What we can do to influence the mainstream media is use our voices to introduce a fresh idea into the national narrative: Remove and Replace Speaker McCarthy.
Let me explain. It's clear that there will never be 218 Republican votes to raise the debt ceiling. Therefore, an alliance of mainstream Republicans and Democrats will have to form …
What we can do to influence the mainstream media is use our voices to introduce a fresh idea into the national narrative: Remove and Replace Speaker McCarthy.
Let me explain. It's clear that there will never be 218 Republican votes to raise the debt ceiling. Therefore, an alliance of mainstream Republicans and Democrats will have to form a bipartisan majority to do it. When that happens they should also use the power of their majority to remove McCarthy as Speaker via a motion to vacate the chair. Electing a new moderate Republican Speaker who owes nothing to the MAGA extremists would marginalize that obstructionist minority faction, and would likely prevent a government shutdown in the Fall as well.
How do we introduce this idea to the MSM? It's called citizen activism -- good old-fashioned personal contact in the form of phone calls, emails, letters-in-envelopes, social media, anything you can think of -- all directed at select writers, TV personalities, and Members of the House of Representatives.
I represent a network of ordinary citizens who have been opposed to Kevin McCarthy becoming Speaker since early last December, and we've been working to see him replaced ever since. We are urging both moderate Republicans and Democratic leaders to take this step. (Learn more at https://www.FeathersOfHope.net)
It's a big ask, so we need influential media personalities to devote a TV segment, or a newspaper column, or a Substack post to the subject in order to build public support. Politicians want to know that voters have their backs before they do something so bold.
I've personally written to Dr. Reich 3 times asking that he devote a post on this site discussing this proposal. At https://www.FeathersOfHope.net you can find contact info for both media and 17 House Members we are trying to influence.
If you want to actually do something, not just talk about it, join us!
I add your name to both Roberts and Heathers as a recipient of the “Nobel Peace of Mind Prize”.
I do not speak for others, but reading your very solid proposals both energize me and blow me away with dread. This is because at 77 and with Chronic Lyme I do not pretend to be an activist. In my heart but not in my body. I want to thank you again for the very real opportunities you are presenting to the American public to help guide them in becoming a use to our country.
You and they are our heroes. I hope our vision isn’t so blinded by dread that we can’t move forward. Every once in a lifetime just one conviction of a criminal helps us believe in our system. And I am talking about the “Cartels” of shameless , unaccountable , criminals who are spreading in so many directions in our society that even the DOJ or the Supreme Court hasn’t truly stood up for America or American citizens who want Change for a decent government.
I know this does not help in any way. But until we know how embedded this criminalization in all our societal structures is we cannot in truth go forward. Wearing out the citizenship works for those who need to have power by tyranny.
Robert and Heather are both heroes of mine, as is Jessica Craven (ChopWoodCarryWater.substack.com) and Jay Kuo (statuskuo.substack.com). But I wouldn't begin to equate my efforts with theirs. They are royalty and I'm just a worker bee.
But I will repeat what I've often said before: "We are the activists who knock on doors, make phone calls, distribute literature, sit through endless meetings, march in the street, write letters, register voters, and also bring in the pizzas, mop the floors and turn out the lights at the end of the day. We are the blood that flows through the veins of our system of government, bringing oxygen to all who speak reverently of liberty and justice for all."
We also want to contact writers and broadcasters to get people talking about this proposal (especially RobertReich@substack.net who endorsed the idea in January). Also, we need to make follow-up calls in a week or so to remind the House Members. Most of us who've done this kind of work before know that you have to keep at it. Persistence promotes persuasion.
I like your thinking Jerry. The fly in the ointment is "minority". Nationwide the MAGA movement is a minority. Maybe even in the Republican party as a whole. But in THIS House of Representatives, among the elected Republicans they are a majority. You may be able to get an alliance of minority Republicans and a majority of Democrats; but when it comes to renaming a Speaker of the House you'll be back where we were in January 2023. You will probably succeed in getting rid of McCarthy; but his replacement will be from even worse maggots. Think Gaetz, Jordan, or even Greene.
All members of the House vote for Speaker, not just Republicans. The fly in the ointment last January, when this also could have been done, is the Democrats voting as a bloc for Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker.
At the time, that made some sense since there was a new Democratic leadership team and the party needed to demonstrate its united support for them. That was then, this is now.
There are 435 members of the House of Representatives. Best guess is that about 40 are hard-core MAGA, and about 100 are allies. The 75-80 remaining Republicans are more or less moderate. Like the Democrats, they voted with their party on the first days of the new 118th Congress. Many represent swing districts, and some are personally contemptuous of the extremists who attack moderates as RINO's. There's also lingering resentment from senior Members who were passed over for plum committee assignments which were traded away by McCarthy in exchange for their votes (e.g., Jordan, Greene).
It's extremely unlikely that there would be 218 votes today for any of the radicals, especially Gaetz who even refused to vote for McCarthy in January. A bipartisan majority that has enough votes to pass a debt limit increase would also have enough votes to pass a motion to vacate and to elect a moderate Republican Speaker.
Frankly, the bigger problem may be getting Democrats on board, which is why we're contacting all the new and old Members of Democratic leadership as well as Republican moderates.
Agreed. Except for the number of maggots. I think it is closer to 140. But you are still correct. If you could get the Republicans to agree on a non-maggot, a person of reasonable intellect and IF the maggots would also agree on that person, and Hakeem Jeffries rallied the Democrats to support this person. that would be great. but there's still that big IF. (:-)
We don't need the MAGA's to agree. A bipartisan majority needs only 218 votes total out of 435. The whole point of replacing McCarthy is to marginalize the MAGA faction.
What we can do to influence the mainstream media is use our voices to introduce a fresh idea into the national narrative: Remove and Replace Speaker McCarthy.
Let me explain. It's clear that there will never be 218 Republican votes to raise the debt ceiling. Therefore, an alliance of mainstream Republicans and Democrats will have to form a bipartisan majority to do it. When that happens they should also use the power of their majority to remove McCarthy as Speaker via a motion to vacate the chair. Electing a new moderate Republican Speaker who owes nothing to the MAGA extremists would marginalize that obstructionist minority faction, and would likely prevent a government shutdown in the Fall as well.
How do we introduce this idea to the MSM? It's called citizen activism -- good old-fashioned personal contact in the form of phone calls, emails, letters-in-envelopes, social media, anything you can think of -- all directed at select writers, TV personalities, and Members of the House of Representatives.
I represent a network of ordinary citizens who have been opposed to Kevin McCarthy becoming Speaker since early last December, and we've been working to see him replaced ever since. We are urging both moderate Republicans and Democratic leaders to take this step. (Learn more at https://www.FeathersOfHope.net)
It's a big ask, so we need influential media personalities to devote a TV segment, or a newspaper column, or a Substack post to the subject in order to build public support. Politicians want to know that voters have their backs before they do something so bold.
I've personally written to Dr. Reich 3 times asking that he devote a post on this site discussing this proposal. At https://www.FeathersOfHope.net you can find contact info for both media and 17 House Members we are trying to influence.
If you want to actually do something, not just talk about it, join us!
.
Dear Jerry,
I add your name to both Roberts and Heathers as a recipient of the “Nobel Peace of Mind Prize”.
I do not speak for others, but reading your very solid proposals both energize me and blow me away with dread. This is because at 77 and with Chronic Lyme I do not pretend to be an activist. In my heart but not in my body. I want to thank you again for the very real opportunities you are presenting to the American public to help guide them in becoming a use to our country.
You and they are our heroes. I hope our vision isn’t so blinded by dread that we can’t move forward. Every once in a lifetime just one conviction of a criminal helps us believe in our system. And I am talking about the “Cartels” of shameless , unaccountable , criminals who are spreading in so many directions in our society that even the DOJ or the Supreme Court hasn’t truly stood up for America or American citizens who want Change for a decent government.
I know this does not help in any way. But until we know how embedded this criminalization in all our societal structures is we cannot in truth go forward. Wearing out the citizenship works for those who need to have power by tyranny.
Thank you Jean.
Robert and Heather are both heroes of mine, as is Jessica Craven (ChopWoodCarryWater.substack.com) and Jay Kuo (statuskuo.substack.com). But I wouldn't begin to equate my efforts with theirs. They are royalty and I'm just a worker bee.
But I will repeat what I've often said before: "We are the activists who knock on doors, make phone calls, distribute literature, sit through endless meetings, march in the street, write letters, register voters, and also bring in the pizzas, mop the floors and turn out the lights at the end of the day. We are the blood that flows through the veins of our system of government, bringing oxygen to all who speak reverently of liberty and justice for all."
.
Done! Made the calls with the phone numbers you provided on your http://www.FeathersOfHope.net site.
Thanks for your support!
We also want to contact writers and broadcasters to get people talking about this proposal (especially RobertReich@substack.net who endorsed the idea in January). Also, we need to make follow-up calls in a week or so to remind the House Members. Most of us who've done this kind of work before know that you have to keep at it. Persistence promotes persuasion.
.
I like your thinking Jerry. The fly in the ointment is "minority". Nationwide the MAGA movement is a minority. Maybe even in the Republican party as a whole. But in THIS House of Representatives, among the elected Republicans they are a majority. You may be able to get an alliance of minority Republicans and a majority of Democrats; but when it comes to renaming a Speaker of the House you'll be back where we were in January 2023. You will probably succeed in getting rid of McCarthy; but his replacement will be from even worse maggots. Think Gaetz, Jordan, or even Greene.
All members of the House vote for Speaker, not just Republicans. The fly in the ointment last January, when this also could have been done, is the Democrats voting as a bloc for Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker.
At the time, that made some sense since there was a new Democratic leadership team and the party needed to demonstrate its united support for them. That was then, this is now.
There are 435 members of the House of Representatives. Best guess is that about 40 are hard-core MAGA, and about 100 are allies. The 75-80 remaining Republicans are more or less moderate. Like the Democrats, they voted with their party on the first days of the new 118th Congress. Many represent swing districts, and some are personally contemptuous of the extremists who attack moderates as RINO's. There's also lingering resentment from senior Members who were passed over for plum committee assignments which were traded away by McCarthy in exchange for their votes (e.g., Jordan, Greene).
It's extremely unlikely that there would be 218 votes today for any of the radicals, especially Gaetz who even refused to vote for McCarthy in January. A bipartisan majority that has enough votes to pass a debt limit increase would also have enough votes to pass a motion to vacate and to elect a moderate Republican Speaker.
Frankly, the bigger problem may be getting Democrats on board, which is why we're contacting all the new and old Members of Democratic leadership as well as Republican moderates.
.
Agreed. Except for the number of maggots. I think it is closer to 140. But you are still correct. If you could get the Republicans to agree on a non-maggot, a person of reasonable intellect and IF the maggots would also agree on that person, and Hakeem Jeffries rallied the Democrats to support this person. that would be great. but there's still that big IF. (:-)
We don't need the MAGA's to agree. A bipartisan majority needs only 218 votes total out of 435. The whole point of replacing McCarthy is to marginalize the MAGA faction.
.
That would be great.