Dem
51
GOP
49
No, not the goose that lays the golden eggs that he got from climbing up Jack's beanstalk. Rep. "George Santos" (R-NY) keeps that one at home. We mean his political goose. Politico has done an informal whip count, and concluded there are at least 90 Republican votes for expulsion. Add in all the Democrats, and the two-thirds threshold figures to be cleared by 15-20 votes. Maybe more, if "Santos'" supporters decide he can't be saved, and they'd rather not have a vote in his favor on their ledgers.
The Representative, for his part, insists that he will not resign. That is hardly surprising. To start, he appears to be a narcissist, and narcissists do not often take actions that imply wrongful behavior. On top of that, he doesn't want to do anything that implies he's guilty of the crimes with which he has been charged. Also, he wants to collect every minute of congressional pay he can, as his post-expulsion income doesn't figure to be too healthy (unfortunately, golden geese don't lay eggs in the winter, according to the staff consultant on Care of Magical Creatures).
If things go according to plan, the House will vote on the matter today. This will be the third time the chamber has done so; by the time you read this, we might well know if the third time is the charm. "Santos'" only hope is a miracle; since he is a close personal friend of the Pope, maybe the Representative can ask the Holy Father to pray for one. Failing that, we understand that pulling a fire alarm in the middle of a vote can be an effective technique. (Z)