David Rasmussen, aka Rasamoto @Bertrecords@social.cleverlibre.org

Greetings. So will the MAGA crazies be able to block critical legislation in the House thanks to McCarthy selling off what's left of his soul to them? Well, yes and no.

Ordinarily, the answer would mostly be yes. The only way to force legislation to a vote without it being passed through by a committee is by a "discharge petition", which requires a majority of House members to sign it. Successful discharge petitions are historically rare in the House, since they are usually very difficult to obtain with a large majority, and embarrassing to leadership.

HOWEVER. Pretty much nothing in politics is like it used to be these days. The GOP has a razor thin majority in the House and McCarthy will be resented by moderate GOP members (there are still some!) for giving away so much to the MAGA crazies.

At least for crucial legislation, the probability of successful discharge petitions, which would only require a handful of moderate Republicans to join with Democrats, is likely going to be far higher than at any time in the country's history. This means that all is not lost even if the MAGA crazies try to block critical appropriations, debt ceiling legislation, etc.

The old rules of what is or is not commonplace in U.S. politics simply no longer apply. It is certain that the GOP clown show we saw this week was merely a trailer for the main attraction. You ain't seen nothing yet when it comes to GOP dysfunction leading up to the 2024 elections.

And yes, stock up on that popcorn! Best, -L

Happy Schadenfriday! I’ve always winced whenever Lauren Boebert came to troll the left. But during the battle for the House speakership, she has trained her weapons on the GOP leadership. The irony of that is quite delicious, as I explain in my piece today.
https://statuskuo.substack.com/p/the-gop-created-lauren-boebert-now?sd=pf

Hey Mastadon! who is good to follow on here for updates/analysis on the covid situation?

@msnbc @CNNNetwork As the House adjourns after day 3 of the #speakerofthehouse sh*tshow, please spare the American people a pointless interview with any of these 20+ members of the #gop because you are only incentivizing them. Instead, you should ask Don Bacon (R-NE) and the #gop ”moderates” why they are letting their 20+ colleagues hold the chamber hostage and why they haven’t approached the #Democrats about a deal. Ask them why they won’t create their own leverage.

Seriously PO'd 1/6 committee investigators say "the report’s emphasis on Trump meant important context was left on the cutting room floor." Including: That the pervasiveness of violent extremism in social media remains "a central component of the Internet" https://www.justsecurity.org/84658/insiders-view-of-the-january-6th-committees-social-media-investigation/

Want to turn a dreary Thursday into a cheery Thursyay? Here’s a story I wasn’t expecting to write about how Republicans and Democrats worked together to hold back extremist GOP factions. A powerful blueprint for resolving our national dysfunction.
https://statuskuo.substack.com/p/a-very-red-state-shines-a-bipartisan?sd=pf

I don't really care if this site becomes popular or not..... I can't go back to other social media sites.

The lack of algorithms is such a game changer. I'm not constantly pissed!

Kurt Vonnegut on the shapes of stories and why uncertainty is the crucible of creativity https://www.themarginalian.org/2012/11/26/kurt-vonnegut-on-the-shapes-of-stories/

Researching mines in northern Spain I came across this curious object. It's a canary cage designed to keep the canary alive in the event of a gas leak. If a miner saw the canary laying at the bottom of the cage it was time to abandon everything and leave the mine, but not without first closing the latched glass door and opening the valve of the oxygen bottle to save the bird. A miner would do that on their way out and take the bird with them. It's a signifier of the miner's legendary sense of solidarity, no lives lost to the mine on a miners watch. A solidarity that was also crucial in the fight for workers rights, creating safer and more humane working conditions, achievements of unionization and solidarity that some of us still enjoy today.

What would you do to have power? Kevin McCarthy’s answer? Anything. (Thursday’s NY Times: https://bit.ly/3inAMOa) #SpeakerVote

The Republican House is being run like Twitter at the minute.

As much as it’s fun watching McCarthy spin, it’s worth remembering that this is a microcosm of the larger Republican game—of a tiny minority holding a majority hostage in order to impose their own extreme agenda. Take no comfort in this mess.

Fine. I'll be House Speaker.

🎙NEW EPISODE (Tuesday’s) - THE POLITICRAT daily #podcast Season 4, Episode 3: Who Is The American Fantasy For, And What Does It Mean? Will The Justice Department Prosecute DT? https://bit.ly/3X2StS8 #ApplePodcasts #politics #Mastodon #BlackMastodon #usa

Ice birefringence. This is a natural phenomenon. The ice looks gray to your eyes, but when you look at it with a polarizing filter you can see rainbows. This occurs everywhere there is ice. It's easiest to see on an overcast day. Find thin ice sitting just above a liquid puddle, Check it from all angles and heights using a polarizer. Spin the polarizer while checking from every angle and height. You'll likely see the rainbow colors of ice birefringence.

#photography #Nature #NaturePhotography

I see a lot of people asking about verification. I know it's early days but my preference would be if institutions, such as universities, institutes, media outlets and even companies would run their own closed instances. That way a member of that institutions identity within in it is de-facto verified.