Posted on 01/16/2014 3:15:25 PM PST by SkyPilot
This week's spending-bill fight revealed deepening fractures within the GOP, spelling trouble for 2016.
Imagine the ground is splitting open beneath your feet. The rocking plates of earth slowly spread apart, and you're left straddling both sides to keep from falling in.
That is how some of the most publicly visible GOP lawmakers are feeling right now. They must choose whose side they're on: establishment Republicans or the far-right flank.
Ultraconservative groups are furious over the omnibus appropriations package that coasted through the Republican-led House on Wednesday. The bill, which would fund the government for the rest of the year, is expected to pass the Senate later this week, but conservatives are not done pushing back. They have put the Grand Old Party's most vocal members on the defensive on budget issues, and they're not mincing their words.
"I have often been proud to be a GOP-er, sometimes embarrassed, but never until today ashamed," said influential conservative talk-show host Hugh Hewitt during a heated interview with House Budget Committe Chairman and usual conservative darling Paul Ryan this week. For Hewitt, the most offending part of the spending bill is a 1 percentage point cut to annual cost-of-living increases, which translates into a pension cut that would affect active-duty members.
"If you think that I wanted to do this or enjoy doing this, that's not true," Ryan told Hewitt of the budget cuts. "Had Mitt [Romney] and I won that election, this would not be required. This would not be necessary." He added later, "Now do I want to do this? Did I think this was a great thing to do and what we needed to do? No, course not," he went on. Ryan did, of course, vote for the bill.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationaljournal.com ...
Correction: We’re talking about a Congressman who’s political mentors were Boehner and Kemp. Of course he’s going to be a RINO.
And of course Patty Murray had nothing to do with the content of the bill. It all came from "the Republican-led House."
See how that works Mr. Ryan, oh you clever child you? Negotiate with the left in good faith and the outcome becomes a "Republican bill," which of course means that further compromise will be necessary because "the Republican-led House" is all "far right wing." Never mind what they promised. That was before you passed the bill.
Fool. Lay down with RATS and you get fleeced.
I guess the left is upset that we aren't accepting their selections for our leaders. We must not know our place or something. Funny, I thought it had something to do with what Paul Ryan has said and done.
This was an incredibly incoherent column. I’m not sure what the conservatives were for or against, and who exactly are the “ultraconservatives”? Not familiar with this rag. May I assume it’s neo-liberal?
“ultra?”. . .please. . .we’re 17 trillion in debt plus 90 trillion in unfunded liabilities. .and WE’RE ultra?!!
It got brought to the floor and voted on in one day. Nobody actually read it and we’re in the wrong for being mad about that?
Wah-wah-wah! I cannot believe a cut to veterans benefits was even put onthe table in the first place. And then, to actually pass! And then, a “fix” still screws the Veterans!
All while spending unemployment, food stamps, healthcare, coddling illegal aliens, and 125 million on penis pumps for old codgers goes on unabated.
Our Country is toast.
THE Paul Ryan, who recently revealed he is 100% behind AMNESTY?! The one rated the most pro amnesty in all of congress?
Can’t imagine why conservatives would dis him, can someone please fill me in?? They must be racist. Wait, he is white. They must be anti-gay. Wait, he is straight. They are all haters.
(montag’s wife)
Imagine that, you can’t please conservatives by acting lefty
shocking
Ha! I gave up on Ryan the moment he said he endorsed homos adopting. Knew then and there he was not to be trusted. And indeed, he’s continued on that path ever since, becoming a point-man on amnesty, and now is busily kneecapping vets.
you vote for third party and constiutional hacks you might as well send bammey a nice fat check....
so called "conservatives" have outdone themselves and elected so many leftist rats....
but maybe that's the idea...maybe we have just so many plants here, attacking pubs so people here will just not vote...
thus we have Freakin in Minn and bammey in his kings chair....
WAKE UP PEOPLE!
why has the GOP agreed to a budget funding bill thru Sept 2014? By having the funding expire 6 weeks before the mid-term elections, it will leave the GOP open to a non-stop media assault to force the GOP to agree to whatever terms the Dems propose to keep the gov’t fully funded; otherwise, the economy will take another purported body blow, courtesy of the GOP. the important focus for these elections in 2014 needs to remain on the disaster that is Obamacare, which will be buried in the voting public’s minds with this timetable.
Because the GOPe apparently takes orders from the Dems. They are the Uniparty.
Completely false premise! Considerate, consistent conservatives (including most Tea Party members and sympathizers) are rock solid, rational, reasonable American tax-paying CITIZENS!!!
It's the big government, establishment elite GOP and RINOs reaching across the isle to fondle what they still perceive as center-left Democrats that are out of the main stream of normal, traditional, historically cognizant American tax-paying CITIZENS!!!
Our current batch of Repellican "leaders" were anointed when considerate, consistent conservatives in both the House and Senate were a distinct minority, elected and seated before the current Tea Party Rebellion had occurred!
They just don't get how sick and tired and how totally fed-UP and determined we really are to take out government back and reduce it's size and role in our business and personal lives!!! We're sick of the media thinking they are the 4th and most powerful branch of our multi-level governMental morass!!!
We are the mainstream of America and we have standards that must be complied with, the biggest of which is that government works for and obeys us and not the other way around!!! And that's just the way it's gonna be!!! Deal with it!!!
I hear DU needs a few new folks. They seem closer to your ideals anyway. Shove your GOP Bullshit.
We didn’t leave Paul Ryan. Paul Ryan left us.
Paul Ryan was actually FOR the troops before he was AGAINST the troops!
When trying to explain himself to Hugh Hewitt, the weasel Ryan’s logic sounded as twisted as Rubio’s logic sounds as THAT devious ass tries to “rehabilitate” his conservative bona fides. NEITHER of them will EVER fool me again.
We understand them perfectly and they haven’t got a CLUE about us. That should be an advantage.
“I hear DU needs a few new folks. They seem closer to your ideals anyway. Shove your GOP Bullshit.”
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You do know that some of us are supporting and working toward a Tea Party “take over” of the Republican Party. And we continue to progress toward that goal. And 2014 has the makings of a BANNER YEAR for the effort—unless, of course, those attempting to derail the effort are successful. By the way, does Republican Ted Cruz spout “GOP bullshit”?
“This was an incredibly incoherent column”
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Thanks for that. As usual I just figured it was me.
.
TC isn’t GOPe or the problem and you know it. Second, while you make excuses for continuing to empower our problem, our problem is screwing our military, scheming to cement Obamacare and screw the rest of us besides.
Pick a side and live with it.
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