GOP Leaders Say Democrats Achieved 'Nothing' Since Taking Over The House, But 100 Bills Await Action in the Senate

Hang in there Joanie. Reading Nori's posts confirms that she feels exactly the same way--that our country isn't perfect, but that, just like you, she loves it anyway. But it is harder to make our country better when one ignores reality. When Nori gets going on her rants she always ends up tangled up in her thoughts because of her anger that our country is much more diverse and complicated than she wants it to be.

This past week marked the hundredth anniversary of Congress passing the women's suffrage amendment to the Constitution (ratified by enough states in 1920). I wonder where our country would be today had women's suffrage been law TWO hundred years ago ......

Last time I checked FOX News does still have the highest ratings compared to other individual broadcast companies, but compared to the wide selection of reputable news organizations--CBS, NBC, ABC, NPR, PBS, BBC etc. at our disposal--FOX is small potatoes and it isn't that hard, with just a little effort, to get a broader, fact based perspective on what is happening in today's world. (And no, I don't include C-SPAN in that group because it isn't a news organization. I listen to specific hearings on specific bills, but otherwise it is just politicians pontificating to their voters back home in a mostly empty room). And FOX's older, less well educated, viewership is declining. It is interesting that Murdoch's son is trying to gain a smidgeon of credibility with discussions featuring Democratic Candidates--and that the candidates are getting applause for their policy statements from the FOX audience. Democrats and Responsible Republicans--don't write off the heartland--98% are able to make the distinction between competence and flagrant incompetence.

Want to compare Obama's deficits during the Great Recession to Trump's deficits today Nori?

Here is something I found recently that I thought was worth passing on:

"I believe that the voices of fear, both from without and within, can only be dispelled by trusting the voice that comes from the heart. Be still and listen to it. If it speaks of love and compassion for others, for the world itself, it just might be the voice of God--or a reasonable facsimile. If, however, it snarls with fear of the unknown, fear of losing what you have or of not getting what you want, then it might be the voice of Rupert Murdoch--or a reasonable facsimile." This from one of the producers of the TV show that made millions of average Americans aware of the Shroedinger's Cat thought experiment...........

....and if you want to know how I REALLY FEEL about climate change and the foot dragging by deniers search YouTube for Bill Nye and John Oliver and watch the Last Week Tonight selection.

Did anyone else see Angela Merkel's Harvard commencement speech?

06/10/19 12:43 PM

#8538

And thanks for sharing your family photo of your granddaughter Jay. Ditto your photos Jack and Glen.

06/10/19 01:48 PM

#8539

Thanks to Jack and Jay and Robert for understanding that you can love your country but be upset about the direction it is going. I appreciate what all of you have said about this issue. Love to all...Joanie

06/10/19 02:05 PM

#8540

Nora Skinker (Morton)

Haha! I think when i am being compared to Spiro T., it's time to switch gears! Enjoy your broken hearts, wallow in misery and hyperbolic high drama or choose to absorb some other viewpoints that may just give you some hope that our country is certainly worth loving all the time. Or, perhaps you could actually say you are unhappy about the direction the country is going and not even use the love word. To quote an old Tina Turner song, 'what's love got to do with it?" Should half the country have felt loved when HRC called it full of "deplorables"? Hmm...

Glen, I wish i could talk about food with you, I really do. But every time I do, I go to my kitchen and PRESTO! my thighs seem to enlarge right before my very eyes! Am trying hard to keep my swimsuit days under control, so I have to quickly skim over your delectable photos. Speaking of photos, what a beautiful Iris (my fave) and got a hoot out of the New Yorker cartoon. SOO true. I'll never get to the Mueller report with all I have to read. But, hey, why should I? I have the ever adorable John Dean to give me the lowdown this week. Thank gawd I don't define my country by its politics. I could find myself getting brokenhearted daily.

On a lighter note (and so we can balance some of the political intercourse), here is a cute email from one of my kids. Luckily, he knows I have a sense of humor and, if you choose to read it, you may want to keep yours, too:

ARE YOU REALLY READY TO RETIRE?

You can retire to Phoenix, Arizona where...

1. You are willing to park three blocks away from your house because you found shade. 2. You experienced condensation on your rear-end from the hot water in the toilet bowl. 3. You can drive for four hours in one direction and never leave town. 4. You have over 100 recipes for Mexican food. 5. You know that "dry heat" is comparable to what hits you in the face when you open your oven door at 500 degrees. 6. The four seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??

OR....you can retire to California where...

1. You make over $450,000 and you still can't afford to buy a house. 2. The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway. 3. You know how to eat an artichoke. 4. When someone asks how far something is, you tell them how long it will take to get there rather than how many miles it is. 5. The four seasons are: Fire, Flood, Mud and Drought.

OR...you can retire to New York City where...

1. You say "the city" and expect everyone to know you mean Manhattan. 2. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park, but can't find Wisconsin on a map. 3. You think Central Park is "nature." 4.You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multilingual. 5. You've worn out a car horn. (IF you have a car.) 6. You think eye contact is an act of aggression.

OR...you can retire to Minnesota where...

1. You only have three spices: salt, pepper and ketchup. 2. Halloween costumes have to fit over parkas. 3. You have seventeen recipes for casserole. 4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons. 5. The four seasons are: almost winter, winter, still winter and road repair. 6. The highest level of criticism is "he is different", "she is different", or "it was different!"

OR...you can retire to The Deep South where....

1. You can rent a movie and buy bait in the same store. 2, "Y'all is singular and "all y'all" is plural. 3. "He needed killin" is a valid defense. 4. Everyone has two first names: Billy Bob, Jimmy Bob, Joe Bob, Eddie Guy, Mary Beth, etc. 5. Everything is either: "in yonder," "over yonder" or "out yonder". 6. You can say anything about anyone, as long as you say "bless his heart" at the end.

OR...you can move to Colorado where...

1. You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500 car. 2. You tell your husband to pick up Granola on his way home, so he stops at the day care center. 3. A pass does not involve a football or dating. 4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.

OR...you can retire to Nebraska or Kansas where...

1. You've never met any celebrities, but the mayor knows y our name. 2. Your idea of a traffic jam is three cars waiting to pass a tractor. 3. You have had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" on the same day. 4. You end sentences with a preposition: "where's my coat at?"

OR...finally, you can retire to Florida where...

1. You eat dinner at 3:15 in the afternoon. 2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind - even houses and cars. 3. Everyone can recommend an excellent cardiologist, dermatologist, proctologist, podiatrist or orthopedist. 4. Road construction never ends anywhere in the state. 5. Cars in front of you often appear to be driven by headless people.

(Forum elitists (you know who you are) should love that one).

06/10/19 02:48 PM

#8541

No, Nora, I would not say that to my child. There are big differences in the kind of love I feel for my country, the love I feel for my children, and the language I use in expressing those different kinds of love. I suspect this is true for many of us. No need to give up the use of the word just because its meaning changes when applied in different situations, just allow a little nuance in your thinking

Thanks, Jay and Robert, for taking the time to say all of the things I would have said. Been out shooting eaglets.

06/10/19 09:06 PM

#8542

I just heard about how Chairman Nadler is trying very hard to get the information to the American public about the Mueller Report...most people like Nori haven't read it and are basing their conclusions of exonerating Trump on not having read it. I heard Joyce Vance, a very well respected Prosecutor say that based on the Mueller Report she feels certain that she could indict Trump and get a conviction and get one on appeal too and she would go forward with the case. Love, Joanie

06/10/19 11:41 PM

#8543

Jerry Morgan

Just curious if Nora considers CSpan as fake news and whether she would ever believe what she sees and hears on it. Is it possible that the CSpan broadcasts would be fake news. I refer to the CSpan broadcast of the House Judicial Committee hearings of today. Just a rhetorical question no answer necessary.

06/11/19 10:03 AM

#8544

Nora Skinker (Morton)

Joanie, I believe that was the Dem strategy all along: not necessarily to impeach but to share the less-than-flattering details of the report for all to absorb, with the hope that 2020 falls to the Dems. Attacking Trump & making him look so bad that people either don’t vote or vote Democratic. John Dean yesterday spent time trying to tie Nixon’s foibles to Trump’s. Twixt these driven pressures to keep the M Report front & center & constant bashing from a biased MSM, makes for good politics, I guess. That is, if people are not into making good policy instead.

Jerry, C-span is no news. No opinion. No pundits. No commercials. Try watching sometime. Unless, of course, you don’t like making decisions on your own.

No, alas, I missed Merkel’s commencement speech but what did you think of Trump’s DDay speech? Mexico’s response to Trump’s tariff threats? Would seem pretty significant that Mexico agreed to 6000 troops on their southern border rather than a measly 1000. Who knew that hitting them in the pocketbook might move the needle? Oh, that’s right - Trump did.

06/11/19 10:13 AM

#8545

You are making the false assumption Nori that the Democrats are presenting this info just to make Trump look bad....no they are presenting this info so that the public who are not yet informed through the Mueller report, will learn that our elections were attacked by Russia (something Trump has never acknowledged nor done anything about...remember a President is supposed to protect our country against enemies.) Then they are presenting this to show that there were 10 obstruction of justice situations regarding Trump of which Nori, over 1,000 Federal prosecutors have said reach the level of criminal offenses...of felonies. I am sorry that you just see everything in terms of trying to hurt poor Trump. No, its to let the public know that our President has in the opinion of these 1,000 prosecutors, committed serious crimes. Perhaps there will be some who find out the truth who might be alarmed and want to go in a different direction .Love, Joanie

06/11/19 10:20 AM

#8546

Trump's D Day speech was fine. What did you think Nori of Trumps bashing Mueller, calling him a fool with the backdrop of the soldiers who died defending us. Mueller was a marine who fought valiently for our country. McCain was a brave soldier too who Trump's comment was "I don't like people who are captured." love, Joanie Thoughts on that?

06/11/19 11:29 AM

#8547

Nora Skinker (Morton)

Jeez. I thought I made it clear that I'm not crazy about anybody bashing anybody, Joanie. It seems to me that we knew going into 2016 that Trump punches back big when attacked. That's his style. What he meant about not liking people who are captured? I have never heard his explanation of that, so I can't say. But, isn't it pretty much a given at this point that we all wish he wouldn't make some of the comments he makes? Ruminating over them time and time again is exhausting most of the country, including me. As for a thousand attorneys saying that Trump has committed crimes? Out of curiosity, is there any number given to those who do NOT feel he has committed a crime? For the record, there is no doubt in my mind that there are a myriad of unsavory actions & words that swirl in, around and through Mueller's report. Let it all out. I don't care at all. Really. It gives Nadler and company something to do while they do nothing until the election. I can tell you this though, if, in the report, there's something to nail Trump that warrants prison time, it will not materialize into action after he is out of office. Because then it won't matter an ounce to the Dems or anybody else, (except maybe to those who won't sleep til he's behind bars and they won't number enough to make it happen.) Case in point: remember all the threats from the Dems that Kavanaugh was going to be impeached? Never happened. Never even really TRIED to make it happen. Why? Because it wasn't useful politically to them or anybody. Funny you would say that a president is supposed to protect us from our enemies. That's the same argument that the Republicans use for Trumps border crisis stance! Recognizing when it's politics and when it isn't, isn't an easy task because it all takes our WANTING to believe we are being protected. ARE we ever really protected by anyone? Nobody wants to answer that one. That said, pass the popcorn, one never knows which ruse will win over the country's fancy.

Ok, ok Glen. Down boy. Here's a little goodie you might like on Father's Day, as well:

My moist, easy and scrumptious Rum Cake recipe:

4 eggs

1pkg. vanilla pudding mix (3.4oz)

1 c chopped walnuts

1/2 c water

1/2 c vegetable oil

1/2 c dark rum (I use Myers)

1 box Duncan Hines yellow cake mix

Glaze: 1/2 c butter; 1/4 c water, 1 c white sugar; 1/2 c dark rum (i use coconut rum)

Preheat to 325. Grease/flour 10" bundt pan. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over bottom of pan. In large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix. Mix in eggs, water, oil & 1/2 c rum. Blend well. Bake 60 min (til toothpick test shows clean). Let sit 10 minutes in pan then turn out into serving plate. Brush glaze over top and sides. Pour glaze into bundt pan and put cake back in to soak it all up. Punch holes. Use all glaze. (To make glaze: in saucepan, combine butter, water, sugar. Bring to boil for 5 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat and add the rum.)

See? After typing this out, I now have to go and make the damned cake in order for my salivary glands to relax again. I blame you, kiddo.

06/11/19 11:46 AM

#8548

“Unless, of course, you don’t like making decisions on your own.”

From someone who won’t read the Mueller report? How about reading the original material, deciding what it means based on what it says, or at least your own understanding of what it says, rather than whatever Trump, Barr, or Fox News tell you to think?

You complain endlessly about the biased MSM, although never able to define it or provide a list of the media that are “Main Stream” and those that are not. But given the opportunity to access unfiltered, primary material yourself by clicking on a link, too much trouble?

06/11/19 02:09 PM

#8549

Its not just bringing these things up Nori. These things are serious breaches and if we don't care about them, then there is no check on these unsavory practices....its a good thing that some of us care about these things. Its not all politics like you keep saying...its about what we feel is good for the health of our democracy....I think you just want it all to go away as you like the border wall concept, and the conservative judges etc.....By the way Nori, the congress has passed tons and tons of legislation but Mitch McConnell won't let any of it come before the Senate so that it can be enacted so its not accurate for you to act like the Congress is just focusing on Trump and doing nothing. As for you thinking that Trump is protecting us from our enemies at the border, that is very sad to say because the majority of people coming to our border are peace loving people who are fleeing oppressive regimes where they would be killed....they enrich our society. Trump has closed off legal entry points so if they come in illegally, they get thrown in detention centers and now are sleeping on concrete in many instances. Do you care that Trump had no plan to reunite the children with their parents...so many are lost? Love, Joanie

06/11/19 02:19 PM

#8550

I was impressed by the well written speech that our president read for the D-Day Commemoration and grateful that he stayed on script and didn't embarrass himself or our country. But then he went back to being his incompetent self--especially in the press conference with Macron and other leaders when he prattled on about D-Day and later, in the press conference with the leader of Ireland, when he praised the wall between Northern Ireland and Ireland and quickly reversed himself when the Irish leader disagreed and said a wall was a bad idea. I don't watch FOX News much, but it seems they show more of Trump's gaffes than more reputable news organizations simply because they show more of Trump. Maybe his lawyers will use his rambling comments as proof that he is an unstable, ignoramus when they defend him in the court of the Southern District of New York. Trump is his own worst enemy.

06/11/19 02:21 PM

#8551

U.S. Republicans Democrats Congress

Nori, here is an article that will explain to you that the House has passed a lot of legislation on things like health care, gun control, etc. Love, Joanie

U.S.

GOP Leaders Say Democrats Achieved 'Nothing' Since Taking Over The House, But 100 Bills Await Action in the Senate

By Alexandra Hutzler On 5/23/19 at 10:02 AM EDT

Republican leaders have slammed Democrats for not getting enough done in Congress even though more than 100 bills passed this year by the House of Representatives currently sit in the GOP-controlled Senate awaiting action.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy tweeted on Wednesday that “Democrats are in a tailspin, and their ‘leadership' is out to lunch. They have achieved practically NOTHING since taking over the House, and their obsession with impeaching this president is paralyzing any progress we could be making as the UNITED States.”

Similar remarks were made by Donald Trump and White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday morning.

The president wrote on Twitter that “Democrats are getting nothing done in Congress. All of their effort is about a Re-Do of the Mueller Report, which didn't turn out the way they wanted. It is not possible for them to investigate and legislate at the same time.”

During an appearance on CNN, Sanders asked “what significant pieces of legislation they have passed that are going to change the course of this country?” She also said that it is “a complete lie” that Democrats think they can investigate Trump and also pass bills.

But Democrats have passed more than 100 pieces of legislation on issues ranging from gun control to health care since gaining majority control in the House in January. Those bills have yet to be taken up by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

That legislation includes the For the People Act, which is a comprehensive package of reforms to expand voting rights, limit partisan gerrymandering and limit the influence of donor money. It also encompasses the Paycheck Fairness Act, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act and the Save the Internet Act.

republicans, slam, house, democrats, productivity House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (C), D-CA, flanked by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (L), D-NH, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (R), D-NY, speaks during an event to call for the protection of affordable healthcare for those with preexisting conditions during a press conference in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on April 2, 2019. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Last month, Senate Democrats issued a press release accusing McConnell of turning the Senate into a “legislative graveyard.”

“Leader McConnell promised that he would open the Senate so that ideas with bipartisan support could come to the floor, and said that he would allow a free and open amendment process to foster bipartisanship and deliver real legislation to the president's desk. But Leader McConnell has failed to live up to these commitments,” the press release read.

Even Republican lawmakers have expressed frustration at the Senate's lack of action in Congress. Senator John Kennedy told lawmakers on the Senate floor on Tuesday that they've done “nothing” but confirm the president's judicial nominations.

"We need to do more, by we I mean the United States Congress," he said. "Other than the nominations, which are important, we have done nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada."

Republican attacks on their Democratic colleagues also come as Trump abruptly walked out of a White House meeting with congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. The president claimed that he would no longer work with Democrats unless they drop all of the investigations being led by the House.

Pelosi said after the meeting that Trump "just took a pass and it just makes me wonder why he did that. In any event, I pray for the president of the United States and I pray for the United States of America.”

exican Kindergarten Conductor Catches Lin-Manuel Miranda's Eyes (and Ears)

06/11/19 05:21 PM

#8552

Glen Hirose

Nori,

I hope it turns out like this:

Image result for bundt cake

You know I'm weak at baking (I carry the recessive baking gene) there are treatments, but to date no known cure.

06/11/19 05:47 PM

#8553

Glen Hirose

Jack,

I love that photo of your almost-adult eaglet in a less threatening more reflective mood. He/she is probably thinking: “Life is just a warm 1 ½ ton nest of twigs and branches perched atop a grand oak with a view, and it comes catered with fresh fish by 2 caring protective parents”…Sounds like a Disney movie.

Sad to think that all too soon the weight of "National Bird" will be place on his/her wings maybe it’s better to be a starling, then all people expect is for you to poop on their car.

Image result for telephone line full of starlings

7:19 am just before the commuters park their cars...

06/11/19 08:23 PM

#8554

Then there was this young eagle, Glen, posing for his portrait a couple of years ago. Out of the photo is the very rancid roadkill raccoon it was in the middle of (literally) when I took the pic. Not so Disneyesque!

This is a poem written by an old friend, and recited by Garrison Keillor today on The Writer's Almanac. I think we are all of an age to understand it only too well!

06/11/19 08:32 PM

#8555

I like the poem and I have to admit that i can relate. Love, Joanie

06/12/19 07:53 AM

#8556

Glen Hirose

Yes Joanie, me too.

But add this last line: “I’ll deal with all of that, but it's the constant search for misplaced keys, and the frustration of not knowing where my glasses are so that I can locate the keys...

Image result for glasses and keys

by Frank Speranzo

06/12/19 08:51 AM

#8557

Well, I shouldn't admit this one but, how about searching for your pocketbook while its on your shoulder the whole time. I guess going into a room to get something and by the time you are there, you have no clue what it was, might be one that some have experienced...or getting ready to search something on the internet but by the time you set up the search, you don't know what it was you were searching. I hope no one thinks that I have a serious problem, but we were fessing up to a few hopefully minor issues. Love, Joanie

06/12/19 08:58 AM

#8558

Here is an article about how former Republican EPA heads are extremely worried about the rollbacks Trump is doing that hurt the environment. Love, Joanie

https://www.yahoo.com/news/former-bush-reagan-epa-heads-185356274.html

06/12/19 09:10 AM

#8559

All of the above, Joanie, all of the above. They say that if you can’t find your car keys, don’t worry. If you don’t know what your car keys are for . . .

06/12/19 03:31 PM

#8560