Take Johnson’s perceived strength and turn it against him. He claims to be a “family values“ man, but everything he does proves that he doesn’t value families - unless they have eight-figure bank accounts.
Everything that the MAGAlomaniacs in Congress fight for cuts into the economic solvency of 99% of American families.
And wouldn’t a #ConsistentChristian care for the welfare of a baby after it can actually cry? Shouldn’t pro-life include advocating for six weeks of paid maternity leave? The truth is, Johnson and other Republicans can’t because that would upset their corporate and billionaire donors.
He says just open the Bible and that’s his guide. What a joke! He is the opposite of the teachings of Christ in every way! We need to make sure we vote for Democrats and get rid of these hypocrites once and for all. Take back the House, keep the Senate and vote for Biden. Don’t allow these puppets to do everything Trump tells them from his cell.
Nov 1, 2023·edited Nov 1, 2023Liked by Robert Reich
The strategy of Mike Johnson, or rather his puppeteer Donald Trump, could not come at a worse time for the United States and the Ukraine. The cut of of funds for the IRS is abominable, but not fatal. It brings the U.S. back to before the Treasury received the additional funding. But the message that the U.S. will no longer support the Ukraine freedom fighters is a fatal mistake to any possibility of holding Soviet Union aggression at bay. Just to bring this to the floor of the House is a great victory for Putin and his designs on Ukraine and beyond. We can be assured that any gains made by Putin in Ukraine will be followed by a scorched earth policy in regards to human life and liberty and it will set him on a course to begin a war with NATO aligned countries with the possibility that U.S participation will be kneecapped by Trumps willing executioners.
There must be more we can do to stop this morally bankrupt incursion into American politics. Democratic lawmakers must stand firmly together against this radicalization of our Democracy. Surely there is more lawmakers can do to stop this minority from wielding this much power! Dems must unite and must be lead by courageous members of the Democratic caucus. We gotta get tough folks!
I'm not so sure Johnson is Trump's pawn. He seems more in bed with the Heritage Foundation. He is actually more dangerous than trump, because he doesn't carry the baggage trump has and he is marginally more intelligent. At the same time he has already shown he wants to destroy the 247 year old democratic Representative Republic we have enjoyed. What they want (Project 2025) is to return us to 16th or 17th Europe where a small group of exceedingly wealthy aristocrats ruled with iron fists a compliant, unimaginably poor, peasantry who did all the work so the aristocrats could retain their lavish lifestyle in luxurious peace.
There is no good answer here. My take is that the Democrats have to find 5 Republicans of good conscience who don't like what Mike Johnson is doing and team with them to vote for reasonable policies. If the Republicans don't split and vote away from Johnson's present rhetorical stance then nothing will happen in government until the next election. There is a sliver of hope that might come with elections next week, including Virginia. If the Republicans lose badly a few might realize the futility of following Johnson down the political drain and join the Democrats to pass what we who read Robert Reich would consider moderate proposals. This is but a sliver because I see the Republicans marching a collective path to self-immolation, taking the country with them.
* Implement an in-depth educational program for the whole nation - Facebook Ads, television ads, text messages and email sent to every Republican that earns less than $500K per year explaining how the Republican agenda will hurt them. Make this factual and verifiable, not just bs. This should include data and charts showing how defunding the IRS means less revenue for the government to spend on programs that help the people - and the overall economy. We have to make them understand the danger.
* Encourage every voter to write their representatives and senators and explain that we won't vote for them in the next election if they continue to pass laws that enrich the super wealthy at the expense of the common person.
* Explain how making the rich pay their fair share of the taxes helps everybody.
* Invoke the 14th Amendment everywhere possible.
* Overturn the 2010 Citizens United ruling that gives corporations the same rights as individuals to contribute as much as they want to political campaigns.
* Implement some kind of campaign reform that prohibits campaign contributions from non-individuals and limits all campaign contributions to some modest amount that the average person could afford. Giving rich people and corporations the ability to outspend us is putting all the power in the hands of the rich - they use their wealth to buy the politicians who will do their bidding.
* Make sure that as many democrats as possible vote - get buses to take them to polls, explain why their vote counts.
* I don't understand the Unitary Executive Theory that Daniel Solomon repeatedly advocates, but if it's possible, use it to stop the criminals from running the country.
* Make it illegal to lie to the public. Sure, free speech means we can express our opinions - but it shouldn't mean that we can anonymously spread lies throughout the world. When people express their opinion publicly they should have to state that it is their opinion and not fact.
* Require that every forum that allows public commentary (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) make their users prove that they are who they say they are and verify their addresses before letting them post.
* Make companies that talk about politics distinguish between news and speculation or opinion. If it's labeled as news then it has to be actual fact.
* Pass a law spelling out qualifications to run for office - minimum education and experience that elected officials need - just like corporations do when they are searching for employees. If we can't pass a law requiring sensible criteria, at least make our own list of job specifications and send it to the voters and tell them why these are necessary and which candidates do not meet the criteria we set.
* Bombard Christians with literature that explains the many ways in which the extreme right agenda is contrary to the teaching of Jesus Christ. Also explain how the well-known biblical statement "The love of money is the root of all evil" applies in a world where every governmental decision is based on how to make the decision-maker richer.
* Stop bombarding democrats with solicitations for contributions. I get on average 300 requests PER DAY asking for money to support some organization and I have no way to know which ones might actually do what they claim to be collecting the money for. Set up some system that democrats can use to verify the authenticity of any group and to find out what those groups do with the money. You might get more contributions if we knew which organizations we could trust.
Thank goodness we have a Democratic led Senate. As much as I detest Mike Johnson and his warped ideologies (a theocracy is ultimately what he’s after), I believe that he now becomes the true face of the GOP since he was UNANIMOUSLY voted in by the republicans in the house. Therefore, his batshit-crazy ideas, when and hopefully widely publicized to the public-at-large, will expose just how ludicrous it is to allow the GOP govern. He might very well represent the final blow to the GOP. I hope and pray, (although I’m agnostic) that he’ll go down like a lead balloon (or, shall we say, like a Led Zeppelin.)
Biden has already submitted, with bi-partisan leaders involved his budget requests. Let Mr Johnson continue to build his own hanging gallow(s) let's hope others right beside him.
The newest voters in 2024 will speak loud and clear
With the demand that IRS funding be cut to finance aid to Israel, the government of the United States is officially being held hostage by the MAGA GOP. I’m old enough to remember that we have a principle in America… that We Do Not Negotiate With Terrorists.
I hope President Biden makes this clear in his response to this demand … with Leader Schumer saying the same. And I hope ABC, CBS, NBC News et al accurately report this fact! The GOP must be made to pay a price for becoming a domestic terrorist organization!
Are we to let America move into obscurity due to a handful of dastardly Dan cartoon characters, at what point are these bad players simply removed from office for putting US in peril. The oath of office taken “I, _________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic;” well, it does seem the most imminent danger is holding office in our House.
According to The Lever, a news website, defunding the IRS would actually help Hamas. The IRS has a program, started under the Trump administration, to eliminate terrorist financing. Sen Ron Wyden is quoted as saying,
“Hamas depends on sham charities and other illicit finance schemes to fund its operations, but this proposal would cut resources to IRS criminal investigators who are actively helping American allies stop terrorist financing and sanctions evaders.”
So, the Republican House bill would effectively give to both Israel and Hamas. Republicans should consider our country's well-being, rather than accommodate the selfish whining of their billionaire bankrollers, who only want to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. Democrats need to make sure this destructive legislation never sees the light of day.
It seems that right wing fanatics all over the world love to justify the most morally bereft behavior based on documents written down centuries after the events occurred, that had been passed on orally, and were translated at least once. (As a former proofreader, I can attest to the fact that anything ever being accurately recorded twice in a row is a miracle in itself! 😊) The good old days of the past when (of course) their own particular race/religion/nation reigned supreme have somehow morphed into the creation of “divine prophecy” that justifies the most horrific of human behavior.
Can we please step back and look at the most simple and practical philosophy of treating others as we would like to be treated ourselves? We need to stop selling our souls to extremist cults of all kinds that happily harness our own dark sides to serve their despotic leaders’ insatiable drive for power.
Pay the damn bills. 14th Amendment, Sec. 4. And challenge Johnson‘s qualification to be in the House. Sec. 3.
Take Johnson’s perceived strength and turn it against him. He claims to be a “family values“ man, but everything he does proves that he doesn’t value families - unless they have eight-figure bank accounts.
Everything that the MAGAlomaniacs in Congress fight for cuts into the economic solvency of 99% of American families.
And wouldn’t a #ConsistentChristian care for the welfare of a baby after it can actually cry? Shouldn’t pro-life include advocating for six weeks of paid maternity leave? The truth is, Johnson and other Republicans can’t because that would upset their corporate and billionaire donors.
He says just open the Bible and that’s his guide. What a joke! He is the opposite of the teachings of Christ in every way! We need to make sure we vote for Democrats and get rid of these hypocrites once and for all. Take back the House, keep the Senate and vote for Biden. Don’t allow these puppets to do everything Trump tells them from his cell.
The strategy of Mike Johnson, or rather his puppeteer Donald Trump, could not come at a worse time for the United States and the Ukraine. The cut of of funds for the IRS is abominable, but not fatal. It brings the U.S. back to before the Treasury received the additional funding. But the message that the U.S. will no longer support the Ukraine freedom fighters is a fatal mistake to any possibility of holding Soviet Union aggression at bay. Just to bring this to the floor of the House is a great victory for Putin and his designs on Ukraine and beyond. We can be assured that any gains made by Putin in Ukraine will be followed by a scorched earth policy in regards to human life and liberty and it will set him on a course to begin a war with NATO aligned countries with the possibility that U.S participation will be kneecapped by Trumps willing executioners.
There must be more we can do to stop this morally bankrupt incursion into American politics. Democratic lawmakers must stand firmly together against this radicalization of our Democracy. Surely there is more lawmakers can do to stop this minority from wielding this much power! Dems must unite and must be lead by courageous members of the Democratic caucus. We gotta get tough folks!
I'm not so sure Johnson is Trump's pawn. He seems more in bed with the Heritage Foundation. He is actually more dangerous than trump, because he doesn't carry the baggage trump has and he is marginally more intelligent. At the same time he has already shown he wants to destroy the 247 year old democratic Representative Republic we have enjoyed. What they want (Project 2025) is to return us to 16th or 17th Europe where a small group of exceedingly wealthy aristocrats ruled with iron fists a compliant, unimaginably poor, peasantry who did all the work so the aristocrats could retain their lavish lifestyle in luxurious peace.
There is no good answer here. My take is that the Democrats have to find 5 Republicans of good conscience who don't like what Mike Johnson is doing and team with them to vote for reasonable policies. If the Republicans don't split and vote away from Johnson's present rhetorical stance then nothing will happen in government until the next election. There is a sliver of hope that might come with elections next week, including Virginia. If the Republicans lose badly a few might realize the futility of following Johnson down the political drain and join the Democrats to pass what we who read Robert Reich would consider moderate proposals. This is but a sliver because I see the Republicans marching a collective path to self-immolation, taking the country with them.
* Implement an in-depth educational program for the whole nation - Facebook Ads, television ads, text messages and email sent to every Republican that earns less than $500K per year explaining how the Republican agenda will hurt them. Make this factual and verifiable, not just bs. This should include data and charts showing how defunding the IRS means less revenue for the government to spend on programs that help the people - and the overall economy. We have to make them understand the danger.
* Encourage every voter to write their representatives and senators and explain that we won't vote for them in the next election if they continue to pass laws that enrich the super wealthy at the expense of the common person.
* Explain how making the rich pay their fair share of the taxes helps everybody.
* Invoke the 14th Amendment everywhere possible.
* Overturn the 2010 Citizens United ruling that gives corporations the same rights as individuals to contribute as much as they want to political campaigns.
* Implement some kind of campaign reform that prohibits campaign contributions from non-individuals and limits all campaign contributions to some modest amount that the average person could afford. Giving rich people and corporations the ability to outspend us is putting all the power in the hands of the rich - they use their wealth to buy the politicians who will do their bidding.
* Make sure that as many democrats as possible vote - get buses to take them to polls, explain why their vote counts.
* I don't understand the Unitary Executive Theory that Daniel Solomon repeatedly advocates, but if it's possible, use it to stop the criminals from running the country.
* Make it illegal to lie to the public. Sure, free speech means we can express our opinions - but it shouldn't mean that we can anonymously spread lies throughout the world. When people express their opinion publicly they should have to state that it is their opinion and not fact.
* Require that every forum that allows public commentary (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) make their users prove that they are who they say they are and verify their addresses before letting them post.
* Make companies that talk about politics distinguish between news and speculation or opinion. If it's labeled as news then it has to be actual fact.
* Pass a law spelling out qualifications to run for office - minimum education and experience that elected officials need - just like corporations do when they are searching for employees. If we can't pass a law requiring sensible criteria, at least make our own list of job specifications and send it to the voters and tell them why these are necessary and which candidates do not meet the criteria we set.
* Bombard Christians with literature that explains the many ways in which the extreme right agenda is contrary to the teaching of Jesus Christ. Also explain how the well-known biblical statement "The love of money is the root of all evil" applies in a world where every governmental decision is based on how to make the decision-maker richer.
* Stop bombarding democrats with solicitations for contributions. I get on average 300 requests PER DAY asking for money to support some organization and I have no way to know which ones might actually do what they claim to be collecting the money for. Set up some system that democrats can use to verify the authenticity of any group and to find out what those groups do with the money. You might get more contributions if we knew which organizations we could trust.
Thank goodness we have a Democratic led Senate. As much as I detest Mike Johnson and his warped ideologies (a theocracy is ultimately what he’s after), I believe that he now becomes the true face of the GOP since he was UNANIMOUSLY voted in by the republicans in the house. Therefore, his batshit-crazy ideas, when and hopefully widely publicized to the public-at-large, will expose just how ludicrous it is to allow the GOP govern. He might very well represent the final blow to the GOP. I hope and pray, (although I’m agnostic) that he’ll go down like a lead balloon (or, shall we say, like a Led Zeppelin.)
Biden has already submitted, with bi-partisan leaders involved his budget requests. Let Mr Johnson continue to build his own hanging gallow(s) let's hope others right beside him.
The newest voters in 2024 will speak loud and clear
It’s confounding. Every Congress Member should have a proportional cut in their budget, and their own personal salaries and benefits.
HCR NEWSLETTER-Steven Brant
Writes Imagining A Wiser Way Forward
Oct 30
With the demand that IRS funding be cut to finance aid to Israel, the government of the United States is officially being held hostage by the MAGA GOP. I’m old enough to remember that we have a principle in America… that We Do Not Negotiate With Terrorists.
I hope President Biden makes this clear in his response to this demand … with Leader Schumer saying the same. And I hope ABC, CBS, NBC News et al accurately report this fact! The GOP must be made to pay a price for becoming a domestic terrorist organization!
Being Trumpets 🎺 choice of a disgrace president that wants to destroy the country of America is a sad commentary on our political class .
Mike Johnson clearly a dangerous politician someone that wants to introduce a religious litmus for Congressional candidates
This is the kind idiotic political stunt that will destroy the country and throw the USA into the backwaters of history.
This is a coup for Vladimir Putin, the new Hitler of Central Europe.
How Low can we go ???
💵💴💰
Are we to let America move into obscurity due to a handful of dastardly Dan cartoon characters, at what point are these bad players simply removed from office for putting US in peril. The oath of office taken “I, _________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic;” well, it does seem the most imminent danger is holding office in our House.
According to The Lever, a news website, defunding the IRS would actually help Hamas. The IRS has a program, started under the Trump administration, to eliminate terrorist financing. Sen Ron Wyden is quoted as saying,
“Hamas depends on sham charities and other illicit finance schemes to fund its operations, but this proposal would cut resources to IRS criminal investigators who are actively helping American allies stop terrorist financing and sanctions evaders.”
The IRS website describes its program to go after illicit charities and cryptocurrency schemes that funnel money to terrorist organizations, including Hamas: https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/irs-criminal-investigation-trains-representatives-from-6-gulf-countries-on-how-to-combat-terrorism-financing
So, the Republican House bill would effectively give to both Israel and Hamas. Republicans should consider our country's well-being, rather than accommodate the selfish whining of their billionaire bankrollers, who only want to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. Democrats need to make sure this destructive legislation never sees the light of day.
It seems that right wing fanatics all over the world love to justify the most morally bereft behavior based on documents written down centuries after the events occurred, that had been passed on orally, and were translated at least once. (As a former proofreader, I can attest to the fact that anything ever being accurately recorded twice in a row is a miracle in itself! 😊) The good old days of the past when (of course) their own particular race/religion/nation reigned supreme have somehow morphed into the creation of “divine prophecy” that justifies the most horrific of human behavior.
Can we please step back and look at the most simple and practical philosophy of treating others as we would like to be treated ourselves? We need to stop selling our souls to extremist cults of all kinds that happily harness our own dark sides to serve their despotic leaders’ insatiable drive for power.