The House of Representatives voted to expel George Santos, Republican of New York, following a report by the Ethics Committee that found he had committed crimes. Many of the Congressmen who voted in favor were little better than he was.
Welcome to the Federal Government
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For the first time in American history, a Speaker of the House of Representatives has been removed by a vote by his colleagues. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida and 7 far-right allies teamed with Democrats to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California as Speaker, throwing Congress into chaos.
DMZ America Podcast #119 with Guest Jack Ohman, SF Chronicle Cartoonist: Congressional Poop Show, Western Support for Ukraine, the State of Editorial Cartooning
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Jack Ohman, editorial cartoonist and columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, joins fellow Editorial Cartoonists Ted Rall (from the political Left) and Scott Stantis (from the political Right) this week.
First off, the cartoonist trio unpacks the meaning and repercussions of the recent vacating of the Speaker of the House seat in Congress. Who should and who will be the next Speaker? Will/can Donald Trump take the seat?
Next, there is deep disagreement over whether or not the West, and more specifically the United States, ought to continue sending arms and taxpayers money to Ukraine.
Lastly, Ted, Jack and Scott discuss the state of American editorial cartooning. Guest Jack Ohman is the current President of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, while Ted Rall and Scott Stantis have served in that role. A combined 120 years of editorial cartooning experience leads to the conclusion that the profession is in crisis with no relief in sight. Yet we remain optimistic.
Watch the Video Version of the DMZ America Podcast:
DMZ America Podcast Ep 119 Sec 1 w/Guest Jack Ohman, SF Chronicle: Congressional Poop Show
DMZ America Podcast Ep 119 Sec 2 with Guest Jack Ohman, SF Chronicle: Western Support for Ukraine
DMZ America Podcast Ep 119 Sec 3 with Guest Jack Ohman, SF Chronicle: State of Editorial Cartooning
DMZ America Podcast #82: Two Hosts, Two Cases of COVID! McCarthy’s Bosses’ House. Biden’s Pilfered Docs.
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Political cartoonists Ted Rall and Scott Stantis may come from opposite sides of the political divide, but they have something in common: both of them currently have COVID-19. But they also have a work ethic! So here’s the brain-fog edition of the DMZ America podcast, complete with live Covid swab tests, a look at the House of Representatives in the Kevin McCarthy era, or more accurately the era of those who own Kevin McCarthy, and the entertaining prospect of watching Democrats explain the subtle differences between Joe Biden’s decision to take classified documents from the White House home with him, and Donald Trump’s decision to do the same thing.
DMZ America Podcast #82: McCarthy Loses Again, “Don’t Run, Joe!” and Is It Time to Ban Football?
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Big issues face our award-winning editorial cartoonists here on the DMZ podcast. Ted Rall and Scott Stantis analyze the deadlock in the race to choose the next Speaker of the House of Representatives. They beg President Biden not to run for reelection. Lastly, Scott and Ted debate whether football should be banned following the near-fatal injury Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin suffered during the recent game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Which comes on the heel of several studies showing that players suffer from significant brain damage after playing the sport for years.
For Democrats, Defeat Is What Victory Looks like
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Unsurprisingly, Democrats are relieved that the expected “red wave” of Republican victories didn’t materialize. But there’s no dodging the hard cold truth that they have lost control of the House of Representatives. Biden’s presidency is effectively over.
How a Bill Becomes a Law, 2023
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Divided government and wild dysfunction has completely decimated the traditional idea of how the United States government is supposed to pass and enact legislation. Look for nothing of value to get through Congress or, for that matter, from the President’s desk.
For Democrats, the More Republican Damage the Better
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The Supreme Court overturning of Roe v. Wade seems to be helping Democrats polls as they head into the 2022 midterm elections. But Democrats don’t seem as interested in legalizing abortion on the federal level as they do in campaigning on the issue. It makes you wonder: do they want Republicans to mess everything up so that they get elected? How much of a price do we have to pay for a Democratic victory??
Be Careful What You Mitch for
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Polls indicate that Democrats are about to suffer a shellacking in the 2022 midterm elections. Voters are unhappy about inflation, supply chain problems and other issues, but Republicans should be careful what they want — once they are in charge of Congress, they will catch much of the blame for the issues that allowed them to win in the first place.
Democratic Arithmetic
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Democrats are fighting internally between their progressive and centrist wings over infrastructure bills, one for actual buildings, the other one for actual human beings. Interestingly, two right wing senators control what comes out of the US Senate even though they are only a tiny minority. Over in the House of Representatives, on the other hand, the small minority progressive squad is dismissed as the small minority that they are. What both assumptions have in common is that right wing politics are always considered normative.
