All posts tagged: Marjorie Taylor Greene

Elon Musk Meets With Lawmakers About ‘DOGE’ Crusade Against Government Spending

Elon Musk Meets With Lawmakers About ‘DOGE’ Crusade Against Government Spending

Published by Sam

WASHINGTON — Tech entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy came to Capitol Hill Thursday to join Republicans in a celebration of the new initiative named the “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) proclaimed it a “new day in Washington and a new day in America” and said Thursday’s meeting marked “the beginning of a journey.” Just don’t ask where the journey’s going or what DOGE, whose name is a nod to both a meme and a digital currency, will actually do. “There won’t be a lot of detail for the press today — and that’s by design, because this is a brainstorming session,” Johnson told reporters, before ducking into a meeting with Musk, Ramaswamy and a bunch of Republican lawmakers. The two men, who have outsize influence in Trump’s forthcoming White House without being in Trump’s Cabinet, created a spectacle on the Hill. The Tesla CEO moved between meetings carrying one of his young children on his shoulders, flanked by an entourage. Neither he nor Ramaswamy responded to questions from …

OK, GOP, let’s put that antisemitism definition into effect!

OK, GOP, let’s put that antisemitism definition into effect!

Published by Sam

(RNS) — In their zeal to protect us Jews, Republicans are pushing to codify what’s known as the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism — last week via an Antisemitism Awareness Act in the U.S. House of Representatives and this week via a Shalom Act in the North Carolina House. Designed as a research tool for identifying antisemitism, the IHRA definition consists of a vague description of the prejudice followed by a list of 11 things that might constitute it. The definition was never meant to be made into law.  A widespread charge is that the definition seeks to preempt legitimate criticism of Israel, and there’s no doubt one of its central concerns is to protect Israel from being attacked with old antisemitic tropes. For example, the ninth item on the list reads: “Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.” Among the most trenchant critics of its codification is Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who nevertheless decided to …

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s fire was suddenly extinguished this week. She has made herself irrelevant

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s fire was suddenly extinguished this week. She has made herself irrelevant

Published by Sam

Marjorie Taylor Greene made sure to milk every moment of the six weeks since she filed her motion to vacate. Inexplicably, she regularly paraded around the Hill with her boyfriend — Right Side Broadcasting Network host Brian Glenn — and was often also accompanied by her cueballed press secretary Nick Dyer. When Greene finally actually called for a vote on Wednesday night and a group of centrist Republicans gathered, Glenn and Dyer watched on. Dyer lit a cigarette. Glenn told me he supported his girlfriend “one hundred per cent.” Greene relished the fact that amid multiple important votes in Congress — including lawmakers passing legislation to keep the government open and assisting allies like Ukraine — all of the reporters huddled around her and asked for her thoughts. This happened despite the fact that she never had the votes to depose Mike Johnson. She didn’t really have anything serious to offer him, either. When she finally pulled her motion to vacate on Wednesday, she enraged Republicans and Democrats alike for the simple reason that they …

US House rejects effort to remove Speaker Johnson from office

US House rejects effort to remove Speaker Johnson from office

Published by skeptic

washington —  Hard-line Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene stunned colleagues Wednesday by calling for a vote to oust Speaker Mike Johnson. Lawmakers quickly rejected it. Greene pressed ahead with her long-shot effort despite pushback from Republicans at the highest levels tired of the political chaos. One of Donald Trump’s biggest supporters in Congress, Greene stood on the House floor and read a long list of what she called transgressions that Johnson had committed as speaker. Colleagues booed in protest. It was the second time in a matter of months that Republicans have tried to oust their own speaker, an unheard-of level of party turmoil with a move rarely seen in U.S. history. Greene of Georgia criticized Johnson’s leadership as “pathetic, weak and unacceptable.” Republican lawmakers filtered toward Johnson, giving him pats on the back and grasping his shoulder to assure him of their support. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise quickly moved to table the effort — essentially stopping it from going forward. The motion to table was swiftly approved. The Georgia Republican had vowed she would …

Democratic rep says Johnson can’t be punished for ‘doing the right thing’

Democratic rep says Johnson can’t be punished for ‘doing the right thing’

Published by skeptic

Democratic congressman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) shouldn’t be punished for “doing the right thing” after Democratic leadership said they would come to Johnson’s rescue if the push to remove him from his position comes to fruition. In Saturday comments, Nadler said that Democrats are “right” to save Johnson from the motion-to-vacate which was introduced in March by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). The New York Democrat was also skeptical that the hardline Georgia Republican would move forward with the resolution that she said would be coming to the floor next week.  “I suspect that she won’t actually carry through on the threat,” Nadler said during his appearance on Rev. Al Sharpton’s “PoliticsNation” on MSNBC.  “But we are right that if she does, we should save him. Because as much as we disagree with him on everything, almost everything, we can’t permit him to be punished for doing the right thing – voting for the Ukraine aid, which is what they want to punish him for.”  Democrats in the House have …

Crenshaw becomes latest Republican to hit Greene over Johnson ouster plan

Crenshaw becomes latest Republican to hit Greene over Johnson ouster plan

Published by skeptic

Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) became the latest Republican to hit Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) over her plan to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).  “She needs her time in the spotlight, you know, and it’s been a while, and I think it’s one last ditch effort to get attention, is what she’s looking for,” Crenshaw told Fox News’ Neil Cavuto during his Saturday appearance on the network.  Crenshaw said there is not “a lot” of support for Greene’s plan to remove Johnson and that a “strong majority” would vote to table her motion-to-vacate she introduced in March. “It’s based in what exactly — that Mike Johnson brought bills to the floor that were necessary for national security that the vast majority of members wanted to vote on?” Crenshaw said. “So allowing the democratic process to move forward. Our process that we have in our constitution to move forward is apparently the crime of the century, according to these people.”  Greene’s push was endorsed by two other House members, Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Paul Gosar …

Republicans, Democrats, and Donald Trump Agree on One Thing: Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Move to Oust Mike Johnson Is a Dumb Idea

Republicans, Democrats, and Donald Trump Agree on One Thing: Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Move to Oust Mike Johnson Is a Dumb Idea

Published by skeptic

Last month, Marjorie Taylor Greene’s GOP colleagues responded to her calls to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson by saying things like, “Don’t bother us,” and stop “airing your grievances,” and “Nobody cares what Marjorie Taylor Greene says or thinks.” Unfortunately for Greene (or maybe unfortunately for her coworkers), she did not appear to get the message, and rather than moving on, decided on Wednesday to dig in. Speaking to reporters in Washington, the far-right congresswoman announced that she will officially raise a “motion to vacate” Johnson next week, i.e. try to boot him from his leadership position. Claiming Johnson “is not capable” of doing his job, Greene said she was giving Republicans the weekend to “prepare,” adding, “I care about my conference.” It also seems likely she‘s hoping people will change their minds over the next several days, because currently she appears to have little support—on either side of the aisle. As The Washington Post reports, representatives Thomas Massie and Paul Gosar are the only Republicans who’ve publicly backed Greene’s effort to remove Johnson, while …

The Motion to Vacate Mike Johnson Seems Pretty Darn Motionless

The Motion to Vacate Mike Johnson Seems Pretty Darn Motionless

Published by skeptic

It wasn’t looking good for Mike Johnson. Marjorie Taylor Greene, his chief antagonist, was threatening his job—and predicting others would join her cause. As he navigated the foreign aid package through his narrow House last week, with Democratic support and Joe Biden’s backing, the Georgia representative seemed to be right: Hardliners, including some who forced out Kevin McCarthy, were loudly registering their disapproval with Johnson. “It is surrender,” Matt Gaetz said of the speaker’s foreign aid plan. And Donald Trump, who had met with Johnson only days earlier in a show of support, seemed to waver last week as the potential groundswell grew: “We’ll see what happens with that,” the former president told reporters at the time. The threat to his gavel isn’t gone, but Johnson may be able to breathe a little easier: So far, only Thomas Massie and Paul Gosar have joined Greene’s motion to vacate—and even some who are frustrated with Johnson have indicated they aren’t mad enough to get into another brawl over the matter. “I think a motion to vacate …

Bannon says House Republicans secretly want Trump to lose

Bannon says House Republicans secretly want Trump to lose

Published by skeptic

Steve Bannon, former President Trump’s 2016 campaign executive, railed against House Republicans on Monday, claiming that they “want MAGA to go away” and wish to see the former president lose his 2024 White House bid. “Why does [Rep. Jim] Jordan [R-Ohio] not have a criminal conspiracy investigation— from Fani Willis in Georgia to ‘Big Tish James’ in New York City?” Bannon asked on his “War Room” podcast.  “The Justice Department, why have they not been sent letters— ‘Preserve your documents.’ Why have hearings not gone on? Why have they not broken these things up? You know why. Because they don’t really have Trump’s back,” Bannon continued. The conservative pundit tore into House Judiciary Committee chairman, Jim Jordan, arguing that the Ohio Republican’s support of Trump has been entirely “performative.” “Don’t go on ‘Hannity’ and tell me everything you are gonna do and send some tweets,” Bannon quipped.   “Nothing’s happening to support President Trump. Let me repeat that. Nothing,” he concluded. Bannon’s comments come amid growing criticism of Republican leadership, with several lawmakers backing calls to oust …

Joe Biden’s Happy Place – The Atlantic

Joe Biden’s Happy Place – The Atlantic

Published by Sam

He’s always been master of “the connect.” Alex Brandon / Getty March 8, 2024, 1:56 PM ET It is hardly fashionable to say positive things about Joe Biden these days. I myself have been among his doubters, convinced that he’d never be able to win a rematch against Donald Trump. I imagined myself on a flight bound for Reykjavík, Lisbon, Sydney, wherever on November 6, staring backwards out the window and squinting at the smoking ruins of American democracy, grimly praying that I wouldn’t turn into a pillar of salt. But it’s undeniable that Biden gave a stunning speech last night, and it wasn’t just because there was a game on quality to his remarks, the thwapping sound of a gauntlet hitting the ground. It’s because he managed to do that thing he does best, which his aides long ago described to Richard Ben Cramer in What It Takes as “the connect.” Biden’s primary strength has never been formulating policy or grand ideas. It’s been his ability to read a room, to sweep in the …