Mysterious Parliamentary Jiu-Jitsu

Proof that votes still matter

When I went to bed last night after midnight, it looked as though the president’s domestic policy bill had failed to pass in the House. This morning, it appears Speaker Mike Johnson, through some mysterious parliamentary jiu-jitsu, managed to get enough votes to call for another vote. I’ve read three articles from three newspapers, and I still don’t quite understand it.

While I don’t like the bill, and I still hope it fails, the messy voting on the domestic policy bill is an example of Congress technically functioning properly. The fact that the president was composing angry ALL CAPS social media posts criticizing Republican holdouts (“MAGA IS NOT HAPPY, AND IT’S COSTING YOU VOTES!!!”) demonstrates that the wannabe tyrant in the White House knows he still needs Congress to advance his policies.

It means there is hope that non-MAGA politicians could take some seats in the mid-term elections next year and provide opposition to the president’s agenda. The direction of the country swings on just a handful of votes in the House and the Senate.

Some friends reminded me earlier this week that Virginia has important off-year elections this fall. If Democrats can take the Governor’s mansion and flip some seats in the legislature, it could demonstrate to MAGA politicians across the nation that their days in power are numbered. If the elections are free and fair, that is. We have a lot at stake. I plan on being very active.

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