McConnell faces conservative backlash over compromise to fund DHS, Dems get on board

FOX News ^ | February 25, 2015

[Jim Robinson]

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell faced a backlash Wednesday from conservatives after backing off demands that Congress reverse President Obama’s immigration executive actions as a condition for funding the Department of Homeland Security.

Senate Democrats, meanwhile, voiced support for the new plan after initially staying coy. A day earlier, McConnell, R-Ky., effectively gave them what they’ve been demanding – by agreeing to hold a stand-alone vote on a DHS funding bill, with no immigration measures attached.

“We are going to do everything we can to make sure it passes by an overwhelming vote. I think virtually every Democrat will vote for that,” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced Wednesday.

Reid’s announcement likely helps clear the way for passage in the Senate.

McConnell also earned support from senior members of his caucus, with fellow GOP leaders making clear that the approach may be the only way to fund DHS past a Friday midnight deadline. Four times in a row, Senate Democrats blocked the GOP legislation that would reverse Obama’s immigration actions as a condition for funding DHS. (It is expected to advance later Wednesday, with the understanding that it will be changed to what Democrats want.)

But vocal conservatives bristled at the change in tactics. And the complaints could create turbulence on the House side.

[BookmanTheJanitor]

If the roles were reversed, Harry Reid would have already changed the rules and put DHS funding w/o Amnesty up for a vote.

Ain't that the truth ...and it's exactly what the GOP should do; but won't.

[Sgt_Schultze]

And make noe mistake, when democrats again regain control of the Senate they will strip away the filibuster.

[iowacornman]

He is truly the most despicable POC that I know in government and I dispise him with a passion reserved for ISIS.

[jospehm20]

I am guessing that McConnell probably did not have 51 votes. There are a lot of “moderate” republicans in the senate.

[wagglebee]

I have opposed the formation of a third party to replace the Republicans. I am still of that opinion.

We don't actually have two parties today. We have two rival factions of a liberal party.

There isn't any real difference between Democrats and Republicans on big issues, they are both pursuing the same goals and their main squabble is over which group gets to take credit for it.

They are both pushing big government. They both want amnesty. They both want socialized medicine. And more than anything they both want the power and money that comes from running the federal government.

We are in roughly the same place the Whigs were in the 1850s when the northern conservative Whigs formed the Republican Party and the rest (including all southerners) became Democrats. The Whigs ceased to exist almost overnight and the nation stayed two party.

[chris37]

Republicans are getting amnesty out of the deal, which is what they want.

[onyx]

RUSH:

Here it is, not a surprise, but it's documented. This is Breitbart.com: "Mitch McConnell Caves." He walks around with a white flag sticking out of the beanie that he wears on his head. That's not me. That's what people on Capitol Hill are saying. That's not me, folks. Here's the full headline: "McConnell Caves, but Harry Reid Wants a Full Surrender from Boehner as Well."

You would have thought that there wasn't an election last November, and then you would have thought that the election that was last November was not won in a landslide by Republicans. If you just landed here from Mars and were looking at politics in Washington, you would have assumed that maybe there isn't a Republican Party, when in fact the Republican Party won a landslide last November. But you can't discern that from anything happening in Washington.

MITCH THE #ITCH.

PLEASE MAKE YOUR DONATION TODAY!

[MasterGunner01]

Mitch McConnell wouldn't recognize true LEADERSHIP if it bit him in his big butt. This guy is utterly spineless, gutless, clueless, worthless. In other words, he's a perfect GOPee Establishment elite RINO. Vidkuhn Quisling would be proud of him.

[duffee]

“I think virtually every Democrat will vote for that,” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced”

This should be a clue you’ve taken the wrong path. I’m not insinuating mConnell is clueless, I believe he knows exactly what he’s doing, just like obama they’re both for amnesty.

[sarge83]

For the Uniparty maybe... He certainly doesn’t act like an opposition party majority leader. Republicans are beyond gutless and useless, but we just had to have them according to some on FR. I wonder where the Republicans at all cost bootlickers are and why are they not defending their saviors.

[reviled downesdad]

Think you have 2 budget related bills that have passed one in the House and one in the Senate about the same thing but different for reconciliation. I am still confused about the ACA passage. Reid had and used 60 votes to pass the ACA Senate bill. Then the pelosi house pass the Senate bill after Scott Brown election took away 60 votes.

Maybe reconciliation is an option if the Senate passes a clean DHS bill. Repubs would have the majority on the reconciliation cmte and could possibly do something that way.

Not sure.

[Mariner]

Hearing Harry Reid talk, he's still Senate Majority Leader.

Hell, he IS still the Senate Majority Leader.

[itsahoot]

If voting made any difference they wouldn't let us do it." Mark Twain -

[john mirse]

Civil Rights Commissioner Peter Kirsanow warned Congress on Wednesday that President Obama’s deportation amnesty program, which will allow illegal immigrants to get Social Security numbers and driver’s licenses, will make it much easier for them to register and vote in U.S. elections — despite being ineligible to do so.

******

Is Obama trying to blackmail and create so much panic in the American people and Republicans in Congress that Congress will have no choice but to fund the Homeland Security bill stalled in Congress?

(Obama is such a two-faced hypocrite. On the one hand, he tries to reassure us that ISIS is a jayvee team, and so, according to Obama and his thugs, they really pose no true threat to the United States homeland, while, on the other hand, Obama----in order to try to get his version of the Homeland Security bill passed that grants all types of freebies instantly to 4 to 10 million illegals----warns us of terrible things that terrorists will do to us if Congress doesn't give Homeland Security everything it wants, such as broad powers to hand illegals all kinds of goodies like work permits and access to benefits like Social Security. )

Obama's blackmail attempt goes something like this:

1. Obama says: If you don't fund Homeland Security for the next year by giving it all the money it says it needs to fight terrorism---everyone knows that Obama is referring to Islamic terrorists, but he won't use the word "Islamic". What an idiot---terrorists will run wild over the United States, attacking such sites as malls and other buildings to the point that Americans will live in constant fear and terror for their lives.

2. On the other hand, according to Obama's blackmail attempt, if you give Homeland Security all the money it says it needs to fight terrorism, and, at the same time, also give it money and unlimited power to give 4 to 10 million illegals instant access to such things as work permits, housing, and benefits like Social Security, the United States will be a much safer and greater nation forever and ever. What a bunch of horse manure.

3. Hogwash: I say Hogwash. I say that it will slowly destroy the United States as we know it if we give Homeland Security broad powers to quickly process 4 to 10 million illegal aliens so that the illegals have instant access to such things as jobs, housing and benefits like Social Security.

Giving all those illegals all that they demand will do more irreversible and lasting damage to our towns and cities than any terrorists' attacks will ever do.

4. To Republican Congressmen: I say that we take our chances with terrorists. That is, I say that we take our chances for the next year that terrorist attacks will not be as terrible as Obama and his thugs paint them out to be, if, according to Obama, we don't give Homeland Security all the money it needs to fight terrorism and to legalize 4 to 10 + million illegals and those so-called "Dreamers".

(I believe it is safe to say that most illegals don't care about Islamic terrorists. In fact, I doubt if many illegals have any idea what Islam and ISIS are about. They are probably puzzled why Americans are so scared of this ISIS, a group far, far away on another continent nobody cares about. They only care about themselves. And the rest of America be damned.)

5. The following is more threatening to the United States way of life than terrorist attacks: Giving 4 to 10 million illegals easy and instant access to jobs and benefits like Social Security will destroy more of the United States as we know it than any ISIS terrorists attacks ever will.

6. To the Republicans in Congress: Don't fall for Obama's blackmail attempt as he tries to persuade you to pass the Homeland Security bill the way he wants you to pass it.

7. Handing Homeland Security almost unlimited broad powers this year to give 4 to 10 million illegals instant access to jobs and to such social benefits as Social Security benefits without a fight would be a horrible mistake, because such a surrender will do more severe damage to what we know as the American way of life than any ISIS terrorist attack that may hit the United States in the next year.

8. Again, I hope that Congress does not surrender to Obama's blackmail attempt when it comes to this horrible Homeland Security bill that gives Homeland Security almost unlimited powers to legalize 4 to 10+ million illegal aliens.

[Lurkinanloomin]

Excellent post.

Unless people let go of their noses while voting and think outside the box the parties put us in we won’t vote our way out of this.

The GOP today serves only to block conservatives from power.
For the Republic to survive the GOP must die.

[rollo tomasi]

[Lurkinanloomin]

I talked to a staffer in Boehner’s office today. He says even though the language preventing Owebowmao from moving ahead with his illegal amnesty for illegal aliens will be stripped out there will be no money in there for the amnesty.

I suspect he was blowing smoke because when I asked if the language stopping the amnesty is stripped out what’s going to stop him? he got flustered and admitted other than the temporary hold that judge has on it nothing will stop him.
I also pointed out that the passage of this bill will essentially ratify his actions and the WH will use that in the court case as evidence that Congress approves.
The staffer dismissed that. We’ll see.
Reading between the lines, they’re going to pass whatever comes out of the Senate with Democrats and RINOs.

It’s time to admit that the GOP is hopeless and abandon it like they have abandoned us.

[Will88]

Republicans are getting amnesty out of the deal, which is what they want.

Republican 'leadership', Rinos and GOPe types want amnesty, but I don't think it can be said for sure that a majority of Repubican senators want it, and I know a majority of Repubicans in the House are against amnesty.

And Republican voters are against it by a large margin. It's just that the so-called leadership will betray the voters.

[nomad]

Lead the way loud mouth! After all, all talk and no action is a sorry cop out for supporting the GOPe.

[Jim Robinson]

No, I’d say we continue trying to elect conservatives and do all we can to dump Boehner, McConnell, et al.