Welp.

Republican majority of the Pennsylvania State Senate just removed @JohnFetterman from the chamber. President Pro Temp Corman is presiding instead. Fetterman refused to recognize a motion that would have prevented a duly elected Democratic senator from being sworn in.

Fetterman did not leave the chamber or the rostrum so there are two people presiding. Fetterman is being ignored by the Republican senators in the majority. Corman is starting the certification of the results district by district.

Very ugly.
For background on what's happening, read @AngelasInk on the dispute: https://t.co/nEKuMZW17C
Under Corman's presiding, all results but in the 45th district were read. The election of Jim Brewster was not recognized. @SenTonyWilliams shouted the results in that race, showing Brewster's win, to the chamber as Corman moved to start the Republican senators' swearing in.
The Republican State Senator in Pennsylvania just set a very dangerous precedent: as long as your opponent refuses to concede, you will not be sworn in. No matter that the *highest court in the state* already said the election is Kosher.

Here they are being sworn in.
Corman is moving to administer the oath of office to Democratic senators. Brewster is on the floor.

Corman asking the judge to wait until Corman leaves.

Fetterman: Senator Brewster is the certified winner of his district!

Corman: he was not read

Williams: I read the results!
Jim Brewster, mensch, asked that all other Democratic senators be sworn in. He didn't want the issue around his election to take away from the celebratory nature of the day for others, according to Williams. They are sworn in, including @NikilSaval of Philadelphia.
I don't have the most experience in watching the Pennsylvania state senate but I can't say that I've *ever* seen something like what just happened. To be clear: the 45th district seat is *empty* as they are reading roll call now despite a certified election winner in the chamber.
Minority Leader Jay Acosta rises in opposition to Corman as President Pro Temp. He is talking about what just happened to Senator Brewster. Acosta makes a good point: Brewster's swearing in wasn't delayed but denied. There is no future date. The result was *certified*.
My colleagues @AngelasInk and @CynthFernandez have the write up on what just happened. Follow this link for updates and response. https://t.co/V06IBe5nIV
For those of you who aren’t super familiar with what’s going on in PA that makes all of this so much more mind bending: before covid the *Republican* majority enacted a major election reform bill that expanded vote by mail. *They* set the rules. Now *they* are crying foul.
This is the same dynamic that happened in the days after the elections.

Before the election, officials begged to count mail ballots *before* in-person polls close. Republicans said no.

Then Republicans said the delay in results is proof of fraud. https://t.co/nGKHUgMTLN
Jake Corman is sworn in as President Pro Temp of the Pennsylvania State Senate after kicking out of the chamber the President of the Senate Lt. Gov. Fetterman and refusing to seat Jim Brewster who won his elections. "Quite a first day," he jokes.

More from Government

This is a good piece on fissures within the GOP but I think it mischaracterizes the Trump presidency as “populist” & repeats a story about how conservatives & the GOP expelled the far-right in the mid-1960s that is actually far more complicated. /1

I don’t think the sharp opposition between “hard-edge populism” & “conservative orthodoxy” holds. Many of the Trump administration’s achievements were boilerplate conservatism. Its own website trumpets things like “massive deregulation,” tax cuts, etc. /2

https://t.co/N97v85Bb79


The claim that Buckley and “key GOP politicians banded together to marginalize anti-Communist extremism and conspiracy-mongering” of the JBS has been widely repeated lately but the history is more complicated. /3


This tweet by @ThePlumLineGS citing a paper by @sam_rosenfeld and @daschloz on the "porous" boundary between conservatives, the GOP and the far-right is relevant in this context.


This is a separate point but I find it interesting that Gaetz, like Roy Moore did In his failed Senate campaign, disses McConnell. What are their actual policy differences? MM supported taking health care away from millions, a tax cut for the rich, conservative judges, etc. /5

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The chorus of this song uses the shlokas taken from Sundarkand of Ramayana.

It is a series of Sanskrit shlokas recited by Jambavant to Hanuman to remind Him of his true potential.

1. धीवर प्रसार शौर्य भरा: The brave persevering one, your bravery is taking you forward.


2. उतसारा स्थिरा घम्भीरा: The one who is leaping higher and higher, who is firm and stable and seriously determined.

3. ुग्रामा असामा शौर्या भावा: He is strong, and without an equal in the ability/mentality to fight

4. रौद्रमा नवा भीतिर्मा: His anger will cause new fears in his foes.

5.विजिटरीपुरु धीरधारा, कलोथरा शिखरा कठोरा: This is a complex expression seen only in Indic language poetry. The poet is stating that Shivudu is experiencing the intensity of climbing a tough peak, and likening

it to the feeling in a hard battle, when you see your enemy defeated, and blood flowing like a rivulet. This is classical Veera rasa.

6.कुलकु थारथिलीथा गम्भीरा, जाया विराट वीरा: His rough body itself is like a sharp weapon (because he is determined to win). Hail this complete

hero of the world.

7.विलयगागनथाला भिकारा, गरज्जद्धरा गारा: The hero is destructive in the air/sky as well (because he can leap at an enemy from a great height). He can defeat the enemy (simply) with his fearsome roar of war.