret Service on what the enhanced security needs for the White House and others are in this heightened environment of political violence." Exactly what political violence has happened in and around the White House? I know that occasionally, a lone gunman is stopped at or just inside the White House grounds, but why do they need $1B to stop that.
This will not be a popular thing to say:
I believe our entire culture has become FAR too security conscious over the last 30 years. And focused on the wrong things and situations. An effective civilian ban on military-grade weapons would do far more for personal security than the billions of dollars we spend on all manner of security enhancements.
She must be concerned. 🤔👀
This is all so bogus. We are oil self sufficient - now we are a major exporter. The oil companies are gouging us. This is ok with the GOP and especially Trump - who loves the richest. Under prior administrations the Dems would be suing the oil companies for price fixing. Not every oil company is exporting and those that are not are price fixing - and gouging. This is not making America great - it is bringing us up to the world wide gas cost - EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SELF SUFFIICIENT.
There was never a MAGA - it was make the rich richer and make the rest work harder and give up their small fortunes and retirements. We have a criminal for POTUS that has his own little mafia and corrupt loyalists. Starting with at least 4 in SCOTUS and 140 Insurrectionists in Congress. And Ted Cruz thinks we should be nicer to pedophiles - all those in Congress and the international Monarchs - probably Bibi too. Corruption rules
The US does import oil.
https://www.afpm.org/newsroom/blog/how-much-oil-does-united-states-import-and-why
Speaking of congressional Republicans' hypocrisy, they slagged Biden’s releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in 2022 after Putin's invasion of Ukraine and resulting disruptions to petroleum markets. But nary a peep when Trump opened the valves for his Iran war.
As for OH Sen. Bernie Moreno saying about Trump's ballroom, “There’s a lot of subterranean things that are classified that are part of the project.” Indeed, so many so very subterranean... things about that scammy project they want to keep hidden from the public. On this, we agree.
I'm gonna go a little Dark JVL on the measles topic - from the Atlantic piece: "roughly 500 kids died every year," referring to the worst years in the 1930s & '40s. More measles deaths will be a tragedy, especially because we know how to prevent them and have largely succeeded for years. Throwing away that science, that public awareness, that civic responsibility, that basic component of being a loving, responsible parent - breathtakingly sad. Just for comparison: "For third straight year, firearms killed more children and teens, ages 1 to 17, than any other cause including car crashes and cancer... 2,526 gun deaths in 2022 among 1- to 17-year-olds" - see https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/guns-remain-leading-cause-of-death-for-children-and-teens Our national ability to fail our children is unrivaled among modern developed countries.
Measles in the United States was on the cusp of going the way of smallpox. Until RFK Jr. and MAGA arrived. A true crime.
The American love affair with guns is baffling to this Canadian.
And to this Californian as well.