Let the Governing Ungoverning Begin
By Hal Brown, MSW
(about)

I'll leave it to the gaggle of political prognosticators and pundits to predict what the next two years will be like in the House of Representatives. I have nothing of substance to say today. This blog is about how observing the debacle which took place on the floor of The People's House on the second anniversary of the January 6th invasion of right-wing cultists attempting a coup to overthrow our Democracy made me feel.

I felt a mix of outrage and sadness that the ceremony President Biden held honoring the police, election workers and public officials who in various ways worked to defeat the attempted insurrection was attended by only one Republican member of Congress.

I also wanted a chance to use the image of Magnum Chaos, a wood-inlay by Giovan Francesco Capoferri at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo, based on a design by Lorenzo Lotto in an illustration. Last night was magnum chaos. It looks like the next two years will devolve in chaos maximus in the House.

I was briefly tempted take a deep dive into satire ands sarcasm and write something and post it in my Burning Bunion sub-site.

I'd like to skewer them with biting satire, but I won't do this, at least for now, because there's nothing remotely amusing about what the House Republicans are poised to do to the country.

Besides dozens of political cartoonists like these nine from a story in The Week have done their work to eviscerate the hapless House GOP. The Washington Post (subscription) has seven more. I can't draw so between Jan. 3-5th I made a few illustrations with easy to use software and posted them here.

These pathetic excuses for legislators can be likened to doctors and nurses tripping on LSD or drunk who are about to operate on the body of American democracy.

Chaos can be crazy and funny when it's on the screen but these Republicans aren't the inept but benign Keystone Kops in a silent movie classic. Benign they're not. Silent they're not.

Update - okay, one attempt to be sarcastic:

I wasn't able to resist manipulating this photo of McCarthy holding up the Speaker's gavel in celebrating what history may call one of the most briefly celebrated Pyrrhic victories of all time. He will get what he deserves.