politics @lemmy.world Cryophilia @lemmy.world 8 mo. ago

Gaetz says he'd support raising motion-to-vacate threshold if GOP enacts Democrat’s reform plan

www.washingtonexaminer.com Gaetz says he'd support raising motion-to-vacate threshold if GOP enacts Democrat’s reform plan

Just days after ousting former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from the top leadership position, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) signaled he’d be willing to raise the threshold for a future motion to vacate — but only if Republicans agree to vote on a number of political reforms.

Have we entered the twilight zone?

68 comments

Low blood sugar. 100%. Get that man a Snickers stat and he'll be back to his sex trafficking, child raping self.
- I saw this comment yesterday, and now every time I see Gaetz name in a headline it’s all I can think about.
- Rofl
The stocks thing isn't new. He, AOC and others actually co-sponsored a bill banning members of Congress from owning individual stocks.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/matt-gaetz-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-congress-stock-ban-bill/
Watch Gaetz run for governor (and then president?). Run, Gaetz, run. Most old school Regan Republicans would never go for this stuff. Limiting their own terms? Banning donations from lobbyists? Limiting SCOTUS terms and risk losing the theocratic supermajority? Gudouttahere.

Gaetz knows this. He also knows the establishment right wing media (Fox) is trying to make him the villain, "It's not that Republicans can't govern, it's just that this one guy is an asshole."

When Gaetz does shit like this, it makes him sound almost reasonable, right? Republican voters say, ok I think all that stuff would be good, so why won't the rest of the party go along with it? Hmm, maybe Gaetz is right about House Republicans being part of the swamp. Maybe Gaetz is a true fighter for America and not the asshole that blonde lady on Fox said he was.

That's the game. Gaetz is building some serious media coverage and name ID. I have to admit, the shit heal is making the most out of his time in the spotlight.
- shit heal
  
  Chaotic evil clerics are the worst.
  
  +16 HP
  
  -100 Dignity
  
  Fucking Sharrans.
- Did you watch the footage of Gaetz grilling the DEA on when were they going to delist marijuana as a schedule 1 drug and federally decriminalize it specifically addressing opioid crisis and THC being a viable alternative for pain management for many?
  
  I totally agree with you. I was initially very confused, but it definitely diferentiates him from DeSantis.
  
  What's next? He turns on Trump?
  
  He takes off his mask and your realize it was Santos all along
This….sounds…reasonable..? I’m with OP - confused
- Like, I'm expecting to find out all his accounts have been hacked or Bernie Sanders has a gun to his head or something
  
  He's playing Fox New's game against them. GOP and their media outlets want to make him him the bad guy for canning one of their own.
  
  So he's getting out ahead of it and saying all this stuff he knows Republican voters will agree so anyone who tries to smear him looks like deep state establishment that are entrenched in Washingtons ways. Not that he probably expects it to pass but it will give him a leg up if or rather when he tries to get Florida Governor in 2026 sincr DeSantis can't run again due to term limits.
- Same dude.. I can’t figure out what he stands to gain other than just being contrarian. I never thought I’d say this but I’m actually agreeing with something that representative butthead said. Strange times we live in.
- yeah. a tad shocking... like, whats the angle here? guess we will see what shakes out.
  
  Gaetz is trying to raise his own profile and is only in this for himself. Basically the attention economy. Which he is getting plenty of by ousting the Speaker. Older politicians are facing more scrutiny and passing a term limits law would look good right now. He may be positioning himself to run for Florida governor in '26. Which means most of the stuff in Khanna's reforms wouldn't hurt him if he runs for state office.
  
  I'm all for term limits and if by some weird chance Gaetz being his prick self gets it passed, then sure why not. However, I really doubt a bill like that would get passed by a republican controlled house.
Motion to Vacate is now what I'm calling my morning poo.
- Matt Gaetz is what I call my morning poo.
  
  At least you aren't calling it Santorum.
- According to Gene Belcher, it's also taking to uncle Ernie
Suddenly, I'm uncomfortable with liking something this guy wants. Sure let's have these incredibly populist reforms, but I sure as shit won't be giving Gaetz any credit for them if they happen.
Uhh, WTF?
- Right??
  
  Noted MAGA Republican Matt Gaetz, who just ousted Conservative Speaker for daring to work with Democrats, is now demanding...
  
  Ban money from lobbyists and political actions committees to congressional candidates
  
  Ban members of Congress from trading stocks and from ever becoming lobbyists
  
  Term limits for members of Congress
  
  Term limits for Supreme Court justices
  
  An ethics code for Supreme Court justices
  
  What in the actual fuck?
  
  Listed out like that, it’s not completely out of left field. The MAGA wing has been advocating for a few of those items on the list. It’s just bizarre that it’s being brought up as a bargaining chip /now/. You know - after obliterating the last R that worked with Dems. Like…what…?
  
  Even a broken clock is right twice a day or something like that… still feel really awkward when I find myself agreeing with him. He’s gotta a couple of other things right too. Don’t like the man at all but I can give credit where/when it’s due.
  
  The irony here is Gaetz and several other junior GOP members have pissed off the GOP seniority. So they are going to shut him down at every turn while he is trying to build steam and reputation for a '26 governor run in Florida.
  
  So with GOP leadership locking him out, he needs to do the cardinal GOP sin of working with Democrats and actually legislate and govern to get his name on anything, and if he somehow gets term limits passed then suddenly a lot of that GOP leadership trying to control him suddenly will be out of office after 2024 and then he can really pander to his GOP base.
  
  He rapes, but he saves.
  
  If he knows he's toast with the GOP & is defecting, we don't want him.
  
  Good and necessary, doable. But it might get struck down since the courts seem to think money = the most important form of protected speech.
  
  Good, necessary, and doable.
  
  I don't personally think this is actually a good thing, but that's debatable. However, it requires a Constitutional amendment to do, not just legislation.
  
  Requires a Constitutional amendment to do, not just legislation.
  
  Good, necessary, but the Supreme Court is very likely to just ignore it, rule Congress doesn't have the power, etc
  
  It's almost like these maga goofballs are starting to realize most of the corruption in Washington is in their own party. Although most of the stuff on his list is pretty equally distributed between the 2 parties. It's all universal corruption. It's actually kind of cool that people in the 2 parties who hate each other are starting to realize they're both complaining about a lot of the same things. It's pretty bizarre, too.
It sounds like they are more likely to support the motion-to-vacate Gaetz from Congress by expelling him at this point.
Term limits would just add more power to lobbyists
- Can you explain why? I have a vague idea of why you would say that but can you help me clarify why term limits would empower lobiests?
  
  What we have seen in state legislatures with short term limits is that new officials come in and they need some help figuring things out. Whereas before you'd have qp year veteran lawmakers to partner with or etc., now the only people that have been around long enough to actually know how to get things done are the under staff and the lobbyists.
  As an example, the Senate has a bunch of arcane rules that you have to know how to manipulate to be able to exert leverage. Now, we have Schumer and Turtle, who knows how to use those levers. However, if we had term limits, I doubt they would be able to operate those levers as effectively. But the lobbyist who has been there and watched things for 20 years will still know.
  Also, there's a reason this is coming from Gaetz, and it's because someone is bankrolling him to support this. We all know he has no principles.
  Tldr: I'd rather keep the power in hands of an elected official than in the hands of unelected corporate lobbyists. We all know corporations practically run the country right now, why give more power?
  
  If they know they are going to get fired, they will maximize the amount of money they can get paid by greasing as many hands as possible before they are kicked out.
Would he support raising the age of consent in Florida?
- I'm not sure he knows that even exists
The plan would seek to enact term limits for Congress members and Supreme Court judges, ban congressional stock trading, create a judicial code of ethics for all federal judges and Supreme Court justices, and prohibit candidates running for federal office from accepting donations from lobbyists or political action committees.

You can only do that by constitutional amendment.
- I’m not familiar with a constitutional ban on term limits, and the idea has been floated by people at fairly high levels. Where do you think the restriction is, and do you think any limits could apply to new justices even if the currents are grandfathered in?
  
  Not the term limits, the donations. The supreme court already rule via Citizens United that money is free speech, which is how PACs and dark money became legal. So to undo that, either the court has to reverse it (yeah right), or there has to be a constitutional amendment (which even the SC can't overturn).
  
  Article 3, Section 1:
  
  The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services, a Compensation, which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.
  
  Unlike for President, Senators, and Representatives, no term is given for Federal Judges, which includes the Supreme Court Justices. They "shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour." Once a Federal Judge, always a Federal Judge.

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