House Speaker election/circus/all ages carnival - ongoing coverage

[Fanatical Meat]

maybe it goes to Mother.

God dammit you beat me.
I was going to say Mommy

 

[APU_Fusion]

Is he paid his salary in cash?

He was paid in gay-away bitcoins through the charitable trust of Putinica via Bermuda coconut futures based on the many translated Old Testament instructions detailing the many ways to stone the nuts to death

 

[Brainonska511]

I don't agree - just two routes, the Northeast Corridor and the one up the coast of California account for half of all Amtrak riders. The entire rest of the country accounts for the rest. There might be some other routes that could be profitable on their own (ones between Chicago and neighboring cities come to mind) but basically all routes other than those two are unprofitable.

Rail thrives in densely populated areas and on trips that are relatively short (like a few hundred miles or less). Europe is densely populated and the distances are pretty short. The US, outside of a few areas, is relatively sparsely populated and the distances are long. I just don't see it beating cars for short trips or planes for long trips in most of the country.

I bet the NEC would really thrive if fares from it were no longer used to subsidize operations elsewhere as then ticket prices could go down.

I don't know why rail has to operate on a profitability standard, but roads and subsidized air routes don't. Why do you hold it to such a standard, when it really isn't warranted?

Plus, those Amtrak routes are connecting people with their regional population centers, and we can make the services better for all by increasing their frequency and on-time performance.

 

[fskimospy]

I don't know why rail has to operate on a profitability standard, but roads and subsidized air routes don't. Why do you hold it to such a standard, when it really isn't warranted?

Plus, those Amtrak routes are connecting people with their regional population centers, and we can make the services better for all by increasing their frequency and on-time performance.

I’m not saying it does, just that I think rail’s strengths aren’t played to in low density or long routes - there are better transit options.

 

[Moonbeam]

The whole country needs to be cross crossed with 1000mph pneumatic tubes.

 

[Moonbeam]

Unicorns are the hand me down verbal records passed from our ancient ancestors. It entered my family lexicon from an uncle of mine who saw one of the last of them 39,000 years ago. Today it is called Elasmotherium sybiricum but what my uncle called it has been lost. Albinos covered in iron oxide dust were a wonder to behold, apparently, not unlike pink elephants. Speaking of which, where is my bottle of scotch? I just had it here a minute ago.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

God dammit you beat me.
I was going to say Mommy

-In all seriousness, I do wonder if this guy has one of those weird gigs where he gives all his money to a Church Inc. and they manage his finances and tell him what to do etc.

Would make way more sense than a couple earning $200K a year in Louisiana not having a bank account cause they're living paycheck to paycheck.

 

[alien42]

-In all seriousness, I do wonder if this guy has one of those weird gigs where he gives all his money to a Church Inc. and they manage his finances and tell him what to do etc.

Would make way more sense than a couple earning $200K a year in Louisiana not having a bank account cause they're living paycheck to paycheck.

well, we know he currently makes $174k a year as a Representative. what you are suggesting would be the most honest, but also the most bat shit crazy answer to this quandary.

 

[nakedfrog]

It wouldn't be the most surprising thing if his kink was financial domination, I suppose.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

-In all seriousness, I do wonder if this guy has one of those weird gigs where he gives all his money to a Church Inc. and they manage his finances and tell him what to do etc.

Would make way more sense than a couple earning $200K a year in Louisiana not having a bank account cause they're living paycheck to paycheck.

No I am thinking it’s more like a Mike the Cuck Pence thing. His wife (Mommy) takes care of all the household things which includes the money.

 

[JEDI]

Johnson faces the same unpalatable choices as McCarthy​

Israel aid drama is the latest failure of American governance | CNN Politics

lite.cnn.com

His decision to include IRS offsets also makes clear that like his ousted predecessor Kevin McCarthy, the Louisiana Republican cannot guarantee a functioning GOP majority without making concessions to its most hardline members.

Also the scheduled Israel aid vote this Thurs looks like it going to slip.


I still don't know what concessions he gave on top of what McCarthy promised.
Any one?

And popcorn not going to waste given the House turmoil on his 1st bill as Speaker

 

[Steltek]

Johnson faces the same unpalatable choices as McCarthy​

Israel aid drama is the latest failure of American governance | CNN Politics

lite.cnn.com

His decision to include IRS offsets also makes clear that like his ousted predecessor Kevin McCarthy, the Louisiana Republican cannot guarantee a functioning GOP majority without making concessions to its most hardline members.

Also the scheduled Israel aid vote this Thurs looks like it going to slip.


I still don't know what concessions he gave on top of what McCarthy promised.
Any one?

And popcorn not going to waste given the House turmoil on his 1st bill as Speaker

He is one of the hardliners (even if he is trying desperately to hide it now), so it isn't so much making concessions as it is simply agreeing to continue doing business as usual for the right side wingnut caucus.

Honestly, I'm just waiting for him to start pulling out the really moronic stuff now. After all, most religious nuts have no shame and are impossible to embarrass as they are too caught up in their insanity to care.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

well, we know he currently makes $174k a year as a Representative. what you are suggesting would be the most honest, but also the most bat shit crazy answer to this quandary.

I mean, can you even pay federal/state taxes with cash? Or are we expecting that he buys money orders from Walmart and mails them out?

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

He would have people for that. CPA or such. He wouldn't dirty his hands with such menial tasks.

Maybe servants?

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Has anybody looked for an OnlyFans page for the Missus?

Just curious.

 

[Zorba]

I’m not saying it does, just that I think rail’s strengths aren’t played to in low density or long routes - there are better transit options.

Right before COVID hit a company launched first class coach bus service from OKC to Dallas. I think it was pretty popular, but died with COVID. I could see that replacing some of the train routes.

I agree with you that we should make train service really good where it makes sense, but we should still be working on alternatives to cars elsewhere, such as higher end bus travel.

Regardless, blocking train funding isn't the way to do it.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

The big problem with trains is the roads. Too many cross rail tracks. Those crossings are often uneven, poorly controlled and subject to numerous problems. Funding could help convert some/many to elevated crossings which would improve the quality of the rail beds.

But there is still the maintenance to keep rails in place and that lies with the railroads, who don't take proper care. Funding won't change that behavior without serious new regulation. And THAT is a word neither the 'Pubs or rail titans want to consider.

 

[eelw]

Lol pandering to the hardliners!!!!! He’s holding back because he has to keep the less insane ones in line.

 

[eelw]

The only positive I can say about Johnson. He held his first press conference as speaker. He remained calm and civil. Unlike the still spineless but former speaker would get all testy to the reporters. But I give it 2 months before he gets angry with the media.

 

[K1052]

I did not think this could get any dumber but here we are.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1720087811427299813

 

[K1052]

The only positive I can say about Johnson. He held his first press conference as speaker. He remained calm and civil. Unlike the still spineless but former speaker would get all testy to the reporters. But I give it 2 months before he gets angry with the media.

I assume he has some method of calming himself mentally like picturing the audience in their underwear except for him it's probably something like imagining homosexuals getting sent to the electric chair.

 

[fskimospy]

I did not think this could get any dumber but here we are.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1720087811427299813

Fun to see how all Republican efforts are centered around trying to shift blame away from themselves as opposed to, you know, actually solving a problem.

 

[Fenixgoon]

I did not think this could get any dumber but here we are.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1720087811427299813

I was going to say, this sounds even worse than a blanket shutdown

 

[fskimospy]

I was going to say, this sounds even worse than a blanket shutdown

Seems designed so that if part X of the shutdown is unpopular they can claim they voted to fund that and so it's really the Democrats' fault.

I don't think that will be very effective and they would be better off doing their jobs instead of acting like children, but here we are.

 

[akugami]

I mean, can you even pay federal/state taxes with cash? Or are we expecting that he buys money orders from Walmart and mails them out?

Possible in a way, through a tax accountant or tax preparer as a proxy. If your tax preparer has power of attorney in regards to your tax issues, and makes the payment for you. You can pay the tax preparer cash, and they can remit payment electronically or using a check.