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John Boehner's Compromise (Not So Much) On Obamacare
Political Realities ^ | 09/13/13 | LD Jackson

Posted on 09/13/2013 4:46:50 AM PDT by LD Jackson

John Boehner

I first learned of this story at Asylum Watch and I wouldn't be telling the truth if I said it surprised me. At this point in the game, nothing our government does surprises me. The sad thing is, this is coming from someone who is supposed to be on our side. That would be Speaker of the House John Boehner. Clearly, he has his own agenda in play, namely keeping his position of power. He seems to that taking a real stand against Obamacare and the rest of the liberal agenda endangers that. Otherwise, why would he stoop to what I consider to be dirty and underhanded tricks? Here are the details.

Fox News - Boehner floated a compromise that would allow members to take a vote on that, but also keep the ObamaCare provision distinct and allow the Senate to carve it out and vote it down, while still sending the budget portion to the White House.
What does this mean? I'll let Asylum Watch explain. He does a much better job of this, than do I.
But, the Cowardly Lion, John Boehner, doesn’t have the backbone to take on President Obama over ObamaCare. So, like a good Democrat, he tried to fool House Republicans and the public into believing that the majority Republicans were going to pass a Continuing resolution with an amendment to be voted on separately to defund ObamaCare and that would show Harry Reid and Obama how serious the House Republicans were. The slight-of-hand used by Boehner was to get the Republicans to pass a Continuing Resolution under the Self-Executing Rule aka “Deem and Pass”. This would allow the Senate to throw out any amendments they didn’t like and as long as they didn’t change the basic bill, they could send it to the President to sign without going back to the House for reconciliation. He really is a coward, isn’t he?
If you remember, "Deem and Pass" was one of the legislative tricks used to pass Obamacare. It left a bad taste in our mouth's then and it is no better today. It smacks of desperation and underhanded, backroom dealings between the powers that be. I wonder if the idea that American citizens would be paying the consequences for those dealings even crossed their minds? Somehow, I doubt it. Thankfully, conservatives in the House recognized Boehner's compromise for what it was and rejected the plan.

I realize John Boehner has a thankless job. Given the propensity of the media to blame Republicans for everything that goes wrong, I can imagine his trepidation about the upcoming budget battle. I am sure Boehner remembers how he hasn't fared so well in his previous battles with Obama over all things financial. He may have been trying to sidestep this battle, in the hopes that he could recover lost ground at a later day.

The more conservative members of the House also have good memories. They can remember how they have received the short end of the stick in every budget battle they have had with Obama. I am sure many of them attribute that short stick to the lack of leadership from John Boehner. Rightfully or wrongly, he bears the blame for how Obama has managed to push some of his agenda through Congress, with little or no opposition from the Republican leadership.

I can't help but wonder how many more times must we witness John Boehner folding like a damp rag, before someone in the Republican Party realizes we desperately need a change in leadership in the House of Representatives? As it was with the lawmakers in Colorado who decided to force more gun control down the throats of their citizens, it is time John Boehner learned his actions have real consequences.


TOPICS: Politics
KEYWORDS: boehner; gop4deathcare; gop4obamacare; obamacare; obamasenabler; romneyagenda; romneycare
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To: SharpRightTurn
Au contraire, SkyPilot. ObummerCare, nor any other program, can be funded without the HOR voting to fund it. Don’t spread the Dhimm lies,

Respectfully, you are dead wrong.

Let's discuss the cold, hard facts, rather than inhale the smoke from Sean Hannity's and Rand Paul's crack machine.

The vast majority of ObamaCare (read the "Affordable Health Care Act") is mandatory spending.

Mandatory. As in this:

The health care law includes an estimated $105 billion in mandatory spending, according to an analysis by Rep. Steve King's office based on Congressional Research Service estimates. Mandatory spending is controlled by laws other than annual appropriations acts. These mandatory funds could remain available for the Obama administration to spend even if Republicans manage to defund the health care law.

Mandatory spending is what is killing us.

Not Discretionary spending. That is why the Sequester only served to gut the military even further than it had been cut previously by Obama and agreed to by the Republicans.

Without reforms to Mandatory spending, we are doomed fiscally.

So what are the Sean Hannity, Rand Paul, and some of the Tea Party House GOPs talking about? They are hoping to "de-fund" the small sliver of ObamaCare that is discretionary that covers its implementation.

All well and good, but it will never happen given the political realities: Democrats control the White House and the Senate. To the zombies who are hard of hearing, let me re-state it again - it will N-E-V-E-R happen. Reid will not allow a vote on "de-funding" the discretionary piece, and Obama would never sign it EVEN if it made it to his desk.

This is a Republic. The way to get rid of ObamaCare is to hold onto the House, take the Senate, take the White House, and fight it out in a realistic political scenario.

The Republicans can choose to "shut the goverment down" over the expiring Fiscal Year Continuing Resolution that expires 1 Oct (there is no hope or time of getting a real budget at this point), or they can take us to "default" on approximately 18 October when the Debt Ceiling expires. Here is the dirty little secret: we will never "default" on the debt - that will have to be paid. So technically is will not be a "default", but it will be a disaster. I will bet you my right arm that Entitlements (the same thing that has gotten us into this mess) will still be "funded" even with a "default", because you have not lived until you have come between a 68 year old woman and her Social Security check and Medicare insurance.

So what will happen? I don't really know, but I do know this. If the GOP chooses this suicidal path over "de-funding" ObamaCare (which in itself is a smoke and mirrors play), then we risk a REAL credit downgrade, the world will accelerate dropping the US Dollar as the Reserve Currency, and our debt payments would literally explode. Then, the slice that we pay in debt, along with these wonderful Mandatory programs, will consume the entire US budget.

It's lots of fun to run around yelling: "Shut Er Down, and De-Fund ObamaCare!!" Yea baby! It is quite another to deal with the facts and with reality.

21 posted on 09/13/2013 7:46:42 AM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: Venturer
Why should anyone work for $7.50 an hour when the Government pays them $11.00 not to work.

Amen.

22 posted on 09/13/2013 7:47:10 AM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: SkyPilot

The vast majority of ObamaCare (read the “Affordable Health Care Act”) is mandatory spending.


Why are you carrying the Dems water on kenyancare? The real cold hard fact is that the kenyan sold a false bill of goods to the american people and the GOP refuses to hold him to account. The beltway GOP plan to do nothing and wait for voters do the heavy lifting for them at the ballot box is a GUARANTEED loser strategy.

There is a middle ground in the obamacare “battle” where the GOP frontally engages the Dems and forces them to account for their lies. But with GOP leadership refusing to engage the Dems in even a vigorous debate on the issue there will be no “battle” over kenyancare.

Preemptively surrendering on obamacare and waiting for Nov 2014 to roll around is another tip toe loser strategy. We tried that in 2012. How did that work again?


23 posted on 09/13/2013 8:16:31 AM PDT by lodi90
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To: lodi90
The real cold hard fact is that the kenyan sold a false bill of goods to the american people and the GOP refuses to hold him to account.

Watch what happens. Sean Hannity and Rand Paul can make love to each other on the air all day long........I am telling you that without the White House or the Senate, ObamaCare CANNOT be ended.

It cannot.

Not until the GOP wins back the Senate and has enough Democrats to total 67 votes to override Obama's veto, or the GOP also wins the White House and the Senate.

You are dealing with Fairy Dust Unicorns and Chocolate Rainbows.

You have believed the lies of people who tell you it can be "de-funded."

It will not happen, and it will especially not happen in the very legislative days that Congress has left itself before both the FY13 Continuing Resolution (we never had a budget this year....again) and the Debt Ceiling expire.

People who believe the Ron Paul's of this world regarding ObamaCare are like a bunch of drunks in a Sports Bar, all rooting for their team, not realizing that all the mutual slaps on the back and mugs of beer will not overcome the reality that their team is down 47-3 at halftime.

Realize this: Congress just went on a 5 week vacation, and only a few of the 12 Appropriations Bills were even voted on. The Senate, for the first time since 2009, voted on a budget, but the House refused to even call a Conference to resolve the two budgets, which are some $92 Billion apart.

Congress could have canceled their summer "recess" and tackled these incredible deficiencies to their very existence, but they chose to go on vacation.

Now they come back, and are whipping up the talk radio base with "De-Fund ObamaCare!" Really.

Don't be played like a violin. They are USING you. There is NO WAY ObamaCare is going to be "De-funded" this year. None.

Now, that is not to say this won't be a train wreck. I think it will be, because even Boehner does not have the votes to bring any CR up for a chance at passing at this point.

Just like the Sequester - it will "Never Happen".......until it does.

I think we are headed for a "technical" default and shutdown.

I really do.

And when that happens, there will not be any going back. It will only get uglier.

Everyone checking their stock portfolio and getting that ATM Direct Deposit check from Uncle Sugar, take note.

24 posted on 09/13/2013 9:05:20 AM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: SkyPilot

LOL. You are the one dreaming about fairy dust.

The GOP actions show they have no interest in defunding obamacare. The beltway GOP have an opportunity here to attack a wounded obama and the leadership steadfastly refuse to even engage in a vigorous debate about obamacare. There is plenty of justification for a partial defund based on the LIES of Obama and the Dems.

Yet the GOP surrender before the battle is engaged. I’ll buy you a clue. That’s why they lose to the Dems.


25 posted on 09/13/2013 9:17:13 AM PDT by lodi90
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To: lodi90
I am sorry, but you are wrong. Have another beer and cheer on that losing team. Dream on that Harry Reid will bring “de-funding” ObamaCare to the Senate floor, Obama would not veto that, and scoring. 7 touchdowns in the 4th quarter is plausible. I choose to live in reality, political and otherwise.
26 posted on 09/13/2013 9:25:01 AM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: SkyPilot

Yes, reality. The reality is all the GOP wants is deals with the Dems with some pork for their fat cat donors. They don’t give a damn how bad kenycancare will dump on Main Street. Not a bit. If they did care about this country they would at least engage the kenyan and force him to account for his lies to get his funding.

Boehner just spent all summer fundraising instead of engaging the kenyan. Nobody forced him to do that. He chose to ignore all the brewing budget issues.

It couldn’t be more clear. The careerist pigs in beltway GOP just don’t give a damn about us regular folks on Main Street.


27 posted on 09/13/2013 9:38:33 AM PDT by lodi90
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To: SkyPilot

No Congress can bind a later Congress on appropriations, even if the earlier Congress attempted to set a program on auto-pilot by “mandatory” spending.

Mike Lee’s and Ted Cruz’s bill would fund the entire government with the exception of ObummerCare. The bill would NOT FUND EITHER DISCRETIONARY OR MANDATORY SPENDING FOR OBUMMERCARE.

Neither Reid nor the Kenyan Fraud can force the House to fund it.

If Barry Soetoro wants to hold his breath until he turns purple and “shut the government down” over a program most already despise, the fallout will be on him.


28 posted on 09/13/2013 9:41:55 AM PDT by SharpRightTurn (White, black, and red all over--America's affirmative action, metrosexual president.)
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To: lodi90
ObamaCare IS horrible. It is a disaster. It is more “Free Stuff” for the takers and eaters. But that does not change the fact that this “de-funding” rah rah campaign is a charade. IT WILL NOT happen when the GOP does not control the Senate or the White House. As Medved said yesterday, fighting on principle is noble and right when that principle is advanced, not when the same fight destroys the very thing you believe in. Any politician or radio host who tells you that “de-funding” ObamaCare in the next 2 weeks is possible is either lying to you, or they are a fool.
29 posted on 09/13/2013 9:47:32 AM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: SharpRightTurn
You are not listening. Lee, Cruz, and Paul can write all the bills they want. They WILL NEVER become law with the Senate controlled by Reid and Obama in the White House. I can also wish for the Democrats to embrace God and country, and I can also go out and wish for a Billion dollar lottery ticket. The latter has better odds.
30 posted on 09/13/2013 9:52:21 AM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: LD Jackson

What compromise?

A delay only helps the Democrats politically!


31 posted on 09/13/2013 10:03:15 AM PDT by GeronL
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To: SkyPilot

You’re not paying attention. No one is arguing that defending ObummerCare is the equivalent of repealing it. If defunded, it will still be on the books. But there will be no money to implement it. It will be dead in the water.


32 posted on 09/13/2013 10:04:45 AM PDT by SharpRightTurn (White, black, and red all over--America's affirmative action, metrosexual president.)
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To: SkyPilot

You keep missing my point.

The beltway GOP leadership won’t even vigorously DEBATE obamacare with Obama let alone try to defund it. They send harsh letters to assistant cabinet secretaries. It’s a total tip toe through the tulips farce. The leadership should be in obama’s face on a weekly basis demanding x,y and z if he wants funding for his pack of lies. They won’t even do that because in the end all they really want is the best deal possible for their big donors.

Winning is completely secondary to these careerists. Most of the beltway GOP would rather be a minority party than govern in a conservative manner. They never pass up an opportunity to stab conservatives in the back. Naturally, they are quite upset when a few conservatives tell them to stop sleeping with the kenyan and defend our constitutional rights.


33 posted on 09/13/2013 10:05:59 AM PDT by lodi90
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To: lodi90; SharpRightTurn
The House has voted 40 times to repeal ObamaCare.

Forty.

I am sure this 41st time is the charm, right?

Unless there is a Special Election this Sunday, where the Senate and White House are suddenly turned over to the GOP, don't bet on this one, unless you like losing.

ObamaCare is evil. It is worse that Socialized medicine. There are clauses in that law that give the government sweeping powers of control over our lives, including access to our medical and financial records. It has the underpinnings of the Mark of Beast itself.

But it isn't going anywhere. Not with this Congress and this President.

Read the article below. It is very instructive of what I believe is about to happen, a shutdown and a technical default. The article was written in July, and here we are, September 13th, and we are much, much closer to a shutdown and default now than we were back in July.

Drop the Disastrous Plan to Defund Obamacare Drop the Disastrous Plan to Defund Obamacare

"The chance that Democrats would go along -- would give up on their signature legislative initiative of the last decade soon after having won the presidential election and gained Senate and House seats -- approaches zero percent. So if Republicans stay firm in this demand, the result will be either a government shutdown or a partial shutdown combined with a debt default. Either would be highly unpopular, and each party would blame the other. The public, however, would almost certainly blame Republicans, for five reasons."

As I said, just like the Sequester, everyone in DC tells you it "will never happen", until it happens.

We are heading straight for a shutdown and debt ceiling showdown that the GOP will eventually lose, but not before there is much damage to our credit rating and perhaps, the end of the US Dollar as the Reserve Currency.

When THAT happens, we cannot borrow as we have, and the party in America is over.

Get ready for the hangover.

The End of America isn't coming. It is here.

34 posted on 09/13/2013 11:10:03 AM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: SkyPilot

We elected the GOP to rubber stamp and fund the obama agenda? Nuts. We elected them to OPPOSE the obama agenda. Like Reid & Pelosi opposed Bush. Do you remember that? Did Pelosi & Reid rubber stamp SS privatization? Medicare part D??? Of course not and nobody expected them to. Now suddenly the shoe is on the other foot and the GOP should just roll over for obama? Nuts.

The GOP simply are not vigorously engaging in stopping the obamacare train wreck in word or deed. Symbolic votes to defund mean NOTHING if there is no consistent engagement on the issue. This is the tip toe loser plan that is leading the GOP to disaster in 2014. Have fun supporting these beltway GOP losers. I won’t be.


35 posted on 09/13/2013 11:42:46 AM PDT by lodi90
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To: SkyPilot

If the House doesn’t fund ObummerCare, it doesn’t matter what the Senate does. It won’t be funded. Period.

You realize it takes both the House and the Senate to fund it, don’t you?


36 posted on 09/13/2013 1:05:40 PM PDT by SharpRightTurn (White, black, and red all over--America's affirmative action, metrosexual president.)
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To: SharpRightTurn
You are talking about the regular budget process, of which we have not had since 2009. We are under a Continuing Resolution right now, and Congress says they need another one in just a few days. That CR deal needs both the Senate and the House, and THEN it has to be signed by Obama. The GOP is now floating the idea of delaying ObamaCare, which would be a good thing. But the odds of the Democrats agreeing to that are horrible.
37 posted on 09/13/2013 4:03:35 PM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: lodi90

The best hope the GOP had in opposing ObamaCare was in 2009 and 2010. It would not have gotten out of the Senate Committee if it were not for Susan Collins, Repiblican Senator. Once it was passed, we were all screwed. Judas Roberts changed his vote and the SC upheld it as a tax. Romney lost and we lost House and Senate seats last year. I want it repealed as well, but it is a political impossibility at this point. I also want abortion outlawed. I want Christians in the military to stop being persecuted. I want SS Disability completely reformed so the fakers are kicked off. I want Food Stamps eliminated, and only essentials provided to the most needy with no ATM cards. I want the Federal Reserve eliminated. I want real Welfare reform. I want America to return to Jesus Christ. I want lots of things........but that does not mean they will happen. I believe we are a nation under God’s judgment.


38 posted on 09/13/2013 4:12:38 PM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: SkyPilot

Regular budget process or continuing resolution, it takes both chambers to agree to continue funding spending at the current level. Lee, Cruz, Paul, Meadows, Gohmert, and others are prepared to fund all the government spending by the CR with the exception of ObummerCare.

The rub is that McConnell, Boehner, Cantor, et al. are too scared to fight. They want to roll over yet again.


39 posted on 09/13/2013 5:14:53 PM PDT by SharpRightTurn (White, black, and red all over--America's affirmative action, metrosexual president.)
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To: SharpRightTurn

The rub is that McConnell, Boehner, Cantor, et al. are too scared to fight. They want to roll over yet again.


Yes, that is the main problem. They don’t want to fight. It’s the same tip toe to the election loser strategy from the same bunch of losers.

The fact is the bill that was passed in 2010 is not what we have now. At a minimum the GOP should be demanding an accounting of kenyancare cost increases directly from the White House on weekly basis.

Barry’s whole game plan is to play bystander in chief and divide the GOP. Everybody knows that and it is mind boggling to me how time and again the Stupid Party leadership follows the Dem game plan.


40 posted on 09/13/2013 5:28:12 PM PDT by lodi90
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