Speaking of House disfunction. The GOP does itself no favors when they put up horrow shows for consideration of a Speaker. A bipartisan candidate appeals to me. Speaking of horrors: let's consider all of Jim Jordan's qualifications: 1) not one piece of legislation conceived of and passed in all his years; 2) despite taking his oath, he voted for and supported the insurrection, 3) there are plenty of undeniable moral questions outstanding about his role in not cleaning up Ohio State's wrestling program, 4) he felt he was immune and too important to deign to respond to a Congressionally issued subpoena (unlike, for example, Hilary Clinton who entered Jordan's Benghazi Star Chamber for hours). In a normal world, he'd have no chance at the Speaker's gavel. No chance at all. He's deserving of sanction.
In the horror show that is the Israel/Hamas war, these words may be the most significant I've seen yet: "In a hopelessly complicated situation with no single answer or easy solution, we must follow our moral compass and remain true to the ideals that carried our nation to this point, including the courage to make difficult choices and act with conviction."
Sadly, if we attempt to apply this same thought to the disaster that is the Republican "controlled" House, it would be far more difficult. It is a "hopelessly complicated situation," for certain, although the complications are of their own making. The MAGA cultists have no moral compass, nor the ability to "make difficult choices" and are incapable of "act[ing] with conviction." I don't believe it is necessary to cite examples. They are plentiful and in plain sight.
It is a reminder that the biggest "lie" of advertising is "one size fits all." It is impossible, but critically necessary to separate "Palestinians" from "Hamas." It is difficult, but critically necessary to separate MAGA Republicans from SANE Republicans (I struggle to believe they still exist, but there must be some somewhere, and maybe now is the time for them to push themselves clear of the MAGA rock Republicans have been trapped under).
I support Israel, but detest Netanyahu. I support the Palestinian people, but detest Hamas. I love America, but detest Trump/MAGA insanity. One size does not fit all. Pick a side...but be sure not to cast a blanket over all sides as equivalent. They are not.
I have been reading the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace‘s discussion of countries in the Middle East and North Africa that are players in what is going on and how each country is managing this conflict.
Of course it has the danger of blowing up into a much bigger regional conflict and all of the countries have to manage terrorist groups in that region such as ISIS, just as we need to be more fully managing our terrorist groups here in the USA which are also an integral part of our government. I am infuriated that Tommy Tuberville is blocking military appointments, and Senators Rand and Cruz are blocking diplomatic appointments and the other Republicans are letting them. Do we have to wait for the US to be attacked before these a—holes can be overridden? I am currently in the EU which seems equally hogtied by their own political bugaboos, which I am not going to go into now, and reading that because funding is blocked Ukraine has to remove equipment used in an offensive capacity to a defensive capacity as Russia is making inroads. This concerns us all because democracy is losing to strong men regimes and we need to get things back on track.
I am pissed! That, actually, is not strong enough. Angry, livid, ready to explode is more like it. Where in the hell do these Republicans get the audacity to stop our government in its tracks? No judges, no legislation, no military promotions when the world is on fire. But even more where are the “leaders” who are letting this happen? Republicans like McConnell but also the so called moderates like Collins, Thune, Murkowski who sit by and watch. And where is the Democratic leadership in the Senate too? At the very least they should be out publicly often, denouncing this mess and putting pressure on their Republican colleagues to do something. I don’t want them to say, “oh, darn, we couldn’t do anything. BS.
There is of course an easy solution to this: Hamas releases the hostages, its leaders agree to leave Gaza for Iran, Fatah takes over Gaza, and a new center-left Israeli government, aided bythe US and others, sits down with Fatah to create a workable two-state solution.
This is of course a wild fantasy, but it does touch on one key point: Hamas does not want to negotiate. They do not want a two-state solution, or even a one-state solition-- they want to kick all 7 million Jews out of the current state of Israel, even if that means killing all of them one-by-one.
Granted, the Netanyahu government now contains extremists who have similar visions in the other direction, but the difference is that Israel is a democracy and the extremists, who are not in control, can be voted out. (And likely will be, given the current mood in Israel, but that is beside the point.)
Hamas cannot be voted out. They will only leave if forced out by another Palestinian group with a different vision for their people.
We got here in part becauase many Israelis beleived that like most natonal liberation groups, Hamas would soon grow weary of war and look to nation-building. This is what had happeend with Arafat and Fatah. And reports are coming out that this is why Israeli intelligence took their eyes off the ball.
Sadly, it was not in the Iranian government's interest to see a peaceful Gaza, let alone thriving Israeli and Palestinian states who , in the Iranians estimation, would be allied with the Sunni Saudis. (Almost all Palestianians are Sunni).
So they encouraged Hamas to remain at war, to cling to the vision that they could someday drive all seven million Jews out of Israel, while similtaneously ousting Fatah from the West Bank.
The result was last week's pogrom and the Israeli reaction to it, which, among, other things, means that the Saudi-Israeli detente that President Biden was brokering, is off the table, a deal that would allegedly have resulted in some big wins for the Palestinians in their quest for nationhood.
And so here we are.
I do not know how we get out of this mess other than the fantasty above. Asking the Israelis to stand down is like asking the US to have sought a cease fire with Japan the day after Pearl Harbor--emotions are just too high to make that even a remote possibility. Hamas seems equally as committed to death and destruction, and so here we are.
My hope is that once we get out of this mess, both sides will be so unhappy with the result that they will decide that peace is a better option. This is perhaps not so much of a fantasy--it happened in 1977 after the Yom Kippur War, when Sadat and Begin signed a peace accord between Egypt and Israel, a deal neither party has ever regretted.
I wish Israel would not siege Gaza right away. Let things cool down, solidify borders. Sure tell Gaza civilians to evacuate but let the hospitals have supplies.
Start trying to negotiate and gradually work at destroying Hamas.
Let the world focus their attention elsewhere and don't invade Gaza at once leading to more loss of Israel lives. As Thomas Friedman said, don't do what your enemies want you to do. The world will always condemn Israel but now there already is a humanitarian crisis and a siege of Gaza makes it one of epic proportions.
Maybe I am naive but exhibiting rage does not seem like the best long term strategy. Then, after the siege when thousands die and more of Gaza is destroyed , then what? who takes over? who provides reconstruction? Put in an electronic fence around Gaza. Their current path is going to bring in Hezbollah, then we have a worse situation for Israel.
Does an eye for an eye have to be literal to get proper revenge?
Thank you, Robert, for this inspirational letter. I am glad to hear that the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders are helping in Israel/Gaza. Now I know where I can safely donate.
President Biden is proving to be the leader needed in these fraught times.
It's being noticed around the world.
Time stamp 10:12-12:23; especially Minutes 11 to 12:05
Amy: How important is the President of the United States position here?
Gideon Levy: In less than a minute, I can tell you Amy that last night when I was watching President Biden I really envied you Americans that you have such a leader. I never thought so before last night. But last night Biden was a real leader; someone that you can trust because he was extremely sincere and someone that you can rely on.
If Netanyahu would have taken the same speech, he wouldn't be Netanyahu.
Netanyahu is busy with politics and here comes this Biden and tells Israel what Israel wanted to hear.
I would love him [Netanyahu] also to say something about the Palestinian suffering, the Palestinian agony.
He [Netanyahu] ignored it totally and this is very regretful. But by the end of the day, this is what Israel needs now - some kind of leadership and he [Netanyahu] totally lacks it, nobody's around, really to understand that WE HAVE TO GO FOR A NEW WAY. Nobody is there.
I normally get my news from NPR when driving and from the Washington Post while at home. I'm very disturbed by NPR's bias towards the Palestinians and against Israel. We hear long stories about the suffering innocents. Yes, civilians will be killed, just like Jews were killed at the music festival. During WWii we carpet bombed German cities. The justification was everyone contributed to the war effort whether or not they were holding a gun. I think it is amazing that the IDF gave the folks in Gaza 24 hours notice. It will hardly be a surprise attack and will cost Israeli lives.
I totally get the views on both sides of the debate over who is to blame for the Gazans being squeezed between Hamas and Israel. But I think, based on hearing from both sides all day yesterday that it's too simplistic to blame Israel alone for the situation in Gaza. Israel isn't the only actor in the region for the last 50 years and the realities of disharmony aren't easy to control when your avowed enemies live next door. It's too easy to lay blame, but Israel has had to survive in a very hostile physical space that has been its only space. I really dislike people latching onto simplistic explanations when survival is at stake.
If there are any, not to mention “enough” Republican House Members who are willing to put Party loyalty aside and create a governing majority with the Democrats, why don’t they? Recognizing the obvious urgent need for bipartisanship but then failing to vote for it is evidence of treasonous intent to undermine the government and continue acting primarily if not exclusively in one’s own interests. Lord Actin is once again being proved sound in observing that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. It is imperative that all of these weak-kneed and seriously character-flawed Republican House Members be defeated at the polls as quickly as possible!
What I wrote my Representative Chip Roy yesterday:
Dear Representation Roy. A study in 2021 by the Center for Responsive Politics paints a concerning picture of Rep. Jordan, ranking him among the least effective members in Congress, placing him at 432nd out of 435. The research pointed out that Jordan’s bills had a lower chance of finding cosponsors or even getting House votes.. So, I ask how could someone so ineffective and full of vitriol be the GOP's nominee of Speaker of the House. Are you trying to fail? It sure is an embarrassment to be an American on today's world stage. Please consider someone who is actually capable of being effective as Speaker. I'll even go so far in asking for someone who can work with all the members of Congress no matter what party to achieve the results we so badly need to see in this time. That a single member of Congress can halt military leadership confirmations is unpatriotic and weakens the United States military. One person can call for the removal of a Speaker is undemocratic and weakens the ability of Congress to do the right thing in a crisis such as we're seeing in Israel. It can't simply be the far, far, far right saying do it my way or we'll destroy the country. All or nothing is not the way Congress can do anything but fail. At times you ALL must come together when it creates a stronger America. Anything else is purely unpatriotic. If you can't figure out a way to work together even in your own party in the vein of lead, follow or get out of the way, it's time for you to get out of the way..
Please give us a Speaker who can be effective in meeting the needs of our time and our People. Please make America strong again! That means turning away from the far, far right and getting back to civilized conservatism willing to take steps toward a goal by working with ALL members of Congress.
Do it NOW! We need the clown show to stop! It matters to the world to have leadership from America creating a more prosperous and peaceful world. Catherine Learoyd here, waiting for something good to happen this time! That won't be Mr. Vitriol Jordan .
It was good to read that there are Republicans that are realizing that they need bipartisanship to move forward.
This Power Map shows 18 MAGA Republicans and Senators who are helping Putin by crippling U.S. the government when Israel and Ukraine need it the most. Tuberville's block on military promotions and more. MAGA Republicans Create MEGA Chaos to help Putin.
Personally I feel that governments must be very careful going (sending soldiers) where they can be easily found - that is, going into an area where they could be trapped. This is my intuition.
Speaking of House disfunction. The GOP does itself no favors when they put up horrow shows for consideration of a Speaker. A bipartisan candidate appeals to me. Speaking of horrors: let's consider all of Jim Jordan's qualifications: 1) not one piece of legislation conceived of and passed in all his years; 2) despite taking his oath, he voted for and supported the insurrection, 3) there are plenty of undeniable moral questions outstanding about his role in not cleaning up Ohio State's wrestling program, 4) he felt he was immune and too important to deign to respond to a Congressionally issued subpoena (unlike, for example, Hilary Clinton who entered Jordan's Benghazi Star Chamber for hours). In a normal world, he'd have no chance at the Speaker's gavel. No chance at all. He's deserving of sanction.
In the horror show that is the Israel/Hamas war, these words may be the most significant I've seen yet: "In a hopelessly complicated situation with no single answer or easy solution, we must follow our moral compass and remain true to the ideals that carried our nation to this point, including the courage to make difficult choices and act with conviction."
Sadly, if we attempt to apply this same thought to the disaster that is the Republican "controlled" House, it would be far more difficult. It is a "hopelessly complicated situation," for certain, although the complications are of their own making. The MAGA cultists have no moral compass, nor the ability to "make difficult choices" and are incapable of "act[ing] with conviction." I don't believe it is necessary to cite examples. They are plentiful and in plain sight.
It is a reminder that the biggest "lie" of advertising is "one size fits all." It is impossible, but critically necessary to separate "Palestinians" from "Hamas." It is difficult, but critically necessary to separate MAGA Republicans from SANE Republicans (I struggle to believe they still exist, but there must be some somewhere, and maybe now is the time for them to push themselves clear of the MAGA rock Republicans have been trapped under).
I support Israel, but detest Netanyahu. I support the Palestinian people, but detest Hamas. I love America, but detest Trump/MAGA insanity. One size does not fit all. Pick a side...but be sure not to cast a blanket over all sides as equivalent. They are not.
I have been reading the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace‘s discussion of countries in the Middle East and North Africa that are players in what is going on and how each country is managing this conflict.
https://carnegieendowment.org/2023/10/13/arab-perspectives-on-middle-east-crisis-pub-90774
Of course it has the danger of blowing up into a much bigger regional conflict and all of the countries have to manage terrorist groups in that region such as ISIS, just as we need to be more fully managing our terrorist groups here in the USA which are also an integral part of our government. I am infuriated that Tommy Tuberville is blocking military appointments, and Senators Rand and Cruz are blocking diplomatic appointments and the other Republicans are letting them. Do we have to wait for the US to be attacked before these a—holes can be overridden? I am currently in the EU which seems equally hogtied by their own political bugaboos, which I am not going to go into now, and reading that because funding is blocked Ukraine has to remove equipment used in an offensive capacity to a defensive capacity as Russia is making inroads. This concerns us all because democracy is losing to strong men regimes and we need to get things back on track.
I am pissed! That, actually, is not strong enough. Angry, livid, ready to explode is more like it. Where in the hell do these Republicans get the audacity to stop our government in its tracks? No judges, no legislation, no military promotions when the world is on fire. But even more where are the “leaders” who are letting this happen? Republicans like McConnell but also the so called moderates like Collins, Thune, Murkowski who sit by and watch. And where is the Democratic leadership in the Senate too? At the very least they should be out publicly often, denouncing this mess and putting pressure on their Republican colleagues to do something. I don’t want them to say, “oh, darn, we couldn’t do anything. BS.
There is of course an easy solution to this: Hamas releases the hostages, its leaders agree to leave Gaza for Iran, Fatah takes over Gaza, and a new center-left Israeli government, aided bythe US and others, sits down with Fatah to create a workable two-state solution.
This is of course a wild fantasy, but it does touch on one key point: Hamas does not want to negotiate. They do not want a two-state solution, or even a one-state solition-- they want to kick all 7 million Jews out of the current state of Israel, even if that means killing all of them one-by-one.
Granted, the Netanyahu government now contains extremists who have similar visions in the other direction, but the difference is that Israel is a democracy and the extremists, who are not in control, can be voted out. (And likely will be, given the current mood in Israel, but that is beside the point.)
Hamas cannot be voted out. They will only leave if forced out by another Palestinian group with a different vision for their people.
We got here in part becauase many Israelis beleived that like most natonal liberation groups, Hamas would soon grow weary of war and look to nation-building. This is what had happeend with Arafat and Fatah. And reports are coming out that this is why Israeli intelligence took their eyes off the ball.
Sadly, it was not in the Iranian government's interest to see a peaceful Gaza, let alone thriving Israeli and Palestinian states who , in the Iranians estimation, would be allied with the Sunni Saudis. (Almost all Palestianians are Sunni).
So they encouraged Hamas to remain at war, to cling to the vision that they could someday drive all seven million Jews out of Israel, while similtaneously ousting Fatah from the West Bank.
The result was last week's pogrom and the Israeli reaction to it, which, among, other things, means that the Saudi-Israeli detente that President Biden was brokering, is off the table, a deal that would allegedly have resulted in some big wins for the Palestinians in their quest for nationhood.
And so here we are.
I do not know how we get out of this mess other than the fantasty above. Asking the Israelis to stand down is like asking the US to have sought a cease fire with Japan the day after Pearl Harbor--emotions are just too high to make that even a remote possibility. Hamas seems equally as committed to death and destruction, and so here we are.
My hope is that once we get out of this mess, both sides will be so unhappy with the result that they will decide that peace is a better option. This is perhaps not so much of a fantasy--it happened in 1977 after the Yom Kippur War, when Sadat and Begin signed a peace accord between Egypt and Israel, a deal neither party has ever regretted.
“Bipartisanship is not a sin.” -Rep Maria Salazar, FL. Wow.
I wish Israel would not siege Gaza right away. Let things cool down, solidify borders. Sure tell Gaza civilians to evacuate but let the hospitals have supplies.
Start trying to negotiate and gradually work at destroying Hamas.
Let the world focus their attention elsewhere and don't invade Gaza at once leading to more loss of Israel lives. As Thomas Friedman said, don't do what your enemies want you to do. The world will always condemn Israel but now there already is a humanitarian crisis and a siege of Gaza makes it one of epic proportions.
Maybe I am naive but exhibiting rage does not seem like the best long term strategy. Then, after the siege when thousands die and more of Gaza is destroyed , then what? who takes over? who provides reconstruction? Put in an electronic fence around Gaza. Their current path is going to bring in Hezbollah, then we have a worse situation for Israel.
Does an eye for an eye have to be literal to get proper revenge?
Thank you, Robert, for this inspirational letter. I am glad to hear that the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders are helping in Israel/Gaza. Now I know where I can safely donate.
President Biden is proving to be the leader needed in these fraught times.
It's being noticed around the world.
Time stamp 10:12-12:23; especially Minutes 11 to 12:05
Amy: How important is the President of the United States position here?
Gideon Levy: In less than a minute, I can tell you Amy that last night when I was watching President Biden I really envied you Americans that you have such a leader. I never thought so before last night. But last night Biden was a real leader; someone that you can trust because he was extremely sincere and someone that you can rely on.
If Netanyahu would have taken the same speech, he wouldn't be Netanyahu.
Netanyahu is busy with politics and here comes this Biden and tells Israel what Israel wanted to hear.
I would love him [Netanyahu] also to say something about the Palestinian suffering, the Palestinian agony.
He [Netanyahu] ignored it totally and this is very regretful. But by the end of the day, this is what Israel needs now - some kind of leadership and he [Netanyahu] totally lacks it, nobody's around, really to understand that WE HAVE TO GO FOR A NEW WAY. Nobody is there.
https://youtu.be/P5t2JLpB7SY?si=Tgs3ZkxDjfP6A3KM
Does the Congress know in a democracy working with the other side is normal, expected, designed?
I normally get my news from NPR when driving and from the Washington Post while at home. I'm very disturbed by NPR's bias towards the Palestinians and against Israel. We hear long stories about the suffering innocents. Yes, civilians will be killed, just like Jews were killed at the music festival. During WWii we carpet bombed German cities. The justification was everyone contributed to the war effort whether or not they were holding a gun. I think it is amazing that the IDF gave the folks in Gaza 24 hours notice. It will hardly be a surprise attack and will cost Israeli lives.
I totally get the views on both sides of the debate over who is to blame for the Gazans being squeezed between Hamas and Israel. But I think, based on hearing from both sides all day yesterday that it's too simplistic to blame Israel alone for the situation in Gaza. Israel isn't the only actor in the region for the last 50 years and the realities of disharmony aren't easy to control when your avowed enemies live next door. It's too easy to lay blame, but Israel has had to survive in a very hostile physical space that has been its only space. I really dislike people latching onto simplistic explanations when survival is at stake.
If there are any, not to mention “enough” Republican House Members who are willing to put Party loyalty aside and create a governing majority with the Democrats, why don’t they? Recognizing the obvious urgent need for bipartisanship but then failing to vote for it is evidence of treasonous intent to undermine the government and continue acting primarily if not exclusively in one’s own interests. Lord Actin is once again being proved sound in observing that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. It is imperative that all of these weak-kneed and seriously character-flawed Republican House Members be defeated at the polls as quickly as possible!
What I wrote my Representative Chip Roy yesterday:
Dear Representation Roy. A study in 2021 by the Center for Responsive Politics paints a concerning picture of Rep. Jordan, ranking him among the least effective members in Congress, placing him at 432nd out of 435. The research pointed out that Jordan’s bills had a lower chance of finding cosponsors or even getting House votes.. So, I ask how could someone so ineffective and full of vitriol be the GOP's nominee of Speaker of the House. Are you trying to fail? It sure is an embarrassment to be an American on today's world stage. Please consider someone who is actually capable of being effective as Speaker. I'll even go so far in asking for someone who can work with all the members of Congress no matter what party to achieve the results we so badly need to see in this time. That a single member of Congress can halt military leadership confirmations is unpatriotic and weakens the United States military. One person can call for the removal of a Speaker is undemocratic and weakens the ability of Congress to do the right thing in a crisis such as we're seeing in Israel. It can't simply be the far, far, far right saying do it my way or we'll destroy the country. All or nothing is not the way Congress can do anything but fail. At times you ALL must come together when it creates a stronger America. Anything else is purely unpatriotic. If you can't figure out a way to work together even in your own party in the vein of lead, follow or get out of the way, it's time for you to get out of the way..
Please give us a Speaker who can be effective in meeting the needs of our time and our People. Please make America strong again! That means turning away from the far, far right and getting back to civilized conservatism willing to take steps toward a goal by working with ALL members of Congress.
Do it NOW! We need the clown show to stop! It matters to the world to have leadership from America creating a more prosperous and peaceful world. Catherine Learoyd here, waiting for something good to happen this time! That won't be Mr. Vitriol Jordan .
It was good to read that there are Republicans that are realizing that they need bipartisanship to move forward.
This Power Map shows 18 MAGA Republicans and Senators who are helping Putin by crippling U.S. the government when Israel and Ukraine need it the most. Tuberville's block on military promotions and more. MAGA Republicans Create MEGA Chaos to help Putin.
https://thedemlabs.org/2023/10/13/maga-republicans-create-mega-chaos-to-help-putin/
Personally I feel that governments must be very careful going (sending soldiers) where they can be easily found - that is, going into an area where they could be trapped. This is my intuition.
Well thought out essay by Judith Butler, Professor at Berkeley https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n20/judith-butler/the-compass-of-mourning Also a blog in this months London Review of Books 'Get Out of There Now' https://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/ I like to read a lot; and it's important to share ideas and solutions as we learn something new every day.