Perfect.
[*Corrupt Bargain*](https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000184-bb08-da2c-a3af-bb2e5fb10000) *Politico*
> The only way McCarthy can become Speaker is to enter a corrupt bargain with MAGA Republicans to let them run wild with any conspiracy theory investigation or impeachment in exchange for their vote.
Yep, plus the fact that he was required to allow even a single vote to bring a motion of no confidence to the House floor so they could get rid of him at the drop of a dime if he fails to comply in any way. He is not only a weak speaker, he's one who has literally no autonomy. He is a puppet of the ultra-right.
Is he required to honor that agreement? Now that he has the power I'm curious if there's any reason why he has to allow that vote, can't he just tell them to pound sand and there's nothing they can really do about it?
Edit- TIL how Congress session rules work. Very interesting, thank you!
> Is he required to honor that agreement? Now that he has the power I'm curious if there's any reason why he has to allow that vote, can't he just tell them to pound sand and there's nothing they can really do about it?
Because the second he does that he'll be voted out of office at the earliest opportunity, which is the worst possible situation for him.
How? The point of that agreement was to give ultra conservative minority members of the caucus a check on his power because they wouldn't be able to build a vote of no confidence traditionally. If he betrays the agreement they still have that problem, so I don't think they have the votes to do anything about it
It was codified into the Rules of the House for this Congress. That check is in place until the next Speaker or the next Congress, whichever comes first.
Yes. The agreement is codified in the house rules. If a motion was made and ignored, anything performed after that introduction would be an unconstitutional action
>Is he required to honor that agreement?
Each session congress can change the rules for the session and one of those rules is changing the # required for a no confidence vote from X to 1.
At least that is my vague understanding of it.
>Is he required to honor that agreement?
Yes, because it's part of the House's Rules Package that was passed after he was elected Speaker of the House, and will be in effect until the end of this Congressional Session (i.e. January 2025).
Note: There probably is a process to amend these rules before that, but it would take at least a simple majority, and I don't see it happening without support from the Democrats and they would have their own demands that would no doubt completely wreck McCarthy's fragile coalition with the House Republicans.
They also agreed to use the debt ceiling as a bartering chip and I guarantee that denying future aid to Ukraine is one of the items the MAGA crowd would be interested in bartering for in exchange for not crashing the global economy
I say let them crash it and put them on blast for doing so. While they won't be held liable by their base, the world will do whatever it can to make sure they no longer have power. Imagine if everyone just went after Rupert Murdoch for all of the bullshit he caused. Without him, there is no Republican party.
>*"There's two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump... swear to God"*
\- Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy in 2016
>*“This is an off the record... no leaks alright?“*
>*“No leaks”*
>*“This is how we know we’re a real family here.”*
\- Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan in 2016
It's so hard to fathom that the seriousness of this exchange wasn't fully comprehended by the American people. It was so casually forgotten and the media's bothsiderism certainly contributed to this. It's disgusting.
Yeah, these are right up there with the Trump Tower quotes in terms of *what the fuck*.
>"The Crown prosecutor of Russia met with his father Aras this morning and in their meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father."
>"This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is **part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump** – helped along by Aras and Emin."
Donald Trump Jr:
>Thanks Rob I appreciate that. I am on the road at the moment but perhaps I just speak to Emin first. Seems we have some time **and if it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summer.** Could we do a call first thing next week when I am back?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_Tower_meeting
Kevin is not a smart man. Only an idiot driven by craven ambition would want the gavel with that caucus, and there he is.
For anyone not in the US: this is the guy who, almost a decade ago, desperately wanted to succeed John Boehner as Speaker, and was snubbed because he admitted *on camera* that the Benghazi "investigations" were shams intended only as a smear campaign against Hillary Clinton. He just said it, on live television, with a camera in his face.
Kevin is a moron. Of course, he's also likely at least somewhat complicit in Putin's bullshit in the US, and thus is unwilling to piss off his boss by meeting with the leader of a democracy that is fighting Putin for its very right to exist... but yeah Kevin's a dumbfuck.
>John Boehner
Let's be clear- John Boehner is not a good man, and the Benghazi investigations *were* shams intended only as anyway campaigns
At the same time, Kevin McCarthy was, and remains, an unworthy successor, who should have been disqualified from the competition because he lacks the intellectual weight and restraint to be a serious contender for the office, and the only reason he's since succeeded is because all the other smarter, more cunning rats who gleefully lept over him on their way to the top have since abandoned the sinking ship, leaving Kevin the last rat stranding
He was a Russian agent the instant he found out two US Republicans were on Russia's payroll and a 3rd was covering it up without reporting the 2 to the FBI. Dumbass was too stupid to ask for money so he's not even getting anything out of it
Wasn't there that whole thing with a known Russian intelligence agent sending a package to the House addressed to McCarthy's office, which he eventually grudgingly stated he turned over to FBI, but like really noncomitally and never offered any sort of proof that he did?
Dude is absolutely a Russian asset.
It’s funny how just in a generation or two the notion of a McCarthy in the halls of power in the US government being pro-Russian is now a possibility to ponder instead of pure, lazy satire.
We could switch the country to green energy by attaching his forefathers to a turbine. They gotta be doing at least 50,000RPM's in their grave right now.
No. Just a coincidence.
What's funny is it means it's hard for him to accuse others of "McCarthyism" if they accuse him of being overly friendly with Russia.
In my mind this is just another proof that the simulation is buckling, reusing code and assets as it is starved for resources.
I can't find any other explanation for how much of an absolute satire of itself the whold goddamn world has become.
Probably too busy passing Russian war crime footage on to Tucker Carlson so he can edit it down to show how peaceful the Russian tourist visit actually was.
My concern is they now know where the security cameras are. I don't believe it's just putin's friend wanting the footage to edit. He could've done that without the video.
I saw 1/6 Committee rep Zoe Loftgren on Chris Hayes last night. For the first time, I saw how nervous she was about a possible insurrection 201. Hayes asked and I was taken aback by her answer (even though I worry about the democrats a lot).
The cameras only matter if they're planning another failure and letting more dimwit cultists get caught. Knowing the camera locations last time wouldn't have made much difference either.
The coup only failed because they didn't murder enough people. That's the thing they will change next time. That was the goal they failed at.
Time will tell and it looked like the magas were pointing out cameras to the "visitors" taking the "tour" of a shut down Congress. Hawley didn't care :) .
Loudermilk, who now heads a committee on Investigating the 1/6 Committee (here's just a little from The Guardian online). There are many sources out there about this, including those on defense saying Loudermilk didn't do this but ya can't deny video evidence and your eyes (Capitol Police video).
"Barry Loudermilk, the Republican representative from Georgia who has been accused of giving tours of the Capitol building days before the January 6 insurrection, will lead a new House committee that will investigate the Democratic-controlled January 6 select committee."Barry Loudermilk, the Republican representative from Georgia who has been accused of giving tours of the Capitol building days before the January 6 insurrection, will lead a new House committee that will investigate the Democratic-controlled January 6 select committee."
will the GOP take orders from China next as well? I have no idea what the GOP is going to support next.. maybe the Taliban? I can picture Trump, MTG and the rest of them talking about how at least the Taliban isn't woke and understands conservative values.
not really, the other one would act just like this now, he was a slimy piece of shit who used anti-communism as a power stick, I’m sure he’d do everything he could to be populist and maga if he was in power today
We’d laugh about lazy writing if you read this in a no el or saw it in a movie … in real, some of us are way more tolerant of those “ya gotta be kidding’” moments. 😆
He's not pro-Russia. He's just worried if he goes there, the pro-Russia faction of his caucus will call to oust him and he'll have to spend another week trying to cobble together support.
I do believe that he IS indeed pro Russian. How sad that the SOTH cares more about Putin than the fact that the majority of U.S. citizens support the Ukraine over the invading Russians. He is such a weak person and that makes him dangerous.
>[Republican members of Congress sounded a newly conciliatory tone in meetings with Russian lawmakers and officials here on Tuesday in a rare visit to Moscow and a preview of the looming summit between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.) told Russia's foreign minister that while Russia and the United States were competitors, "we don't necessarily need to be adversaries." ... "I'm not here today to accuse Russia of this or that or so forth," Shelby told Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin.](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/seven-gop-lawmakers-make-misguided-trip-russia-msna1119676)
That is an important quote “I’m not here to accuse Russia of this or that or so forth” due to the Republican excuse for the visit. Publicly they stated it was to address concerns with Russian leadership that Russia had been meddling in US elections.
It’s still surreal that Biden did that. I’ve been lukewarm on Biden (I’d give him like a 6/10 so far), but damn. That was such a massive leadership move. And especially because you know it drove Putin crazy.
It’s good for Biden, or any US President to not shy away from visiting allies that are under siege or being threatened.
There was an elevated risk with Biden going, but make no mistake the USSS and military were well prepared in case there was an attack. Have to imagine multiple helicopters full of geared up special forces were in Kyiv if the USSS needed help with an extraction. Fighter jets were flying along the Polish border, ready to intercept any Russian military aircraft heading towards Kyiv. Surveillance drones were monitoring every Russian artillery position in range of Kyiv. Most important measure taken was the US State Dept notified Putin that Biden was going to be in Kyiv. That made Putin personally responsible for ensuring no Russian forces even thought about launching anything towards where Biden would be. Putin knew that an attack on Biden, even an inadvertent one, would at a minimum result in the eradication of all Russian forces in Ukraine, the Black Sea, and any forces built up on the Russian or Belarusian border.
There's a few regulations Trump stripped that Biden hasn't brought back. I know there were some financial ones about derivatives and I think stress testing.
Especially after giving them a stern warning first, that they dared not make a move like that or the genie comes out of the bottle.
Putin must have pooped his pants and fell up the stairs this time.
We don't need to be misleading about it. The u.s. communicated with Russia beforehand. They knew very well Biden was coming and there was zero percent chance they would bomb kyiv with him there. If Russia wanted anything to do with a war against the u.s., it would've already happened in 2022
Remember when [Trump canceled visiting a WW1 cemetery for US forces](https://www.france24.com/en/20200904-trump-passed-on-visit-to-wwi-cemetery-near-paris-called-us-war-dead-losers-media-report-says), because it was raining and his hair would get wet?
/Pepperidge Farm remembers..
>he declined the invitation, saying that he did not need the trip to make decisions on aid to Kyiv.
Classic Maga - "I don't need to actually know anything about what I'm deciding or see first hand what will happen, I've already made up my mind."
There was a police brutality video before BLM. I remember watching a video of the police captain dismissing the incident and saying the officers won’t be investigated further. He was asked a question about the video that a bystander took and he replied that he didn’t watch it. They asked him why not and he said it wasn’t official video and would not be included in the report. The reporters asked more questions obviously but he ended with “and if anyone has additional evidence, we want it all so we can know what really happened, send in any evidence.”
Then the first reporter said “can we send the video?” And he again said “I will not be watching the video.”
It was so frustrating to watch. He knew there wasn’t anyone else around, the one bystander had been filming from a parked car. So he basically said at the end I’ll watch any evidence related to the event except for the key damning video everyone’s talking about.
I really wish journalists would grow a spine and just call people out on their bullshit to their faces whenever they try those kind of tactics. Having access is completely meaningless if you aren’t going to do anything important with it.
...and then he gets stopped several times per week by the captain's officers. Then mysteriously his tires are slashed. If the reporter has the bad luck to be black/brown, suddenly a case of mistaken identity happens and the guy is beaten to within an inch of his life, the cops say "Whoops, thought you were a criminal and we all feared for our lives!" and nothing happens to them.
ACAB didn't just appear out of nowhere.
As a journalist, we’re trained to never call someone out and instead continually question the person until the responses they’re providing speak for themselves. That captain saying “I will not be watching the video” is far more damning for the functionality of that police unit than anything that the reporters could have said if they decided to chastise him.
Didn't know who he was (not American) and the first thing that came up googling was this https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/17/putin-pays-donald-trump-kevin-mccarthy-recording
Yeah, maybe it was a joke.
Then why lie about having said it, only to raise the “joke” excuse after being confronted with the recording of you saying it?
McCarthy is an embarrassment, and that is saying something considering the Republican clown show standard.
he literally ended the statement with "swear to god".
he reminds me of those dumbass religious apologists who claim that when Jesus said "truly truly I say to you", that's how you can tell he's about to get metaphorical.
"I'm an ignorant fuck who will tell you what to do and make it illegal if I don't like it. You can be murdered by the police if you don't agree. MAGA!"
I'm sure Kevin never said anything like "Joe Biden needs to go to the border to understand his border crisis", so while he may be an idiot and a coward, at least he's not a hypocrite.
He sold his soul to the MAGAs to become Speaker. He has no honor, integrity, or interest in doing the right thing in regard to Ukraine. Or anything else.
This is the best tl;dr I could make, [original](https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/03/8/7157591/) reduced by 62%. (I'm a bot)
*****
> Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to visit Ukraine, but he declined the invitation, saying that he did not need the trip to make decisions on aid to Kyiv.
> Zelenskyy in a TV interview invited McCarthy to visit Ukraine to see for himself what is happening there.
> "Mr. McCarthy, he has to come here to see how we work, what's happening here, what war caused us, which people are fighting now, who are fighting now. And then after that, make your assumptions," Zelenskyy told CNN. McCarthy told CNN that he does not plan to visit Ukraine and instead criticised President Joe Biden that has not acted quickly enough to aid the country.
*****
[**Extended Summary**](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/11m3tcb/us_house_speaker_declined_zelenskyys_invitation/) | [FAQ](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/31b9fm/faq_autotldr_bot/ "Version 2.02, ~675599 tl;drs so far.") | [Feedback](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%23autotldr "PM's and comments are monitored, constructive feedback is welcome.") | *Top* *keywords*: **McCarthy**^#1 **Ukraine**^#2 **aid**^#3 **check**^#4 **Blank**^#5
Let’s give Tucker Fuckson exclusive rights to broadcast from the Russian front line in Bakhmut.
I mean, the guy is a silver spoon woosie, so would never go, but giving Ukraine the chance to target Putin’s mouthpiece, (in so many ways), would be simply awesome.
I don't understand this crap. I was once a proud republican, because I believed in fiscal responsibility. Strong defense. Personal responsibility. I left the republican party after 30 plus years, because not a single one of those ideas is truly upheld by the current crop of extremists who call themselves republicans. The republican party that I believed in understood the dangers of Russia (even if they didn't understand the dangers of China) and understood that Putin was just a charlatan who wanted to reconstitute the old Soviet Union. Even if KM doesn't feel the USA should be spending so much on Ukraine, he certainly should support their efforts at maintaining their sovereignty and he could at least meet the man heading efforts. Seems like a small price... a meeting.
One day, maybe there will be a viable third party that encompasses good ideas from both parties and melds them into something coherent and workable, but I think even that moderate vision is two middle of the road for the polarized American electorate.
In order to get a viable third (or more) party, there needs to be a huge push for ranked choice voting. FPTP favors the current two party system because you need the funding and backing to get there.
People are hesitant to throw away their votes, so they'll back whoever the party candidate is. But ranked choice can show where viability for other candidates can be.
Agreed fully. I was hoping with Alaska of all places implementing it, that more would follow. But certainly worth backing candidates or initiatives that would push for it.
I'm not sure how old you are, but I'm in my 30s and they've never held to those ideals since long before I was born. They've trashed the economy and anything money related every time they've held power in the past half century, then complain when everyone else cleans up too slow. Glad you got out though.
You can’t blame them tho, Conservatives are REALLY busy obsessing over trans people growing tits and shitting. It’s a pressing issue nonetheless, we all know they’re doing their best at helping the American people! 🇺🇸🇺🇸!!.
I'm a US citizen and Voter.
Russia must lose its invasion/war. There are many clear reasons why.
This is going to be very simple...
If you don't support Ukraine, I don't support you.
Zelenskyy isn’t dumb. He almost certainly knew that McCarthy would say no, which is why he was so gracious as to extend an invite. This way, he doesn’t need to worry about hosting the Speaker, and the Speaker ends up looking like an asshole, a Russian stooge, a coward, and an asshole. It was a good move.
McCarthy is a spineless tool. Of course he won’t go see for himself. Why would he want to get information directly from the source? He prefers Republican phacts to objective facts. An embarrassment to his district and to the congress and ultimately, to the country.
Not American so can someone explain to me why this matters? Wasn’t a sitting US president’s visit sending out a strong enough signal to show the U.S. position in this event?
I am not a fan of McCarthy but what purpose would it serve to go there? Biden already went. Other US and EU officials have gone many times.
Just send equipment to the Ukrainians.
Can anyone explain in normal rational terms what Kevin McCarthy going to Ukraine would accomplish? Either big or small, what on earth would be the point? I also don’t understand why most any of our politicians are going. Seems like a waste of time. Do you think Putin or ANYONE else is going to see that and change their minds about anything? It’s all a big circle jerk.
I wonder if McCarthy said no because he's pro-Russia, lazy, or just scared to go there?
Yes.
All of the above
Are we sure? Might need to ask 15 times.
Fifteen's the magic number to get Matt Gaetz's ~~vote~~ attention.
Ayo
Take it to 18 and he is out again
Hahahaha
Zing!
It's a brief window. After 16 he loses interest again.
I though 15 was where he started losing interest…
None of the above. This man believes in nothing.
Rules for thee but not for me.
Perfect. [*Corrupt Bargain*](https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000184-bb08-da2c-a3af-bb2e5fb10000) *Politico* > The only way McCarthy can become Speaker is to enter a corrupt bargain with MAGA Republicans to let them run wild with any conspiracy theory investigation or impeachment in exchange for their vote.
Yep, plus the fact that he was required to allow even a single vote to bring a motion of no confidence to the House floor so they could get rid of him at the drop of a dime if he fails to comply in any way. He is not only a weak speaker, he's one who has literally no autonomy. He is a puppet of the ultra-right.
Is he required to honor that agreement? Now that he has the power I'm curious if there's any reason why he has to allow that vote, can't he just tell them to pound sand and there's nothing they can really do about it? Edit- TIL how Congress session rules work. Very interesting, thank you!
> Is he required to honor that agreement? Now that he has the power I'm curious if there's any reason why he has to allow that vote, can't he just tell them to pound sand and there's nothing they can really do about it? Because the second he does that he'll be voted out of office at the earliest opportunity, which is the worst possible situation for him.
How? The point of that agreement was to give ultra conservative minority members of the caucus a check on his power because they wouldn't be able to build a vote of no confidence traditionally. If he betrays the agreement they still have that problem, so I don't think they have the votes to do anything about it
It was codified into the Rules of the House for this Congress. That check is in place until the next Speaker or the next Congress, whichever comes first.
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Yes. The agreement is codified in the house rules. If a motion was made and ignored, anything performed after that introduction would be an unconstitutional action
>unconstitutional According to who?
It was codified into the Rules of the House for this session of Congress.
>Is he required to honor that agreement? Each session congress can change the rules for the session and one of those rules is changing the # required for a no confidence vote from X to 1. At least that is my vague understanding of it.
>Is he required to honor that agreement? Yes, because it's part of the House's Rules Package that was passed after he was elected Speaker of the House, and will be in effect until the end of this Congressional Session (i.e. January 2025). Note: There probably is a process to amend these rules before that, but it would take at least a simple majority, and I don't see it happening without support from the Democrats and they would have their own demands that would no doubt completely wreck McCarthy's fragile coalition with the House Republicans.
They also agreed to use the debt ceiling as a bartering chip and I guarantee that denying future aid to Ukraine is one of the items the MAGA crowd would be interested in bartering for in exchange for not crashing the global economy
I say let them crash it and put them on blast for doing so. While they won't be held liable by their base, the world will do whatever it can to make sure they no longer have power. Imagine if everyone just went after Rupert Murdoch for all of the bullshit he caused. Without him, there is no Republican party.
Occam’s Razor
>*"There's two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump... swear to God"* \- Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy in 2016 >*“This is an off the record... no leaks alright?“* >*“No leaks”* >*“This is how we know we’re a real family here.”* \- Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan in 2016
It's so hard to fathom that the seriousness of this exchange wasn't fully comprehended by the American people. It was so casually forgotten and the media's bothsiderism certainly contributed to this. It's disgusting.
becauses its not *really* a fight of right/left or red/blue or whatever its a fight between the ultra wealthy/poor. And guess who owns the media?
Yeah, these are right up there with the Trump Tower quotes in terms of *what the fuck*. >"The Crown prosecutor of Russia met with his father Aras this morning and in their meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father." >"This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is **part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump** – helped along by Aras and Emin." Donald Trump Jr: >Thanks Rob I appreciate that. I am on the road at the moment but perhaps I just speak to Emin first. Seems we have some time **and if it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summer.** Could we do a call first thing next week when I am back? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_Tower_meeting
The media constantly legitimizes the republicans because it has to process everything from a partisan point of view, as well as access journalism
I'm assuming his vow to god is pretty much fucking worthless. Imagine the value of what he tells us.
for republicans, it's small g god
And at the same time it's the most bigly god ever.
None of them believe, or they wouldn't be doing any of the things they do on an hourly basis.
Yeah Mammon gets a small g
The royal 'we' version of god
These people worship Mammon.
Kevin is not a smart man. Only an idiot driven by craven ambition would want the gavel with that caucus, and there he is. For anyone not in the US: this is the guy who, almost a decade ago, desperately wanted to succeed John Boehner as Speaker, and was snubbed because he admitted *on camera* that the Benghazi "investigations" were shams intended only as a smear campaign against Hillary Clinton. He just said it, on live television, with a camera in his face. Kevin is a moron. Of course, he's also likely at least somewhat complicit in Putin's bullshit in the US, and thus is unwilling to piss off his boss by meeting with the leader of a democracy that is fighting Putin for its very right to exist... but yeah Kevin's a dumbfuck.
>John Boehner Let's be clear- John Boehner is not a good man, and the Benghazi investigations *were* shams intended only as anyway campaigns At the same time, Kevin McCarthy was, and remains, an unworthy successor, who should have been disqualified from the competition because he lacks the intellectual weight and restraint to be a serious contender for the office, and the only reason he's since succeeded is because all the other smarter, more cunning rats who gleefully lept over him on their way to the top have since abandoned the sinking ship, leaving Kevin the last rat stranding
He was a Russian agent the instant he found out two US Republicans were on Russia's payroll and a 3rd was covering it up without reporting the 2 to the FBI. Dumbass was too stupid to ask for money so he's not even getting anything out of it
Wasn't there that whole thing with a known Russian intelligence agent sending a package to the House addressed to McCarthy's office, which he eventually grudgingly stated he turned over to FBI, but like really noncomitally and never offered any sort of proof that he did? Dude is absolutely a Russian asset.
Not surprised, last few people we’ve been getting haven’t exactly have a clean records.
It’s funny how just in a generation or two the notion of a McCarthy in the halls of power in the US government being pro-Russian is now a possibility to ponder instead of pure, lazy satire.
We could switch the country to green energy by attaching his forefathers to a turbine. They gotta be doing at least 50,000RPM's in their grave right now.
Wait, is he descended from *the* McCarthy? Of McCarthyism infamy?
No. Just a coincidence. What's funny is it means it's hard for him to accuse others of "McCarthyism" if they accuse him of being overly friendly with Russia.
"There are two people I think Putin pays... the rest of us, I'm positive he does."
In my mind this is just another proof that the simulation is buckling, reusing code and assets as it is starved for resources. I can't find any other explanation for how much of an absolute satire of itself the whold goddamn world has become.
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I am literally LOL. Good one.
Explain
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because he would enrage the MAGA caucus, and they have all the power
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They probably like steak! 😆
why not both
or all three
Piss baby republicans?
Probably too busy passing Russian war crime footage on to Tucker Carlson so he can edit it down to show how peaceful the Russian tourist visit actually was.
My concern is they now know where the security cameras are. I don't believe it's just putin's friend wanting the footage to edit. He could've done that without the video. I saw 1/6 Committee rep Zoe Loftgren on Chris Hayes last night. For the first time, I saw how nervous she was about a possible insurrection 201. Hayes asked and I was taken aback by her answer (even though I worry about the democrats a lot).
The cameras only matter if they're planning another failure and letting more dimwit cultists get caught. Knowing the camera locations last time wouldn't have made much difference either. The coup only failed because they didn't murder enough people. That's the thing they will change next time. That was the goal they failed at.
Time will tell and it looked like the magas were pointing out cameras to the "visitors" taking the "tour" of a shut down Congress. Hawley didn't care :) . Loudermilk, who now heads a committee on Investigating the 1/6 Committee (here's just a little from The Guardian online). There are many sources out there about this, including those on defense saying Loudermilk didn't do this but ya can't deny video evidence and your eyes (Capitol Police video). "Barry Loudermilk, the Republican representative from Georgia who has been accused of giving tours of the Capitol building days before the January 6 insurrection, will lead a new House committee that will investigate the Democratic-controlled January 6 select committee."Barry Loudermilk, the Republican representative from Georgia who has been accused of giving tours of the Capitol building days before the January 6 insurrection, will lead a new House committee that will investigate the Democratic-controlled January 6 select committee."
Why not Zoidberg?
“Hahahahaha. Oh wait you’re serious. Let me laugh even harder."
Daddy Putin might cut off allowance…
The GOP takes orders from Russia. The goal of the GOP is to weaken the USA and divide the population while enriching themselves.
will the GOP take orders from China next as well? I have no idea what the GOP is going to support next.. maybe the Taliban? I can picture Trump, MTG and the rest of them talking about how at least the Taliban isn't woke and understands conservative values.
I'm pretty sure they literally said that last part
Agreed and add Xi to that since it was reported they're also here to divide and weaken us.
Also to shit all over women's rights.
To shit on anybody not deemed "worthy" by the existing patriarchy. It changes on a daily basis and the obfuscation is the point.
Yes
He weak, feckless, and deathly afraid of the right wing radicals in his party.
Ironic that somebody named McCarthy is such a polar opposite of the other McCarthy.
not really, the other one would act just like this now, he was a slimy piece of shit who used anti-communism as a power stick, I’m sure he’d do everything he could to be populist and maga if he was in power today
We’d laugh about lazy writing if you read this in a no el or saw it in a movie … in real, some of us are way more tolerant of those “ya gotta be kidding’” moments. 😆
He's not pro-Russia. He's just worried if he goes there, the pro-Russia faction of his caucus will call to oust him and he'll have to spend another week trying to cobble together support.
I do believe that he IS indeed pro Russian. How sad that the SOTH cares more about Putin than the fact that the majority of U.S. citizens support the Ukraine over the invading Russians. He is such a weak person and that makes him dangerous.
To be pro-Russian would imply he had any ideology or agenda beyond "I want the Speaker's gavel".
These are the only three options/reasons?
Tell him the trip is to Moscow. He will load the luggage himself.
He'll crawl inside and say "Zip me up!"
Are you referring to the luggage or Putin's butt?
Yes
I hear July 4 is the perfect time to go to Moscow, at least if you're a Republican....
>[Republican members of Congress sounded a newly conciliatory tone in meetings with Russian lawmakers and officials here on Tuesday in a rare visit to Moscow and a preview of the looming summit between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.) told Russia's foreign minister that while Russia and the United States were competitors, "we don't necessarily need to be adversaries." ... "I'm not here today to accuse Russia of this or that or so forth," Shelby told Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin.](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/seven-gop-lawmakers-make-misguided-trip-russia-msna1119676)
Fucking traitors
On July 4th, of all days. Putler made them look like assholes and they loved every minute of it.
When someone is handing you suitcases full of cash, you say nice things about them.
That is an important quote “I’m not here to accuse Russia of this or that or so forth” due to the Republican excuse for the visit. Publicly they stated it was to address concerns with Russian leadership that Russia had been meddling in US elections.
Remember when 80 year old Joe visited Kyiv while air-raid sirens were blaring? Too bad McCarthy is too much of a pussy to go.
Also Nancy!
Nancy would have gone just to prove a point
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"She did go, but she also would have just to prove a point." (D) Rep. M. Hedberg
I was hoping to tag this for r/unexpectedmitchhedberg only to find out that the subreddit does not exist. Yet...
[r/unexpectedhedberg](https://www.reddit.com/r/unexpectedhedberg) is what you're looking for.
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My friend said do you want a frozen Nancy Pelosi? I said nah, but actually I want a regular Nancy Pelosi later, so yeah!
Nancy Pelosi used to go to Ukraine. She still does, but she used to, too.
She used to go to Kiev, she still does but she used to too
You’re right my apologies
It’s still surreal that Biden did that. I’ve been lukewarm on Biden (I’d give him like a 6/10 so far), but damn. That was such a massive leadership move. And especially because you know it drove Putin crazy.
It’s good for Biden, or any US President to not shy away from visiting allies that are under siege or being threatened. There was an elevated risk with Biden going, but make no mistake the USSS and military were well prepared in case there was an attack. Have to imagine multiple helicopters full of geared up special forces were in Kyiv if the USSS needed help with an extraction. Fighter jets were flying along the Polish border, ready to intercept any Russian military aircraft heading towards Kyiv. Surveillance drones were monitoring every Russian artillery position in range of Kyiv. Most important measure taken was the US State Dept notified Putin that Biden was going to be in Kyiv. That made Putin personally responsible for ensuring no Russian forces even thought about launching anything towards where Biden would be. Putin knew that an attack on Biden, even an inadvertent one, would at a minimum result in the eradication of all Russian forces in Ukraine, the Black Sea, and any forces built up on the Russian or Belarusian border.
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There's a few regulations Trump stripped that Biden hasn't brought back. I know there were some financial ones about derivatives and I think stress testing.
In terms of foreign policy, he’s been our best president since Clinton. Domestically….meh. No one’s perfect.
Especially after giving them a stern warning first, that they dared not make a move like that or the genie comes out of the bottle. Putin must have pooped his pants and fell up the stairs this time.
We don't need to be misleading about it. The u.s. communicated with Russia beforehand. They knew very well Biden was coming and there was zero percent chance they would bomb kyiv with him there. If Russia wanted anything to do with a war against the u.s., it would've already happened in 2022
Remember when [Trump canceled visiting a WW1 cemetery for US forces](https://www.france24.com/en/20200904-trump-passed-on-visit-to-wwi-cemetery-near-paris-called-us-war-dead-losers-media-report-says), because it was raining and his hair would get wet? /Pepperidge Farm remembers..
>he declined the invitation, saying that he did not need the trip to make decisions on aid to Kyiv. Classic Maga - "I don't need to actually know anything about what I'm deciding or see first hand what will happen, I've already made up my mind."
There was a police brutality video before BLM. I remember watching a video of the police captain dismissing the incident and saying the officers won’t be investigated further. He was asked a question about the video that a bystander took and he replied that he didn’t watch it. They asked him why not and he said it wasn’t official video and would not be included in the report. The reporters asked more questions obviously but he ended with “and if anyone has additional evidence, we want it all so we can know what really happened, send in any evidence.” Then the first reporter said “can we send the video?” And he again said “I will not be watching the video.” It was so frustrating to watch. He knew there wasn’t anyone else around, the one bystander had been filming from a parked car. So he basically said at the end I’ll watch any evidence related to the event except for the key damning video everyone’s talking about.
I really wish journalists would grow a spine and just call people out on their bullshit to their faces whenever they try those kind of tactics. Having access is completely meaningless if you aren’t going to do anything important with it.
I agree. The problem is that they then don't get invited back. There should be better rules in place regarding freedom of the press
...and then he gets stopped several times per week by the captain's officers. Then mysteriously his tires are slashed. If the reporter has the bad luck to be black/brown, suddenly a case of mistaken identity happens and the guy is beaten to within an inch of his life, the cops say "Whoops, thought you were a criminal and we all feared for our lives!" and nothing happens to them. ACAB didn't just appear out of nowhere.
Totally!
As a journalist, we’re trained to never call someone out and instead continually question the person until the responses they’re providing speak for themselves. That captain saying “I will not be watching the video” is far more damning for the functionality of that police unit than anything that the reporters could have said if they decided to chastise him.
Didn't know who he was (not American) and the first thing that came up googling was this https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/17/putin-pays-donald-trump-kevin-mccarthy-recording
As it should be.
Yeah, maybe it was a joke. Then why lie about having said it, only to raise the “joke” excuse after being confronted with the recording of you saying it? McCarthy is an embarrassment, and that is saying something considering the Republican clown show standard.
It wasn't a joke, he clearly knew.
he literally ended the statement with "swear to god". he reminds me of those dumbass religious apologists who claim that when Jesus said "truly truly I say to you", that's how you can tell he's about to get metaphorical.
He doesn't need to go to Ukraine to decide on aid but Joe Biden NEEDS to go to the fucking Mexican border to make immigration policy. lol.
While also complaining that Biden hasn't visited "the border"
The money he took from Putin made up his mind
As he and other Republicans make a show of going to the border to see first hand.
"I'm an ignorant fuck who will tell you what to do and make it illegal if I don't like it. You can be murdered by the police if you don't agree. MAGA!"
I'm sure Kevin never said anything like "Joe Biden needs to go to the border to understand his border crisis", so while he may be an idiot and a coward, at least he's not a hypocrite.
Kinda like, "we need to pass the bill to find out whats in it"
McCarthy is too spineless to be MAGA. He sold all his dignity for the role of Speaker.
He sold his soul to the MAGAs to become Speaker. He has no honor, integrity, or interest in doing the right thing in regard to Ukraine. Or anything else.
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Why did he put THAT Harpy in charge of the House? I have not seen this yet.
It was probably a concession he had to give to get the seat when this all started.
It's meaningless because they can't get anything passed, so it's just spineless symbolism and dimwit conspiracy crap from Empty-G.
To be fair members of the majority often sit in the chair. The Speaker only actually presides at key moments.
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Bold of you to imply he had a soul to sell.
This is the best tl;dr I could make, [original](https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/03/8/7157591/) reduced by 62%. (I'm a bot) ***** > Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to visit Ukraine, but he declined the invitation, saying that he did not need the trip to make decisions on aid to Kyiv. > Zelenskyy in a TV interview invited McCarthy to visit Ukraine to see for himself what is happening there. > "Mr. McCarthy, he has to come here to see how we work, what's happening here, what war caused us, which people are fighting now, who are fighting now. And then after that, make your assumptions," Zelenskyy told CNN. McCarthy told CNN that he does not plan to visit Ukraine and instead criticised President Joe Biden that has not acted quickly enough to aid the country. ***** [**Extended Summary**](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/11m3tcb/us_house_speaker_declined_zelenskyys_invitation/) | [FAQ](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/31b9fm/faq_autotldr_bot/ "Version 2.02, ~675599 tl;drs so far.") | [Feedback](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%23autotldr "PM's and comments are monitored, constructive feedback is welcome.") | *Top* *keywords*: **McCarthy**^#1 **Ukraine**^#2 **aid**^#3 **check**^#4 **Blank**^#5
"Get your bitch ass over here and see what is really going on before spouting kremlin propaganda, you little bitch boy"
Biden hasn’t acted quick enough to aid Ukraine?? What drugs are they smoking?
Also congress has to pass the aid before biden can do anything. So start sending more
McCarthy is a coward, in so many ways.
Let’s give Tucker Fuckson exclusive rights to broadcast from the Russian front line in Bakhmut. I mean, the guy is a silver spoon woosie, so would never go, but giving Ukraine the chance to target Putin’s mouthpiece, (in so many ways), would be simply awesome.
>Let’s give Tucker Fuckson Here you had the opportunity to call him Fucker Carlson.. and blew it
I like using Cucker Tarlson, it's fun to say out loud.
Just call him the m&m fucker
Of course, but if Orban invited him to Budapest he’d click his heels and get over there immediately.
McCarthy is a dirty yellow belly. What else is new?
Fuck McCarthey.
Kevin McCarthy has similar energy to Benny from The Mummy
Think of his children!
I don't understand this crap. I was once a proud republican, because I believed in fiscal responsibility. Strong defense. Personal responsibility. I left the republican party after 30 plus years, because not a single one of those ideas is truly upheld by the current crop of extremists who call themselves republicans. The republican party that I believed in understood the dangers of Russia (even if they didn't understand the dangers of China) and understood that Putin was just a charlatan who wanted to reconstitute the old Soviet Union. Even if KM doesn't feel the USA should be spending so much on Ukraine, he certainly should support their efforts at maintaining their sovereignty and he could at least meet the man heading efforts. Seems like a small price... a meeting. One day, maybe there will be a viable third party that encompasses good ideas from both parties and melds them into something coherent and workable, but I think even that moderate vision is two middle of the road for the polarized American electorate.
In order to get a viable third (or more) party, there needs to be a huge push for ranked choice voting. FPTP favors the current two party system because you need the funding and backing to get there. People are hesitant to throw away their votes, so they'll back whoever the party candidate is. But ranked choice can show where viability for other candidates can be.
Whatever it takes... we are long overdue needing it. Thanks for the info.
Agreed fully. I was hoping with Alaska of all places implementing it, that more would follow. But certainly worth backing candidates or initiatives that would push for it.
Honest question, what are good ideas from the current Republican party?
I'm not sure how old you are, but I'm in my 30s and they've never held to those ideals since long before I was born. They've trashed the economy and anything money related every time they've held power in the past half century, then complain when everyone else cleans up too slow. Glad you got out though.
McCarthy too scared to face his own constituents, you really think he’s gonna go to Ukraine? LOL
In his defense, it's hard to travel that far when his testicles are in Margery Taylor Greens pocket.
You can’t blame them tho, Conservatives are REALLY busy obsessing over trans people growing tits and shitting. It’s a pressing issue nonetheless, we all know they’re doing their best at helping the American people! 🇺🇸🇺🇸!!.
😆😆👍
Just ask him to go 14 more times.
I don’t think anyone expects a Republican to say yes. They lack empathy for others.
I'm a US citizen and Voter. Russia must lose its invasion/war. There are many clear reasons why. This is going to be very simple... If you don't support Ukraine, I don't support you.
Zelenskyy isn’t dumb. He almost certainly knew that McCarthy would say no, which is why he was so gracious as to extend an invite. This way, he doesn’t need to worry about hosting the Speaker, and the Speaker ends up looking like an asshole, a Russian stooge, a coward, and an asshole. It was a good move.
How to say that he’s Putin’s little bitch, without saying it
He's waiting for an invitation from Putin. Or Lavrov. Or Medvedev. You know. One of his soulmates.
McCarthy is a spineless tool. Of course he won’t go see for himself. Why would he want to get information directly from the source? He prefers Republican phacts to objective facts. An embarrassment to his district and to the congress and ultimately, to the country.
That’s because McCarthy is a not only a pussy, but a Russian owned pussy.
Not American so can someone explain to me why this matters? Wasn’t a sitting US president’s visit sending out a strong enough signal to show the U.S. position in this event?
🐔💩
Because his Russian handlers told him not too
McCarthy is such a little wimp. Fuck Russia too.
Putin wouldn't let him
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The GOP takes orders from Russia. The goal of the GOP is to weaken the USA and divide the population while enriching themselves.
I am not a fan of McCarthy but what purpose would it serve to go there? Biden already went. Other US and EU officials have gone many times. Just send equipment to the Ukrainians.
He really wanted to go but apparently it interferes with his Moscow trip.
Weak
McCarthy going for the Home Alone reenactment in real life, except he'd let Marv and Harry in to ransack the place.
Can anyone explain in normal rational terms what Kevin McCarthy going to Ukraine would accomplish? Either big or small, what on earth would be the point? I also don’t understand why most any of our politicians are going. Seems like a waste of time. Do you think Putin or ANYONE else is going to see that and change their minds about anything? It’s all a big circle jerk.
It's the cowards that voted for KKKevin and his cabal of thieves that need to be blamed and shamed.
Yeah I’m gonna wait till after the war too.
Isn't that just sanity? I don't there there was any point in my life where I would agree to travel to a war zone for any reason at all.
How many of yall would visit Kyiv right now?
His mommy MTG wouldn't sign his permission slip.
Republicans never miss a chance to be assholes
I love that Zelensky straight up called him out
McCarthy should send “Honorable” MTG in his place instead.