Flotsam and Jetsam - Repubs Rebel and Kill Crappy CR

As usual, government spending power is due to run out soon around Christmas/New Years time, requiring the Congress to give it more authorization. I'm so old I can remember when the Congress actually put forth budgets, that were agreed by both houses and signed by the President, but since the Bush II administration, Congress has budgeted by crisis, fighting over last minute Continuing Resolutions just packed with crap, punctuated by occasional short 'government shutdowns' as Congress failed to agree. This year is no different, except the with the incoming Trump administration, and the DOGE brothers, the Republicans in the House appear to have rejected the proposed CR that was foisted on them by the leadership. While keeping the government afloat in cash, and providing more disaster relief to Hurricane Helene victims, the new CR had lots of unpleasant stuff. But don't just take my word for it, let Hat Hair's Beege Welborn fill you in on the details, Crib Notes Version of 'Why I Hate the CR' aka 'Shut It Down'. Not the Bee @Not_the_Bee, "Mammoth spending bill has clause that would let Congress block subpoenas for House data, "potentially preventing any investigation into the J6 Committee."" Ace, Hero of Conservatives Speaker Mike Johnson Agreed with Democrats to Re-Authorize the Leftwing State Department's Censorship Program. At OTP, ‘Call Their Bluff’ "Trump, Vance Blast Budget Bill. " Stephen Kruiser at PJM, Congress Wants Taxpayers to Pick Up More Soap in the Prison Shower and Mike Johnson Finds Out That the New Trump Order Has Taken Effect.  Insty, DING DONG: Scalise confirms spending deal is ‘dead’ after mass GOP revolt. “House Republican leaders have pulled a three-month government funding package from consideration amid mounting opposition from President-elect Donald Trump and members of the GOP conference. It’s unclear what a new deal to fund the government ahead of the Friday night shutdown deadline will look like, but Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) told reporters on Wednesday night the deal was “dead” and that lawmakers were “looking at a number of options” as a path forward.” and some relevant TweetsXs. Kurt Schlichter@KurtSchlichter, "Yes, you are absolutely correct. Great analysis. Wait a minute, you think this is a bad thing don’t you?, Quote, Jeff Stein @JStein_WaPo "Seems like total surrender to Musk and Ramaswamy here. Just a very clear signal - even before Trump takes office - that if any Rs try to stand in their way they will get rolled." TheFOO @PolitiBunny "Hard to imagine anything more heartless than bureaucrats holding disaster relief funding hostage so they can give themselves a raise on the backs of struggling Americans. Absolutely outrageous this is even a possibility." Quote Mark Warner@MarkWarner, "Hard to imagine anything more heartless than shutting down the government and leaving disaster victims out in the cold just days before Christmas. Absolutely outrageous this is even a possibility." Cami Mondeaux at WaEx, Scalise confirms spending deal is ‘dead’ after mass GOP revolt. So, what's next? If the Dems won't agree to a clean CR, maybe a government shutdown while they sort it out. In the past, shutdowns have tended to backfire on Republicans, but with Trump getting a popular vote victory, it's possible the battlefield had shifted in Republicans favor.

From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.18.24 (Evening Edition) Twitchy: Rep. Nancy Mace Calls Out Some of the Orwellian Language In The CRomnibus, and Elected Democrat Millionaire Angry “Two Unelected Billionaires” Blocked His [40%!] Pay Raise, Louder With Crowder, Vivek Ramaswamy fires the first DOGE shot against Congress’s newest spending bill, American Greatness, DOGE’s Musk and Ramaswamy Come Out Strong Against Omnibus: ‘THIS CRIMINAL BILL SHOULD NOT PASS’, The Federalist, Trump Says He Is ‘Totally Against’ Bloated Omnibus Spending Bill,, ‘The American People Didn’t Vote For This’.

At Althouse, "Far from draining the swamp, Trump and his administration will soon be bathing in it." Writes Rahm Emanuel, in "The road back to power for Democrats/It begins with messengers and messages that meet the moment" (WaPo)(free-access link)". Leah Barkoukis at TownHall sees a GOP Senator Blocks 'Desperate Attempt' by Dems to 'Trump-Proof' Washington. "Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) said he was "proud" to block a proposal from Democrats to protect federal workers from potentially getting reclassified as political appointees under the incoming administration."

  

Logan Washburn at Da Fed sees Politico is Horrified Defense Nominee Hegseth Might Make Military Schools ‘Patriotic’. Adam Mill at the Chronicles explains Why They Hate Kash Patel. At Da Caller, Kash Patel Wants The FBI Out Of The Spying Game — Here’s Where He Could Start. "One reform that Patel could implement to combat politicization is to move the FBI headquarters away from D.C., sources told the Caller. “The bureaucracy is so thick,” O’Boyle said. “And in D.C., it is so heavy handed to the left — that I think the FBI has been corrupted with that type of dogma for a long time.” From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.18.24 (Evening Edition)  The Chicago Boyz, The FBI, Politics, and the Administrative State.  At OTP, Top Border Patrol Union Endorses Tulsi Gabbard. Da Mail, House panel secretly votes to release Matt Gaetz's ethics report in stunning reversal. Nick Arama at RedState has  Even More to Matt Gaetz's Pistol-Packing Response to Release of Ethics Report. Former Congressman Matt Gaetz @FmrRepMattGaetz "Someone suggested the following plan to me: 1. Show up 1/3/2025 to congress 2. Participate in Speaker election (I was elected to the 119th Congress, after all…) 3. Take the oath 4. File a privileged motion to expose every “me too” settlement paid using public funds (even of former members) 5. Resign and start my @OANN program at 9pm EST on January 6, 2025."

Dave Strom at Hat Hair hears RFK Jr. Address the Fetus in the Room: He Will Support Pro-Life Policies. Sundance at CTH reports Senator John Kennedy Wants Long Conversation With RFK JR Before Making Support Decision. I hope it's recorded, if only for the entertainment value. Tristan Justice @JusticeTristan "This YouGov survey is fascinating. Americans from both parties are overwhelmingly united behind Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s food reforms despite views of RFK himself becoming profoundly polarized."

Brigitte Gabriel@ACTBrigitte "BREAKING NEWS: Former part-time McDonald's fry cook donates his next 4 years salary ($1.8 million) to support Homeless veterans. He starts his new job in January." 

UPI, 2025 in space: Trump-Musk alliance should boost 'space economy'.

Kurt Schlichter at TownHall wonders Why Did ABC Roll Over and Beg Trump for Mercy? He thinks it's about the Benjamins. "ABC, in conjunction with its insurers, understood not just that it was going to be embarrassed by what came out in discovery but that it was faced with a Mount Everest-sized potential jury award from those Florida knuckle-draggers who couldn’t figure out how to get off of jury duty. And they also had to understand that the appellate process might not save them – several conservative members of our current Supreme Court are just looking for an excuse to get rid of Sullivan." Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, How Very Meta: Journalists Leaking to Journalists in ABC News Meltdown  At Puck, Stephanopoulos Re-ups with ABC News After Trump Settlement. At WokeSpy NBC’s Chuck Todd says ABC “Abandoned” George Stephanopoulos in Settling with Trump – “A Gut Punch”. From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.18.24 (Evening Edition) EBL, George Stephanopoulos butthurt over settlement with Trump, Louder With Crowder: CNN’s Scott Jennings thinks Donald Trump suing media organizations is awesome, Victory Girls: Sad Gnome! George Stephanopoulos Humiliated Over ABC’S $16 Million Trump Settlement.

Rusty Weiss at RedState hears Trump Had a Hilarious Three-Word Response When an MSNBC Anchor Called Him for an Interview. "Stephanie Ruhle, host of "The 11th Hour" on MSNBC, explained recently that Donald Trump was far more accessible as a candidate than Kamala Harris. So approachable was he that Ruhle decided on a whim to call and ask for an interview, which he promptly declined. But still, he answered the phone. That's the point. . . . "And I called DJT to say, ‘Yo, can I get an interview?’ and he told me to go f**k myself, but I still was able to connect with him," she recalled. "Yeah.”"

Madeline Leesman at TownHall notices Trump Isn't Giving Up the Canada Jokes Just Yet. Althouse, "No one can answer why we subsidize Canada to the tune of over $100,000,000 a year? Makes no sense!" ""Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State. They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!!" Writes Donald Trump on Truth Social."

At the NYSun, Trump’s Lawyers Claim ‘Grave Juror Misconduct’ in Hush-Money Trial, Denounce ‘Manifest Unfairness’ of Alvin Bragg’s Case, "The nature of the alleged juror misconduct, which the defense calls ‘extensive and pervasive,’ remains secret."

From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.18.24 (Evening Edition) First Street Journal, Democrisy: the left who concealed everything about Joe Biden’s condition, are terribly worried over Donald Trump’s bruised hand. Bob Spencer at PJM, Biden in Steep Decline, New York Times Tries to Portray Him as Tragic Figure. At Althouse, "A traditionalist to his bones, Mr. Biden has opted for the grace and reticence he believes are befitting the departing president of a defeated party..." "From "A Weary Biden Heads for the Exit/Still stinging from the election, President Biden is pushing for his final priorities but has absented himself from the national conversation about Donald Trump after warning repeatedly that he was a threat to American democracy" (NYT)."  MRC NewsBusters@newsbusters "Drum roll please ... The Worst Media Quote of 2024 goes to "Morning" Joe Scarborough for the second consecutive year for saying, "this version of Biden intellectually, analytically, is the best Biden ever" back in March." Mike Miller at RedState hears Former Obama Aides Mock Biden for 'Disappearing' — Then REALLY Drop Hammer on Failed President. Paul Bedard at WaEx Biden launches ‘striking escalation’ in costly regulations.

Jonathan Turley at NYPo fears Joe Biden may set a dangerous new precedent with ‘pre-emptive’ pardons. VodkaPundit at Insty, BILL WHITTLE: Crazy Joe’s Discount Pardon Warehouse.

At Politico, Are Democrats coconut-pilled? Some want to see Kamala Harris run again. "Top officials gathered in Washington suggested an openness to backing the vice president again next time." Pop Times reports Tim Walz Blames Americans for Voting a Billionaire and Venture Capitalist “How Did We Lose to a Billionaire?” – “Least Wealthy”

Beege Welborn hears Aurora Officials Reach Acceptance Stage: 'It's Not a Club, It's a Gang'. Rick Moran at PJM thinks You're Not Going to Believe How Many Illegal Aliens Reside in Sanctuary Cities. All those crop pickers collecting welfare in big blue cities. 

From the Pop Times, Jan 6 Fed Ops: How Capitol Police Enabled the Construction of the Gallows, Ignored Their Existence, and Failed to Investigate. Steve Richards at JTN reports the Jan. 6 Select Committee's political probe diverted resources from real security failures, "The Select Committee’s focus on Donald Trump distracted from the security failures across government that created the conditions for the riot, House GOP subcommittee concludes." At NYPo even Never-Trumper Jacob Sullum says Trump’s pardons of Jan. 6 Capitol rioters will reverse genuine judicial abuses.

Twitchy, Somebody's NERVOUS: Liz Cheney Shares Panicky Statement on Being Criminally Investigated ... on Bluesky. Ace examines The Many Lies of Madison Cornbread "Madison Cornbread, aka "Cassidy Hutchinson," is a much more sinister operator that I'd thought she was. I had thought she was just a silly, stupid social climber seeking to marry up who got scared into making up stories to avoid prosecution herself. She is allegedly much worse than that . . . Liz Cheney must be prosecuted, and her Witch's Apprentice Madison Cornbread must be prosecuted for perjury as well."

From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.18.24 (Evening Edition) EBL, Investigations Regarding Liz Cheney Witness Tampering?, American Greatness, Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Barry Loudermilk Recommends Investigation Into Liz Cheney For ‘Potential Criminal Witness Tampering’, Legal Insurrection, Liz Cheney May Need That Preemptive Pardon After House Committee Issues Criminal Referral and The Federalist, House Republicans Refer Liz Cheney For Federal Criminal Investigation.

Atop Da Hill, a Shock poll: 41 percent of young voters find killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO acceptable. From Ace, Abundant Life Church Killer Wasn't Transgender, But a Radicalized Feminist Who Wanted to Kill All Men (Including Infant Boys). "Hey remember that the media obsessed over the one single "incel shooter" for years and wrote endlessly about the "radicalization pipeline" that led this one incel murderer to kill two people? This is now the fourth or fifth mentally ill girl radicalized by hard-left/Marxist cult messaging into massacring children. Think we'll see any think-pieces about the leftwing radicalization pipeline or nah?"

VodkaPundit at Insty, UNEXPECTEDLY "X is fun again. BlueSky was taken over by the same kinds of people who ruined Twitter in the first place. The results speak for themselves": Tony Kinnett @TheTonus. "Bluesky's activity continues to decline. Down ~5 million total likes and ~2 million posts per day since the beginning of December. Total number of accounts followed per day has decreased by ~500k. (per Bluesky's API)." Libs of TikTok@libsoftiktok "So you’re telling me a bunch of Leftists ran to a new platform and all the sudden there’s an uptick in child s*xual abuse material and death threats there??"

At Campus Reform, Yale Law Scholars program extends eligibility to non-citizens, including illegal immigrants. Andy Ngo @MrAndyNgo, "Breaking: An investigation into racist, pro-Trump graffiti messages at @RhodesCollege in Memphis, Tenn. that caused a panic has revealed that it was a hoax from a student. The college is not releasing information about the student behind the hoax. The n-word and "Trump rules" were written on pieces of paper on campus. In reaction to discovering the messages, the university reaffirmed its commitment to DEI." OTP, American Airlines Ends DEI Hiring Practices After Facing Discrimination Charges. At Twitchy, 'Stop Being a Weirdo': JD Vance's Advice to Whiny NYT Letter Writer Is a Slice of Fried Gold. 

Ace, Parents of Female Volleyball Player Left with "Serious" Brain Damage Due to Trans Player Spiking the Ball Into Her Head Call for Other Parents to Pull Their Girls Out of Leagues That Allow Boys to Compete With Girls. "Finally they find their voice. I hope others find their voices, before their own girls end up in comas or with permanent brain damage. Or dead." At Hat Hair, Dave Strom notes the AP: Drag Queen Will Save the Earth! and  The World Is Healing: Disney Deletes Trans Propaganda From Pixar Series and John Sexton thinks This Washington Post Editorial on Gender Affirming Care is Pretty Good. Victory Girls, Tammy Baldwin Leads Dem Senators Pro-Trans Child In Defense Bill. Make them die on that hill. Da Fetched observes a California District Attorney Forced to Address Male Rapist with ‘Correct She/Her’ Pronouns in Court. At PM, Trans killer complains after being removed from WA state women's prison following sex with inmate. Did 'she' get her pregnant?