Free Republic is Your Voice and Your Forum!
We Really Need and Appreciate Your Loyal Support!
PLEASE Make Your Donation Today, Monthly, if You POSSIBLY & RELIABLY can!
BTW, CRUZ 4 POTUS, 2016
Posted on 12/03/2014 1:55:41 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Ted Cruz and House conservatives are once again trying to derail John Boehner's plans. Who could've guessed?
When the House GOP leadership floated its government funding strategy early this week — the (please kill me immediately for typing this) “cromnibus” plus a separate protest vote denouncing President Obama’s immigration executive action — the first thought I had was “Oh my God, Ted Cruz.” Then I thought “Oh my God, Steve King.” As in: Ted Cruz and Steve King will not at all be happy with this, and they’ll probably try to nuke it.
Just look at the way the maneuver was being represented, accurately, in the press: a “symbolic vote” against the president’s immigration move. That’s not going to fly with the right. As we wrote earlier in the week, if the House leadership was able to satisfy the right by offering them an opportunity to “vent,” John Boehner’s life would be a lot easier. There would never be shutdown or debt default fears; the speaker could simply serve up a useless “vent” vote each time to mollify conservative rage and then move on with the business of marginally competent governance. But alas, these “venting” votes don’t fool conservatives: they want policies they don’t like stricken from the books, and arguments about how they don’t have the numbers to do so will not persuade them.
And so you’ll never guess who met for breakfast this morning, right on schedule:
The “Hell No” caucus is once again causing headaches for Republican leadership.
A cadre of the House’s most conservative members will meet Wednesday morning at the Capitol Hill Club for Rep. Steve King’s regular breakfast to discuss lame duck legislation. Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who often serves as a de facto spokesman for congressional hardliners, is expected to attend.
Cruz will join King and outgoing Rep. Michele Bachmann this afternoon for a press conference calling for a new strategy: a short-term continuing resolution — presumably for the funding of the entire government, not just DHS –that “includes language defunding the implementation of the president’s executive action on amnesty.”
So that’s where things are: in the most predictable possible place after the leadership thought it could get away with offering up a bloodless opportunity to “vent.” Boehner can afford 18 defections, assuming Nancy Pelosi can withhold Democratic support — something that she’ll probably try to do now that it’s clear there’s another opportunity to humiliate John Boehner’s leadership in the offing. Politico reports that there are already a dozen Republican “no” votes for the (kill me, again) “cromnibus + dumb protest vote” plan, and “that dissent appears to be spreading.” That’s just Speaker Ted Cruz and his loyal deputy Steve King working their magic, like they always do.
Even with all of these new, predictable problems, though, it would be shocking if there was a shutdown when funding runs out December 11. Nothing gets lawmakers more focused on wrapping up business than the idea of having to work into their next recess.
But it would be equally shocking to see the leadership’s plan, as is, survive. There are going to have to be modifications, if only for conservatives to show that they were able to extract modifications. Having to discard the omnibus package funding the government until next September entirely might be a step too far for Boehner and the heavyweights on the appropriations committee. That would be an extraordinary defeat for the leadership, and punt the entirety of the government funding debate — instead of just the debate over funding DHS — into next year.
It’s possible that the terms of short-term continuing resolution for DHS could be shortened. “[M]any conservatives think a three-month extension of funding for the Department of Homeland Security is too long,” Politico writes. “There are a good number of Republican hard-liners who want to fight in the early days of their new majority.” Well… okay? If they want to deal with avoiding a partial shutdown a few minutes after their swearing-in luncheon in January, they can go ahead and do that. They’d better know what they’re doing, though, since shutting down the Department of Homeland Security immediately after ringing in the new Congress would be, well, poor for the Republican brand.
But of course they don’t know what they’re doing. The (KILL ME NOW) “cromnibus” strategy always lacked an end-game. It would fund most of the government and then deal with DHS funding a few months into the next year. And how, precisely, would GOP leaders “deal” with DHS funding a few months into the next year? No one has a clue.
The fact that Bonehead has a life at all in the Republican Party is proof positive that the party is a dead party.
No rational group of humans could but see that idiot as one should should be on brain support and kept well away from dead (thankfully)Ted’s liquor cabinet.
It's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it.
Salon very concerned for the GOPe!
Perhaps they should be; for like there pals the democrats the GOPe is going down:)
Woo hoo!
too bad the Ohio voters aren't demanding a recall of this POS Bonehead.
Boehner won with 67%.
Not nearly as good as Pelosi, but better than Wasserman-Shultz
Hah! ... the Simpering Sodomites of Salon are whimpering about Ted Cruz ... so he must be doing something right.
And how, precisely, would GOP leaders “deal” with DHS funding a few months into the next year? No one has a clue.
Well, certainly not liberal demorat socialists...
I like when they are dazed and confused, it means
we are inside the loop. OODA.
Side Show.
The GOP has done nothing but sniff Obama's farts for the last 6 years and they will not be changing.
They'll put on a show, then cave.
It's 100% certain.
You can take it to the bank.
Just like the sun rises in the east.
The media is on a warpath against Ted these days
Good. At least one or two are representing what the people really want.
I think Mr. Newell is taking glee on the wrong thing. He seems to be enjoying that Ted Cruz and the conservatives are taking a stand against Boehner thinking that will cripple the speaker and the GOP. Does he not realize that Boehner will rubber stamp everything the president and the left wants from Obamacare to amnesty? Newell should be supporting the speaker’s efforts because it’s a two for one reward for he and his fellow Democrats. First, they get government funding for their two biggest projects, Obamacare and immigration. Second, if Boehner gets his way, it fatally splits the Republican Party as conservatives finally get fed up with the GOPe capitulation to the Democrats and give up on the party.
Since we're not in Congress, are we the "Hell No wing?"
Obamacare? HELL NO!
Amnesty? HELL NO!
Etc.
I like that.
5.56mm
Ah, yes. Seems the Conservative GOP-haters have pulled their energy once again from Salon. I guess they can’t use Conservative sources to justify their anger and negativity. Even Even Pat Buchanan has been quiet lately.
He just brought back more pork to his parasitic supporters is all.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.