Posted on 08/01/2014 8:54:52 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
House Republicans looked set to pass a bill on Thursday aimed at addressing the crisis on the southern border. After being revised repeatedly in order to appease conservative members who thought the bill did not go far enough, the leadership appeared to have settled on a final version which enjoyed broad support. The package even had the backing of moderate Democrats like Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX).
“GOP leaders went to great lengths to secure passage by allowing a separate vote on a measure that would block Obama from any further executive action to stop the deportation of undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children,” USA Today’s Susan Davis reported on Thursday.
While the GOP leadership realized that the bill would never be passed in the Senate (even if it were, President Barack Obama pledged to veto it), House Republicans were prepared to pass something to address the issue which communicated to the American people that they were acting to address what the GOP had been calling a crisis for weeks.
But the votes did not materialize and, rather than see the bill fail in the House, the leadership pulled it. Democrats are ecstatic.
“Another stunning legislative embarrassment for House Republicans has handed Democrats a mighty big talking point over the next three months until the midterm elections: The GOP is incapable — if not unwilling — to govern, they will argue,” NBC News’ First Read team reported on Friday.
[T]he past 48 hours might have been even worse for Republicans — suing the president for taking executive action, not passing legislation to provide relief at the border, and then saying that there are executive actions Obama should be taking on the border. (Huh?) As even Charles Krauthammer said on Fox, “It is ridiculous to sue the president on a Wednesday because he oversteps the law … and then on a Thursday say that he should overstep the law.” Here’s the deal: If Democrats hold serve in November (retain control of the Senate, minimize losses or even pick up seats in the House), we’ll all look back on the last two days as the week the GOP blew it.
Moderate House Republicans like Tom Cole (R-OK) cannot square the circle and, in a display of intellectual honesty, conceded on Friday that his fellow members are behaving in an absurdly contradictory fashion.
(VIDEO-AT-LINK)
Even Texas Gov. Rick Perry took a shot at Congress for its inaction. “Congress and the president have a duty to address our border security issues without further delay. Congress should not go into recess until the job is completed,” he said on Thursday.
Even if Texas Sen. Ted Cruz did not play a leading role in helping to scuttle the border bill, as Washington Examiner reporters Betsy Woodruff and David Drucker revealed Thursday evening, his involvement in this episode will feature prominently in Democratic talking points and fundraising pitches. The junior Texas senator who led Republicans into the disastrous government shutdown last fall motivates the Democratic base nearly as much as does former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
Conservatives claim that the GOP’s bill was a political maneuver and that, if the border crisis is real, it should be tackled seriously and with resolve. They are correct, but the Senate and the White House are arrayed in opposition to tackling this problem with the seriousness it deserves.
Lacking the authority to resolve the border crisis on their own, the House GOP sought an advantageous position for the summer in order to put the onus back on the president. That effort failed and, unless the House Republicans’ emergency scramble to craft and pass some border measure is fruitful, GOP members will spend the summer explaining to the press why they did nothing on a “crisis” but were perfectly united when it came to suing the president. And the average Democratic base voter will be that much more energized for it.
This was never about policy, it was always about politics. For too long, Republicans have falsely equated good governance with good politics. These are not synonymous. Democrats learned long ago that good politics is good politics; governance comes later, if ever. The purest of intentions do not amount to much, particularly when those intentions are and ever will be impugned in the press.
This was an unforced error. One which serves to elevate the careers of a few while diminishing the party’s overall chances for success in November. The House Republicans may yet correct this mistake, and the damage might be mitigated if they do. But if they do not, this is going to be one long August recess.
Documentation File on the 2014 Impeachment of B. Hussein Obama, aka Barry Soetoro a former Foreign Student from Indonesia, and still a legal Citizen of the Sovereign Nation of Indonesia.
Delusional.
This is pretty much noise. Any bill passed by the House will sit until the Senate get back from the recess (30 days). And nobama has already said he’ll veto it.
According to the news I heard tonight they did pass a boarder bill today.
I think the average voter is mortified by what is happening on the border, and blames Obama. Period.
Oops!
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3187987/posts
Well just darn...
.
This just shows how out of touch the Dems are if they think the average working stiff thinks blocking illegal immigration (aka cheap job stealing labor) is something they can get excited about.
They just passed the bill — this article is already outdated.
I searched this guy and saw his picture. I’ve got neckties older than this kid.
We had another similar young lefty wordsmith here the other day. They’re everywhere now that the job market is so tight, and they’re all auditioning for the MSM “Winston” award so they can be the next Dan Rather.
true but i think the house should do nothing let obama do everything and let the country decide on dictator or government. he is willing to push this let him. watch it fail. some where some time some one will say obama you failed.
and there is no border issue that obama can’t already handle he is the pres. this is the limbaugh law. he cant govern. let him continually try and the pubs need to do nothing to help him. soon no in 2022 the press will say that this president did nothing.
You sort of don’t make any sense, I think?
let obama do his executive orders and rule the country. pubs should let him do it and see how the press handles the after effects. it won’t be pretty.
I hope EVERY SINGLE DEMOCRAT OUT THERE is campaigning on Open Borders Amnesty.
I really, REALLY hope....
You’re right about apathy! The ones being paid are out and about and loving it now that it’s first of the month and they don’t even have to walk to the mail box any more for it bit I forget “everybody works hard”. Vote purchasing programs all around.
The resident in chief did nothing to address immigration during his triumvirate years. Any one think this was not by design to hold this issue in abeyance to use as a crutch and a wedge? As is the case now. “I’m tired of dis’. At least dearest life leader nancy p crossed the isle ... to shake her finger at this sore subject.
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