Posted on 01/16/2015 5:15:00 AM PST by LeoMcNeil
The Republicans won the 2014 midterms in a landslide. They have the most House seats since World War Two and they won the Senate. We’re two weeks into the new term and the Republicans are already losing to Obama and the Democrats. What is the Republican agenda? Rather than having bills up and ready to go, the Republicans have dithered. Rather than taking the fight to the Democrats in the Senate, McConnell is balking at the House’s effort to defund executive amnesty. Keystone XL should have been a simple bill to pass onto the President, it still hasn’t happened. What the Republican agenda looks like for the next week, month or six months is anyone’s guess. Leadership hasn’t laid out what their plans are for the year. Given the opportunity to show the country they can govern, the Republicans have promptly failed.
Meanwhile Obama has a very clear agenda. He started late last year with his executive amnesty action and his attempt to normalize relations with Cuba. Since the Republicans took over Congress last week, the President has outlined three new entitlement programs or laws. He has proposed funding two years of “free” community college that will cost at a minimum $60 billion. He’s proposing Federalization of broadband internet, taking power away from the states. Today the President is proposing a law which would require employers to pay employees for medical leave. One can only imagine what sort of entitlement programs the President will offer at his State of the Union speech on Tuesday night. If the last week and a half is any indication, he’ll be offering an ambitious agenda of big government programs.
While the President is playing offense, the Republicans have no idea what they’re doing. The House and Senate aren’t on the same page and as such they’re making it easy for the President to control the media narrative. Obama has little to no chance of getting most of his agenda through Congress, in fact progressive Democrats have to be wondering where this Obama has been for the last four years. Nevertheless, Obama has regained control of the media narrative. He appears to have regained control over his presidency. How long this lasts is anyone’s guess. The President’s grand jobs bill fizzled quickly in 2011 despite a successful campaign style roll out. Obama has a tendency to give up quickly and move onto other issues. He also hates Republicans, so perhaps his hatred will fuel his desire to push an agenda.
By not having any agenda whatsoever Congress is hurting the chances of the Republican nominee in 2016. If Republicans cannot govern in Congress, why would anyone expect a Republican could govern from the White House? Beyond that, what do Republicans stand for anymore? The House and Senate can’t seem to decide and if they cannot or will not be unified behind an agenda why would the public back Republicans in the next election? It appears that the Republicans are simply against Obama and if they aren’t against him they’re in favor of keeping their individual positions and power within Congress. Obama is gone in two years, he’s a lame duck. His agenda roll out the last two weeks is only a short term agenda for him personally. It will have long term consequences though because his clear and concise agenda stands in stark contract to the muddled and competing agendas in the Republican Congress. To say nothing of the competing philosophies of the Republican Presidential candidates, which will be on fully display in the relatively near future. Obama is managing to control the narrative in the 4th quarter of his Presidency. Thankfully he wasted the 2nd and 3rd quarters.
We'll see how much "all it's worth" really is.
The Republican Party cannot view this election as a "gimme". Someone like Mitt Romney WILL LOSE to the Hildabeast.
If that’s an issue, we can run the right’s equivalent against her. Clinton vs Palin. :-D
The Republican Party cannot view this election as a “gimme”. Someone like Mitt Romney WILL LOSE to the Hildabeast.
I agree. I think we see so many candidates because they think that if they win the nomination they are as good as in the whitehouse.
But I’m still wondering who is gonna rise to the occasion on the D side. Hillary will not win and I think a lot of them know it. She would be crucified in an actual campaign.
There is no Republican party anymore.
No opposition, either.
IT’S NOW OVER. WE’RE DONE!
The only reasons 1/3 of all judges are Obama appointees is because Harry Reid killed the filibuster for lower court nominees.
Hillary has the potential to win without voter fraud. She may not have many accomplishments but she’s a woman and the media will trump the “historic” nature of a Hillary Clinton victory. If there’s one thing people seem to want more than anything else is to be “apart of history.”
The biggest goal of the Republican leadership in this country is figuring out how to stop Ted Cruz from becoming president. They don’t seem to have time for anything else.
I do think the GOP needs to step-up their game for the next two years
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There’s little reason to believe the GOP is capable of doing that. They don’t fight or play to win. They are all talk and no action.
Obama knows this and will steamroll them.
I would be glad to vote FOR Sarah Palin.
In every election cycle the MSM has less power than the one before it. 2016 is going to be worse for the liberal media. And worse than it is as I type this. The information about her WILL get out.
She kinda reminds me of Kerry. When running for local office, the background can be pretty much ignored. But once you run for president, there are lots of “swift boat vets” ready to make their story heard.
I would be glad to vote FOR Sarah Palin.
The good news for Hillary is that she is to the left what Palin is to the right. But the bad news is that she is to the right what Palin is to the left.
The TERRIBLE news for hillary is that she is to the center what Palin is to the center.
Actually, their first goal will be to try avoiding being primaried by TEA while taking cheap shots at Ted when possible.
They’re on record numerous times handing Obama the keys every time they’ve had the opportunity in the short months since November. The campaign ads against them are ready to film.
I predict Boehner and McConnell will squander their majority in the next two years and we will be lucky not to lose the Senate back in 2016 much less the Presidency if they nominate Jeb.
I don’t think the GOP will lose the House, absent a massive Democrat wave in 2016. That said, the Senate map for 2016 makes that chamber very much in play.
I’d like to know more about who Leo McNeil is and what are your qualifications, experience in business or politics, etc.
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