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409

Mike Johnson Completely Blindsided by Resignation in His Own Party (newrepublic.com)

submitted 5 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

72 comments fedilink hide all child comments

House Speaker Mike Johnson had no idea Representative Ken Buck is quitting, as the GOP is in complete shambles.

Representative Ken Buck took to social media to announce his near-immediate leave from Congress, resigning so fast that even his party leaders were caught off guard by the decision.

“Today, I am announcing that I will depart Congress at the end of next week,” Buck said in a statement on Tuesday. “I look forward to staying involved in our political process, as well as spending more time in Colorado with my family.”

The less-than-two-weeks notice took practically everybody by surprise, including (or maybe especially) House Speaker Mike Johnson.

“I was surprised by Ken’s announcement,” Johnson told a crush of reporters inside the Capitol building. “I look forward to talking to him about that.”

“I didn’t know,” he added.

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[–] [email protected] 311 points 5 months ago (5 children)

“It is the worst year of the nine years and three months that I’ve been in Congress,” Buck elaborated to CNN, describing the current iteration of the lower chamber as “dysfunctional” and the “worst year in 40, 50 years.”

“Instead of having decorum, instead of operating in a professional manner, this place has just devolved into this bickering and nonsense and not really doing the job for the American people.”

They buried the lead, as do most American media outlets. Who gives a shit about what Mike "Accountability Partner for his" Johnson thinks? The MAGAt party is collapsing. Report on that!

[–] [email protected] 115 points 5 months ago

Local clown claims to be surprised that his fellow clowns can't maintain decorum

[–] [email protected] 80 points 5 months ago

"The Freedom Caucus member originally announced his intention to retire in November"

PLUS:

“It is the worst year of the nine years and three months that I’ve been in Congress,” Buck elaborated to CNN, describing the current iteration of the lower chamber as “dysfunctional” and the “worst year in 40, 50 years.”

Member of the Leopards Eating Faces Party swears he never thought the leopard would eat his face.

[–] [email protected] 66 points 5 months ago (1 children)

When I saw Mike Johnson and 'resignation' in the same sentence I got a little excited but it was just Ken Buck, which I'd heard reported earlier that didn't beat around the bush.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago

I had to reread that headline a few times.

The first way I read it was that Mike Johnson was surprised that he was resigning. Which could be an entertaining conspiracy.

[–] [email protected] 41 points 5 months ago (1 children)

FYI, because I learned this the same way: It's buried the lede. As in the first sentence of the article.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I’m sorry to be this way, but both are acceptable. Lede has never been formally or universally adopted, and is more a remnant of an industry effort toward low-context clarity due to the word being a homonym. There are countless records of journalists using the traditional spelling when using in the context of writing an article.

Again, I hate myself for being like this.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 5 months ago (2 children)

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being pedantic. In my case, it bugs me really bad that people say 110/220 for USA mains voltage. The standard has been 120/240 volts but there is a tolerance on both sides so the older 110/220 are still within specs. But the tolerance is defined from the nominal values of 120/240.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I work with electricity constantly, and never could figure out the discrepancy. I do see 115 quite a bit on elecronics as well. Tbh it always confused me. I guess i learned something today.

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[–] ironhydroxide 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

That is unless it's a system that is wye three phase, in which case it's 120/208..... While we're being pedantic.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Even more pedantic, the proper writing convention (rarely used) would be 208Y/120 🤓

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago

Most if not all media outlets have factored the competitiveness of the presidential horse race into their bottom dollar. The media are the main ones propping them up at this point.

[–] [email protected] 139 points 5 months ago (4 children)

Buck's reason for leaving seems stupid to me (paraphrasing) "I believe our election system is broken so I want to join a group to fix it".

Dude, you're in the legislature!! Introduce legislation changing it!

[–] [email protected] 171 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Man is also a member of the party responsible for the dysfunction, don't forget that.

[–] [email protected] 69 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Freedom Caucus member as well

[–] [email protected] 41 points 5 months ago (1 children)

lmao, the dude was the dysfunction!

[–] Sculptor9157 19 points 5 months ago

The dysfunction was coming from inside the House the whole time!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

In a week he will have freedom from congress!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Exactly. This may just open the door for yet another idiot, making things worse for all of us. They need to fix gerrymandering.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 5 months ago

Good news, 4 states will have new, fairer maps this upcoming election cycle.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I mean, this is darkly foreshadowing to me. I don't understand how he could have more subversive influence outside of Congress than in, but I'm sure something is fucky.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 5 months ago (2 children)

My guess is that he sees a massive loss for the GOP coming up and figured it was smarted to leave now then get crushed in the landslide.

Of course, it could be something completely outside politics, but I know how I'd bet.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (5 children)

He already announced a while back he wasn’t running for re-election, but who knows maybe he just didn’t see the point to keep going.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Or Hell, even just voting with the Democrats would help.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 months ago (1 children)

He was elected by that system! They're as dumb as a pocket full of lint.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago (8 children)

less useful, though. Lint can be used as a firestarter.

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[–] [email protected] 65 points 5 months ago (1 children)

This is the seat Lauren Boebert is trying to carpetbag her way into.

Boebert could also run to replace Buck in the now-necessary special election, but that would complicate her career even further. Colorado Sun reporter Jesse Paul pointed out that Boebert would likely have to resign her current position in order to be chosen as the GOP special election nominee. If she does and then loses, she would be out of Congress.

Hilarious. Isn't her polling doing pretty badly? More likely she won't be chosen and will either have to defend her current seat, and risk losing, or just quit for the grifter lifestyle.

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[–] [email protected] 57 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I don't buy it. Ken "Dipshit" Buck is one of the reasons Congress is dysfunctional. And he already announced that he wasn't running for reelection. He could literally phone it in for the next 9 months, and holding a special election doesn't do him or his party any good.

Maybe they used kompromat to get him to do something he didn't want to do, and he thinks they won't expose him if he resigns? It will be interesting if Boebert resigns to try to win the special election, because then her district will have to hold a special election, too.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago (3 children)

he's probably about to get fucked in some kind of criminal prosecution. maybe.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Maybe he's trying to give some sort of advantage to a MAGA successor (e.g. by giving him a better shot in a low-turnout special election so that he'd have an "(incumbent)" next to his name during the imminent real one)?

Edit: or maybe it's less about giving an advantage to a particular successor, and more about just screwing over Boebert, who is running for his seat because she knows she's unelectable in hers.

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[–] [email protected] 50 points 5 months ago

One less Freedom Caucus member. Good.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I remember when #GetTheBuckOutOfColorado was trending in 2016. Glad he's finally gone.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Not that I'm complaining, but he's technically returning to Colorado. You know. from representing colorado in DC...

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 5 months ago (1 children)

And the Republican lead in Congress grows more needle thin by the day.

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 5 months ago (2 children)

It’d be a shame if republicans lose their majority before the elections. Though, democrats would probably be entirely unprepared to take advantage of it.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago

At least we could be sure they would certify the legitimate results of the presidential election, which is more than we can say of the Republican House.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Sadly democrats have shown time and time again they do not ever take advantage of any majority.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

They are paid by donors to be as milquetoast and ineffective as possible.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 5 months ago

The faster the #christofascist #GOP dies, the better.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

For all his posturing against the horror that is the GOP (which he helped make), anyone else wonder if there's some scandal pushing him out? Knowing the GOP....

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

That's my bet. He's a toady but he seems like he might be capable of feeling some shame. One of the very few Republicans that I think that about. There are no scandals capable of affecting most of the party.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago (1 children)

So who has the blackmail, and what do you think it is?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago

Mentioned elsewhere that there’s a good chance of criminal charges coming.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago

Fuck the republican traitor swine. They must be brought to a reckoning.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

God struck him blind for playing with himself

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

What a shambling shitshow the House GOP is.

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