Gems...

...or how they can't all be one.

This is the real challenge for you all. When I set write a lot goals it means that sometimes I reach a point where something needs to be written but I really don't have a solid thread to write about. 

There is some political stuff going on. I guess we can talk a little about that, but I don't know how much I have to say. Let's see!

Today is the second anniversary of the attempted coup. The Insurrection. Trump's Treasony Day.

Or just January 6th. 

Isn't it interesting how some dates just get that shorthand. When you talk about 9/11 people don't have any doubt which 9/11 you mean. January 6th is reaching that point. Or has already reached it, at least for now. 

The current batch of Republicans in the House of Representatives are marking their dubious anniversary of trying to not certify the legal and correct vote for the President of the United States by not electing their own Speaker. 

It's not a violent attempt like came later with January 6th but the day is young. 

I say that as a joke, but it's not uproariously funny. It's not really even ha ha funny. It's more smirk and knock wood funny. 

Because those people are nuts. They have bought into this really odd world view and another large group of people have bought into it with them and now they are able to force that world view on the rest of us. 

Right now it's all about dismantling the government because they don't think it works. And the more the stop it from working the more they say "See? It doesn't work!" Well, it doesn't work if you keep stopping it. But when you do your damn jobs it works pretty well. I mean you can Google a list of things the Biden administration has been able to accomplish in the past two years. Working with just the slimmest of bipartisan margins. 

But we are up to, I think, 12 votes for Speaker without McCarthy winning yet. He keeps promising the holdouts more and more and more to get that vote. Which is making him the weakest Speaker and he hasn't even started yet. Because one of the things he's said he'll do is make it easier to remove him. Oh my gosh, cripple yourself before you start running why don't you?

Think about the debt ceiling votes that have turned into shit shows over the past decade. And let me remind you, that raising the debt ceiling is all about paying the bills we have already incurred. The party of "personal responsibility" and "I had to pay my own college tuition (or at least my rich daddy did) so you shouldn't get a break on yours!" is fine defaulting on payments for bills already incurred when it's the United States on the hook. 

So anyway...they use something that shouldn't even be in existence (I believe the passing of a spending bill should be an automatic of course we will pay this moment) as a cudgel to try and get their way on whatever they are throwing a fit about right then. Now they can use taking away Speakership from McCarthy in the exact same way. Whenever they don't get to impeach the Biden administration person of the week BOOM Speaker vote.

And right now, until they get this passed NOTHING is being done. 

Which suits the obstructionists just fine. 

But there are things that need done. I mean there are always things that need done. 

And then there is the just human decency part of it. (Yeah, I know, what the hell am I thinking here) But a lot of the Reps brought their families to Washington to see them sworn in. I mean, it's kind of a big deal to represent your state on the federal level. But now they've been there for three days. Three days of hotels in DC.Three days of not being at home for the kiddos who school started for this week. Three days of meals in restaurants. Three days of waiting around for this nonsense to end.

Honestly, I think it's just a preview of the next two years. A lot of disfunction. A lot of things done and said just to get time on right wing news. A lot of shouting and sleeves rolled up from Jim (I don't care if your kid is being molested, it's not my problem) Jordan. I'd be fine if they got nothing on their nasty agenda done. 

But...

As is always my hope. Maybe this time it will be enough. Decent people will see this and think, we just can't with this anymore. Let the government run quietly in the background. But for fuck's sake let it run. Fix the bridges. Fix the electrical grid. Feed the hungry. House to homeless. Facilitate healing for the sick. There are so many things a functioning government could do. Maybe we are finally getting to a point where it's so fucked up and broken that people actually decide to fix it?

Okay, yeah, I read it too. 

But there is still part of me that hopes.