‘Tea’ Cools, and House Speaker Boehner Is Back to Making Deals

McClatchy ^ | Tuesday, February 4, 2014 | David Lightman

[kristinn]

House Speaker John Boehner is making deals again.

After three years of taking tough stands pushed by no-compromise tea party types _ positions that ultimately led to last fall’s partial government shutdown _ he’s returned to his roots as a conservative consensus-builder, and suddenly the House of Representatives is passing major bipartisan legislation.

He remains on fragile ground. The Republicans he leads in the House are still fractured over some of the day’s biggest issues, notably immigration and federal spending. But he’s returning to his roots as a dealmaker, and the result is a House that’s moving toward compromise, and action.

Since December, Boehner has pushed through budget deals crafted with Democratic support. He’s moved compromise legislation on farm policy. He’s led the effort to write immigration principles that include a path to legal status for those who are already in the country illegally.

Whether the 64-year-old Ohio Republican, now in his fourth year as speaker, continues to build on his newfound stature as the great compromiser might determine how his party fares in Congress and in November’s congressional elections. Also to be determined is how history regards Boehner.

“For years, he gave his caucus veto power over deals he could negotiate,” said Darrell West, the director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution, a research group. “The result was that he couldn’t cut any deals. “

In his new role as compromiser, “It creates problems with his caucus,” West said, “but it strengthens him as speaker.”

[Paine in the Neck]

Support Eric Gurr to oust John Boehner in OH-8

Also, press your Representative to NOT support Boehner for Speaker - or Cantor, either!

And here's a few others, too:

Support Katrina Pierson to oust Pete (NOT Jeff) Sessions in TX-32

Support Bryan Smith to oust Mike Simpson in ID-2

Support David Hale to oust Adam Kinzinger in IL-16

[Gay State Conservative]

Just got off the phone with Boehner's DC office.The woman I talked to didn't seem to be thrilled to hear from me.I told her...and I remember my exact words (from 5 minutes ago)..."could you tell Speaker Boehner that if anything remotely resembling amnesty passes all contributions to the Party and individual candidates will stop and that,for the first time since I first became eligible to vote,I will make it a point to be busy on election day this November".

From her "thank you" and *click*.

[Graewoulf]

Billy-O is a Loyalist:
Loyal to the GOP-E,
Loyal to Obama,
And Loyal to Hillary.

Billy-O stands for nothing,
And so falls for anything.

[Blood of Tyrants]

They don’t. Compromise is a one way street with Rats because they know they don’t have to with so many RINOs in the House and Senate.

[kabar]

Support Dave Brat for Congress in VA-7 to oust Eric Cantor

[Paine in the Neck]

Support Dave Brat for Congress in VA-7 to oust Eric Cantor

Thanks. I've added Dave Brat to my list. He looks pretty good. Here's more:

Eric Cantor’s Challenger from the Right

I can't find anything on him vis-a-vis immigration. Have you got anything?

[kabar]

I am trying to arrange a meeting with him to talk about immigration. He talks a good game. I want to help him to go against Cantor on the issue.

Whenever someone tells you that we need to pass amnesty because “it’s the right thing to do” and because there “are no people to fill jobs”, it demands a look-see to see what’s behind that crap sandwich. In Cantor’s case, a look-see will turn up this.

"Whether it’s the DREAM Act or Cantor’s re-named version of it - the KIDS Act – it’s back door amnesty. We already have an immigration system in place, it’s just not enforced. We already have a pathway to citizenship, or else 757,000 new citizens wouldn’t have been naturalized in 2012 alone. We already have plenty of workers, and not enough jobs, which is why the US is facing a crisis of unemployed workers, disability payments and demands to extend unemployment benefits just this-one-more-time-please-until the economy recovers, which it won’t, under the current regime."

[Paine in the Neck]

Tell him we need to reverse the magnet that draws the illegals here in the first place. See what his reaction to this is:

1. secure the border in a transparently verifiable way;
2. end the anchor-baby interpretation of the 14th Amendment;
3. enforce eVerify without exception and with severe penalties;
4. no government benefits beyond critical emergency care (and that ought to be billed back to the Mexican government); and
5. NO "Path to Citizenship" - ever - for anyone who has entered the US illegally.

[kabar]

I have been working on the issue for 7 years. I lobby on the Hill and in Richmond on the immigration issue. I am also part of a grassroots immigration organization. I have briefed Cantor and George Allen on immigration one on one.

Thanks for your suggestions. They are just the tip of the iceberg on what needs to be done. The problem is that there are not enough Congressmen who feel like we do. The influence of the corporate paymasters should not be underestimated.