Washington this morning is waiting for House Speaker Mike Johnson to release his plan to keep the government funded past Friday, with Johnson and other leaders planning to brief House Republicans in a 3 p.m. call.

Given the timetable (less than a week), Johnson’s experience dealing with shutdown politics (near zero), and the level of disarray in the GOP conference (high), the chances of a shutdown are growing.

Sources on the Hill and at the White House said they are adjusting travel plans accordingly and preparing to spend the holiday in D.C. A last-minute short-term clean CR is always possible, but over at the White House they are not holding their breath.

Aides are betting on Johnson not being able to figure this out and are preparing along two tracks.

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[–] 49 points 2 years ago (1 child)

Not only is Mike Johnson out of his depth, he appears to be unaware that he's drowning.

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  • [–] 31 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Since there is essentially zero chance a shutdown is avoided, the question now is how long do we think the shutdown will last?

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  • [–] 21 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    Follow up question: how long do we think Johnson will last?

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  • [–] 16 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    And, how long until an international sell off of US currency as the national credit rating takes multiple hits?

    At which point, how long does the US last?

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  • [–] 9 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    Petroleum creates demand for USD which absolves many of our sins. If OPEC starts demanding a different currency for oil payment, that will be a serious problem for the dollar. Right now, that arrangement puts a floor on the price of the dollar.

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  • [–] 6 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Anyone got a head of lettuce handy to compare?

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  • [–] -2 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    What is a “head of lettuce handy” and where can I get one? Are we talking about one that you can get in a car, or is this more of kind that you get at a commercial establishment?

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    Not sure if I'm not getting your joke or you're not getting mine, but just in case it's the latter (or for anyone else wondering about the lettuce) -

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liz_Truss_lettuce

    Tldr: a British tabloid live streamed a head of lettuce the entire time Liz Truss was PM to see which would last longer. Spoiler, it was the lettuce.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago (2 children)
  • [–] 13 points 2 years ago

    This Mike Johnson guy continues to have the same level of self-awareness as the same Mike Johnson from Morty’s quarter-assed made up story in the Story Train episode of Rick and Morty.

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  • [–] 9 points 2 years ago

    Fucking traitors are setting up another January 6

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  • [–] 6 points 2 years ago

    I must be the White House!

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