Blue Country Gazette: January 2023

Monday, January 30, 2023

Marjorie Taylor Greene Bashes Biden for Bringing DOWN Gas Prices, Ted Lieu Claps Back Brilliantly

The price of gas has long been a major factor in assessing the approval of the President and other government officials. Prior to last year's midterm election Republicans attempted to use high gas prices to drag down President Biden and the electoral prospects of congressional Democrats. It didn't work.

Now gas prices have fallen considerably. They now average about $3.44 per gallon nationwide, which is equal to where they were two years ago. That's down from a high of $5.02 in June of 2022. And even though prices fell each month for the remainder of last year, the GOP furiously condemned Biden as being responsible for the high prices and criticized him for not bringing them down.

On Friday on the floor of the House of Representatives, Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-QAnon) sought to make gas prices an issue again. But this time she was appalled that Biden had taken measures to lower gas prices. How dare Biden make the cost of living more affordable for the American people? This debate was centered around her amendment (which later lost by a landslide 14 to 418 vote) to place restrictions on when and how a president can utilize the Strategic Petroleum Reserves. She fumed that...

"President Biden abused his power to sell our oil, reduce gas prices, so that the midterm elections would swing Democrats' way. It's a shame to trick the American people just to win an election. No president should be able to use their emergency powers for politics."

It's a welcome surprise to see Greene actually admit that Biden lowered gas prices, even though she somehow intended it to be a criticism. To be clear, Greene only wants to make sure that Biden is castigated for gas prices when they are high, and also when he successfully manages to lower them. It's a lose-lose proposition. And she is defining anything that benefits the people as a "political" stunt and, therefore, must not be permitted. Which would explain why Republicans never do anything that benefits people, except that we already know they have no aversion to political stunts themselves.

What Greene is actually saying is that no Democratic president should be able to use their powers to benefit the American people. And her Olympic-grade hypocrisy was not lost on Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu who responded to Greene's griping saying that...

"I can summarize this debate of the last two days into one sentence: Joe Biden lowered your gas prices and Republicans are upset about it. That's what this is about. Joe Biden lowered your gas prices and that makes Republicans mad. And how do we know? They said it out loud. The gentlewoman from Georgia earlier this morning just said that Joe Biden lowered your gas prices for political reasons. You know, I don't care why a president lowers your gas prices. If any president can lower your gas prices, we should support that president's action."

Rep. Lieu was just getting started. He continued saying that...

"There's another reason this Republican bill is so stupid. Because not only did Joe Biden lower your gas prices, the United States of America made a profit on it. Buy low, sell high. It was brilliant what Joe Biden did. He released the Strategic Petroleum Reserves when gas prices were high, and that helped lower the gas prices. And then he refilled it at the lower amount. The U.S. made $4 billion dollars on Joe Biden's actions. The Republicans always want to say 'Let's run government like a business.' Joe Biden did exactly that when he lowered your gas prices, and then made a $4 billion dollar profit for the United States of America."

So Biden eased a primary factor of the inflationary crush that Americans were enduring, and he made a few billion bucks on their behalf at the same time. No wonder MTG and the GOP are angry. The problem for them is that they are openly displaying that they couldn't care less about helping the people of this country, especially if there's a chance that Biden or the Democrats might get credit for it. And they remain pitifully out of touch with the issues that matter most to the nation.

As Joe always says, "What goes up must come down."

Sunday, January 29, 2023

Pope Francis Just Called for the Decriminalization of Homosexuality Worldwide

Pope Francis presides over mass on Wednesday in Rome. (photo: Filippo Monteforte/Getty)

26 January 23 READERSUPPORTEDNEWS.ORG

He also characterized those who oppose him as “like a rash that bothers you a bit.”

Molly Olmstead / Slate

In comments Catholic LGBTQ advocates described as “historic,” Pope Francis called for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality—making him the first pope to ever take such a stance.

“Being homosexual is not a crime,” he said in an interview with the Associated Press, which was published on Wednesday. “It’s not a crime. Yes, but it’s a sin. Fine, but first let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime. It’s also a sin to lack charity with one another.”

“And being homosexual is not a crime,” he said again. “It’s a human condition.”

The comments, which were part of a lengthy and wide-ranging interview, did not establish any new doctrine or push any new theological territory. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that gay people “must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity,” and that “every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.” Nor is it counter to Francis’ previous stances on the matter: He has repeatedly urged the church to treat gay people with compassion. He famously said of gay priests, “Who am I to judge?”

But in making comments about laws, Francis is speaking to some of his own bishops. Francis is about to embark on a weeklong trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. Eleven countries in the world have a death penalty on the books, and another 56 have other criminal penalties. These laws are concentrated in the Middle East and Africa.

When the AP asked Francis if the church should help to eliminate these laws, he responded, “Yes, yes. It must do this. It must do this.”

He went on to blame the laws on cultural differences and called on bishops in regions with harsh views of gay people to rid themselves of that mentality. “These bishops have to have a process of conversion,” he said.

Fr. James Martin, editor-at-large for the Jesuit magazine America and a prominent proponent of gay rights in the church, described the news as “an immense step forward.” In a statement, the executive director of New Ways Ministry, a Catholic LGBTQ advocacy group, praised Francis for helping “save lives and promote respect for LGBTQ+ people, particularly in areas where law or social norms make them victims of fear, hatred, violence, and death.” (Francis made news in 2021 when he commended the organization, breaking with the church’s earlier condemnation of it.)

Already, there are rumblings of a conservative backlash. On Wednesday afternoon, Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, an outspoken Francis critic, retweeted a conservative Catholic account that quoted Pope John Paul II: “‘Pressure for homosexual relationships to be recognised as a different form of family, which are also entitled to the right to adopt,’ is ‘a violation of God’s law’ and an ‘ideology of evil…seeking to use human rights against humanity and the family.’ ” Strickland thanked John Paul for his “clarity in the truth God has revealed to us.”

Other conservative stalwarts, including the Catholic News Agency, a property of EWTN, argued that Francis’ comments may have actually taken a more conservative stance on homosexuality than the Catholic Church itself. It’s a bit technical, but in short: The Catholic Church does not teach that being gay is a sin. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it is specifically “homosexual acts” that are “intrinsically disordered”; gay Catholics are “called to chastity.”

It is unclear from watching the video of this conversation whether Francis is actually agreeing that being gay is a sin or if he is pantomiming a rhetorical argument from the perspective of someone arguing with him. However, given that few, if any, LGBTQ advocates appear to have focused on this particular phrasing from Francis, it seems that most observers have assumed that Francis is conflating homosexuality and “acting on homosexuality,” or otherwise not dwelling on the distinction.

Either way, Francis is not changing anything about the church’s stance, which he has long affirmed. Although Francis has emphasized “compassion,” as recently as 2021, the Vatican reiterated that Catholic priests could not bless same-sex unions because “God cannot bless sin.”

As for why these statements are coming out now: According to the AP, Francis has simply never been asked in an interview before. “Francis willingly responded, citing even the statistics about the number of countries where homosexuality is criminalized,” the AP reported.

The interview covered a number of other hot-button issues in the church, including rumors about Francis’ health. (He said a fracture in his knee had healed and revealed that a highly common colon disease, which required colon surgery in 2021, had returned.) He also responded to speculation about his retirement, saying he had not yet thought about plans for stepping down.

He also addressed the recent attacks by the recently deceased Cardinal George Pell and by Georg Gänswein, Pope Benedict XVI’s personal secretary. “Even though they say he criticized me, fine, he has the right. Criticism is a human right,” Francis said of Pell. “He was a great guy. Great.”

Deflating Gänswein’s narrative of tension between Benedict and Francis, the pope described his predecessor as “a good companion.” “In the face of a doubt, I would ask for the car and go to the monastery and ask,” he said. He also rejected the idea that any criticism leveled against him had anything to do with Benedict. “I wouldn’t relate it to Benedict, but because of the wear-and-tear of a government of 10 years,” he said. “They started to see my flaws and didn’t like them.” Francis’ papacy will mark a decade in March.

He described the bishops and cardinals who oppose him as “like a rash that bothers you a bit” but called on his critics to speak openly.

“You prefer that they don’t criticize, for the sake of tranquility,” he said. “But I prefer that they do it because that means there’s freedom to speak.”

He added: “The only thing I ask is that they do it to my face because that’s how we all grow, right?”

Saturday, January 28, 2023

Mike Pence can take all the documents he wants. Republicans don't even pretend to care

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 30: Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the National Press Club on November 30, 2021 in Washington, DC. Pence spoke about the upcomingÂ Supreme Court case involving a controversial Mississippi abortion law that will be heard at the high court on Wednesday. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, classified documents were found in what was described as an “unprotected area” of former Vice President Mike Pence’s home in Carmel, Indiana. The nature, quantity, and classification level of these documents all appear to be unknown at this point. The documents have been turned over to the Department of Justice and are undergoing review by both the National Security Division and the FBI.

The documents were reportedly located at Pence’s home by an attorney working for Pence and were found after Pence himself made repeated public denials that he had removed any classified material following his time in Washington. At this point, it does not seem that there has been any formal search of Pence’s residences or any location by any agency checking to see if there might be more. Pence declared himself willing to cooperate with the National Archives, but the Department of Justice has so far made no hint that it intends to investigate further or to appoint a special investigator.

And Republicans are good with that. In fact, they’re ready to simply wave Pence’s mishandling of classified documents away as nothing. Why because … because … Hunter Biden, of course.

As the Congressional Integrity Project points out, when it came to the literally hundreds of documents found at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, documents including those with the highest level of classification, including what are reported to be nuclear secrets, Republicans put on their best umbrage and went out daily to proclaim that it was no big deal.

Here’s Ted Cruz complaining about the FBI search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club; a search that netted boxes filled with classified documents Trump had claimed were not there.

Cruz: “What is really distressing now looking at the warrant and what they were searching for, this was a fishing expedition. I think it had little to nothing to do with classified documents, what this was about was January 6. What this was about was the FBI and DOJ wanting to send in a team to say let’s grab every piece of paper we can find and maybe we’ll get something incriminating.”

And yet, following Biden’s voluntary admission that his attorneys had located classified documents at his office, Cruz demanded that the government convene a grand jury and that the FBI “raid” Biden’s home. Also the home of his son. Because.

As you may be aware, President Biden has a son named Hunter who once made a moderate amount of money by acting as a consultant and who once owned a laptop whose data was stolen by an unscrupulous computer repair shop owner. Hunter Biden’s simple existence is the go-to excuse in the case of anything, anywhere, that Republicans might have done.

It’s been at least two minutes since we’ve had a really striking example of It’s Okay If You’re A Republican, but considering that this particular IOIYAR may set a new record, it was almost worth the wait.

In November, attorneys working for President Joe Biden discovered a small number of documents bearing classified markings locked in a closet at what had been Biden’s office at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement. Whether these documents remained classified was, and is, unknown. However, the attorneys contacted Biden, who immediately called the National Archives to let them know. Two days after the documents were first found, they were removed by the archives, who then submitted the matter to the Justice Department. Within 10 days, Attorney General Merrick Garland had appointed a team for further investigation. With Biden’s full cooperation, his homes, offices, and other storage locations were searched, including a lengthy FBI -directed search of his home in Delaware—a search that did not stop Republicans from demanding “an FBI raid on Biden.”

In spite of Biden’s full cooperation, Garland went on to appoint a special investigator to look into Biden’s handling of classified documents. For this task, Garland selected Republican attorney Robert Hur, who had been appointed as a U.S. attorney by Donald Trump and who works for a white-shoe law firm with close ties to numerous figures on the right.

What Biden did and what Pence did are separated by nothing more than a slight difference in numbers, and considering that no further search of Pence’s residences or office appears to have taken place, perhaps not even that.

Donald Trump took an order of magnitude more documents that either Pence or Biden. More importantly, he engaged in obstruction when it came to returning those documents, purposely misled both the National Archives and the FBI when it came to whether or not he had the documents, and dragged the nation through months of court cases in an attempt to obscure the facts about what he had taken. He knew he had classified documents and refused to give them back.

And now, Republicans are sure to get on with investigating what’s important: Hunter Biden’s laptop.

With Cancun Cruz weighing in, you know the GOP's arguments are bogus.

Friday, January 27, 2023

ALDOUS J. PENNYFARTHING: Eric Swalwell was booted from the House Intel committee. Now he's hitting back at McCarthy and Co.

MIAMI, FL - JUNE 27: Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) does a television interview in the spin room before the second night of the first Democratic presidential debate on June 27, 2019 in Miami, Florida. A field of 20 Democratic presidential candidates was split into two groups of 10 for the first debate of the 2020 election, taking place over two nights at Knight Concert Hall of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, hosted by NBC News, MSNBC, and Telemundo. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The Last of Us is a new post-apocalyptic drama series, based on the video game of the same name, that recently debuted on HBO. So far it seems more or less like standard zombie fare, but with a twist. In this version of our fraught dystopian future, people’s minds are taken over by a rampaging fungus that turns its victims into slavering automatons, laser-focused on slurping up sigmoid colons like limp lasagna noodles. That sounds pretty close to the very worst thing that could happen to a fella, with one exception—having your mind taken over by Marjorie Taylor Greene.

House (Barely) Speaker Kevin McCarthy probably wishes his weary brain was sprouting spores right about now, because he’s hitched his wagon to Greene’s TruckNutz-festooned star instead, and it’s making him act kinda goofy.

The latest? He bounced Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee, stating, “It is my assessment that the misuse of this panel during the 116th and 117th Congresses severely undermined its primary national security and oversight missions—ultimately leaving our nation less safe.” In other words, investigating Donald Trump for all the impeachable things he did was really embarrassing for Republicans, so how about a little fire, Scarecrow?

Swalwell, who’s been known to have a sense of humor (especially on Twitter), isn’t taking it lying down. After plainly stating the obvious—“It’s political vengeance,” the California rep said in the wake of McCarthy’s decision—posted a video on Twitter. That’s a a not-so-subtle reference to the gobsmacking fact that fully 13 of 15 Republican members of the new House Oversight Committee are election deniers. These include Reps. Greene and Paul Gosar, who have been earnestly understudying for the third and fourth Horsemen of the Apocalypse like Tobias Fünke for the Blue Man Group.

You can watch it on YouTube, but here is the transcript!

NARRATOR: “Were you arrested trying to overthrow the government on Jan. 6? Are you facing sleepless nights worried the rule of law will catch up to you? The lawyers at Insurrection LLC are standing by to take your call. We will fight for your right to commit treason without accountability. At Insurrection LLC, we understand it’s your right to obstruct justice and plot sedition. And, for a limited time only, if you call Insurrection LLC in the next 15 minutes, we’ll include a free gas stove!”

Hoo-boy, that was fun, huh?

McCarthy may also be wreaking vengeance on his “Democrat colleagues,” as he so graciously puts it, for stripping his new BFF MTG of her committee assignments back when the Flaxen Klaxon first beamed down to the House floor on her bodacious space laser in 2021. (And likely because then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi barred election deniers Jim Jordan and Jim Banks from the House Jan. 6 committee just for cheering on Donald Trump’s rolling coup.)

Of course, Greene was kept off committees during the 117th Congress for very good reasons—among them, her history of advocating violence against Democrats, including “liking” a Facebook post that said Nancy Pelosi should be shot in the head, and her embrace of QAnon.

Her behavior was so off-the-charts egregious, in fact, McCarthy had to concoct his own squishy rationales for kicking Schiff and Swalwell off the Intelligence Committee. (If you’re really interested in his lies and distortions, Daily Kos’ Laura Clawson has more.)

While the midterms were, on balance, good for Democrats (and, by extension, for the country), we narrowly missed keeping the House in the hands of Americans who, you know, care about America and democracy and shit. Unfortunately, the circus is in town now—and we’re not talking about Cirque du Soleil. Or even the Blue Man Group, for that matter. More like a Branson, Missouri, prop comic whose ventriloquist dummy doubles as his Narcotics Anonymous sponsor.

Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell will be leaving Kevin's committee room. The truth hurts.

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Don’t miss Wanda Sykes’ brutal takedown of Trump’s eulogy at Diamond’s funeral

Wanda Sykes Tackles Trump's Awkward Eulogy & Biden's Classified Documents

Wanda Sykes takes brutal jab at Trump's eulogy of Lynnette “Diamond” Hardaway of the MAGA duo Diamond and Silk.

Following the departure of host Trevor Noah, The Daily Show has been offering the seat to a slate of comedian guest hosts. This week, it’s Wanda Sykes’ turn at bat, and she went in on former President Donald Trump’s eulogy for his alleged good friend Lynnette “Diamond” Hardaway of the MAGA duo Diamond and Silk.

“Normally, I don’t find funerals funny,” Sykes began. “But here’s a story about a funeral that I found hilarious.”

Skyes reminded the audience of the two sisters who were friends with Trump, “showing up at rallies, praising him on TV, and setting the Black race back 50 years.”

She added, “You know those two. Trump held meetings with them, he’d invite them to the Oval Office, he would point at them and say, ‘See, Black people love me!’”

Then Sykes turned to Trump’s speech, where he immediately admits to remembering Diamond but not to remembering Silk.

“Oh my God! Trump showed up to that funeral like, ‘Diamond’s dead, but I’m gonna bury Silk. There’s room for two in that casket.’”

She continued, “I mean, c’mon! To say you know Diamond but don’t know Silk is wild because they’re always together!” she continued. “That’s like saying, ‘I know Bert, but I’ve never heard of this Ernie fella, what’s his deal?”

Sykes ended the bit by saying, “Knowing Trump, he probably only has room for one Black woman in his brain at a time,” adding that if he tuned into the show at that moment, he’d probably think something like, “Wow, Diamond’s hosting The Daily Show. A week ago she was dead, but thanks to me, she has risen!”

Last week, Saturday Night Live cast member Leslie Jones had her turn in the seat. Her commentary about former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden’s car, and the newly unveiled Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. statue in Boston was biting and hilarious.

Jones’ take on the King monument was where the comedian really found her groove.

The $10 million sculpture, titled The Embrace, symbolizes an iconic hug between King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, after he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. It has been causing quite a stir. Jones didn’t waste a moment asking the audience what it saw when it looked at the sculpture.

“Has anyone in here ever been eaten out?” she asked. “I’m serious! Has anyone in here ever participated in the munchy, munch, munch, munch? Because they are celebrating you in Boston right now,” she continued. “Listen, I know Dr. King went down in history, but this is not how you show it.”

Then Leslie turned to a different camera and said, “White people: You don’t need to be saying shit about this statue,” she said. “You understand? You need to sit your ass in the back of the bus for this one. You need to honor the statue. This is our civil rights icon ... going down on his wife.”

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

OUT OF CONTROL: The Supreme Court's slide into illegitimacy accelerates

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 07: United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito poses for an official portrait at the East Conference Room of the Supreme Court building on October 7, 2022 in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court has begun a new term after Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was officially added to the bench in September. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) — **Would-be king, Justice Samuel Alito.**

This weekend marked what would have been the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision granting the right to an abortion. The reversal of that decision in last year’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization has had a massive ripple effect in the months since it was first leaked, then handed down, reverberations that serve to amplify the court’s existing legitimacy crisis.

The results of the 2022 midterm, for example, and the very obvious failure of a red wave to emerge. There’s also the plummeting trust in the institution and approval of it, a growing sense that it is both too ideological and tipped too far to the right.

There is this: Idaho, following in the footsteps of Alabama and Oklahoma to take Justice Clarence Thomas up on his threat to marriage equality made explicit in his concurrence on Dobbs. A GOP legislator in Idaho has reupped an effort to end the issuance of marriage licenses by the state, and replace them with certificates that can only be issued to a same-sex couple. That’s likely not the only tactic we’ll see from red states to create lawsuit bait that they can take to the Supreme Court to end marriage equality. It will likely become a hobby on the part of red state legislators.

Meantime, the Dobbs decision itself has created more internal controversy on the court. More precisely the leak of that decision penned by Justice Samuel Alito a month before it was formally handed down, has brought even more scrutiny and distrust to how it handles its business. Chief Justice John Roberts made a very big deal out of having an investigation of that leak, an investigation that found that nobody did it. Or at least they couldn’t determine who did it. Because reasons. Like maybe they didn’t actually look that hard at everybody working at the court.

Careful readers of the investigation reporter, like Jamison Foser, found some careful wording in the report that made it pretty clear the justices themselves weren’t subject to investigation, but that the marshal of the court didn’t want to actually say that in print. The report noted that “82 employees [who] had access to electronic or hard copies of the draft opinion” were questioned, and later on in the report notes that “in addition to the Justices, 82 employees had access to electronic or hard copies of the draft opinion.”

The marshal of the court, Gail A. Curley, eventually released a statement saying: “I spoke with each of the Justices, several on multiple occasions,” and that based on leads followed “I did not believe that it was necessary to ask the Justices to sign sworn affidavits.” Uh huh.

Here’s what the employees of the court had to sit through, as explained in the report: interviews with the investigators in which they were informed they “had a duty to answer questions about their conduct as employees; that disciplinary action including dismissal could be undertaken if they refused to answer or failed to answer fully and truthfully; that the answers provided and any resulting information or evidence could be used in the course of civil or administrative proceedings; and that such information or evidence could not be used against them in any criminal proceedings unless they knowingly and willfully provided false statements.”

Additionally, they had to hand over phone, email, and print records of their work involving the case as well as their court-issued laptops. Some handed over personal phone and text records as well, including billing statements. And they all signed sworn affidavits.

Equal justice for all my ass.

That’s a sentiment that is spreading as the court invites more scrutiny. This report from NBC News explores the harsh treatment peaceful protesters at the court are subject to, versus what those protesting at the Capitol across the street. A night in jail and a criminal conviction for speaking out in court on the one hand, a few hours in police custody and a $50 fine for interrupting a Senate session on the other.

Mark Goldstone, a lawyer who represents D.C. protesters says those who get nabbed at the Supreme Court are treated “more harshly.” Get arrested on the Capitol grounds and the cops “process you and release you,” Goldstone said, but at the Supreme Court, “you are going to spend the night in jail” and likely be prosecuted.

That’s a court out of control, a court that believes it is untouchable. That can’t continue—democracy can’t afford kings and queens in robes.

Every court needs a jester, and ours is Clarence "Coke Can" Thomas, he whose best friend/wife/co-conspirtor Ginni he really doesn't talk to about anything of political significance.

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

How freaked are Republicans about the House GOP maniacs? Oh, let us count the ways

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 12: U.S. Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks at a news conference in Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 12, 2023 in Washington, DC. During his news conference, McCarthy discussed a range of topics including recent classified documents found inside an office used by U.S. President Joe Biden after his time as vice president and committee assignments for Rep. George Santos (R-NY). (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Republicans of every stripe are publicly shuddering over just how much political damage House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his GOP maniacs can do to their party over the next two years.

The scope, they are realizing, is simply breathtaking—which is why everyone from Donald Trump to perennial anti-tax scold Grover Norquist is weighing in.

Norquist is having fits over the notion that House Republicans want to levy a 30% national sales tax on everything Americans buy in lieu of all other taxes such as income, payroll, estate, corporate, and other taxes.

“This is a political gift to Biden and the Democrats," Norquist told Semafor. “I think that this is the first significant problem created for the Republican Party by the 20 people who thought that there was no downside to the approach they took.”

As progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts was quick to point out, raising taxes on everything from groceries to gas would penalize working-class and middle-class families while giving millionaires and billionaires a giant tax cut.

President Joe Biden, also sensing Republicans' political peril, noted last week that Republicans want to raise taxes on "thousands of everyday items" while reducing taxes "for the super-wealthy."

But believe it or not, that's but one of a ballooning number of political volcanoes into which House Republicans seem eager to toss their party.

Naturally, the party whose base is oldest and most dependent on social safety net programs such Social Security and Medicare is promising to blow up the global economy unless Democrats agree to cut Social Security and Medicare.

Democrats aren't taking the bait, saying they absolutely will not negotiate on raising the debt limit—let alone cutting Social Security.

But even the guy who orchestrated a home-grown terrorist attack on the U.S. seat of government knows that cutting such programs would be political dynamite.

In a two-minute video message on Friday, Trump offered his congressional colleagues a bit of advice.

“Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security,” Trump said in a campaign announcement primarily targeting President Biden over migrants at the southern border.

Of course, no one is more concerned about the House maniacs than Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is already trying to insulate his caucus from the MAGA death grip.

McConnell wants absolutely nothing to do with the House GOP's promise to blow up the economy unless the Social Security and Medicare cuts cometh.

Asked Thursday whether he's concerned about the economic fallout of the U.S. breaching its debt ceiling for the first time ever, McConnell downplayed the prospect.

"No, I would not be concerned about a financial crisis," McConnell told reporters in Kentucky.

But it’s not just GOP politicians. Fox News political analyst Brit Hume advised House Republicans on Wednesday to quit bragging about all the investigations they plan to launch into Joe Biden and start actually doing something.

Specifically, Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, who chairs the Oversight Committee, has promised to investigate everything from 'Biden family influence-peddling' to issues at the border and classified documents found in Biden's possession.

It amounts to a lot of wild promises without a lick of actual work, Hume noted.

"It might be a good idea for him to get off television awhile, delve into the material here, and when he finds something, maybe tell us about it then," Hume said of Comer. "So far what he’s doing basically is hyping these investigations. He runs the risk of appearing to be nothing but a partisan about it, which is something the Republicans can’t afford because when that starts to happen, the press will be all over these Republicans."

There's going to be more where that came from. House GOP maniacs are just getting started with the pain they plan to unleash on the American public and, by extension, everyone associated with the Republican Party.

Red Hot Mama Lauren Boebert hobnobs with her favorite sleazebag.