You Wanna Bet?

Courtesy Blue In Dallas
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Author: patd

“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked. "Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad." "How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice. "You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

61 thoughts on “You Wanna Bet?”

  1. lest we forget when counting the odds this profound observation:

    You can lead a man to Congress, but you can’t make him think.

    Milton Berle

  3. Jan 4, 2023

    Kevin McCarthy continued his quest to become Speaker of the House despite losing vote after vote, and residents of Oregon can now legally trip on mushrooms in a clinical setting.

  5. Speaking of Scarrimucci’s, he put out a tweet yesterday mocking McCarthy.  It was something like he is lasting no Scarrimucci’s.  If I come across it again I will copy it over.

  7. craig, with no rules they’ll now be able to carry on (so to speak) anything on the floor.

    speaking of rules & regs, here’s matt’s letter about the speakers ofc that colbert referred to

    Image

  8. anarchists like bannon must be loving this.  it’s what they’ve all been lusting for: chaos and complete breakdown of u.s. gov’t.  folks on the intel committees (or what once were committees) are fearful of what’s lurking out there taking advantage of the situation.   also is anyone (like staff, security, etc) being paid and how long can they last in expensive d.c. if they aren’t?

  9. perchance next we’ll be witnessing a gunfight at the not-so-okay corral aka house of reps?

  11. Alexandra. 

    Wow, this is embarrassing!

    No, not the once-in-a-century mess around electing a speaker of the House! Not the fact that, on Tuesday, after three ballots, none of which succeeded in putting Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in charge, the House had to adjourn speakerlessly. Not the fact that, again, failing to elect a speaker on the first vote has not happened since 1923! Not the fact that, if anything, the votes were trending furtherfrom McCarthy rather than closer to him when the House adjourned, and not the fact that a  fourth and fifth and sixth vote failed Wednesday!

    None of that is embarrassing at all! What’s embarrassing is that you were expecting anything else.

    Honestly, we are a little confused you are taking this so poorly. This is like electing a bunch of clowns to office and being disappointed when they put on a magnificent clown show for you. Here is precisely the clown show you ordered! You shouldn’t be ashamed. You should be applauding. It is like ordering a decorative salad made entirely from Legos and being mad that you can’t eat it. It is like voting for Lauren Boebert and then becoming upset that a legislature that contains her is not productively working for the American people.
    […]

    To those few of you who voted for a Republican in a swing district who made some wild claim about governing or enacting any piece of legislation, we say, “Whoops! Next time, look at the whole party you’re putting into power when you cast your vote! Because we have a QAnon caucus now!”

    Our party is always yelling that Washington is a broken, dysfunctional mess. What is embarrassing is that you thought we meant we were going to govern to change that. What is embarrassing is that you thought we were going to govern at all.

     A national treasure.

  12. Olbermann has the solution for Hakeem:
    https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-countdown-with-keith-olbe-99705496/

    OK, you guys. I got it. I got the solution to the Republican debacle over the endless Sisyphean votes for Speaker of the House. BEFORE Congress convenes at Noon, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries walks into Kevin McCarthy’s office and says “Kevin! Do you WANT to be Speaker? Do you REALLY want to be Speaker? I can MAKE you Speaker. Right now.” And he hands him a small index card which reads “212 DEMOCRATIC VOTES” and then he says…

  13. BiD, your instincts and opinion from last night is not “made up BS”. Economic Policy Institute. 

    Growth of CEO compensation during the pandemic (2019–2020). The dramatic increase in CEO compensation during the pandemic is remarkable. While millions were out of work, CEOs’ realized compensation jumped 18.9% in just one year. Typical worker compensation, of those who remained employed, did rise 3.9% over that year—and even that wage growth is overstated: Perversely, high job loss among low-wage workers skewed the average wage higher.

    Changes in the CEO-to-worker compensation ratio (1965–2020). Using the realized compensation measure, the CEO-to-worker compensation ratio was 21-to-1 in 1965. It peaked at 366-to-1 in 2000. In 2020 the ratio was 351-to-1. Most important, the ratio was far higher than at any point in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, or 1990s. Using the CEO granted compensation measure, the CEO-to-worker compensation ratio rose to 203-to-1 in 2020, significantly lower than its peak of 386-to-1 in 2000 but still many times higher than the 45-to-1 ratio of 1989 or the 15-to-1 ratio of 1965.

    […]

    Implications of the growth of CEO-to-top-0.1% compensation ratio. The fact that CEO compensation has grown far faster than the pay of the top 0.1% of wage earners indicates that CEO compensation growth does not simply reflect a competitive race for skills (the “market for talent”) that also increased the value of highly paid professionals: Rather, the growing pay differential between CEOs and top 0.1% earners suggests the growth of substantial economic rents (income not related to a corresponding growth of productivity) in CEO compensation. CEO compensation appears to reflect not greater productivity of executives but the power of CEOs to extract concessions. Consequently, if CEOs earned less or were taxed more, there would be no adverse impact on the economy’s output or on employment.
    […]

    But you knew that.

  14. Trying to put a timeline on when a hurt on America begins if the House is not in order.  Beginning of January, no problem, not much is happening.  End of January, committees meet each other.  Mid-February, a lot of breaks happening for Valentine’s Day.  March, just too nasty and cold to be in D.C. April, kite flying weather and maybe Easter break.  May and there are breaks for breaks.  All this time, during the weeks the House is in session they only “work” Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  June, the budget committees should meet and disagree about budgets. July and August nobody is in town. September, time to stamp a continuing budget together and send to the Senate. Off year elections so October and early November are obviously not a good time to be at the Capitol.  The end of year holidays are happening so sometime in early December sign off on another CR and go away.
     
    Yup. The House is in order.

  15. Growing income-inequality is one of the most ominous trends of this age, but to assert that the profit-motive is THE singular and primary driver of inflation is nonsense.  ‘A’ possible factor contributing to inflation among many other factors is a valid argument to have, but Jack’s designation of it as a “perfect storm” of many simultaneously occurring factors is much more accurate.  Not that accuracy is a popular contemporary concern
     
     

  16. if y’all are trying to start a movement to encourage the federal government to aggressively pursue enforcement of anti-trust statutes, you have my support %100, but if you hadn’t noticed, government is rather toothless in that regard, these days

    Your elected clay-foots called for oversight of crypto AFTER it collapsed, lol

  17. “Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.”
    –Robert Louis Stevenson

  18. The only way these issues can even BEGIN to be addressed is not just campaign finance reform, but a complete campaign finance OVERHAUL- no soft money, no dark money, highly-regulated PACs, etc., but that’s never going to  happen with the type of dysfunctional government that’s funded by the industries it’s supposed to regulate
     
    ok🤷‍♂️🇺🇸

    (Buenos dias, Señor Crab de Azul, btw 🎩)

  19. “Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.”
    George Carlin
    The House of Representatives, the Peoples House, they like to say. They like to think they are a bit above the average American but in reality they are very representative of all of us.
    That they should behave like the local neighborhood HOA should not be surprising.
    For better or worse they are us.
    Jack

  20. HA!  I know that some pundits say all this chaos is actually a dangerous thing…  but I can’t help but laugh at it all!
     
    Gotta zoom meeting in a few minutes that’ll probably last until noontime…  can’t wait to see what happens in congress then!

  21. Phrase of the Day:
    This is from one of my newsletters, Charlie Sykes, at the Bulwark.
    “Kevin McCarthy continues to self-geld, ”
    LOL
    Jack

  22. My own thoughts, 
    As the Republicans try to organize themselves, until they decide who will lead them. With Kevin McCarthy they have the perfect placeholder. The man seems to be able to stand there and take all kinds of shit-throwing abuse. He is rather amazing in that ability.
    Jack

  24. This is fun.  The ACA policy I chose because the government website (and the doctor’s office) said they would accept it, now the doctor’s office says they won’t accept it.  Single payer/fix this mess!

  27. Let’s hear it for President Biden.  Hold a presser just as the elects in the House are getting together to do it to McCarthy again.  I like it.

  30. Seen on the internet tubes

    How many McCarthys does it take to change a light bulb?
    Don’t know, he needs a House first.

  31. So last night McCarthy generally surrendered to the gang of 20 and what did it get him? Nothing. 
    Dead man walking
    Jack

  34. WaPo:

    On a third day of voting, 20Republicans remained unified in their opposition to McCarthy and sided with other candidates, denying McCarthy the speakership. One GOP member, Victoria Spartz (Ind.), voted present. Despite the defeat, Republicans claimed progress in winning over McCarthy opponents with promises of votes on their priorities, committee positions and other concessions.

    Numbers don’t lie – progress in negotiations is not being reflected in votes for McCarthy. That progress times (insert number here) yields the same result over and over and over and…

  35. Anything different in McCarthy’s 8th circle of hell? 
     
    Oh, and is there a tailor in DC who can repair worn out knees in a pair of men’s suit pants?  Asking for a friend.

  36. on the first day of voting our true gov gave to him

    a party shrug in a melee.

    on the second day of voting our true gov gave to him

    too curdled speeches and a party shrug in a melee.

    on the third day of voting our true gov gave to him

    three middle fingers, too curdled speeches and a party shrug in a melee.

  37. And it starts again – 8th tally – 433 votes – Jeffries 212, McCarthy 201, Donalds 17, Hearn 2, Dumbass 1.  Kilgore Trout would be proud.  process for the ninth circle of hell begins.  Texas Repub introducing and nominating McCarthy – rolling out a long stream of BS (about what they don’t believe and won’t be able to accomplish. And now Ted Liew for Hakeem, and now Montana for Donalds, and now Boebert for Hearn, and now … back down the rabbit hole.
    So will this be a 3 or 4 vote day?  That may be the only thing worth betting on.  

  40. Just arrived home a few minutes ago from a long delayed lunch with a friend.  Just over three years ago was the last time we met, dinner that evening.  She is my dog’s Dogmother.  It was fun catching up on life’s events; realizing both of us are more deaf than we were back then.  Restaurants are terrible noisy.  We needed to see and share desert with old friends. Unless something nasty comes back to disrupt lives I think we will be able to say “Hi” even more. 

  42. Sturg, gotta be 50%+1 of votes cast.  He’s getting just a scoche below 49% – 6 shy of 50+1 (a scoche above 49 in round 10 – apparently a couple of critters had to go to the potty and missed the vote)

  43. So Poobah, since the House will have to surpass the 9 votes it took to elect a speaker in 1923, what’s the next record to shoot for?
     
    And the tenth round begins.  I’m waiting for the hot food, warm bed motion to come up for a vote.  

  45. Ans CBS News answers the question posed:

    The race for House speaker race remains undecided as Republican leader Kevin McCarthy continued to fail to win a majority in the first nine rounds of voting, and now as it is set to enter a 10th round, it will have gone to more rounds than any other time in history. Only eight other times in U.S. history has it taken more than three rounds.
    According to the House of Representatives, there have been 127 speaker elections since 1789. In the modern era, a nominee needs a majority of the House members voting — 218 if all 435 are present — to become speaker. Members of Congress cannot be sworn in until there’s a speaker. 
    Prior to this week’s votes, 14 speaker elections required multiple ballots, with 13 of those occurring before the Civil War. The only time in the post-Civil War era was in 1923, when it took nine tries.
    Six of those 14 elections were decided on the second or third ballot, but others took more than that — with the longest election finally ending after nearly two months and 133 ballots.
    Here are the instances when the speaker vote required more than three ballots:

    [Compiled and arranged in ascending number of ballots by yours truly]

    John W. Bell, 10 ballots, 22nd Congress (1831)
    Robert M.T. Hunter, 11 ballots, 29th Congress (1845)
    Philip Pendleton Barbour, 12 ballots, 17th Congress (1821)
    John W. Taylor, 22 ballots, 16th Congress (1820)
    William Pennington, 44 ballots, 36th Congress (1859)
    Howell Cobb, 63 ballots, 31st Congress (1849)
    Nathaniel Banks, 133 ballots, 34th Congress (1855)

    So they’ll be tied with the 1831 race at the end of this ballot, but to get back beyond 1855 will be a very heavy lift – but they’re off to a good start.
     

  46. Maybe a contingent of Kev’s supporters should tell the GQP hardliners that they’re going to vote for Hakeem in the next round, if they don’t vote for Kevin.  
    Give the wingnuts the choice of a Dem or a Rep SOTH. 

    If there are any real Republican moderates out there, they could put an end to this mess by voting for Hakeem.

  48. Actually, I think something like that is Kev’s only chance.   It would be hilarious to see Bobblehead’s reaction.

  54. Seriously, it would be better to have Hakeem as SOTH than a weak one like Kev.  I do not want the “Taliban 20,” as they’re being called in the media, to be on a committee making rules.  

    They are dangerous and any Republican with a conscience should consider voting for Hakeem.

  55. Nuance – Courage – Critical Thinking 
    (I think I may have found someone else’s first three.)

  58. Adding to the fun is watching SFB literally being ignored, and in one case flipped off by the idiot from Colorado.  It must be a joy to watch the ketchup flying around.

  59. But BB, SFB got a vote. But it was Gaetz, right?  Talk about being damned with faint praise. That beats “You’re likable enough, Hillary” which, as much as it pissed me off at the time, was a classic damning with faint praise comment IMHO. 

  60. https://www.nbcdfw.com/investigations/against-all-enemies-how-to-watch-nbc-5-investigates-new-streaming-series/3162233/

    “Former Oath Keeper Has Trained Texas Law Enforcement From More Than 80 Departments”

    “New NBC 5 streaming series “Against All Enemies” reveals how a law enforcement movement claiming sheriffs are more powerful than the FBI and the president has mushroomed in Texas.”

    “An NBC 5 investigation reveals a former leader of the far-right Oath Keepers has been able to attract Texas sheriffs and police officers from more than 80 law enforcement agencies to training sessions held across the state.”

    “Mack, who founded the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA), maintains that the U.S. Constitution gives local law enforcement officers powers to block federal officials, and even powers to personally determine whether laws are constitutional.”

    If you want to have nightmares, this might do it. ps- I’m still available for adoption.

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