That is.... kind of brilliant. I am so glad we have some people in the government who even KNOW about such things. Most of us surely don't. This illuminates another dramatic difference between House Republicans and Democrats. Republicans had spent MONTHS engaging in political terrorism and incapable of producing a budget, while Democrats had the foresight - the same MONTHS ago - to put this thing into place so that it would be ripe for the picking now, as we approach the debt ceiling crisis. GOP always complains their opponents have no plan. How's THAT for a plan!
I agree Maria, it's a great plan. Here's another one:
After the bipartisan majority passes a debt limit increase, they should stay united long enough to pass a motion to remove Kevin McCarthy from the Speakership ("vacate the Chair"). By acting before the MAGA extremists do the thing they've been threatening him with since January, a bipartisan majority could elect a moderate Republican Speaker who owes MAGA nothing. That would isolate and marginalize them, and would likely avoid a government shutdown in the Fall.
This plan has been around since even before the 118th Congress convened. Last November, Rep. Don Bacon (R-NB), who's mentioned in Jay's post, suggested that if McCarthy couldn't get enough votes to become Speaker "I'm going to work with like-minded people across the aisle to find someone for Speaker." (Omaha World Herald, 11/15/22)
After five months of McCarthy's totally impotent "leadership", there is growing discontent among moderates with the MAGA extremists who control him. Moderates were forced to make all the concessions in passing the debt limit spending cuts bill last week. They reluctantly voted for it because it was certainly never going to become law, but they are not happy about it.
( I represent a network of ordinary citizens who have been opposed to Kevin McCarthy becoming Speaker since early last December, and have been working to see him replaced ever since. We are urging both moderate Republicans and Democratic leaders to take this step. You can learn more here: https://www.FeathersOfHope.net or here: www.JerryWeiss.substack.com )
"I love this plan! I am excited about this plan!" - Dr. Peter Venkman
No, seriously, that would be AWESOME. Here is what I don't understand. HOW could moderate Republicans not have seen where things were headed with McCarthy? Why didn't they band with the Democrats five months ago to elect a moderate? We could have avoided this whole BS instead of wasting five months and dangling the country over the debt ceiling cliff.
Good question, Maria. I'm sorry to say you may not like the answer
Bipartisanship requires buy-in from both sides. From what I saw in January and conversations I've had since, I don't think the Democrats were willing to vote for a Republican Speaker in the opening days of the 118th Congress. With a new leadership team in place, there was a strong need to demonstrate unified party loyalty. I'm pretty sure that moderate Republicans saw what was happening, but with no guarantee the Democrats would deliver there wasn't much they could do to stop it.
That was then, this is now. Getting a bipartisan majority to pass the debt limit is one thing. But it's still a heavy lift to persuade enough Democrats to vote for a moderate Republican Speaker. That's why our network is lobbying Dems as heavily as R's.
I think this highlights the difference in MO of bullying thugs and rational people capable of thinking things through. Like the difference between tantrum throwing two year olds and high school debate team members. 🙂
Great piece, thanks for the excellent explainer. It’s very hopeful to see Democrats thinking ahead and making use of all the tools at their disposal to protect us from the psychos in the Republican caucus
I'm delighted to claim Mark DeSaulnier as my Congressman. I knew he was a good guy, I didn't know he was a grand master of legislative chess. Thanks, Jay, for the instructive piece.
I think it's absolutely disgusting that the simple act of paying our bills has come to this. The rules in both chambers need a total overhaul, considering the rules seems to be mostly used to fuck things up and even when the rules can be used like this, there's a better than decent chance it will fail. Democrats need to get way better at getting their message out and fast. The media seems hellbent on blaming all of this on President Biden and letting McCarthy and the Republicans off the hook, on practically everything. I'd like the media to actually grow a pair, but the chances of that happening is slim to none. Thank you for your understandable explaination.
The Democratic Party has a few moves left, McCarthy is corned not by the Democrats or Independents, but by his own party and his own decisions. The Trojan horse bill was very awesome idea and it could be combined as was stated with the problem solver’s caucus bill. The President can always enforce the section 4 of the 14th Amendment as it’s his job to execute the Constitution and even for originalists it clearly states the “validity of the public debt of the United States ... shall not be questioned.” We already fought a civil war and our framers of the 14th amendment solved this issue that’s really a made up non issue. Truthfully if that happens then the next step is to enforce it and then take it to court to destroy even the notion of a debt ceiling. It’s redundant, pointless, and a threat to national security and even the global security now. However, the Supreme Court already shit all over the 14th amendment on Roe v Wade by using 12th century law and William Hale from the Salem Witch Trials maybe this time the Supreme Court can use 2nd century and 3rd century Roman economics because that worked out so well for them.
As usual, a masterfully written piece explaining this subject. Thank you Jay! As a side note, I’m still shocked by the fact that the supposed adults in our government have to resort to such shenanigans to simply pay our nation’s bills. I’ve had much more success with teaching my sixth grade students about collaboration, compromise, and above all else, working collectively toward a better outcome for as many as possible. I’m so disappointed in this entire debt ceiling “negotiation”. Pay the damn bills & get to work on tackling some of the horrendous issues our country is facing. Defeating FASCISM, again, seems a bit important to me, but what do I know? Have a beautiful day everyone!
Legislative strategy and rarely-used maneuvers speak to the whole gamesmanship of the system, but, at the end of the day, this is not some VR romp but the fate of our country, the quality of our lives, and, if circumstances, our actual lives.
Why isn't more being made of the 14th (in all capacities, while we're at it)? I mean, that ironically-named Caucus just loves to allude to the Bill of Rights, though they are not too familiar with the actual content....
If the 14th Amendment Section 4 comes, it will be from the White House, which is debating internally a great deal about it. Not sure where they will fall. It’s something of a last resort.
Federal Reserve Chair Yellen said recently that the US will default on its debts on or around June 1 if the debt ceiling is not raised. Given that May 16 is the earliest date that a discharge petition on the DeSaulnier bill could be acted upon, is there actually even a slight chance that both a discharge petition and an amendment to the DeSaulnier bill could be voted on prior to June 1, let alone a passed amended bill sent to the Senate?
There is some concern that there simply isn’t enough time even with the May 16 move. But I also believe Biden will do something to stave off default and buy more time. I’m sure they are all aware of the deadlines now.
Excellent explanation. While this is an elegant, though numbingly circuitous approach, the happy ending still requires you to get to 218 votes. If it works, I would love to see an in depth debriefing of the 5 Republicans who switched their votes. Why? Because if ever there was a distinction without a difference, this is the text book example.
If such a solution succeeds, I believe it will be with more than 5 Republicans on board. The more, the stronger the message from the Problem Solvers among them.
And *this* is why term limits are a short-sighted idea. We really need to have people in Congress who know the system and hold the institutional memories.
I ♥️ Jeffries. And… if (big if) the discharge petition gets 218 votes, then those 218 representatives constitute a majority. So Dems are working to create a majority. That’s a positive. Fingers crossed.
That is.... kind of brilliant. I am so glad we have some people in the government who even KNOW about such things. Most of us surely don't. This illuminates another dramatic difference between House Republicans and Democrats. Republicans had spent MONTHS engaging in political terrorism and incapable of producing a budget, while Democrats had the foresight - the same MONTHS ago - to put this thing into place so that it would be ripe for the picking now, as we approach the debt ceiling crisis. GOP always complains their opponents have no plan. How's THAT for a plan!
Color me impressed as well.
I agree Maria, it's a great plan. Here's another one:
After the bipartisan majority passes a debt limit increase, they should stay united long enough to pass a motion to remove Kevin McCarthy from the Speakership ("vacate the Chair"). By acting before the MAGA extremists do the thing they've been threatening him with since January, a bipartisan majority could elect a moderate Republican Speaker who owes MAGA nothing. That would isolate and marginalize them, and would likely avoid a government shutdown in the Fall.
This plan has been around since even before the 118th Congress convened. Last November, Rep. Don Bacon (R-NB), who's mentioned in Jay's post, suggested that if McCarthy couldn't get enough votes to become Speaker "I'm going to work with like-minded people across the aisle to find someone for Speaker." (Omaha World Herald, 11/15/22)
After five months of McCarthy's totally impotent "leadership", there is growing discontent among moderates with the MAGA extremists who control him. Moderates were forced to make all the concessions in passing the debt limit spending cuts bill last week. They reluctantly voted for it because it was certainly never going to become law, but they are not happy about it.
( I represent a network of ordinary citizens who have been opposed to Kevin McCarthy becoming Speaker since early last December, and have been working to see him replaced ever since. We are urging both moderate Republicans and Democratic leaders to take this step. You can learn more here: https://www.FeathersOfHope.net or here: www.JerryWeiss.substack.com )
That crazy plan makes so much sense, it could possibly work.
"I love this plan! I am excited about this plan!" - Dr. Peter Venkman
No, seriously, that would be AWESOME. Here is what I don't understand. HOW could moderate Republicans not have seen where things were headed with McCarthy? Why didn't they band with the Democrats five months ago to elect a moderate? We could have avoided this whole BS instead of wasting five months and dangling the country over the debt ceiling cliff.
Good question, Maria. I'm sorry to say you may not like the answer
Bipartisanship requires buy-in from both sides. From what I saw in January and conversations I've had since, I don't think the Democrats were willing to vote for a Republican Speaker in the opening days of the 118th Congress. With a new leadership team in place, there was a strong need to demonstrate unified party loyalty. I'm pretty sure that moderate Republicans saw what was happening, but with no guarantee the Democrats would deliver there wasn't much they could do to stop it.
That was then, this is now. Getting a bipartisan majority to pass the debt limit is one thing. But it's still a heavy lift to persuade enough Democrats to vote for a moderate Republican Speaker. That's why our network is lobbying Dems as heavily as R's.
.
I think this highlights the difference in MO of bullying thugs and rational people capable of thinking things through. Like the difference between tantrum throwing two year olds and high school debate team members. 🙂
Great piece, thanks for the excellent explainer. It’s very hopeful to see Democrats thinking ahead and making use of all the tools at their disposal to protect us from the psychos in the Republican caucus
I'm delighted to claim Mark DeSaulnier as my Congressman. I knew he was a good guy, I didn't know he was a grand master of legislative chess. Thanks, Jay, for the instructive piece.
Jay Kuo: You write love letters to Americans, keeping hope alive. Thank you!
Thank you! I try to stay optimistic and positive.
I think it's absolutely disgusting that the simple act of paying our bills has come to this. The rules in both chambers need a total overhaul, considering the rules seems to be mostly used to fuck things up and even when the rules can be used like this, there's a better than decent chance it will fail. Democrats need to get way better at getting their message out and fast. The media seems hellbent on blaming all of this on President Biden and letting McCarthy and the Republicans off the hook, on practically everything. I'd like the media to actually grow a pair, but the chances of that happening is slim to none. Thank you for your understandable explaination.
Fantastic. I have hope. The brilliance behind this is epic. The GOP just continues to rot and stink. Such traitors.
Being practical - now that is something I could get used to -
It helps to have people who actually know how the government works and do their jobs effectively.
So true!
The Democratic Party has a few moves left, McCarthy is corned not by the Democrats or Independents, but by his own party and his own decisions. The Trojan horse bill was very awesome idea and it could be combined as was stated with the problem solver’s caucus bill. The President can always enforce the section 4 of the 14th Amendment as it’s his job to execute the Constitution and even for originalists it clearly states the “validity of the public debt of the United States ... shall not be questioned.” We already fought a civil war and our framers of the 14th amendment solved this issue that’s really a made up non issue. Truthfully if that happens then the next step is to enforce it and then take it to court to destroy even the notion of a debt ceiling. It’s redundant, pointless, and a threat to national security and even the global security now. However, the Supreme Court already shit all over the 14th amendment on Roe v Wade by using 12th century law and William Hale from the Salem Witch Trials maybe this time the Supreme Court can use 2nd century and 3rd century Roman economics because that worked out so well for them.
As usual, a masterfully written piece explaining this subject. Thank you Jay! As a side note, I’m still shocked by the fact that the supposed adults in our government have to resort to such shenanigans to simply pay our nation’s bills. I’ve had much more success with teaching my sixth grade students about collaboration, compromise, and above all else, working collectively toward a better outcome for as many as possible. I’m so disappointed in this entire debt ceiling “negotiation”. Pay the damn bills & get to work on tackling some of the horrendous issues our country is facing. Defeating FASCISM, again, seems a bit important to me, but what do I know? Have a beautiful day everyone!
Legislative strategy and rarely-used maneuvers speak to the whole gamesmanship of the system, but, at the end of the day, this is not some VR romp but the fate of our country, the quality of our lives, and, if circumstances, our actual lives.
Why isn't more being made of the 14th (in all capacities, while we're at it)? I mean, that ironically-named Caucus just loves to allude to the Bill of Rights, though they are not too familiar with the actual content....
If the 14th Amendment Section 4 comes, it will be from the White House, which is debating internally a great deal about it. Not sure where they will fall. It’s something of a last resort.
Maybe they should flip the narrative and proceed as if it is a given, undeniably sacrosanct....
Federal Reserve Chair Yellen said recently that the US will default on its debts on or around June 1 if the debt ceiling is not raised. Given that May 16 is the earliest date that a discharge petition on the DeSaulnier bill could be acted upon, is there actually even a slight chance that both a discharge petition and an amendment to the DeSaulnier bill could be voted on prior to June 1, let alone a passed amended bill sent to the Senate?
There is some concern that there simply isn’t enough time even with the May 16 move. But I also believe Biden will do something to stave off default and buy more time. I’m sure they are all aware of the deadlines now.
Won’t Wall Street wealthy Republican donors step in at some point and tell the Freedom Caucus to cut the shit before the county’s finances tank??
Thank you. I hope for the sake of this country and our future that you are right.
Excellent explanation. While this is an elegant, though numbingly circuitous approach, the happy ending still requires you to get to 218 votes. If it works, I would love to see an in depth debriefing of the 5 Republicans who switched their votes. Why? Because if ever there was a distinction without a difference, this is the text book example.
If such a solution succeeds, I believe it will be with more than 5 Republicans on board. The more, the stronger the message from the Problem Solvers among them.
I would love to see any Republicans send a strong message to their “colleagues.”
And *this* is why term limits are a short-sighted idea. We really need to have people in Congress who know the system and hold the institutional memories.
I almost feel sorry for the gop which is peopled by morons.
I ♥️ Jeffries. And… if (big if) the discharge petition gets 218 votes, then those 218 representatives constitute a majority. So Dems are working to create a majority. That’s a positive. Fingers crossed.