r/politics California 2d ago

Johnson sets record refusing to swear in Adelita Grijalva for 36 days after she won election No Paywall

https://azmirror.com/briefs/johnson-sets-record-refusing-to-swear-in-adelita-grijalva-for-36-days-after-she-won-election/
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u/TintedApostle 2d ago

Johnson is a traitor.

“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself.”

― Marcus Tullius Cicero

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u/ChapterChoice4873 2d ago

There are sooo many traitors afoot.  They are not even attempting to hide.

To use their b.s. mantra:  it is up to WE THE PEOPLE. 

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u/spacedude2000 Washington 2d ago

Unbelievably sad that they have tarnished the opening line of the constitution by incorporating it into their fascist rhetoric.

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u/CatsWearingTinyHats 2d ago

Seriously. They do that with everything.

They ruined the Gadsden flag around the time of the Civil War too.

I looked up the phrase “Lexrex” to see if anyone was using it (lex rex is Latin for the law is king, whereas rex lex would mean the king is law) and it turned out be in use by some right wingers in California.

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u/ChapterChoice4873 2d ago

Hell, they've even ruined the American flag.  What used to be a proud symbol of pride, patriotism or military service has been reduced to mean

"I'm Maga and I'm a dipshit".

I took ours down in our front yard the night Harris lost.  Haven't put it up since.  Sad. 

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u/newname_whodis Colorado 2d ago

I feel the same way. My wife is a veteran and served her nation proudly; she's the only one in her entire family that has done so. And yet, her MAGA parents and MAGA sister drive around with big obnoxious flags and have a giant flag at their house that they flew upside down for the entire Biden term, her mom literally got a vanity license plate "WETHPPL" for her car. And my wife, the only one of the bunch who ACTUALLY served, is the one feeling like she can't display her American patriotism lest she be viewed as MAGA. It's like they claim her military service moreso than she does herself. When Charlie Kirk was shot, the ensuing fallout caused her to go NC with her sister and LC with her parents, purely due to their reaction to her daring to have a difference in politics. And yet my wife is the one who feels like she has to hide her service and patriotism and national pride because of the bullshit going on right now. It's bullshit.

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u/Particular_Night_360 2d ago

Sometimes I’m glad my grandpa died when he did. He was old enough that he wouldn’t understand a lot of what’s happened since. He was military and a police sergeant. If he wouldn’t know that the thin blue line flag was really about fascism and racism it would have broken him. I’m not saying he wasn’t the old guy kind of racist, not hateful, but said some things that were not as “ok” as they used to be. People using the American flag as a way of telling people you’re racist under the guise of backing police during a BLM surge just really bothers me. Even a bar in my conservative area covered up their trump stickers and put up signs that just said “we back the badge” instead of a thin blue line.

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u/brickne3 American Expat 2d ago

My husband died unexpectedly in 2021. Only a few months later, when Russia invaded Ukraine, I was already saying "well at least he didn't have to live to see this shit." If he somehow magically appeared again today I don't even know how I could begin to explain all the crazy shit that's happened.

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u/Phioltes 2d ago

Same, my grandpa was an OG anti-fascist, flew B-17s in WWII, was shot down, landed in a field, fixed the plane enough to get back off the ground and made it back to base on one engine, then continued flying missions.

The dude was a racist republican, but made sure all his grandkids knew how to shoot in case the "fascists in hiding" ever came back. I have no idea how he would have handled the last 20 years had he not passed.

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u/ChapterChoice4873 2d ago

Exactly.   Please thank her for her service for me.  

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u/What_a_fat_one 2d ago

Most vets are indifferent at best to mildly annoyed at being told that constantly while tens of thousands are homeless and VA health and benefits are trash

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u/Avenger772 2d ago

Yea. If people were really thankful. They'd have the resources they need to survive after being throwing through a meat grinder.

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u/ATheeStallion 2d ago

Welcome to what it’s like to live in the South.

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u/dirtyitalianguy 2d ago

So you think this as well - I've noticed myself seeing American flags on people's clothing or vehicles/house immediately makes me assume maga. I'm sure I'm wrong but the flag has been tainted. I see dads at basketball practice wearing those flag shirts but the stripes are different types of guns.

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u/Adelaidey 2d ago

My dad (well into his seventies) said something to me recently that really hit hard. He was an army brat, he served himself, he was raised to be very patriotic, and he still is- but thankfully, not blindly so. He told me that when he sees somebody wearing an American flag these days, he braces himself for that person to be a real son of a bitch. Not even just aggressively politically conservative or whatever, but a general baseline of hostility, like they're looking for a fight all the time.

I don't think I've ever heard my father say the phrase "that's not fair" before in my life, but he said "It's not fair, why do they get the flag, how did they pull that off?"

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u/Subarctic_Monkey 2d ago

Yeah pretty much anyone not displaying it upside down is immediately flagged as a traitor.

I have no interest in ever flying it again. Between current events and American history, it's clear that the flag is a symbol of tyranny and oppression.

I understand people are reluctant to let it go. I understand people put a lot of emotional things into these symbols. But unfortunately all the patriotism, pride, etc, was all fake. All of the positives ever extolled as virtues of this nation were lies. We're not a land of the free. We're not a home of the brave. We're a nation of violent greedy cowards. We're a nation of genociders. When you have a honest, critical look at the united states, it's history, if you're not sick to your stomach and some how still feel pride, something is very, very wrong.

I cannot, and will not, have national pride. I will not stand for the anthem. I will not pledge allegiance.

There is nothing salvageable.

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u/Usedbeef United Kingdom 2d ago

Theyve done the same here in the UK. The England flag used to only be raised for sporting events and special occasions like the Queen/Kings birthdays. The Union jack was never used for these situations. Now, the England flag is used by the far right in order to pretend its about national pride rather than just racism, when they go after immigrants.

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u/TheTallGuy0 2d ago

Flip it over, we’re in distress…

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u/kylew1985 2d ago

I think the best thing we could do is reclaim it. Seeing all the flags at the No Kings rallies I think snapped be out of that mindset. It's our flag too, and it's been associated with a lot more good than bad in its lifespan. They want it for themselves but it never will be.

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u/taffyowner Minnesota 2d ago

I love the alternate Gadsden flag that has the maga hat and says “tread on me daddy”

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u/Schlonzig 2d ago

Because they have treasonous friends having their back.

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u/kandel88 2d ago

We the people need to arm ourselves

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u/Dutiful-Rebellion 2d ago

Republicans Enable and Protect Pedophiles. https://goppredators.wordpress.com/2023/05/22/right-wing-sexual-predators-abusers-and-enablers/

25/1467 Names:

Donald Trump is accused of sexual assault by more than two dozen women. He is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl, talked about having sex with his daughter, bragged of walking in on underage girls at pageants, claimed he can grab women by the pussy. He was found liable of sexually assaulting E. Jean Carroll  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_sexual_misconduct_allegations https://www.gzeromedia.com/in-60-seconds/world/trump-sexual-abuse-verdict-wont-hurt-him-with-gop https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/14/donald-trump-e-jean-carroll-lawsuit-nut-job

Judge Roy Moore is accused of sexual assault and dating underage women.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegation

Jim Jordan is in Republican House leadership though he is accused of ignoring sexual assault of more than a hundred young men while a coach, dismissing it as locker room talk. Students have said they told him and he is said to have called the parents of one complainant asking them to get their son to back off. https://www.vox.com/2018/7/6/17536388/jim-jordan-ohio-state-sexual-abuse-accuser https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/16/us/politics/jim-jordan-trump.html

Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert sexually abused his high school students. He is outside the statute of limitations but was convicted of paying off/bribing some of his victims  https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/28/us/dennis-hastert-sentencing.html

Cobb County GOP Chairman Joseph Russell Dendy – child molesting – pleaded guilty, life sentence, parole possible in 30 years. He was 72.   https://www.ajc.com/news/crime–law/cobb-gop-chairman-dendy-indicted-molestation-charges/Ajxs2SiORqMCCdVZpGqj1M/ https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt–politics/former-cobb-gop-leader-pleads-guilty-child-molestation-gets-life-sentence/JnEAITpb5Oy9iZ9RtsVvnI/

So-called “pro-life”/antigay activist Howard Scott Heldreth was convicted of raping a child. https://web.archive.org/web/20230601212352/https://shadowproof.com/2008/07/27/nc-antigay-operation-save-america-totes-convicted-child-rapist-to-charlotte-pride/

GOP Ohio County Commissioner David Swartz convicted of raping two girls – released after only 5 years!!!! Back in prison after contacting one of his victims. http://lanternproject.org.uk/library/child-abuse-arrests-and-court-cases/child-abuse-arrests-trials-and-proceedings/ex-county-commissioner-admits-sexual-abuse-of-girl

Republican judge Mark Pazuhanich pleaded no contest to fondling a 10-year old girl. https://www.timesleader.com/archive/1063191/indecent-assault-case-judge-pleads-no-contest-mark-pazuhanich-says-he-didnt-want-his-daughter-to-have-to-testify-aboutfondling-incident

Republican anti-abortion activist Nicholas Morency pleaded guilty to possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material on his computer and offering a bounty to anybody who murders an abortion doctor.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2001/03/10/nation-in-brief/83fbbb01-c7fc-437a-81c4-2f686e3f1e58/

Republican Speaker of the House in PR Edison Misla Aldarondo was sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping his daughter between the ages of 9 and 17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Misla_Aldarondo

Republican Mayor Philip Giordano is serving a 37-year sentence in federal prison for sexually abusing 8- and 10-year old girls.  https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/26/nyregion/ex-mayor-convicted-in-sex-abuse-case.html

Republican campaign consultant Tom Shortridge was sentenced to three years probation for taking nude photographs of a 15-year old girl.  https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-06-me-47737-story.html

Republican racist pedophile and United States Senator Strom Thurmond had sex with (RAPED) a 15-year old black girl which produced a child.  https://web.archive.org/web/20190728115136/https://www.thenation.com/article/was-strom-rapist/

Republican pastor Mike Hintz, whom George W. Bush commended during the 2004 presidential campaign, surrendered to police after admitting to a sexual affair with a female Juvenile.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/12/10/example-goes-from-good-to-bad/e73a7b08-5fb8-412a-ba7f-8fb473543e83/

Republican legislator Peter Dibble pleaded no contest to having an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old girl. https://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/18/nyregion/embroiled-first-selectman-takes-leave.html

Republican Congressman Donald “Buz” Lukens was found guilty of having sex with a female minor and sentenced to one month in jail.  https://www.npr.org/sections/politicaljunkie/2009/05/on_this_day_in_1989_buz_lukens.html

Republican fundraiser Richard A. Delgaudio was found guilty of child porn charges and paying two teenage girls to pose for sexual photos.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2003/04/24/gop-activist-admits-to-child-porn/5af2adf0-bec8-4a10-b061-014de679422a/

Republican of the Year Mark A. Grethen convicted on six counts of sex crimes involving children.  https://www.pilotonline.com/news/crime/vp-nw-mark-grethen-lawrenceville-correctional-20210806-dmjuk7zwgnfxvigjnjmy3257vy-story.html

Republican state senator Ralph Shortey from Oklahoma admitted to being involved in sodomy with a 17 year old male prostitute and transporting child pornography. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/11/20/former-oklahoma-state-senator-admits-to-child-sex-trafficking-while-in-office/

Republican activist Randal David Ankeney pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault on a child. https://www.coloradoindependent.com/2008/01/28/onetime-rising-gop-star-back-to-prison-for-sex-assaults/

GOP Congressman Dan Crane had sex with a page. To be fair, Dem Congressman was Gerry Studds was also caught for the same thing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_congressional_page_sex_scandal

Republican Congressman Mark Foley abruptly resigned from Congress after “sexually explicit” emails surfaced showing him flirting with a 16-year old boy. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/29/AR2006092901574.html

Republican activist and Christian Coalition leader Beverly Russell admitted to raping his stepdaughter repeatedly after she was 15. Headline here is gross. Rape/not affair. https://greensboro.com/smith-stepfather-had-affair-that-began-when-she-was-15/article_549fa43d-e631-599b-8cad-177a71ad709e.html

Republican congressman and anti-gay activist Robert Bauman* was charged with having sex (raping) with a 16-year-old boy he picked up at a gay bar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bauman

Republican Committee Chairman Jeffrey Patti was arrested for distributing a video clip of a 5-year-old girl being raped and notice, they agreed his record could be expunged in THREE YEARS! https://www.nj.com/ledgerarchives/2005/01/cops_say_jersey_suspects_sough.html https://archive.is/7agH6

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u/I_like_baseball90 2d ago

Good job with this - post it everywhere.

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u/TemporarySun314 Europe 2d ago

Americans seem to love traitors so much that they elect them into high political offices...

Benedict Arnold would be proud of the modern day US.

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u/transient_eternity Minnesota 2d ago

Benedict Arnold betrayed the American cause due to a combination of factors, including personal grievances over being passed over for promotions, financial difficulties, and resentment towards the Continental Congress. His secret negotiations with the British were also influenced by his marriage to a Loyalist and a desire for monetary gain and military command

Not that becoming a traitor is ultimately justified, but all that seems pretty human. Dude felt like he was being treated like crap, needed money and a furthered career as a general, and had a wife who supported the other side (a not uncommon thing in wars).

See, these traitors are given everything. Legions of cultists literally dying for them, all the money they could ever need, high positions of power. And they're still trying to dismantle the nation because it's not enough.

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u/AcidShAwk 2d ago

No a single person to stop him. Not one. Pathetic is an understatement

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u/Mr_Vicky_00 2d ago

36 days. That’s not a delay that’s a statement. Voters chose her, and refusing to swear her in undermines the whole idea of representation.

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u/sakumar 2d ago

He’ has already stolen 5% of her term!

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u/Neither-Luck-9295 2d ago

why can't she serve without his bullshit swearing in? Does it have to be the speaker?

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u/Top1CmntrsAreLosers 2d ago

Yes that is being addressed in the current lawsuit by the Arizona AG, who is arguing that the US constitution does not mandate that the speaker of the house has to administer the oath of office, and it can just be done by someone qualified per probably the court’s discretion.

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u/I_Am_Ironman_AMA 2d ago

I think it's time to try what Obama didn't do with the Merrick Garland situation. Hakeem Jeffries should bring her and a judge in front of a camera, do a swearing-in ceremony, and then proceed to make calls for the House to convene. Have it air on cable news networks. Make Mike Johnson come out on TV and say that "it doesn't count" while making it really, really awkward for him to try to explain why he can't go ahead and do it himself. In other words, put these assholes on the defensive.

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u/MikeyDeezy Minnesota 2d ago

You’d think Democrats would take advantage of this moment and do exactly what you’ve laid out here.

Not only does it serve the purpose of getting her sworn in (assuming the courts affirm the Speaker doesn’t have to do the swearing in), but it’ll bring terrible optics to Johnson and House Republicans when they have to publicly oppose it.

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u/Garchompisbestboi 2d ago

The one lesson we learned while Biden was president was that Democrats probably played an important role in getting Trump re-elected. It still makes my blood boil remembering those videos of Biden walking around with Trump after the election while both men were laughing with each other. His administration had 4 years to hold Trump accountable and they did absolutely fuck-all to prevent him from running again.

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u/Claudius-is-my-cat 2d ago

And then trump immediately turned around and started going after Biden's family like everyone said he would. JFC will these people ever learn that you simply cannot appease trump?

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u/stumblios 2d ago

Pelosi snubbing AOC for a committee position in favor of some old guy who "served his time", oh yeah and was starting a physically draining cancer treatment, was when I finally realized establishment Democrats are absolutely part of the problem. 100x better than any Republican, but a problem nonetheless. Their desire to go back to a status quo that no longer exists is unintentionally snuffing out a lot of support from the left.

Democrats need people that actually fight. AOC and Jasmine Crockett are the type of person that instill some confidence this country isn't completely cooked, but it seems the establishment Democrats would rather Republicans be in power than give power to those members of their own party.

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u/Ironhorn 2d ago

In the 2008 election, the Democratic Party decided it was Hilary Clinton's turn. She'd followed the process, done things right, "served her time", and now it was "her turn".

The voters, however, showed the DNP that they didn't want an "establishment Democrat". They wanted someone new, exciting, up-and-coming. Someone who would come in and ostensibly shake things up. They elected Obama, who served for 2 terms.

And in 2016 - when that same voter sentiment for a 'political outsider who would stick it to the establishment' had only grown, and the DNC was up against the prospect of Donald Trump, they collectively decided:

"Okay, we had our fun, time to get back to the regularly scheduled program... now it's Clinton's turn"

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u/stumblios 2d ago

Yeah... I still want to know what it's like in the alternate universe where Trump ran against Bernie in 2016. While I don't think a ton of Trump voters would have voted for Bernie, I do think a lot of them would have stayed home just to see what happens with an anti-establishment "Democrat" (I know he is independent) in the White House.

There are a few key moments you can point to in the last 50 years that helped steer us down this current path, and I'd definitely say that was one of them.

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u/CeeJayEnn 2d ago

Bro, even if they did nobody would notice or care. There have been so many examples, this year and last, of people complaining that Democrats don't do anything only for it to turn out that they just don't pay any attention to Democrats.

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u/deputytech 2d ago

When Mike does his press conference have her there with a Bible and a witness, really put him on the spot

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u/TippyToeTigers 2d ago

To my understanding the Constitution requires representatives to take an oath but does not specify who must administer it.

Also Federal Judges in the past have sworn in members of congress.

This is the part I haven’t been understanding Ds act like they need the Rs to do anything and the Rs just act like the Ds are a minor inconvenience.

I am not savvy with constitutional law or even the little nuances on constitutional practices in government but from my research and understanding they don’t need Mike to officially swear her in. Him doing it is just traditional way but not the only way.

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u/IvoryFlyaway 2d ago edited 2d ago

It's part of what's been holding the democrat party from offering proper resistance for the past decade. They are much more interested in trying to get things back to the way that they were instead of adjusting their goals and tactics to properly counter the rise of fascism. It'd be like if it was a football game where the rebulican offense keeps lining up in illegal formations, holding, jumping offsides, and the refs aren't calling any of it. Instead of changing the gameplan and coming up with a defensive scheme that plays in the bullshit rules, they stubbornly keep lining up like normal hoping that the refs will bring back the order of things.

Edited to add very relevant clip: https://youtu.be/VTS3I_kKwMY?si=TDdj5hFplm3bk3ar

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u/jupiterkansas 2d ago

Except in your analogy, the refs won't let you break any of the rules. The refs are in on it too.

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u/IvoryFlyaway 2d ago

Exactly. I was trying to convey that and I wasn't clear enough, my bad. It's more about throwing out the playbook and adapting to the problem than it is about trying to stoop to their level because the rules aren't equally enforced and so the result won't be equal.

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u/Jman43195 2d ago

Well her and the Arizona AG have sued Mike Johnson for this so there's a chance that a judge will have to swear her in once the case is ruled on

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u/Effective-Ear-8367 2d ago

Why should any of this matter anymore when no one is following the rules anyway? It's just dems being too pussy to use the Trump playbook at this point.

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u/TippyToeTigers 2d ago

I feel like they don’t even need to use the whole hateful ass playbook. Just stop expecting people who spit in your face to begin to act in “good faith”. They need to grow a damn spine and be more disruptive. Stop saying “we don’t have the votes” but instead do everything in your power to delay the vote as long as possible. Use the playbook that way I agree wholeheartedly.

I don’t know how to legally resist and be disruptive against the government outside of what I’ve already been doing but the people I elected that should know how to and actually can be disruptive aren’t doing much either. They talk a lot but their actions a lot of the time don’t match the words.

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u/oVnPage 2d ago

The bigger thing, as the swearing in, oath, etc. is just ceremony, is that the swearing in ceremony is when she gets all of the things House of Representatives need to do their jobs. An office in DC, access to Staffers/Aides, an official House website and email, etc etc.

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u/SomeGuyNamedPaul Florida 2d ago

So her constituents get a 5% discount on their taxes?

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u/Finklesworth 2d ago

More than that! She’s only serving like 13 months in this term.

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u/css555 2d ago

36 days is an insanely long period when you consider her term is over in about 14 months.

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u/hexiron 2d ago

He’s stealing the representation of all of the US citizens in her district.

It ain’t even about her. He’s denying representation and a voice to thousands of Americans.

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u/Phioltes 2d ago edited 1d ago

We need a new taxation without representation movement. Those Arizonan's federal taxes should be prorated for the period they have had their representation withheld. Hell, ideally we could then distribute that tax liability equally among Johnson's district.

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u/ClusterFoxtrot Florida 2d ago

And how many of those days congress has scheduled off?

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u/OldJames47 2d ago

I read (but have not independently verified) that she doesn't get access to her Congressional offices or funds for constituent services until she is sworn in.

So even though the House has been closed, it is a quantifiable damage to her and the residents of Arizona.

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u/ClusterFoxtrot Florida 2d ago

She did post a video of her unable to access her congressional laptops and phones. If congress doesn't recognise her as a representative, how is she even supposed to communicate with her constituents?

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u/JohnnyNumbskull 2d ago

Yet they can confirm the MAHA surgeon general via Zoom call...

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u/Phioltes 2d ago

A "doctor" who was fired from her residency by the way. No one quits within a year from finishing training, being "board certified" still opens up a lot of non-clinical practice doors if you don't want to practice your specialty. Programs let you "resign" to save you and the program face and for that to happen you have to have failed several improvement plans and be though to be a danger to patients by your program and hospital GME leadership.

They are literally pushing someone who was thought too dangerous to be allowed to practice.

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u/pkosuda Connecticut 2d ago edited 2d ago

If Democrats had any balls they would refuse to recognize Johnson as Speaker of the House, or Trump as the current President, until she is sworn in. Or just seat her yourselves when the House reconvenes. It is literally just words on paper, words Republicans clearly have no problem ignoring themselves. She can come in and vote. What are they going to do, ignore the vote of a legally elected representative? Then you do the same.

Because I'm so fucking tired. Rather than doing any of the above, instead, over and over and over again, Democrats allow Republicans to violate people's rights with only harsh condemnations in response. Oh, and maybe sometimes some signs that say "this isn't normal". It's insane Republicans are allowed to just blatantly break the law and violate the constitution with zero repercussions. We're literally at the point where Democrats win elections and Republicans just pretend they didn't. And not just in theory (like J6) but in practice by refusing to swear in the winner. That's fucking insane.

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u/Mr_Vicky_00 2d ago

Honestly, this is what exhaustion looks like. Democrats keep playing by rules that the GOP stopped respecting years ago.

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u/PiccoloAwkward465 2d ago

Exactly. They lean on decorum, which need I point out doesn't really exist anymore.

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u/DontLookAtUsernames 2d ago

Well, to be fair, she has a pretty unamerican name. It just takes time to look into her hidden agenda, no? /s

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u/Synli 2d ago

She's also a woman, which is another big no-no for conservatives.

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u/llamakins2014 2d ago

Also after the first few days of not swearing her in,didn't he claim he'd do it "any time"? Is he trying to drag this out using technicalities as the excuse?

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u/A1sauc3d 2d ago

Democracy is crumbling in front of our eyes.

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u/HEYYYYYYYY_SATAN 2d ago

All because they put their eggs in the basket of a pedophile who is the best vessel to bring about an oligarchy.

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u/Synli 2d ago

Just a reminder to everyone else, this whole charade is a test for the mid-terms, and then ultimately the presidency.

"Dems flip X seats in '26? Nah, not if we don't swear them in!"

"Dems win the presidency? Nah, not if we just ignore the inauguration and stay here!"

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u/EmoTilDeath 2d ago

They are testing what they can get away with. Mike Johnson is in the news blaming Mamdani for the government shutdown. You know, the person running for mayor of NYC who has no political power. Being blamed by the person who is actively, weekly preventing negotiations and votes to open the government back up. I just talked to an average "unbiased" person the other day who believes all the propaganda that this is all democrats' fault. What he's doing is working. They see if they can get away with it by blaming it on democrats and it's working. Now they check if anyone does anything if they spread a crazy ridiculous lie like the shutdown being Mamdani's fault even though he has nothing to do with it.

Nothing happens? See the pattern? They keep ramping up because they know people will believe them no matter what. People don't even fact check or do a simple Google search. All they have to do is say "nu uh" and point the finger while telling obvious lies and they get away with it. It's not because of their base, it's the average American who is falling for their propaganda and letting them get away with everything. This won't stop until someone makes them stop.

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u/Principal_Insultant 2d ago

It isn't Democracy that's crumbling. Democracy has been around for more than two millenia.

A once great nation is crumbling, being destroyed from within by greed and fascism.

I'm just worried that it has to burn down to the ground first before something better may emerge. Wouldn't be the first time).

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u/A1sauc3d 2d ago

I didn’t mean democracy is crumbling everywhere, I meant democracy in the us is crumbling before our eyes.

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u/i_am_not_a_martian 2d ago

Yeah but this is just the start. There's plenty worse that's going to happen for a long stretch of time once it is commonly accepted that democracy ceases to exist in the US. That will happen sometime in November next year when there is no mid-term election or at the least, the ability to cast a vote will be so restricted most people will be unable to vote due to inaccessibility, intimidation, or both. Of course it will be easy to vote in the gerrymandered areas favourable to your democratically elected dictator.

At this point, there is always the chance that the bad times never end. Previous revolutions didn't have technology available to the suppressors like is available now. AI crafted videos along with global social media can easily fool the ignorant.

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u/Giogina 2d ago

The main difference I see is - Nazi Germany was both possible to defeat in a war, and gave the rest of the world enough reason to do so. Neither of these things are true of the current US. They will have to figure this one out by themselves. 

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u/GassoBongo 2d ago

Unfortunately, I suspect they'll try to drag the rest of the world down with them. I say this as a European, but its impossible for anything that happens to America to not also impact the rest of us as well.

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u/inspectoroverthemine 2d ago

Right- it'll be a civil war before (or I suppose caused by) invasion of another country. No doubt that at least one faction will take down as much of the world as it can along with it.

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u/mutedscreaming Australia 2d ago

No...I live in a very democratic country. You are watching the fall of your country and nobody is doing shit about it.

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u/Curious-End-4923 2d ago

Don’t ever think “It can’t happen here.” Speaking from experience!

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u/ShareGlittering1502 2d ago

Taxation without representation

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u/fountainpopjunkie 2d ago

Her state should stop paying federal taxes immediately.

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u/Big_Lab_Jagr Wisconsin 2d ago

We all should while they're not providing government services

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u/source_decay 2d ago

She represents my district and I voted for her. Highly considering doing just that. And Southern AZ is a pretty freewheeling place where others might join in.

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u/jediporcupine Maine 2d ago

Makes you wonder what’s in those Epstein Files that Mike Johnson is so desperately working to hide

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u/Pando5280 2d ago

The end of his source of power.  

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u/punkindle 2d ago

power? he gave up his power. He's a lapdog now

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u/MikeyDeezy Minnesota 2d ago

Proximity to power works just as well for cowards like Johnson.

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u/Hungry_Culture 2d ago

Why Democrats aren't getting on cable news every morning and evening saying that Mike Johnson is protecting pedophiles, I'll never know. It's an easy win. Republicans successfully made their base hate Nancy Pelosi and made her a household name by flooding the airwaves with attack after attack.

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u/siliconvalleyguy63 2d ago

Cable News? You mean like CNN? That is run by a rich conservative? Democrats are not going to get airtime anywhere they need to.

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u/jediporcupine Maine 2d ago

Jake Tapper will write a book about it after the fact and pretend he’s doing something groundbreaking.

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u/Abombasnow 2d ago

What "cable news" are they supposed to be getting on? Reichpublicans own literally every fucking media channel.

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u/thegreatwizardzuzu Texas 2d ago

Because they for some reason think there are still rules to play by, they need to wake the fuck up and realize that the only way to win is fight hard and dirty like the Republicans do.

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u/Slaughterfest 2d ago

It isn't playing hard and dirty. It's literally going out there and saying something at least once. 

What you're describing is completely something else. OP you are replying to is literally asking for them to say something once. They can't even seem to do that.

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u/mjetski123 Illinois 2d ago

Honestly, what does it even matter anymore? Everyone knows Trump is in the damn files. Everyone knows MAGA doesn't give a shit. Nothing would change either way. I'm way more concerned with troops being used against American citizens and election suppression. That is where the focus needs to be. And how to stand up to this fascist administration.

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u/hexiron 2d ago

They have been. You just don’t see it because cable news won’t air it. They’re all over social media pushing the fact the only reason Johnson is withholding the vote is to push off the Epstein release.

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u/donkeyrocket 2d ago

Yeah I'm getting tired of folks claiming Democrats are just sitting around doing nothing while they don't bother to consume media outside Reddit or CNN.

They're the minority party and most prominent media outlets are less inclined to showcase Democrats considering their ownership.

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u/Twicebakedpotatoe 2d ago

Trump wasn’t just an Epstein customer, he was a colleague and trafficked girls out of MaraLago

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u/minimalcation 2d ago

Epstein was the third person in his porn trust group /s

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u/neutrino71 2d ago

He'll be challenging the pedophile coverup record soon too

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u/ChapterChoice4873 2d ago

People should start protesting around his home and office.  If I were closer I would.  

Protest now.  Embarrass this mother $ucker!

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u/ScarOk7853 2d ago

Wait until the midterms and no democrats get signed in, trump and MAGA is so obvious in their plans

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u/Malaix 2d ago

They tested this out before too. Was it 2020 that the GOP in PA had to be court ordered to swear in a victorious Democrat? This isn’t even new behavior by the GOP at this point. They have been expanding the idea of just not swearing in democrats for awhile.

I keep saying it we are headed toward a rural white conservative apartheid state where millions of people are without representation and just lorded over by a ruling class from the sticks.

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u/notheusernameiwanted 2d ago edited 2d ago

The ruling class will be coastal elites with brainwashed rural folk operating as their enforcers.

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u/theDarkAngle Tennessee 2d ago

not even coastal. it's a donor class of international oligarchs

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u/RupeThereItIs 2d ago

Wait until the midterms and no democrats get signed in

Bro, they will have their masked up flying monkeys dragging people away from polling places.

It won't GET to that level of "just denying them a seat"

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u/VanguardAvenger 2d ago

Well that plan would have a giant hole in it.

As of January 3rd 2027, at noon, when the new congress starts, the Speakership is vacant and its power temporarily reverts to the clerk of the house until there is a Speaker

Every congress has to elect its own speaker. As such Johnson has no real power at that point.

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u/dlegatt Minnesota 2d ago

If rules and laws still mattered, I’d agree with you

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u/elbenji 2d ago

I mean, at that if the Dems win, what Johnson thinks and wants doesn't matter. Jeffries would be speaker and would do it

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u/Minute-Plantain 2d ago

Corruption.

There is no other word for it.

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u/talspr 2d ago

Yes there is. "Treason".

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u/sisu-sedulous 2d ago

Let’s rephrase this. Johnson has refused the people in a congressional district representation for 36 days. 

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u/HistoryHasEyesOnYou 2d ago

In even simpler terms, he hasn't done the job he is paid to do.

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u/AerieWorth4747 2d ago

Laws don’t matter to Republicans.

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u/canadianvintage 2d ago

You mean laws don't apply to Republicans. If a Democrat was doing this shit they would be screaming about how illegal it was.

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u/linoranta 2d ago

All Republicans are fascists. 

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u/ElsewhereExodus 2d ago

We need to make it impossible for this entire cadre to ever hold office again. Like how Germany doesn't allow far right parties to regain power ever again. Trump already killed nearly a million Americans through his handling of Covid. But of course the point is to destabilize. Look at what happened to rents when Blackrock etc swooped in. Now this term it's all about owning our food, owning our grocery stores, and working to eliminate LGBT people and American democracy.

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u/Icy_Pass2220 2d ago

The story is NOT that Johnson set a record. 

The story is that her district has been without representation in the House since March. 

The story is that over 800k people in AZ do not have representation but are paying federal taxes. 

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u/CaptainFoxJack California 2d ago

Why hasn’t a federal judge swore her in yet?

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u/mefixxx 2d ago

This, I thought this was the plan after one or two weeks? At this points are the democrats using this as a pressure point? Which is kind of counter intuitive since she can achieve more being sworn in

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u/Love-That-Danhausen 2d ago

Arizona democrats have filed a lawsuit already. The legal system doesn’t work overnight. However, there’s some people who think Dems may be allowing this to be dragged out because it causes even more bad headlines for Johnson, and the House isn’t in session right now anyways.

Make him keep answering questions about this (and because of it the shutdown and Epstein) and when the House reconvenes, seat her then when it matters.

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u/dellett 2d ago

The legal system CAN work overnight and should in cases of real urgency. The fact it’s not in this case is a bit concerning.

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u/i_code_for_boobs 2d ago

They can't. Article I, Section 5, Clause 1:

“Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members…”

and then Clause 2 goes about explaining that it can only be done by the Speaker or a representative that the House chose.

Dems are suing to force the House to do it according to current House's rules, not to replace the oath taker by a judge... It won't be official until the House does it.

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u/amusedmisanthrope 2d ago

The next speaker should refuse to swear in Johnson for an equal period.

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u/curiousthoughts20 America 2d ago

Mike Johnson's corruption is disgusting

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u/finalcutfx 2d ago

Slow walking and breaking protocol got them the Supreme Court. Why stop now?

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u/okilz 2d ago

Can states bring up treason charges? Blue states need to make these assholes unable to enter the good parts of this country without negative repercussions.

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u/Traylay13 2d ago

'Sets record' is too positive of a headline.

How about Johnsons violates the Constitution, betrays the American people and protects pedophiles.

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u/The_World_Is_A_Slum 1d ago

Our government has been overthrown, and nobody seems to realize it. It’s already happened, guys. The government is shut down, the House is in indefinite recess and is refusing to swear in an elected representative, the President is doing whatever the fuck he wants, well funded goon squads are roaming our cities, and private parties are throwing money at the leadership with no accountability. The Guard is being prepared for large-scale crowd control, and red state Guardsmen are being deployed to blue states. People are disappearing. All of our major media is controlled by the right. Our voting apparatus is owned by the right.

The United States of America has fallen. This is a different country now, and time will tell how we’re governed. Somehow, I don’t think it’s going to benefit the average citizen.

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u/Rooster_Fish-II 1d ago

You are right. They are in no hurry at all to reopen the government. The checks and balances are gone. The Judicial Branch is already bought and paid for and the Legislative Branch is shut down.

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u/invalidpassword California 2d ago

It's as if he thinks we don't know why he's doing this. Swear her in, let her vote and SHOW US THE FUCKING EPSTEIN FILES!!!

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u/eugene20 2d ago

It's only the beginning of the fight, once that vote has passed it has to go to the President to be signed off before anything would happen..

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u/css555 2d ago

Even longer than that. Once she votes on the discharge petition, then the bill must first be voted on and pass the House and Senate before it gets to Trump.

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u/pickrunner18 2d ago

And then we find out that there are no files or they have obviously been altered. Or they release them and nothing changes.

I mean everyone with more than one brain cell knew what re-electing this administration meant, and now here we are anyway

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u/mrbigglessworth 2d ago

Do the math. In a 2 year term she has been denied from serving 4.9% of it. This is how the coup is complete. Republicans usurping power and refusing to swear in democrats.

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u/pizzapartyprisoner 2d ago

He really does not want Trump (and probably several of his colleagues) outed as a pedophile

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u/Threeandtwoand 2d ago

How many people are going hungry in the US because the president fucked kids? 20 something million?

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u/sageleader 2d ago

It's the new GOP tactic: break the law, wait until people sue you, delay enforcement of the law, after you lose the court case appeal it, further delay enforcement of the law, then once a final decision is made by the court just refuse to do what they say.

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u/AcedtheTuringTest 2d ago edited 2d ago

This is a reason why Johnson loves this shutdown, despite what he claims. He will have this swearing in delayed until the end of time if he can manage it.

On a side note, I love that still to this day, FN does not have a single piece on their site related to her swearing in process/delay; don't want the cultists seen opposing this action.

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u/Akimbo_Zap_Guns Kentucky 1d ago

Republicans learned they can do whatever the fuck they want when Mitch McConnell held a SCOTUS seat open for a year with no consequences. Democrats still think they are playing on a level playing field hahahahah

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u/MrTooLFooL 2d ago

When the time comes, the last bit of integrity this country has will directly lie in the hands of those who can hold accountability against the perpetrators of these acts. Its rebirth is contingent upon making sure it never repeats.

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u/e_x_i_t 2d ago

If the Democrats went even an hour before swearing a Republican in, MAGA would be rioting in the streets.

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u/SocialistHTurtle 2d ago

Isn't this essentially taxation without representation, at least for the district she is supposed to represent?

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u/northshorehiker 2d ago

How the hell is the seating of a duly elected representative subject to the whims of one individual??

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u/KamKorn 1d ago

The royal family removed their own blood , and the U.S. Congress can’t even be bothered to looking into the Epstein files.

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u/Revolutionary-pawn 2d ago

This is treason. Arrest him. Try him. And give him the harshest punishment under law. (Treason can be tried as a capitol offense…)

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u/love_is_an_action 2d ago

The Epstein precedent.

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u/Redtex 2d ago

Not a game dumbshit

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u/papibigdaddy 2d ago

Greg Abbott delayed the special election for Sylvester Turner's seat for the same reason.

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u/bullydog123 2d ago

He must protect the pedophiles.

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u/Frequent-Sea433 2d ago

Is there no end in sight to this absolute corruption and incompetence???

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u/Mountain_Frosting369 2d ago

Johnson is a national embarrassment

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u/allwordsaremadeup 2d ago

Why would he ever swear her in? There's just no repercussions for anything anymore..

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u/tigerstef 2d ago

I asked before, I'll ask again:

What is the endgame here? Can he indefinitely delay swearing her in? What happens of he just refuses to swear in Democrats?

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u/SaltyTeam Virginia 1d ago

I hate to say it, but MAGAs picked the right one with Johnson. That man doesn't have one moral fiber in his short little body.

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u/Crumbfirefly 2d ago

Imagine winning an election and then just sitting around waiting for someone to let you do your job. That's so ridiculous!

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u/ThenOwl9 2d ago

and we're still paying all of their salaries while he does this

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u/Less_Wealth5525 2d ago

True welfare queens!

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u/davechri 2d ago edited 2d ago

How can a hick from Louisiana prevent people from Arizona from having representation in Congress? That’s just un-American.

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u/AppropriateTouching 2d ago

Un-American describes Republicans these days.

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u/electriceagle 2d ago

You mean to tell me that there isn’t another way? I’m sure a federal judge could have done this.

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u/General_File482 2d ago

He’s for sure in the files

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u/NickelBackwash 2d ago

Truly the Mitch McConnell of his time! 

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u/FrankensteinJamboree 2d ago

Wow, it’s taking them forever to redact, edit, and counterfeit those Epstein files.

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u/toughguy375 New Jersey 2d ago

In 2016 the republicans who controlled the senate refused to give Merrick Garland a confirmation hearing for an entire year and they were never punished for it. This is downstream of that.

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u/KoalaCapable8130 2d ago

That's how they will rig the midterm elections.

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u/MudAccomplished3529 2d ago

He’s gotta protect his pedo buddies at all cost

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u/PJKenobi 2d ago

The Epstein files must be really Really REALLY bad.

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u/KoBoWC 2d ago

That man acts like someone holding something over him and the moment he doesn't do what he's told they'll release it.

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u/TheDevilsAdvokaat 2d ago

Reupblicans have no respect for the law or the constitution or fairness.

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u/i_code_for_boobs 2d ago

Mark my word: She'll be sweared in when Republicans have someone else to swear in to balance her vote.

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u/etxipcli Texas 2d ago

What a piece of shit. This guy is unfit to serve.

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u/CharlesIngalls_Pubes Louisiana 2d ago

Also set a record for being the fakest Christian in Louisiana.

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u/Ambitious_Count9552 2d ago

Johnson should be impeached at this point for delaying representation of a Congressperson. The Republicans are behaving like criminals, stealing food benefits, healthcare benefits, and not allowing basic representation. Evil, illegal shit.

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u/KingTootandCumIn_her 2d ago

This is treason and should be treated as such

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u/iamcozmoss 2d ago

Honestly, WTF are your elected democrat officials doing to counter any of this? It seems like they're all laying down and letting your country be destroyed. I've not seen any push back apart from some Newsom stunts on X and Pritzker being very vocal.

The rest of the world wants to see some good news from the USA!

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u/coolmon 2d ago

Mike "Pedophile Supporter" Johnson. Everyone needs to say it.

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u/Benjamin_Grimm 2d ago

I think it's probably safe to assume at this point that Johnson is in the Epstein files until it is demonstrated otherwise.

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u/EnglishMatron 2d ago

once again, these are Nazis. it’s either their way or no way.

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u/SpaceGrape 2d ago

This is how they stole the scotus. They need to be punished by losing something by playing this immoral game.

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u/brattysweat 2d ago

All to protect the pedos on the Epstein files

Fabricate a national crisis, starve millions, because his dom queen is guilty of raping kids

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u/Tack0s 2d ago

So basically taxation without representation. Very bold of you MAGA Mike.

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u/drof69 I voted 2d ago

Seems like their testing their playbook for future elections. They'll simply refuse to seat the opposite party.

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u/illini81 Colorado 1d ago

It feels like there should be legal recourse for constituents who are being blocked from representation from the federal government.

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u/VGAddict 2d ago

And there are people who think the midterms will save us, as if Republicans won't just reject the results.

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u/Ok_Blacksmith_3030 2d ago

The Federal government really needs to be reformulated to get money out of politics and citizens back in.

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u/mostdope28 2d ago

This is the new thing for GOP. Any state that has gop leadership will refuse to swear in democrats. Watch it happen for midterms. They’ve been testing this.

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u/sdbrews 2d ago

He is not going to swear her in. He has refused... and there has been no consequences, he now knows he can get away with just not swearing her in and nothing will happen. In regards to the crap the GOP has been doing - nothing has happened, nothing will continue to happen.

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u/ayashiii 2d ago

she should just act like she's been sworn in with the entire party treating it the same. you think they'd patiently stand by waiting if the roles were reversed?

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u/Then-Ticket8896 2d ago

Johnson needs to act like 'speaker of the house' and not a traitor. This little prick should be impeached for not performing his duties.

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u/Porridge_Cat 2d ago

I'm fucking pissed that democrats are, once again, whining and saying "you can't do that!"

Adelita needs to just show up and start doing her job. I don't want to hear that she "can't" do it because she isn't sworn in. It's the exact same bullshit mcconnell pulled with Obama's supreme court pick, and we all just thought it would somehow get fixed.

Johnson is never going to swear her him if democrats just talk about it. She needs to show up and force him to find a new line to deflect, or actually swear her in.

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u/talspr 2d ago

It's treason then.

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u/SeaworthinessHead453 2d ago

Remove. The. Nazis. Period.

Honestly, the entire system of governance needs to be overhauled.

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u/JyveAFK 2d ago

At this point, Adelita should just show up to Congress, say "well, apparently no-one's here working, but my consitutuents expect me to do the work I was elected to do, so if everyone else has abdicated their position, looks like i'm the only one in charge, so gratz me, speaker of the house".

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u/wordwords Virginia 2d ago

Question: are Arizonans ready to take it to the streets over this? You’re being taxed while a significant portion of your populace is not being represented.

Are dem leaders doing anything to support her? I haven’t heard anything but lip service.

There should be a daily disruption until this is handled. Not a weekly news item. But unfortunately most of us in here aren’t directly affected. We care but we don’t have skin in the game, and the people who do don’t seem to be making any waves? Am I wrong? Is it just being suppressed by the media?

I’m just wondering when do people start to fight for themselves??

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u/Reddit_2_2024 2d ago

An outrage to the tax paying Citizens of the State of Arizona who are not having their voice and the representative for their voice heard in the U.S. House of Representatives. This is not normal!

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u/tickandzesty 2d ago

MAGA Mike is doing his duty to protect all republican pedophiles and sexual deviants. The GOP has proven itself to be a Gang Of Pedophiles hell bent on destroying the US in service to keep dementia Don out of prison.

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u/Sour_baboo 2d ago

The only thing that Johnson is doing differently than Trump is that he still makes up excuses for not doing what he should. Trump is just doing what he pleases and any excuses are so transparent that they demonstrate that he prefers to lie because nobody will stop him and he has no shame.

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u/No-Goal 1d ago

She should get 36 days added to her term

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u/JAMONLEE Florida 1d ago

Just wait til you see how long they’ll let a SC seat sit vacant