Why Republicans can’t get anything done

New York Post ^ | October 13, 2017 | Jonah Goldberg

[sparklite2]

Despite controlling the White House and both branches of Congress, the GOP can’t get much done.

Oh, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have talking points pushing back on this widespread impression. Ryan’s argument has some merit: The House has passed a good deal of legislation — 305 bills, according to GovTrack.us. Admittedly, a lot of it is minor, but there’s some meaty stuff as well, including ObamaCare repeal-and-replace.

The problem is very little of it can get through the narrowly Republican-controlled Senate.

Much of the blame goes to McConnell, particularly when the blame is being cast by President Trump’s biggest supporters. Whether that’s fair is the subject of much debate. While McConnell has made his share of mistakes, the scapegoating is often wildly overblown.

[aumrl]

yep

[MountainWalker]

Yeah, I used to like him, but he’s really crashed and burned in the past year and a half. If his approved candidate were president, we’d have a much more liberal administration that he’d spend his days shilling for as some conservative bulwark. It’s really tiring.

[Boomer]

McConnell should kick out the traitors from his caucus outright and govern as a minority party.

Sadly pubbies were more effective as obstructionists in the minority than shakers and movers in the majority; especially when you have 2-4 that really are not republican at all like McCain.

I get that things are suppose to move a little slower in the senate but under the Turtle it has practically stopped moving at all and when it does move; it tends to move backward and not in a good way.

I agree with you. Better yet; maybe we should get a good Freedom Caucus senate leader and primary out all the dead weight. Easier said than done though...

[Sybeck1]

Because turn coats like McCain still lead committees and thier offices are not in the bathroom down the hall

[bigbob]

They are controlled by interests that don’t want them to do what Trump and his supporters want. Simple as that.

[MtnClimber]

Citizens need to make their congressmen pay them back for 0bamacare losses.Confront them and make them agree or punch them or anything more convincing to pay it back..

[OrioleFan]

McConnell has no interest in pushing President Trump’s agenda.

[wastedyears]

It’s because the establishment is part of the swamp.

[JME_FAN]

Why Republicans can’t get anything done? Because the majority of GOP members are faithless, bought-off, establishment whores ... better described as a-holes.

[SaraJohnson]

Jonah is a globalist.

[GodAndCountryFirst]

Congress is broken because of the openly pro-Islamist, anti-American nature of the Democrat Party and the cowardice of the RINOs. We need people to acknowledge that and to insist that Congress give Trump extensive emergency powers for a year or two to, allowing him to enact the MAGA agenda that a clear majority of Americans are aching for.

Congress could then stick around to oversee the project, or better yet, GO HOME and suspend its operations until the emergency decree expires.

[SaraJohnson]

More than a free floating hatred of the man, Trump, they are globalist and hate seeing their global empire go up in flames.

[VRW Conspirator]

Why Republicans can’t

One word...compromised.

[tumblindice]

Yep. Goldberg’s a twat. Life’s too sort to read his ****.

[SkyPilot]

More than a free floating hatred of the man, Trump, they are globalist and hate seeing their global empire go up in flames.

True. It's amazing that so many of them fooled so many of us for so very long.

Trump smoked out their true personas and agendas.

If you are a Globalist, you have sold your soul. Each and every one of them gave an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States. Instead, for money, power, sex, or fame - they became traitors to this naiton.

It is in the Constitution that they take this oath:

“The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” — U.S. Constitution, Article VI, clause 3

The oath reads:

“I, ________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

And they do this on a Bible.

Trump knows that many of these people are enemies of America, and he told them flat out he would not bow to them:

They are not going to relinquish power or power promised to them peacefully. That includes the media, Hollywood, the UN, the EU - and all the rest.

[Hardastarboard]

Yeah, that poor, stupid SOB pretty much shot himself in the foot with a belt fed weapon by remaining staunchly against Trump no matter what.

[Caipirabob]

Because they are owned by the same evil that controls the left.

[Jim Noble]

Here's a recent quote about what the Republicans want after Obamacare. It illustrates perfectly why they can't "get anything done".

Reduce costs, reduce taxes, take away the “individual mandate,” but still ensure people that want healthcare have the ability to purchase it

The whole problem, succinctly stated, in one clever, incoherent sentence.

The reason the Republicans can't crack this nut, in fact, the reason their party won't exist as a single party by 2024, is that they are divided and unable to be reconciled over the contradiction so ably stated above.

"Ensure people that want healthcare have the ability to purchase it" Let's break it down.

Nobody "wants" "healthcare" (whatever that is). I suppose the author of the sentence means "health insurance".

People either need health care (meaning, hospitalization, surgery, medications, and nursing services), or they don't. WHEN they need it, they want it (or are too sick to know they do), but when they don't need it, they most certainly don't WANT it.

When people NEED hospitalization, surgery, medications, and nursing services (and notice how much people don't want to think about that - they invented the euphemism "healthcare" to describe it) - when they need it, "having the ability to purchase it" is absolutely, totally, 100% completely the last thing on their minds. So is organizing society so that it will be available. What is on patient's minds at the point of need is death, or life - disability and disfigurement, or recovery. They do not know, or care, who pays, or how.

So, the Democrats have resolved the philosophical question that comes before the practical problem. They want to ensure that "healthcare" (by which they mean services) is given to all by the government without regard for ability to purchase (pay for) it. Whether this is right or wrong, smart or stupid, practical or akin to skittles from unicorns is not my point. My point is that they have resolved the contradiction embedded in "lower costs, lower taxes, no mandate, ensure ability to purchase (pay for it) for 100% of the population". The Democrats know what they want, and they are united and determined to have it.

The poor, stupid Republicans, OTOH, are divided about the underlying premise. They really do want health insurance to be cheaper without the lost revenue being made up by taxes, and they want no requirement to have it, BUT they also want "people that want healthcare" (again, whatever that means) to "have the ability to purchase it".

This is incoherent. If hospitals, surgeons, drug manufacturers and nurses do not get paid for their services, they will no longer be available. Many, many people who NEED (and therefore "want") those services cannot pay 1% of what they cost.

"Ensuring that people that want healthcare have the ability to purchase it" either means cheap insurance that doesn't cover anything OR nationalization of the resources to deliver care to those who cannot, or will not, pay.

There is no middle ground. The Democrats know what they want. The Republicans don't.

As Sun Tzu said, "It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle."

The Republicans do not have a plan because they do not have a philosophy that can support their opposed goals of more freedom for the well and perfect security for the sick.

[GingisK]

Don’t forget McPain.