skews13
Diamond Member
- Mar 18, 2017
- 10,738
- 14,371
- 2,415
That’s right—by mid-afternoon yesterday on Tuesday as the laddered CR approached roll call, the drafts had somehow been swapped around and in the one that got voted on, the funding calendar in the laddering had been switched out, with the two most critical GOP agency priorities—military funding and Border Patrol—both shifted over into Group 2 from Group 1 in the original Freedom Caucus draft. Meaning that to fund their priorities and make sure the troops get paid on time (the same leverage that led Kevin McCarthy to buckle in September), the GOP has been “zugzwanged” instead, forced to drop its austerity demands and concede full funding for the social service agencies they hate most by the Feb. 2 deadline. If they don’t, then it also means a shutdown for the military and delayed payments to troops—the scenario they feared most, and forcing them (if they really want to shut down and cut US social services agencies that much) to spread the pain to programs the Republican base also cares about. Around this same time, the Freedumb Caucus went on a frantic scramble and phones began ringing off the hook in the offices of Republican staffers, as apparently someone in the caucus did spot the change at the last minute.
A mole in Republican ranks?
But obviously, not enough as the votes were soon being counted. And most important—the change went right over Mike Johnson’s head, and he wound up introducing a laddered CR that did the total opposite of what he and the Freedumb Caucus had in mind. It’s not certain yet exactly what was going on in the halls of Congress at that point, but from the trickle so far, it seems that through a combination of clever distraction, flattery and Mike Johnson in general being an inattentive dumbass, he and House Leadership got tricked, had the wool completely pulled over their eyes and missed the critical switch in the laddering. Nor is it clear how the “Trojan horse draft”—from the Freedumb Caucus’ perspective, and what US conservative social media are calling it—wound up the one that made it to roll call in the first place yesterday late afternoon.
From the enraged frothing in the media and socials that our MAGA relatives (to our own dismay alas) pay attention to, there’s white-hot angry demands to uncover “the mole”, “the traitor”, “the Judas backstabber” (various names for whoever it is), apparently within the staff of one of the GOP members (possibly even a Freedumb Caucus member, to make the irony even more delicious) who slipped in the Trojan horse. And duped even Mike Johnson himself into undermining the highest priority of the House GOP this session, the very reason Moron Mike got chosen as Speaker to begin with. Although Johnson knew he needed the help of Democratic votes to get the laddered CR passed, the title of Joan’s diary isn’t quite accurate, as again it wasn’t in any way a good-faith olive branch from him to us, and there was absolutely no interest in saving his sorry ass and his (now likely doomed) political career.
Moron Mike Johnson went into roll call thinking he had Democrats over a barrel, and while he wanted our votes, he thought he was laying a perfect trap. Suckering us in (and using our apparent desperation to give in to political terrorism) to allow a short-term delay in a shutdown now, to shift the negotiating leverage decisively in the Republicans’ favor in January and February 2024, as pointed out above. He was apparently so arrogant and convinced he’d beaten us that he was horrified when the truth came out. At some point yesterday evening, Johnson was in a state of shock and horror when he realized what happened but by then it was too late—the votes had been counted and enough Republicans got duped with him, and the GOP has now lost all the leverage it had been counting on with the laddering scheme.
Watch out for those sharp elbows from McCarthy, Mikey boy.
A mole in Republican ranks?
But obviously, not enough as the votes were soon being counted. And most important—the change went right over Mike Johnson’s head, and he wound up introducing a laddered CR that did the total opposite of what he and the Freedumb Caucus had in mind. It’s not certain yet exactly what was going on in the halls of Congress at that point, but from the trickle so far, it seems that through a combination of clever distraction, flattery and Mike Johnson in general being an inattentive dumbass, he and House Leadership got tricked, had the wool completely pulled over their eyes and missed the critical switch in the laddering. Nor is it clear how the “Trojan horse draft”—from the Freedumb Caucus’ perspective, and what US conservative social media are calling it—wound up the one that made it to roll call in the first place yesterday late afternoon.
From the enraged frothing in the media and socials that our MAGA relatives (to our own dismay alas) pay attention to, there’s white-hot angry demands to uncover “the mole”, “the traitor”, “the Judas backstabber” (various names for whoever it is), apparently within the staff of one of the GOP members (possibly even a Freedumb Caucus member, to make the irony even more delicious) who slipped in the Trojan horse. And duped even Mike Johnson himself into undermining the highest priority of the House GOP this session, the very reason Moron Mike got chosen as Speaker to begin with. Although Johnson knew he needed the help of Democratic votes to get the laddered CR passed, the title of Joan’s diary isn’t quite accurate, as again it wasn’t in any way a good-faith olive branch from him to us, and there was absolutely no interest in saving his sorry ass and his (now likely doomed) political career.
Moron Mike Johnson went into roll call thinking he had Democrats over a barrel, and while he wanted our votes, he thought he was laying a perfect trap. Suckering us in (and using our apparent desperation to give in to political terrorism) to allow a short-term delay in a shutdown now, to shift the negotiating leverage decisively in the Republicans’ favor in January and February 2024, as pointed out above. He was apparently so arrogant and convinced he’d beaten us that he was horrified when the truth came out. At some point yesterday evening, Johnson was in a state of shock and horror when he realized what happened but by then it was too late—the votes had been counted and enough Republicans got duped with him, and the GOP has now lost all the leverage it had been counting on with the laddering scheme.
Retracted
This story, originally titled “That "laddered CR"? A surprise switcheroo--Mike Johnson's GOP got played, lost EVERYTHING they wanted,” has been retracted due to misinformation arising from confusion regarding military construction and other Department...
www.dailykos.com
Watch out for those sharp elbows from McCarthy, Mikey boy.
