Clockwise from seditious top left: McCarthy, Nunes, Garcia, Oberholte (huh?), Issa, Calvert, LaMalfa.
Onescore and five days ago, this selfsame blog catalogued, for its clamoring readership, the roster of California Congressmembers (all Republicans naturally) who had signed on to Texas’ absurd and traitorous lawsuit to invalidate the votes of hundreds of millions of Americans, just to please Donald Trump. Nationally there were 126 such seditious lawmakers, but I was (pleasantly) surprised to see that only FOUR of ’em were from California – partly because this state has had so few Republican lawmakers, and partly because some new ones hadn’t been sworn in yet.
THIS month’s new Republican Congressional treason was the radical action of voting to overturn November’s election results last Thursday morning, in the wee hours even after the storming of the halls by the Trumpy mob – and this time there were even more office-holding seditionists: eight Senators and 139 Representatives – by far most Republicans in that house. And how many traitors did California contribute to this Benedict Arnold caucus? SEVEN this time.
Once again Orange County dodged the bullet of any responsibility – last time was because our newly elected Young Kim and Michelle Steel hadn’t yet been sworn in; this time because… wait for it, don’t laugh … the two anti-mask OC women were both down with the coronavirus! (It’s a dangerous county for anti-mask Republican Korean-American freshman Congresswomen, I guess.)
Shawn Steel’s Trump-worshiping wife took the easy way out, releasing a weak statement from her sickbed that she is “against violence,” because who isn’t? (Besides Trump himself that is.) Former OC GOP insider Larry Tenney says, “Shawn certainly told Michelle to avoid this like the plague because 1) CA48 voted for Biden & 2) radicalized MAGAt terrorists living in CA48 voted for Steel.” Not, in short, a profilette in courage.
But Young Kim actually, to be fair, put out a decent statement on Tuesday the 5th on why she opposed Congress interfering with the popular vote, and even if in good health she would not have joined the seditionists:
“…I didn’t vote for Joe Biden, but we’ve gone through constitutional process—the American people have voted; states have certified their elections; and courts have made their rulings. It is Congress’s job to count the votes cast by electors each state selects. The constitution does not give Congress the authority to overturn elections. To take such action would undermine the authority of the states.
“Congress does not determine which electors states send, and we must respect the authority of the states. The electoral college has voted and I will respect their vote…”
Smart move, for a Republican who barely just won in a purple district. So she qualifies for the Extremely-Low-Bar Olympics, along with our former friend Tom McClintock, who inexplicably voted last month to support TEXAS invalidating all our votes, but somehow found CONGRESS doing that to be a bridge too far. He explained his thinking this past Sunday:
“…Despite the clear and precise language of the Electors Clause of the Constitution — that electors shall be appointed “in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct” — several states changed their election laws not by legislative action but by executive decree. This was the subject of the friend of the court brief submitted by 126 members of the House, including myself, in support of the suit brought by Texas and 18 other states: “Can a legislature delegate such authority and if not, what is the remedy for an illegally conducted election?” We still don’t know the answer to that question, because the Supreme Court refused to hear it.
“But does this give Congress leave to usurp their powers? Does Congress have the constitutional right to refuse to count the votes of states that it believes acted fraudulently or illegally?
“If the Congress can refuse to count electoral votes – for whatever reason – then it has the inherent power to seize the decision for itself and render the Electoral College superfluous. Unlike the judiciary, Congress has an obvious conflict of interest: if it invalidates enough votes, it gets to elect the President and Vice- President directly. If the Founders had intended to give this power to the Congress, why did they go to all the fuss and bother of designing an Electoral College at all?
“And here’s a bonus question: does anyone seriously believe that a body of 535 intensely partisan politicians is a safe repository for the power to adjudicate the integrity of the vote? Benjamin Franklin once warned us that as creatures of reason, we have the faculty to come up with whatever reason we need to do whatever we want. That’s why we have a Constitution…” read more here if you’ve got the inclination…
So Young Kim and Tom McClintock take our Very Low Bar Sweepstakes. Now let’s meet our…
Seditious Seven.
Three of December’s four traitors are back for a second swipe at the Constitution, and we’ve already looked at Riverside’s vast Ken Calvert and the Far North’s uncouth Doug LaMalfa. But Bakersfield’s cretinous Kevin McCarthy requires a special look, as he is House Minority Leader, and an invaluable ringleader of all this perfidy.
As I write this, House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries was just straining for words to describe the Minority Leader: “McCarthy’s no longer a joke, but a caricature of a joke,” who’s done nothing in recent years but “lick Donald Trump’s boots.” This seems fair enough. Less than 24 hours after leading House Republicans in the attempt to strip Americans of their vote, Kevin scrambled to impersonate a statesman:
“To deliver a better America for all, partisans of all stripes first must unite as Americans and show our country that a peaceful transition of power has occurred. Impeaching the President with just 12 days left in his term will only divide our country more.”
But if Kevin is a “caricature of a joke,” then what is Fresno hack Devin Nunes? Sadly, perhaps, a “caricature of a parody of a shadow of a BAD, unfunny joke.” Devin is best known for his fabled “midnight run” to breathlessly inform President Trump of secret details of the Muller investigation against him, and his routine spouting of batshit-crazy conspiracy theories.
And if “licking Trump’s boots” is all that Kevin McCarthy does, then whatever Devin does for the Grand Yam must be even MORE obsequious and shameful. And if we can figure out what THAT is, then maybe that would explain what he was doing when he missed out on the Texas fun last month! But he sure didn’t miss out on voting Thursday morning to disenfranchise America.
Garcia, Oberholte (huh?)
There are three other Congressional quislings who betrayed our nation this week but not last month, for one reason or another. I’d noticed Mike Garcia, the naval pilot who’d sailed into the Santa Clarita vacancy left by Katie Hill’s flameout, had skipped the Texas embarrassment for some reason, which I’d put down to his purple district, but there he was Thursday morning voting to disenfranchise you and me, as was a brand spanking new Palm Springs Congresstard I’d never heard of, one Oberholte. (Huh?)
I know you missed me…
But finally, didn’t you all miss Darrell Issa? You’ll be so glad to know he’s BAAAACK! And his first act, taking over the dirty smelly San Diego seat of disgraced (and naturally Trump-pardoned) criminal Duncan Hunter Jr, is to try and STEAL YOUR VOTES AWAY to make Trump happy!
You didn’t expect anything better from this longtime malevolent loose cannon, did you? Who can forget his endless pointless Benghazi hearings? Who can forget his frequent careless blabbing of confidential material just to get headlines? Who can even forget, 17 years ago, the glory-hungry car-alarm magnate putting his millions into the Gray Davis recall, only to weep on camera when Arnold Schwarzenegger jumped in front of him to run for replacement governor?
Well, his hometown newspaper, which used to like him, is none too happy with him now, editorializing yesterday:
“The decision of newly elected Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Bonsall, to join more than 100 Republican lawmakers in objecting to certifying electoral votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania late Wednesday is deeply depressing evidence that the GOP tech entrepreneur believes the future of his party belongs to those who share President Donald Trump’s belief in conspiracies and disbelief in inconvenient facts.
“The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board repeatedly endorsed Issa when he represented northwest San Diego County in the House from 2001 to 2019, but didn’t endorse him in his 2020 campaign citing his excessive partisanship and derogatory campaign tactics. Issa knows full well that Trump’s lawyers failed dozens of times in court to overturn results nationwide — without evidence to justify outlandish, false claims of fraud and malfeasance.
“Efforts to reach Issa’s office to explain his votes Thursday were unsuccessful. Maybe on a day Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Illinois, became the first GOP lawmaker to call for invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office, Issa didn’t respond because he knows it would be difficult to say he truly agrees with a president who depicts his election loss as the fault of a vast conspiracy that includes the Supreme Court. Issa started off on two wrong feet.”
All I can say is, if the small pockets of Californian yokels continue to re-elect these sorry specimens, then can the rest of us Americans at least keep them out of the majority? That is all. Vern out.
************
Update Sat. morning (that is NOT all.)
I’ve just been made aware of a THIRD Covid-blocked California Republican, one David Valadao, first-termer from the San Joaquin Valley. Damn, I guess California has ELEVEN Republicans after this very mixed-bag election.
Let’s see… ah, nice: “In a series of tweets sent out on Wednesday, Rep. David Valadao who represents California’s 21st District said it is not the role of Congress to choose who is president:”
And then, after the melee:
And today…
More Republicans like Young Kim, Tom McClintock, and David Valadao, please!
Sure, let’s round them all up and……
The type of social media type meme your engaging in is downright scary.
Technically, this is “the fallacy of the excluded middle” — like, seriously, there’s no option between doing nothing and physiclally rounding them up and harming them? — but you’re probably only pretending to be too stupid to understand that, right?
Yes, I’m stupid and you’re brilliant. Feel better?
No, because stupid idiots like you still vote.
(Um, you do know what a fallacy is and why it’s relevant to this discussion, right?)
That’s right, I don’t know shit but still have an opinion, just like the a lot of voters. Crap I’m surprised I can type, at least I have opposable thumbs.
I think you’re on to something, only ‘non stupid’ people should vote. Wait, that can’t be right.
I have now endured two personal attacks from you people (sort of amusing to see your tactics).
Your not interested in a discussion, as you allude, you want something entirely different and that, sir, is frightening.
I’ll not disturb your echo chamber further on this topic.
*You’re.
Keep those thumb exercises going.
I didn’t say that you shouldn’t vote. That’s your lie.
I didn’t say that stupid people shouldn’t vote. That’s your second lie.
Nor did I say that all Trump voters are stupid. That’s your third lie.
I’d be happy to have a discussion with you if you would do so in good faith. But instead, you seem to be here to use those opposable thumbs of yours to fling shit against our walls, and I am not up for or down with that. Come back when you aren’t going to be a lying asshole.
*Just have all their Tweeter Accounts closed. Then Instagram….then Face Book. We won’t have to do another thing. Fox News can cover their every move….it will be beautiful.
In fact my radical solution is proposed clearly in the final paragraph – if morons are gonna keep electing these traitors, then please the rest of us let’s at least keep them in the minority.
Ooh, downright scary, Mr. Salazar!
Labeling someone does not make it true.
Except for when it’s true. The perpetuation of the Big Lie that Biden beat Trump only through massive fraud, and that Congress has the right to overturn the will of the electorate and the states on the most imaginary pretexts if Congressmembers don’t like it, led to the violent takeover of the capital, and will lead to years of even more Americans not accepting the legitimacy of their government. And these seven California Republicans (not four others) continued the charade even after the riots.
THAT, sir, is seditious, treasonous, traitorous.
I’m sure Biden/Harris will receive the same level of support from the GOP as Trump got from the left.
As far as the charges of treason are concerned; these, as you know, carry heavy penalties (including death) if convicted, therefore a very serious charge indeed.
Your rhetoric, sir, remains frightening. Also, when did ‘the violent overthrow of the capital occur? You are revising history ‘on the fly’.
Sorry if my stupidity prevents me from seeing ‘the truth’.
John, why let a good opportunity to smear someone you disagree with go unused?
This is the Q ANON of the left
Unemployed losers staring shit up from Mom’s basement.
I kept seeing LaMalfa’s head in the video clip where Republican Congressment under siege with Democrats Jan 6 were offered masks by Congresswoman Rochester, and refused them. (And three Democrats who were there have since come down with Covid.) So I went and found the video…
…and actually it looks like Doug was trying to GET a mask, but was behind Rochester’s back so didn’t get one right away. (See at 18 seconds.) Well, good for Doug. But still he’s a seditionist.
Palm Springs Rep. David Valadao continues to distinguish himself as one of the only TEN House Republicans to vote for Trump’s impeachment, the only one in California:
Steve Schmidt on Leader McCarthy:
@GOPLeader Kevin McCarthy’s conduct deserves more media scrutiny. Specifically, his meltdown and unbecoming panic. He told his members that it was “ an easy vote” to embrace the Big Lie and assert the election was stolen.
He told them it was an “easy vote” to nullify the vote and silence the voices of millions of Americans because of their skin color. He led them in establishing the new Jim Crow Caucus. He led a group of 140 all white members in the cause of stripping millions of Black voters of their sacred franchise in the name of Trump.
He helped Incite the mob, blamed it on Trump and now says it wasn’t Trump’s fault. Now he says we are all to blame. He is flailing. The Corporate money is drying up. He is maneuvering and in trouble.
The story that needs to be told is the one about his panicked leadership during the hours he was secured during the violent insurrection. His comportment was apparently like the sweating, overmatched, lying villains conjured from the minds of screenwriters trying to imagine political characters that possess the combinations of venality and cynicism that define the leader of the House’s GOP Minority.
The rush chairman of the GOP caucus met a crisis of his own brewing and melted like a chocolate bar left on the hood of a car under the hot Bakersfield sun outside the sandwich shop he never owned or sold. The Capitol was ransacked, the Confederate Battle Flag breached the Rotunda, the American flag was pulled down and the MAGA flag was raised in its’ place.
This is McCarthy’s doing along with Senators Hawley and Cruz, Trump, and others. It is the story of his weakness, indecisive dithering, panic, and simpleton’s understanding of the chaos and death that flowed from his lying that needs to be told. I’m hearing more about it every day. It is shocking.
@ProjectLincoln