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A WEEK IS a long time in politics, as the old saying goes.
A week can feel even longer if politicians do the same thing over and over again – hoping for a different outcome, but getting the same result every time.
That’s essentially what’s been happening in the US House of Representatives in Washington DC over the past few days. The House adjourned last night after failing to elect a speaker for a third straight day.
Camille Camdessus, a reporter covering the situation for AFP, set the scene: “There are no windows in the cavernous chamber and time floats between votes in what begins to feel like one long, never-ending day.”
The speaker of the House is the only congressional leadership role outlined in the US Constitution, and is second in the presidential line of succession (after the vice president).
The role was previously held by Democrat Nancy Pelosi.
Republicans took over the House in November’s midterm elections, but the failure to elect a Speaker has left the chamber unable to swear in members or pass legislation.
Republican Kevin McCarthy, a Representative of California, is the party’s favorite to lead the lower chamber of Congress, but he has been blocked by conservative hardliners for 11 votes in a row since the House returned for its new term on Tuesday.
The results of the 11th ballot of voting for speaker of the House:
— Nathaniel Rakich (@baseballot) January 6, 2023
Hakeem Jeffries (D): 212
Kevin McCarthy (R): 200
Byron Donalds (R): 12
Kevin Hern (R): 7
Donald Trump (R): 1
Present: 1
Not voting: 1
Still no majority, so there will be a 12th ballot.
In the last vote yesterday, Hakeem Jeffries got 212 votes and McCarthy got 200 votes – 218 votes are required to be elected.
One Republican, Florida’s Matt Gaetz, voted for former president Donald Trump.
Here’s a breakdown of how all House members-elect have voted to date this week.
Prior to this week, no speakership contest has gone more than nine rounds since the Civil War era.
So, why is this happening?
The GOP’s majority in the new House is just 222 members, compared to the Democrats’ 213 members – meaning McCarthy can afford only four defections from within his own party.
However, a group of 20 hardline Republicans are blocking his bid to become speaker.
Many of these members are part of the so-called House Freedom Caucus, a staunchly right-wing group, and remain loyal to Trump.
Some of the most vocal McCarthy detractors, including Gaetz, Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, say he hasn’t listened to their wishes and isn’t giving conservative voices enough of a platform in the House.
All who serve in the House share a responsibility to bring dignity to this body.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 5, 2023
Sadly, Republicans' cavalier attitude in electing a Speaker is frivolous, disrespectful and unworthy of this institution.
We must open the House and proceed with the People's work.
Democrats are voting for their leader, Hakeem Jeffries, as speaker. But without a majority in the Republican-controlled House, they simply don’t have the numbers to elect him.
Behind the scenes, lawmakers from both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party are trying to broker a deal – including the possibility of Republicans putting forward a different candidate.
However, McCarthy (57) insists he will win over his detractors – or get enough of them to abstain from voting.
The vast majority of Republicans want to put an end to the revolt, and many had become visibly impatient by the 11th round of voting yesterday.
In a bid to win over some of the House Freedom Caucus and get the necessary 218 votes, McCarthy has made sweeping concessions.
As reported by Bloomberg, McCarthy released a proposal that would allow any five House Republicans to call for the speaker’s removal and allow for more ideological diversity on House panels. Some conservatives have since said they want any single Republican to be able to call to oust the speaker.
McCarthy also offered his right-wing opponents more power over how floor votes are conducted, a vote on term limits and a commitment to stop backing moderates against far-right primary candidates in safe Republican seats.
Some republicans are also calling for specific members to be placed on prime committees which control issues such as tax, trade, health policy and federal spending.
This request has met resistance within the party as some conservative members would get priority over other Republicans with more seniority – something that would likely further split a divided party.
Even if McCarthy is able to secure the votes he needs, he will emerge as a weakened speaker, having given away some powers and constantly under a threat of being voted out by his detractors.
McCarthy’s allies are still hopeful of securing him the gavel, indicating that a deal bringing the so-called “Never Kevins” back into the fold could emerge in the coming hours.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, US President Joe Biden said the failure to elect a speaker to date is “embarrassing” but “not my problem”.
“I just think it’s a little embarrassing that it’s taking so long,” Biden said, noting that “the rest of the world is looking” to see if the US can “get our act together”.
The chamber is due to resume deliberations at midday local time (5pm Irish time).
Contains reporting from © AFP 2023 and Press Association
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Terrible to have to break the law for pain relief. Glad it helped her in many ways.
If it helps take away the pain. Make it legal.
If it grows in the ground and doesn’t kill you then why is it illegal
Unfortunately, it is because of the corrupt, capitalist system we live in. Government propaganda would have you believe that it is illegal because they care so much about us, that they wouldn’t want us to damage our health. You’d wonder how alcohol and tobacco are legal then, I guess. The truth is, that pharmaceutical companies are lining the Government’s pockets, and if marijuana was legal, it would make many pharmaceutical drugs obsolete, and the companies that are making the drugs, would lose out on profit. Basically, it all boils down to money and greed, like most things in life, so MS sufferers and other people that suffer severe pain, must break the law to alleviate their burdens.
We know by now, that the Government couldn’t give a shite about us, so it is probably best to take their propaganda with a mountain of salt!!
‘Cos big pharma have profits to protect.
I’m sorry I can only give you one green thumb. Well said.
Money. Hemp was too good a crop, and the oil boom was underway at the time, plastics were invented….other reasons like that, all leading back to profit.
Sure even the Puritans grew it when they landed in the US way back when!
Nonsense really, hopefully it’ll be back to it’s natural status sooner rather than later. It is just a plant, as you said – seems odd alright.
Hemp was originally banned in Texas because it was damaging the cotton industry and was becoming more popular. That basically says it all
A lot of industries would like to keep hemp illegal.
Well said
Cannabis should be legalised immediately!
Anti-cannabis folk can’t see the benefits, and that we drink our (potentially fatal) drug in this country. Weed aint ever gonna kill nobody
*Legalise.
*anybody
lucky the pigs didnt raid him, you know like to protect us….
Smoker’s can live normal lives, doesn’t effect their working or family life yet it’s outlawed while alcohol ruins lives and families on a daily basis.
What a feckin silly society we live in.
I’m off to medicate :)
I am in constant pain with this horrible disease and weed is the only thing that takes the pain away, it also helps with my spasticty.
It’s a bitch of a disease Hun, I wish you well, roll a fat one n have some for me :0)
I no longer smoke weed, but at one time in my life, for a prolonged period of 6 or 7 years, I was a fairly heavy user.
I just found it slowed me down too much and got in the way. It kinda killed my energy levels too much so I stopped.That was about 15 years ago at least.
The last time I had a joint was 7 or 8 months ago, before that it was probably a few years at least. I got this incredible toothache one night about 9 pm. It was mind numbingly painful. I had cloves, but no painkillers in the house and the shops etc were closed. I tried having a shot of booze or two but it made no difference.
In the end, out of desperation, I rang a local stoner and asked him for a nodge. He called in to me about 12pm with it. I had a joint straight away and almost instantly felt huge pain relief. I smoked away until I finally fell asleep and got to the dentist the following morning.
I’m a big believer in cannabis as a pain killer and muscle relaxant (it works well for back aches and insomnia too, for me at least)
12am
Years ago, soon after I first received my diagnosis for MS in 2000, John James, founder of AIDS Treatment News, sent me a news clip from the MIT science magazine that showed mice with MS (EAE) who had received a treatment of cannabis. The experiment showed that cannabis worked as a neuroprotector in mice.
Later, I searched PubMed for MS, cannabis, and neuroprotection, and found literally 100 studies that either showed positive data or no data, with the majority of studies indicating neuroprotection.. There was a large cannabis and MS study at Queens Park in London in which preliminary data at three months showed neuroprotection from Cannabis in MS. I don’t have access to PubMed, and I don’t know what happened to those findings in the end.
In 1988, the US DEA had an administrative hearing about medical marijuana. There were many people who testified under oath about what medical marijuana did for their MS. I remember the testimony of a college student who always walked with a cane, but after getting stoned down the hall in her dorm, she left her cane behind to run to answer the phone.
The point of all of this is that marijuana offers the same protection that the interferon-b drugs, Copaxone, Tysabri, and all the rest offer. Perhaps marijuana neuroprotection isn’t as strong, but I have never seen a research study that compared cannabis head-to-head with any of the other therapies.
I personally live in BC, Canada, and when I want my marijuana, I drive to the dispensary, show my medical marijuana card, and purchase my supplies over the counter. If your politicians do not allow this, they should be put in jail. It is criminal to deny MS patients this life-saving drug.
Yes, it helps with pain and spasticity, but it also protects the brain. No MS patient should be denied the right to have daily MJ medication in addition to their other drugs. Politicians who don’t agree are evil.
Condolences for your loss Tom. The government should be ashamed of themselves. They laughed at Ming when he presented his bill, a bill that had the potential to help so many people with some the suffering they go through. Stories like this annoy me, the power is there to help people and allow the people to save thousands of euro in the process of raising taxes to pump back into the health and education systems. But we’re governed by a bunch of ignorant fools that suit no one but there greedy self’s and whoever throws them a bone every now and again. Absolute parasites.
I can’t understand why our government won’t make it legal. I also can’t understand why there are people against it being made legal because it can remain illegal forever and people will still be always able to get it. Who would you rather get the money out of it criminals or our own country through taxes.
But the money they’d earn from tax is nothing compared to what big pharma line their ppckets with
Pharmaceuticals are one of our biggest exporters and unfortunately the government in Ireland are lapdogs to the big corporates so it is not going to be legalised any time soon!
It’s inhumane to deny cannabis to people who are suffering, it’s a natural non-toxic plant medicine that can treat a whole range of ailments, MS, Parkinson’s, Crohns Disease and many more. They’ve also discovered that it works as a preventitive medicine against Alzeimers and many forms of cancer. Good book on the topic if anyone’s interested http://www.bookdepository.com/Marijuana-Gateway-Health-Clint-Werner/9780983426189
And Tom, thank you so much for speaking out so openly & honestly about Marie and the use of cannabis for treating her illness.
Again it’s society telling you what you can and can’t do to comply with what they want. People who are against it don’t want to hear about its benefits. It’s a natural substance that has little or no side effects such as tablets that will fix your problem but cause countless more.
It’ll be another 10 years before cannabis is legalised here.
Incoming: student movement to train new generation of drug policy reformers #freetheweed
Thank you for standing up and telling the truth!
Let he who cast first pain ‘comes to mind – if the powers that be felt half the pain that these poor sufferers are going through ‘cannabis’ would be legal in the morning ignoramuses the lot of them
Pickart, you are a complete arse, simple as.
It doesn’t agree with me just as alcohol doesn’t a agree with others, but why is something so natural not just legalised!? The govt should cash in on it quick before the world wakes up and all countries develop it!
Irish (anti) Cannabis laws are unjust, un democratic, puritanical and extremely prejudice. So many lives ruined for being in possession of this life saving substance. The Irish establishment have nose picked and navel gazed regarding cannabis based medicine. “We are looking into it”.. “We hope to have re written the cannabis laws soon”… its been over 4 years now for the Irish government to change the laws on cannabis… Is it because our state is a corporate bitch to the likes of Lilly and Bayer and the rest of the white pill makers??
Medicinal cannabis is totally different from the kind you buy on the street. It comes as a spray that you spray under the tongue. George Michael, who knows a thing a two about cannabis use, has said that its use kills ambition and motivation and he wouldn’t advocate it’s use by young people.
nonsense.
‘Medical Canabis’ is a term invented by Pharma to control any possible canabis trade and jack up the price.
The natural product aint killing anyone and is doing its job and so why mess with it ?
Because it is easy and cheap to grow and is effective.
Big pharma is crapping its self.
The junkies on here do not want to hear the truth.
@Pikart. Back in you box.The grown up’s are talking.
As the article so clearly states the cannabis was grown for marie meaning she either ingested it, smoked it or vaporised it. That cannabis was just like any other cannabis and it helped. The street cannabis you keep referring to is grown for profit with no regulation to keep the ratio of THC:CBD in a safe margin.
That said the growers also weight down the cannabis with chemicals and other unwanted additives thus making the cannabis unsafe. Its only thing making cannabis harmful is its illegality, grown properly and used properly its safe.
It is the governments failure to regulate this substance that has caused all the harm
@pickart: Please read my comments about the science of MS and pot.
Processed laudanum is still sold today but it is very different to the original form which was supposed to be used as an analgesic. Advocating the use of cannabis in its present form is a nonsense that does not warrant an explanation.
Did you even bother to read the story above?
Are you seriously that fu*king heartless that you would rather criminalise a good man trying to get releif for his dying wife than legalise a substance which causes less hospital admissions worldwide last year than paracetamol did in Irish hospitals last week.
You truly are some p*ick.
pickart “it does not warrant an explanation” because there ain’t no explanation
When I hear words such as “nonsense” and ” does not warrant an explanation”‘ I know that I’m dealing with pure prejudice and bias.
Pickart Solny has convinced me that there may be a case for the decriminalisation of the natural cannabis varieties but I have reservations about the very highly potent firms which can have side effects.
A rational debate would be appropriate. Such a rational debate obviously could not include Pickart Solny.
Peter, thanks for releasing from the obligation to engage in such a debate. I will be eternally grateful.
Let the scientists use THCA in its raw un-carboxulated form for testing its medical properties. That is all
Check out the difference between THC and THCA which is not provided to the scientists
Ill roll one now and get baked!
have your say