TODAY'S NEW WORD IS "SHITSHOW"

“Shitshow” - it’s the new word of the day in the halls of Congress.

Republican pollster and word chooser Frank Luntz was overheard - after the vote for the rules in order to pass the Defense Authorization bill failed for the second time in two days - saying to Democrat Debbie Dingell, “It’s such a shitshow.” To which she replied, “It is such a shitshow.”

The House Republicans have now demonstrated their complete unwillingness and inability to take the necessary steps to act like a conventional, responsible political party. Representative Chip Roy - former staffer to the incompetent asshole masquerading as a “senator,” Ted Cruz - and a man who looks like the reanimated Confederate Traitor he is, said on Faux Snooze “I honestly don't know what to say to my fellow Republicans other than you're gonna eat a shit sandwich, and you probably deserve to eat it.”

Unfortunately, we - the 89% of Americans who disagree with Roy and the rest of the the Fweedumbererasses - are going to be eating this Texas-sized shit sandwich too.

As MAGA whisperer Tina Nguyen from Puck put it, the collapse of the GOP House caucus is due to the fact that every faction fighting each other is a faction of one against all. Thomas Hobbes would be proud of them - “Leviathan” come to life.

Quiverin’ Qevin may not know much, but he knows when he’s arrived at the end of the line.

This afternoon he informed the members of the caucus that all further business in Congress is canceled this week. So much for his definite, solid, serious decision yesterday to keep Congress in session every day for the remainder of the month until the problem is resolved.

The Republican and Democratic “centrists” of the “Problem-Solver’s Caucus” are meeting separate from either Republican or Democratic House leadership to attempt to hash out a Continuing Resolution that covers things until mid-January 2024. For this to be successful, at least six Republicans would have to join all Democrats, and force a vote on the proposal against Qevin, with a vote on a discharge petition to bring the bill to the floor. The Republicans would have to be willing to sign on knowing they would be “primaried” next year and likely defeated by their feral constituents.

In the meantime, Fraternity Freddie, er, I mean The Man Who Would Be King, er, Florida’s Next Governor - Matt Gaetz - has been involved in attacks on the caucus, other Fweedumberers, and called on committee chairs who disagree with him to be “fired,” is still threatening to circulate his Motion to Vacate.

When New York congressman Mike Lawler let it be known that if the House GOP doesn’t pass a short-term spending bill - something that looks less and less likely - he would sign a discharge petition and join forces with Democrats to try to pass the bill the Problem Solvers are working on, Gaetz tweeted:

“And you know what, if these New York Republicans want to go sign up with the Democrats.. then maybe I’ll head up to New York City and tell all those folks angry about the border crisis that it’s their New York Republican representatives joining up with Democrats.”

Gaetz is in the process of becoming the most disliked member of the House GOP - by the other members - according to those who have spoken with Republicans, none of whom are willing to go on the record about their feelings towards The Man Who Would Be King, er, Governor.

If you think about it, it is truly shocking to see a Speaker - even one In Name Only - send the members of his party home for the weekend after the conservative hardliners tanked plans to fund the government a second time, forcing McQarthy to abandon his latest plan to avert a shutdown on October 1. The reason why McQarthy sent the House GOP home for a long weekend was his knowledge that at least seven Fweedumberer’s have expressed firm opposition to his proposal to to pass a CR (that will fail in the Senate) to fund the government for 31 days, which forced him to abandon plans to vote on the stopgap measure on Saturday.

The vote today, in which five Republicans - McQarthy’s vote margin - vote to block a rule opening debate on a Pentagon funding bill. McQarthy was visibly shaken, since he believed he had swayed enough of his intra-party opponents after a 2.5-hour conference meeting last night. Qevin’s original claim to be taken seriously in House GOP leadership was his ability to count votes and know who was going to do what.

Proving Tina Nguyen’s point about the opposition being “factions of one against all,” Qevin said to reporters after the failed vote, "This is a whole new concept of individuals that just want to burn the whole place down. It doesn't work.”

Nancy Pelosi, the greatest Speaker of the House since Sam Rayburn, observed, "I think they thought they had the votes. Democrats never lost a rule vote during my leadership in the majority.”

Congressional observer Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News points out that - until this year - since 1955 the House has failed to pass a rules vote eight times - all under Republican leadership. Gingrich lost six in four years; Hastert lost two in eight years. McCarthy has now lost three in eight months, including two in one week.

Another indication of the relative positioning and perceived power of the two parties is shown in the August fund-raising totals for the Republican and Democratic congressional campaign committees. The House G.O.P. filed a campaign finance report yesterday that reveals the N.R.C.C. raised just under $3.9 million, compared to the D.C.C.C.’s $8.1 million. Democrats also have the cash-on-hand advantage, as they have $40 million, compared to the Republicans’ $32 million.

So yes, today’s word is “shitshow.”

How long do you think it will be until the word of the day is “catastrophe”?

It couldn’t happen to a more deserving collection of scum.

Unfortunately, as the New Yorker cartoon caption put it, “Those who fail to understand history are condemned to repeat it, but those of us who do understand history are forced to go along for the ride.”

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