Shame on the majority Republican Congress which has, with only several notable exceptions, failed to fulfill their function as a check and balance, to address needs of Americans and to halt the rampant, illegal acts of this criminal administration, which is destroying our government and our alliances.
History will remember. Americans will remember, when we escape the clutches of this dictatorship, justice will prevail.
Just out of interest, which ‘notable exceptions’ are you referring to? I can’t think of any republicans who have consistently displayed integrity. Massie is stepping up on epstein but that’s about it — and he still votes for all the other abhorrent magat corruption.
There are no courageous republicans. They are, to a member, the worst most disgusting pieces of shite.
A few others joined in initial signing of the Epstein discharge (which happened to be useful for them with their base constituents) and I’m glad they did. Otherwise, they have odious records.
( Bacon (NE) speaks out, but isn’t running in 2026.)
Plus, while somewhat off-putting, maggots serve many useful purposes. They consume rotting corpses, for example. It seems that MAGATS prefer simply to leave their corpses putrefying by the side of the road.
Cathleen, yep, those Repubs do have to face the MAGAs even though there are not quite as many as before Trump took office again. I still can't see what those MAGAs are hoping to get with their ignorance, hatreds, and support of people who despise them intensely. Do they like being used? Maybe being used is an acceptable position in life for them. It makes no sense, but supporting a total jerk like Trump is also impossible for me to comprehend; he had nothing to offer anyone but super rich mostly white men and none of his true MAGAs are rich. Maybe they think they should be and should be grateful to dum dum Donnie in case they become rich. That is childish thinking. Maybe the spoiled toddler movement that has overwhelmed Washington, DC, has also spread like a virus to the hinterland and bamboozled people who should know better but would rather not do better.
The best that we can do is to spread the word to everyone who is on the fence and waiting for a miracle. We all must persue with our voices letters, knocking on doors, telling others that if we don’t impeach trump and his gang this coming year at the midterms we won’t have another chance. We have to get the majority in the house and senate to move forward with impeachment.
I could not agree more. Republicans in general have been on my "shite" list for a long time. Climate denial and trickle-down economics being two of the major crimes against the American people (and humanity in general) they are all guilty of. There are more. However, with the scourge of Trump 2.0 and the project 2025 cabal, we are going to have to be bedfellows with people we don't like. AFter all, later in WW2, we allied with Russia to defeat Hitler and Hirohito.
The most incredible part of all this, to me, is that Marjorie Taylor Greene appears to be the most grounded of ALL the republicans. And, that's not to give her a pass on any of the issues where she's "stood out" since she joined the Congress. May God help us over these next three years. (Trump will simply keep pushing boundaries until he is stopped via impeachment - if there are elections in 2026 - or by his term coming to an end)
Things like impeachment only work to solve problems if those charged with oversight actually do it. Refusing to convict the orange menace for inciting the January 6 insurrection is gross contempt for the country and the Constitution. Then there is the corrupt Supreme Court.
I can't stand her - but at last she found the nerve to stand up to Trump. I wish instead of leaving she would stay and convince others and keep speaking out.
I hate to see her leave. Everyone standing up to him is either leaving their post or refusing to run for reelection. That is so disturbing that such an idiot with no real plan that he can articulate, has that much power over folks who have so much more brain power than him.
Personally I'm happy to see Green and others leave. Incumbents are historically very difficult to defeat. Every vacant R seat provides an additional opportunity to convert a seat from R to D and we absolutely need to take back the House and if at all possible the Senate too. It's still going to be difficult given the length and depth of the GOP interference that is likely in the next election but these vacancies help. I am holding out hope for a 6-7 seat swing in the House (which would give Dems a 3-4 seat majority) and a 4 seat swing in the Senate which would give us a very thin 1 seat majority, not enough to pass much legislation let alone override a Trump veto but still enough to keep the GOP troublemakers in check at least somewhat.
lauriemcf, the problem for Greene is that she has used up her personal allotment of courage and almost integrity. I am not sure where she found her reserves, but they will run out soon, so it is probably good that she is leaving after her taxpayer paid pension is in place for the rest of her life.
Quit pinning your hopes on impeachment. It's only effective if the Senate convicts in the trial phase, with at least 60 votes, which would then result in removal from office. And. That. Ain't. Happ'nin' -- even if the Democrats should regain the majority in a future election.
Indeed... it's actually worse, conviction in the Senate requires 2/3 vote which is 67 votes (not 60). Despite the dewy eyed idealists here (and i love you guys!) there is no way even if there is a Democratic landslide that we will get a 67 seat majority needed to convict in an impeachment. We will be very lucky to get a 1 seat majority in the Senate.
Peach Blossom, conviction requires 67 votes in the Senate or 2/3 of the senators present and voting. That is clearly an almost impossible number to get. Mitch McConnell protected his Donnie by encouraging Repubs to vote "no" when afterwards, he stated that Trump was guilty and that the courts should take care of him, which meant nothing would happen to stop his Baby Donnie, and he was right, so Trump could not blame him, which he thought would let him off the hook as far as history goes. I think he was wrong on that one because historians often identify instances of hypocrisy like this one.
...or the benediction of his passing; (a big sigh was heard in the land). Then would Miller's unfiltered Nazi vitriol and Vance's White ideal stand naked before the country, followed with a GOP rush to retirement rather than to face the ignominy of defeat.
And, as for those who are "retiring" - how I wish that instead they had the courage and the integrity to stay and speak up and vote against Trump's evil agenda.
It appears that Congress has very little authority to force the compliance of a DOJ that controls the mechanics of the ENFORCEMENT of laws that the DOJ itself is breaking. Al Capone giggles at the suggestion that he might order his own knees to be capped
“Inherent contempt“ has been described as ‘unseemly,’ cumbersome, time-consuming, and relatively ineffective, especially for a modern Congress with a heavy legislative workload that would be interrupted by a trial at the bar.”
Since this Congress has accomplished virtually nothing of a legislative purpose, I cannot imagine how this would be an obstacle.
Absolutely right! I wonder if there's ever been a legislature that has accomplished less. And in another month, we'll no doubt see them kick the can down the road with another CR...And there will still be no resolution of the ACA tax credits. If Trump can spend $4 trillion to give tax breaks to the rich and corporations, they can surely cut that back to $3 trillion and give the tax subsidies that so many will be absolutely lost without. $1 trillion would no doubt fund tax credits for years to come. Consider people undergoing chemo and radiation for cancer treatment... pay the sky high cost of insurance and decide which other household item goes lacking, such as mortgage, food... I think as soon as the year begins and constituents recognize what their representatives have gotten them into, there will be some accountability but I wonder how many will die because they can't afford insurance and therefore wait until it's too late to have necessary screenings, for example. My heart breaks for them.
Meanwhile the Supreme Court has been aiding and abetting the White (Christo-Nationalist) House power grab to castrate Congress, not that there were any Republican balls there to begin with. So much for the Roberts Cabal "originalism," meaning the Founders were actually crypto-monarchists, who knew?
It may be cumbersome, unseemly, etc, but it would be a needed wakeup call for Bondi. I think more than the fines, the possibility of her losing her license to practice law, would be a huge wake up call. (Or so I would hope.) But from everything I've read about her, I think she went back for rump's kool-aid, too many times. Maybe bringing her up on contempt charges will be a wakeup call for others.
This needs to happen for so many reasons. These Representatives have started this battle with Bondi and Patel who should be held accountable. This entire rotten regime will continue to delay and steamroll over the rule of law until someone forces them to stop.
Bondi and Patel started this battle by placing themselves above accountability and what in the time of the pre-Roberts' Supreme Cult was recognized and respected as "rule of law."
I will be pleasantly surprised if the "someone" who "forces them to stop" comes out of this Congress. The "Representatives" are products of a system in which two parties have pressured their faithful not to hold their own elected accountable, no matter how corrupt.
The elected of BOTH parties in this Congress funded an ICE federal police larger than the armies of most nations and larger than the USMC to create the weapon now being used by Bondi and Patel to form a police state—a military force now occupying our cities, neighborhoods, and homes that the Constitution forbade the existing federal military to do. So the "Representatives" created their own occupying army without calling it an army..
Does anyone seriously believe that members of one of these two parties did not realize what they were creating, who they were handing this to, and upon whom it was going to be unleashed? ICE is doing EXACTLY what these "Representatives" funded it to do.
Yes - the Democrats are just as stupidly, abhorrently guilty of being enablers of the fascist state. All of it should be dismantled - all the crap built since 9-11 - DHS, TSA, ICE - the lot.
Finger-pointing and snarky speeches are not governance, but that seems to be what these parties DO to distract from their NOT having the courage to do what citizens recognize desperately needs to be done.
It does make one wonder. I find it hard to understand why the Dems are not using this crisis to begin work on a better set of legislative proposals that will serve to correct many of the identified flaws in the various policies. Folks need to understand that the next Congress (if it is free of MAGA) will have to reconstruct many of the agencies severely damaged or destroyed. I'm personally not too keen on hearing leadership (Pelosi in this case) basically saying "vote for the Bill now. You can read it later on your own." Dems have an opportunity here that will be wasted if they wait until after the 26 elections. There are changes that can be made to various policies that guide federal programs. Democrat representatives in Congress should identify them now, get the public support, and make the changes part of the reconstruction rather than waste even more time.
You are greatly overstating the power of a 2027 Congress. Unless some miracle occurs the BEST the Dems can hope for is very small majorities in both the House and Senate (and that is not a slam dunk by any means).
That means any veto by Trump will most likely hold since 2/3 of BOTH houses are required to overturn a veto.
So don't expect the 2027 Congress, even if the Dems win both, to be able to run roughshod over Trump. At best we will have another two years of stalemate, but given the alternative that's still something we should fight for
To clarify, I expect nothing from the 2027 Congress. What I would like to see is an honest, expansive review of the policies and programs that were curtailed or cancelled by Trump's administration, before they are reinstated by a future Congress. I simply suggest Dems look for opportunities to identify/improve/repair the known flaws in those policies/programs now rather than after. It would save time and, hopefully, regain some measure of trust from the public.
See a recent note from the editor of the Intercept noting how self-censorship was a major factor in the 2025 collapse of American Journalism.
"American journalism didn’t just decline in 2025; it collapsed.
As the year comes to a close, I feel it’s important to reflect on the state of journalism in this country ….
I want to reflect on two broad themes from 2025:
First, self-censorship prevailed. Donald Trump’s threats of retribution caused many corporate media outlets to preemptively fold.
Think back to how many news organizations went so far as to write checks to Trump’s personal bank account, and consider the ramifications of that total surrender for their news coverage.
Or look at CBS News. The network gutted “60 Minutes,” appointed a conservative think tank executive as its ombudsman, and installed Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief — a complete capitulation that has left a major broadcast network a shell of what it once was.
Self-censorship is impossible to fully measure, and that’s exactly what makes it so insidious. There are some things we can count: the journalists fired, the programs axed. What we can’t count are the stories that never get written, the headlines drained of their punch, the investigations abandoned. That damage is unmeasurable...."
It seems that our parties are self-censoring discussions of what I call "governance" and you refer to as "legislative proposals." Just as media fears the retribution of wealthy ruling class owners, our elected representatives fear retribution of their Party's donors and benefactors. So, they engage in discussions that are safe from costing the ruling class a dime, and every need from health care to ending undeclared wars and support for genocide does exactly that. The parties are bribed to NOT legislate. Finger-pointing at the other party or raging at Epstein sexcapades is safe, but when the role of Epstein in Middle East policy and interaction with Israel is uncovered by Independent investigative journalists at Drop Site News, the corporate mainstream media self-censors all discussions. The NYT even tries to cover it up. So do the two parties for fear of losing PAC money and being labeled as "antisemitic."
I once wrote a column for a higher education publication and one entry had a title that included "Courage Isn't Taught in College..." I note a parallel: "Courage isn't practiced in Congress...."
Indeed. As SCOTUS emphasized in Watkins v. United States in 1957, “[t]he public is, of course, entitled to be informed concerning the workings of its government.” “Congress” clearly has “the power” to “inquire into and publicize corruption, maladministration or inefficiency in agencies of the Government.” “That was” literally “the only kind of activity described by Woodrow Wilson in Congressional Government when he wrote: ‘The informing function of Congress should be preferred even to its legislative function.’ ” “From the earliest times in its history, the Congress has assiduously performed an ‘informing function’ of this nature.”
As Justice Blackmun re-emphasized in a concurring opinion in Nixon v. Adm’r of Gen. Servs. in 1977, “Congress has a broad power ‘to inquire into and publicize corruption, maladministration or inefficiency in agencies of the Government.’ ”
Thomas Massie may seem the hero of the day regarding the Epstein files, but after a Wikipedia read, I’ve found him to be one hot mess of awful libertarian ideology.
Yes, he was *that* member of Congress who sent a Christmas card with the photo of his family holding semi-automatic weapons. He was the only member of Congress to vote against Iran sanctions, and he wasn’t quite sure Bashar Al-Assad was a bad guy after all. His legislative record goes against almost everything I support.
Is this one of those “my enemy’s enemy is my friend” scenarios? What a long strange trip this year has been.
Although, as Joyce said, the DOJ "can (and almost always does when the executive branch is concerned) decline to prosecute a criminal contempt," the federal law that governs criminal contempt proceedings (Rule 42 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure) provides a remedy when the DOJ helps obstruct justice:
"The court must request that the contempt be prosecuted by an attorney for the government, unless the interest of justice requires the appointment of another attorney. If the government declines the request, the court must appoint another attorney to prosecute the contempt."
IMO it's way past time to start playing hardball with this administration! There's too much corrupt money floating around there. While a $5000 per day fine sounds nice...a number of days in jail are far more likely to concentrate the mind of Pam Bondi and her little cadre of venal misfits. Lock her up.
This is going to be a battle, but one that will not only expose trump (…”this will hurt my friends!) and Bondi, the most corrupt AG of our time, but finally get justice for the long suffering victims.
Much as I dislike Massie, I have to give him credit for pursuing this issue like a bulldog and for reaching across the aisle to Ro Khanna to present a united Congressional front.
What heavy Congressional work load? The House has done very little besides argue/scream at each other and protect Trump. Yeah, that's a heavy load to carry ... morally.
Your last paragraph is interesting re: Inherent Contempt would take too much time (I am paraphrasing) and would interfere with Congress’s heavy legislative work load. Under Johnson, next to no work has been done. The Dems are blocked on every reasonable measure they have tried to advance. It is mind boggling and beyond infuriating. That SOB (among soooo many others) HAS TO GO.
Yes, she is inherently in contempt. Shame on her.
Shame on this administration.
Shame on the majority Republican Congress which has, with only several notable exceptions, failed to fulfill their function as a check and balance, to address needs of Americans and to halt the rampant, illegal acts of this criminal administration, which is destroying our government and our alliances.
History will remember. Americans will remember, when we escape the clutches of this dictatorship, justice will prevail.
Just out of interest, which ‘notable exceptions’ are you referring to? I can’t think of any republicans who have consistently displayed integrity. Massie is stepping up on epstein but that’s about it — and he still votes for all the other abhorrent magat corruption.
There are no courageous republicans. They are, to a member, the worst most disgusting pieces of shite.
Yes, Massie in this matter only. Point taken.
A few others joined in initial signing of the Epstein discharge (which happened to be useful for them with their base constituents) and I’m glad they did. Otherwise, they have odious records.
( Bacon (NE) speaks out, but isn’t running in 2026.)
Yep. Greedy opportunists, every one.
How did we lose against a 2nd rate soft spoken mafia wannabe con man whose only goal is money grab and destruction of anything good.
How did we lose? Two words: Joe Biden.
@Bill Katz - Not a Biden fan, but - it was not just him. It was his old school approach. Not a match for MAGA mania. Nov 2026 can adjust, I hope.
Bacon, even though he isn’t running again, it’s still cowardly. That’s what I don’t get, why I quit if you are still not going to be brave?
Because he has to go back to his home among MAGOTS
MAGATS please.
Maggots are a much better breed of creature. :-)
Jon, and maggots are important to the environment while MAGAs are important only to Trump and themselves.
Plus, while somewhat off-putting, maggots serve many useful purposes. They consume rotting corpses, for example. It seems that MAGATS prefer simply to leave their corpses putrefying by the side of the road.
as I said, it’s still cowardly
Cathleen, yep, those Repubs do have to face the MAGAs even though there are not quite as many as before Trump took office again. I still can't see what those MAGAs are hoping to get with their ignorance, hatreds, and support of people who despise them intensely. Do they like being used? Maybe being used is an acceptable position in life for them. It makes no sense, but supporting a total jerk like Trump is also impossible for me to comprehend; he had nothing to offer anyone but super rich mostly white men and none of his true MAGAs are rich. Maybe they think they should be and should be grateful to dum dum Donnie in case they become rich. That is childish thinking. Maybe the spoiled toddler movement that has overwhelmed Washington, DC, has also spread like a virus to the hinterland and bamboozled people who should know better but would rather not do better.
The best that we can do is to spread the word to everyone who is on the fence and waiting for a miracle. We all must persue with our voices letters, knocking on doors, telling others that if we don’t impeach trump and his gang this coming year at the midterms we won’t have another chance. We have to get the majority in the house and senate to move forward with impeachment.
And we must take the majority in the House - hopefully by a good margin - to save our democracy.
I could not agree more. Republicans in general have been on my "shite" list for a long time. Climate denial and trickle-down economics being two of the major crimes against the American people (and humanity in general) they are all guilty of. There are more. However, with the scourge of Trump 2.0 and the project 2025 cabal, we are going to have to be bedfellows with people we don't like. AFter all, later in WW2, we allied with Russia to defeat Hitler and Hirohito.
Along this line I recommend the book “Differ We Must - How Lincoln Succeeded In A Divided America,” by Steve Inniskeep.
A great read and a lesson for our age. Available in paperback.
The most incredible part of all this, to me, is that Marjorie Taylor Greene appears to be the most grounded of ALL the republicans. And, that's not to give her a pass on any of the issues where she's "stood out" since she joined the Congress. May God help us over these next three years. (Trump will simply keep pushing boundaries until he is stopped via impeachment - if there are elections in 2026 - or by his term coming to an end)
Things like impeachment only work to solve problems if those charged with oversight actually do it. Refusing to convict the orange menace for inciting the January 6 insurrection is gross contempt for the country and the Constitution. Then there is the corrupt Supreme Court.
I can't stand her - but at last she found the nerve to stand up to Trump. I wish instead of leaving she would stay and convince others and keep speaking out.
I hate to see her leave. Everyone standing up to him is either leaving their post or refusing to run for reelection. That is so disturbing that such an idiot with no real plan that he can articulate, has that much power over folks who have so much more brain power than him.
Personally I'm happy to see Green and others leave. Incumbents are historically very difficult to defeat. Every vacant R seat provides an additional opportunity to convert a seat from R to D and we absolutely need to take back the House and if at all possible the Senate too. It's still going to be difficult given the length and depth of the GOP interference that is likely in the next election but these vacancies help. I am holding out hope for a 6-7 seat swing in the House (which would give Dems a 3-4 seat majority) and a 4 seat swing in the Senate which would give us a very thin 1 seat majority, not enough to pass much legislation let alone override a Trump veto but still enough to keep the GOP troublemakers in check at least somewhat.
lauriemcf, the problem for Greene is that she has used up her personal allotment of courage and almost integrity. I am not sure where she found her reserves, but they will run out soon, so it is probably good that she is leaving after her taxpayer paid pension is in place for the rest of her life.
Quit pinning your hopes on impeachment. It's only effective if the Senate convicts in the trial phase, with at least 60 votes, which would then result in removal from office. And. That. Ain't. Happ'nin' -- even if the Democrats should regain the majority in a future election.
Indeed... it's actually worse, conviction in the Senate requires 2/3 vote which is 67 votes (not 60). Despite the dewy eyed idealists here (and i love you guys!) there is no way even if there is a Democratic landslide that we will get a 67 seat majority needed to convict in an impeachment. We will be very lucky to get a 1 seat majority in the Senate.
You're right . . . my bad!
Actually a conviction requires two thirds of the Senate to vote in favor, so 67.
Yes, as several people have already pointed out.
Ha! It’s tricky to keep track of all the responses in real time 😊
Peach Blossom, conviction requires 67 votes in the Senate or 2/3 of the senators present and voting. That is clearly an almost impossible number to get. Mitch McConnell protected his Donnie by encouraging Repubs to vote "no" when afterwards, he stated that Trump was guilty and that the courts should take care of him, which meant nothing would happen to stop his Baby Donnie, and he was right, so Trump could not blame him, which he thought would let him off the hook as far as history goes. I think he was wrong on that one because historians often identify instances of hypocrisy like this one.
67 votes or "two thirds of the members present."
...or the benediction of his passing; (a big sigh was heard in the land). Then would Miller's unfiltered Nazi vitriol and Vance's White ideal stand naked before the country, followed with a GOP rush to retirement rather than to face the ignominy of defeat.
And, as for those who are "retiring" - how I wish that instead they had the courage and the integrity to stay and speak up and vote against Trump's evil agenda.
lauriemcf, alas, that is asking far too much of people whose courage is limited and their integrity mostly out to lunch, permanently !
It appears that Congress has very little authority to force the compliance of a DOJ that controls the mechanics of the ENFORCEMENT of laws that the DOJ itself is breaking. Al Capone giggles at the suggestion that he might order his own knees to be capped
Well said.
Agreed that Bondi is inherently contemptible.
That is a bottom line requirement on the resume of any in this administration.
Thank you for clear explanation of complex situation.
“Inherent contempt“ has been described as ‘unseemly,’ cumbersome, time-consuming, and relatively ineffective, especially for a modern Congress with a heavy legislative workload that would be interrupted by a trial at the bar.”
Since this Congress has accomplished virtually nothing of a legislative purpose, I cannot imagine how this would be an obstacle.
Absolutely right! I wonder if there's ever been a legislature that has accomplished less. And in another month, we'll no doubt see them kick the can down the road with another CR...And there will still be no resolution of the ACA tax credits. If Trump can spend $4 trillion to give tax breaks to the rich and corporations, they can surely cut that back to $3 trillion and give the tax subsidies that so many will be absolutely lost without. $1 trillion would no doubt fund tax credits for years to come. Consider people undergoing chemo and radiation for cancer treatment... pay the sky high cost of insurance and decide which other household item goes lacking, such as mortgage, food... I think as soon as the year begins and constituents recognize what their representatives have gotten them into, there will be some accountability but I wonder how many will die because they can't afford insurance and therefore wait until it's too late to have necessary screenings, for example. My heart breaks for them.
Meanwhile the Supreme Court has been aiding and abetting the White (Christo-Nationalist) House power grab to castrate Congress, not that there were any Republican balls there to begin with. So much for the Roberts Cabal "originalism," meaning the Founders were actually crypto-monarchists, who knew?
I was having the same thought.
I just commented on that same sentence.
It may be cumbersome, unseemly, etc, but it would be a needed wakeup call for Bondi. I think more than the fines, the possibility of her losing her license to practice law, would be a huge wake up call. (Or so I would hope.) But from everything I've read about her, I think she went back for rump's kool-aid, too many times. Maybe bringing her up on contempt charges will be a wakeup call for others.
JUST gonna say the same thing. At least, they would have something important to work on
This needs to happen for so many reasons. These Representatives have started this battle with Bondi and Patel who should be held accountable. This entire rotten regime will continue to delay and steamroll over the rule of law until someone forces them to stop.
Bondi and Patel started this battle by placing themselves above accountability and what in the time of the pre-Roberts' Supreme Cult was recognized and respected as "rule of law."
I will be pleasantly surprised if the "someone" who "forces them to stop" comes out of this Congress. The "Representatives" are products of a system in which two parties have pressured their faithful not to hold their own elected accountable, no matter how corrupt.
The elected of BOTH parties in this Congress funded an ICE federal police larger than the armies of most nations and larger than the USMC to create the weapon now being used by Bondi and Patel to form a police state—a military force now occupying our cities, neighborhoods, and homes that the Constitution forbade the existing federal military to do. So the "Representatives" created their own occupying army without calling it an army..
Does anyone seriously believe that members of one of these two parties did not realize what they were creating, who they were handing this to, and upon whom it was going to be unleashed? ICE is doing EXACTLY what these "Representatives" funded it to do.
Yes - the Democrats are just as stupidly, abhorrently guilty of being enablers of the fascist state. All of it should be dismantled - all the crap built since 9-11 - DHS, TSA, ICE - the lot.
Finger-pointing and snarky speeches are not governance, but that seems to be what these parties DO to distract from their NOT having the courage to do what citizens recognize desperately needs to be done.
It does make one wonder. I find it hard to understand why the Dems are not using this crisis to begin work on a better set of legislative proposals that will serve to correct many of the identified flaws in the various policies. Folks need to understand that the next Congress (if it is free of MAGA) will have to reconstruct many of the agencies severely damaged or destroyed. I'm personally not too keen on hearing leadership (Pelosi in this case) basically saying "vote for the Bill now. You can read it later on your own." Dems have an opportunity here that will be wasted if they wait until after the 26 elections. There are changes that can be made to various policies that guide federal programs. Democrat representatives in Congress should identify them now, get the public support, and make the changes part of the reconstruction rather than waste even more time.
You are greatly overstating the power of a 2027 Congress. Unless some miracle occurs the BEST the Dems can hope for is very small majorities in both the House and Senate (and that is not a slam dunk by any means).
That means any veto by Trump will most likely hold since 2/3 of BOTH houses are required to overturn a veto.
So don't expect the 2027 Congress, even if the Dems win both, to be able to run roughshod over Trump. At best we will have another two years of stalemate, but given the alternative that's still something we should fight for
To clarify, I expect nothing from the 2027 Congress. What I would like to see is an honest, expansive review of the policies and programs that were curtailed or cancelled by Trump's administration, before they are reinstated by a future Congress. I simply suggest Dems look for opportunities to identify/improve/repair the known flaws in those policies/programs now rather than after. It would save time and, hopefully, regain some measure of trust from the public.
See a recent note from the editor of the Intercept noting how self-censorship was a major factor in the 2025 collapse of American Journalism.
"American journalism didn’t just decline in 2025; it collapsed.
As the year comes to a close, I feel it’s important to reflect on the state of journalism in this country ….
I want to reflect on two broad themes from 2025:
First, self-censorship prevailed. Donald Trump’s threats of retribution caused many corporate media outlets to preemptively fold.
Think back to how many news organizations went so far as to write checks to Trump’s personal bank account, and consider the ramifications of that total surrender for their news coverage.
Or look at CBS News. The network gutted “60 Minutes,” appointed a conservative think tank executive as its ombudsman, and installed Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief — a complete capitulation that has left a major broadcast network a shell of what it once was.
Self-censorship is impossible to fully measure, and that’s exactly what makes it so insidious. There are some things we can count: the journalists fired, the programs axed. What we can’t count are the stories that never get written, the headlines drained of their punch, the investigations abandoned. That damage is unmeasurable...."
It seems that our parties are self-censoring discussions of what I call "governance" and you refer to as "legislative proposals." Just as media fears the retribution of wealthy ruling class owners, our elected representatives fear retribution of their Party's donors and benefactors. So, they engage in discussions that are safe from costing the ruling class a dime, and every need from health care to ending undeclared wars and support for genocide does exactly that. The parties are bribed to NOT legislate. Finger-pointing at the other party or raging at Epstein sexcapades is safe, but when the role of Epstein in Middle East policy and interaction with Israel is uncovered by Independent investigative journalists at Drop Site News, the corporate mainstream media self-censors all discussions. The NYT even tries to cover it up. So do the two parties for fear of losing PAC money and being labeled as "antisemitic."
I once wrote a column for a higher education publication and one entry had a title that included "Courage Isn't Taught in College..." I note a parallel: "Courage isn't practiced in Congress...."
Ed Nuhfer. “Supreme Cult”. Bravissimo
Indeed. As SCOTUS emphasized in Watkins v. United States in 1957, “[t]he public is, of course, entitled to be informed concerning the workings of its government.” “Congress” clearly has “the power” to “inquire into and publicize corruption, maladministration or inefficiency in agencies of the Government.” “That was” literally “the only kind of activity described by Woodrow Wilson in Congressional Government when he wrote: ‘The informing function of Congress should be preferred even to its legislative function.’ ” “From the earliest times in its history, the Congress has assiduously performed an ‘informing function’ of this nature.”
As Justice Blackmun re-emphasized in a concurring opinion in Nixon v. Adm’r of Gen. Servs. in 1977, “Congress has a broad power ‘to inquire into and publicize corruption, maladministration or inefficiency in agencies of the Government.’ ”
Thomas Massie may seem the hero of the day regarding the Epstein files, but after a Wikipedia read, I’ve found him to be one hot mess of awful libertarian ideology.
Yes, he was *that* member of Congress who sent a Christmas card with the photo of his family holding semi-automatic weapons. He was the only member of Congress to vote against Iran sanctions, and he wasn’t quite sure Bashar Al-Assad was a bad guy after all. His legislative record goes against almost everything I support.
Is this one of those “my enemy’s enemy is my friend” scenarios? What a long strange trip this year has been.
Thomas Massie is the reason we have aphorisms like “Politics make for strange bedfellows.”
Yeah we're all getting f...'d
Yeah Massie and MTG, two real "peaches" in this godawful pudding. Ugh. But even Lincoln understood that you can't always get what you want.
If I remember correctly, Boebert also had a Christmas card with her kids holding assault rifles and long guns. There were several others.
Birds of a feather
Thank you Joyce it’s uplifting to learn from you and why do Both Congress reps not put forth
Inherent Contempt.
The DOJ has not complied with the law. Where is the first step toward upholding the law ?
Although, as Joyce said, the DOJ "can (and almost always does when the executive branch is concerned) decline to prosecute a criminal contempt," the federal law that governs criminal contempt proceedings (Rule 42 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure) provides a remedy when the DOJ helps obstruct justice:
"The court must request that the contempt be prosecuted by an attorney for the government, unless the interest of justice requires the appointment of another attorney. If the government declines the request, the court must appoint another attorney to prosecute the contempt."
That would be interesting!
IMO it's way past time to start playing hardball with this administration! There's too much corrupt money floating around there. While a $5000 per day fine sounds nice...a number of days in jail are far more likely to concentrate the mind of Pam Bondi and her little cadre of venal misfits. Lock her up.
This is going to be a battle, but one that will not only expose trump (…”this will hurt my friends!) and Bondi, the most corrupt AG of our time, but finally get justice for the long suffering victims.
Much as I dislike Massie, I have to give him credit for pursuing this issue like a bulldog and for reaching across the aisle to Ro Khanna to present a united Congressional front.
What heavy Congressional work load? The House has done very little besides argue/scream at each other and protect Trump. Yeah, that's a heavy load to carry ... morally.
It’s definitely worth a shot.
*”few” should be “fine”…?
Yes, thanks for making the considerations of this course clear!
Thanks, I didn’t get it.
Thank you, Professor Vance.
Well, for what it is worth, this citizen holds the entire administration in the HIGHEST contempt.. so, that is my vote.
Yep! I'm with you James! What more evidence do we need?!?!? They all need to be gone!!!! ASAP!!
Your last paragraph is interesting re: Inherent Contempt would take too much time (I am paraphrasing) and would interfere with Congress’s heavy legislative work load. Under Johnson, next to no work has been done. The Dems are blocked on every reasonable measure they have tried to advance. It is mind boggling and beyond infuriating. That SOB (among soooo many others) HAS TO GO.
It's not like the current Congress is undertaking to carry a heavy workload.
Time to make our calls!! Our voices need to be heard loud and clear!
Excuse me, but I thought inherent contempt was what the general public has towards the Congress!