TNR reports that recent deaths of some ancient Dems in the House allowed the Repubs to pass their corrupt, authoritarian, evil MAGA law: “Republicans Pass Horrid Tax Bill Thanks to Democrats Dying in Office -- Republicans passed their terrible tax bill by one vote.”
Here's a summary of the horror. Gerry Connolly (75, D-Va.) died of esophageal cancer on May 21, just one day before the vote. He had not cast a vote since April due to his illness. Raúl Grijalva (77, D-Ariz.) and Sylvester Turner (70, D-Texas) died in March 2025. Turner had replaced Sheila Jackson Lee, who died in office in July 2024. The deaths reduced the House membership from 435 to 432, lowering the majority threshold. Had all three dead Dems been alive and voting "no," the bill would have failed 217-215.
** It got passed with 215 votes because a Repub a "present" vote and two Repub absences were excluded from the majority calculation, allowing the bill to pass with 215 votes.
Q: Are the Dems, stupid, incompetent, complicit, ignorant, out to lunch, corrupt, a lot of all of that, or something else? (Don’t forget Ruth Bader Ginsberg)
(a lot of all of it)
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I asked Pxy:
Q: How likely is Sotomayor to die before the end of Trump's presidency?A: Conclusion: Based on actuarial data and health disclosures, Justice Sotomayor has an estimated 8–10% probability of dying before January 2029. This range accounts for population averages, her diabetes, and the protective effects of her socioeconomic status. While non-zero, the likelihood remains moderate, with her survival odds favoring continuity through Trump’s potential second term.
Well, it's better than I suspected. 👍 My estimate was that there was about a 30% chance that djt would get to replace her. 👎