January 17, 2011

Things started going haywire for Republicans from the minute Speaker John Boehner and his new coalition of establishment and tea party Republicans took control of the House last Wednesday. First, a couple of members voted six times after intentionally skipping the swearing in, triggering constitutional issues. Next, the leadership’s staged reading of the Constitution was disrupted by a representative of their own lunatic fringe and the supposed Constitution expert who facilitated the reading failed to notice when entire sections were skipped over. And then, on Saturday, Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in Tucson, which sent top tea bagger mouthpieces including Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh right over the edge.

Now, with Speaker Boehner having scheduled a vote on the tea party’s signature issue, repealing the Affordable Care Act, a new poll finds that public support for the repeal has dropped to just 25 percent.

But first, here’s the week that was:

[…]

Day: January 17, 2011

Palin Inspires Very Bad Songwriting

Creepy Separated at Birth Photos of Jared Loughner and Glenn Beck

How Will Boehner’s GOP-Tea Party Top Its First Disastrous Week in Power?

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“The man is afraid of the voice of the people and that the people understand and know what he’s doing. He’s trying to stifle the ability of journalists to let the people of America know what’s really going on with their government.”

— “Kamala Harris called President Donald Trump’s ban of CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House ‘absolutely abhorrent,’” The Wrap reports.

“Not one of them is trained in technical skills. Not one research PhD, as opposed to China, where half the cabinet is science and technology PhDs. We’re led by grifters and fools.”

— Columbia professor Jeffrey Sachs, on X, on President Trump’s 35-person cabinet.

“Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far… The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.”

— Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), breaking with President Trump in a direct-to-camera video.

Numerati

1,000

10%

“The unprecedented spate of mid-decade redistricting for the U.S. House has changed the congressional districts for one-tenth of Americans and significantly altered the makeup of at least one-fifth of districts, according to a new study,” the Associated Press reports.

71%

A new Fox News Poll finds 71% of voters think the Trump administration lacks a clear strategy for ending the Iran War, including 95% of Democrats, 83% of independents, and 43% of Republicans. Sixty percent say U.S. military action against Iran was the wrong decision, while just 37% say it was right.

$9.5 billion

“The Trump administration last year spent $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave for federal workers as part of its plan to shrink the government and save taxpayers money, according to a new estimate by a congressional watchdog,” CNN reports.

470

Reuters has documented at least 470 targets of retribution under Trump’s leadership – from federal employees and prosecutors to universities and media outlets. The list illuminates the sweeping effort by the president and his administration to punish dissent and reshape the government.