(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: The new speaker inherits a mess of his own party's making [1] [] Date: 2023-10-30 Ben Jacobs/Vox: “Lord of the Flies”: The House’s chaotic next era, explained New House Speaker Mike Johnson faces a long to-do list and a caucus with short patience for compromise. The challenge for Johnson is that he is going to face one tripwire with his conference even before he’s fully moved into his new office: the matter of Ukraine aid, opposition to which has become a shibboleth for many on the MAGA right. The Biden administration has proposed a major funding bill that would combine aid to Israel and Ukraine as well as funding for border security. Marc Jacob/Twitter via Threadreader: 12 questions for radical House Speaker Mike Johnson. A 🧵: 1. You were active in the effort to nullify Biden’s election. Please cite your evidence of widespread election fraud. 2. You’re a lawyer. If the case for election fraud was so strong, why did Team Trump lose 60+ lawsuits? (Johnson Q’s, cont.) 3. How can you say the U.S. is a "Christian nation"? Haven't you read the Constitution? 4. You want to keep fraudster George Santos in the House because “the margin” of the GOP majority is thin. Isn’t that the kind of moral relativism you'd otherwise condemn? (Johnson Q’s, cont.) 5. As a lawyer, you represented a Bible-based theme park that said the Earth is only 6,000 years old and that Noah’s Ark was a real boat with dinosaurs on it. Scientists believe dinosaurs went extinct about 65 million years ago. Do you think they’re wrong? Dahlia Lithwick/Slate: No Wonder Donald Trump Loves Mike Johnson There is, in the end, nothing scarier than a MAGA heart that comes dressed as a sober attorney. Jim Jordan looks as if he wants to punch you in the neck with a second’s notice. Mike Johnson will end you with a footnote or case citation. But as the Framers could have warned you, a nation that was dreamed up chiefly by lawyers was almost overdetermined to be run into the ground by them one day. It was de Tocqueville who famously argued, “Scarcely any political question arises in the United States that is not resolved, sooner or later, into a judicial question.” If you are willing to achieve your craziest ends by any means necessary—and the processes and trappings of the law are a means at your disposal—Johnson is the inevitable consequence of that vision. He prides himself on his creative lawyering. In 2020, after then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi famously ripped up a copy of Trump’s State of the Union speech, Johnson cleverly tried to turn it into a criminal activity: “A lot of people have been talking about this the last 48 hours, and I did a little legal memo to point out to my colleagues that she actually committed a felony when she tore that paper up,” Johnson told Fox News. Team Trump on the sanctity of official documents. Arthur Delaney/HuffPost: Whatever Happened To Ken Buck's Election Integrity Stand? A ticktock of Ken Buck’s unusual path from opposing Jim Jordan over his 2020 antics to supporting Mike Johnson for speaker in spite of his 2020 antics. Buck supported Johnson even though the Louisiana Republican was the lead name on a Supreme Court brief seeking to throw out the presidential election result in December 2020, citing “an unprecedented number of serious allegations of fraud and irregularities,” even though no serious allegation of organized fraud ever materialized. “That’s absolutely how you challenge an election, you go to court,” Buck said, noting that he had added his own name to the brief before he spoke out against plans to vote against certifying the election. Just like Jordan, Johnson dodged reporters’ questions this month about whether the election was stolen ― including at a press conference during which Johnson smiled while his colleagues yelled at a reporter to “shut up.” But Buck said Jordan’s case was different because of his Jan. 6 involvement, which included multiple phone calls with Trump that day. x If you’re a progressive in all ways but do not like US policy in the Middle East, ok, fair, but if you are thinking about voting for Trump….STOP. He is an existential threat to the US, to the world, especially to progressives. What are you doing???? — Eric Segall (@espinsegall) October 29, 2023 Will Bunch/Philadelphia Inquirer: Amid violence from Maine to the Middle East, ‘peace’ becomes a dangerous word In the most chilling time for free speech since 1950s McCarthyism, heroes speak out against war, gun violence. Suddenly, we find ourselves in a moment of unspeakable violence when “peace” has become the most dangerous word — where daring to say that we don’t need to live like this can risk your political career or holding onto your job. That’s why I can’t think of anything more important right now than offering praise, love and support for those heroes willing to risk speaking the truth. Jill Lawrence/The Bulwark: Taylor Swift Is the Antidote We Need in the Age of Donald Trump A generational talent, yes—but also kind and tough. I remember mean girls from junior high school, and I’m sure they’re still around. Swift is the antidote we need, especially now. She shows young girls, women, and her many male fans that you can be a rich celebrity while also treating others with kindness and respect. You can give away extra money to people who work for you, instead of stiffing them for what they’re owed. You can be strong without threats and intimidation. You can show that kindness is not weakness. In the age of Donald Trump, these are all lessons that bear repeating. x Really good thread on why Biden is tied with Trump despite awful approval ratings. https://t.co/U6tji6niHC — Adam Bass (@AdamBassOfMass) October 29, 2023 [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/30/2202388/-Abbreviated-Pundit-Roundup-The-new-Speaker-inherits-a-mess-of-his-own-party-s-making?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/