Posted on 12/16/2014 8:06:13 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
The last-minute vote to approve a long-term spending package cast a bright light on unusual splits in an otherwise unified Democratic congressional caucus. Following the lead of Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), House and Senate Democrats voted against a bill that President Obama was personally advocating. It was similar to the insurgency faced by the Republican establishment last year, as many, many pundits pointed out, only with "no bank bailouts" replacing "no Obamacare" as a rallying cry.
At ABC, Rick Klein, presumably with his tongue in his cheek, suggested that there are now "four parties that need to be taken into account in the Senate: two party establishments, and two wings that are arguably more in touch with the vocal grassroots." But, that's not only in the Senate. The House was actually somewhat more polarized on the vote than the Senate, following the lead of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) who actively opposed the CRommnibus deal.
But what if Klein is right? What if the Congress actually completely fragments, along the lines that were sketched in the sand on the spending vote? What then?
The short answer is: Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) are still the most powerful members of Congress. It's just that they have a much smaller base from which to operate....
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Keep dreaming. McConnell and the GOP Elites just made taking over the GOP by Conservatives a virtual impossibility with the Cromnibus - especially that little thousand-fold increase in corporate donations permitted to the RINO PACs.
There is no taking over the GOP. They rigged it to ensure that can never happen. The GOP is working with the Democrats to make Conservatism politically irrelevant. Which is what we just witnessed with the cromnibus.
There is no stopping the lawless and the tyrants by civil means. Period.
I used to volunteer 20-30 hours a week at the county headquarters as a 20-something. Wish I had all that time back.
Reagan beat them, and Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, and conservatives can beat them.
Not saying they will, but I haven't given up. (And I know you haven't given up.)
Agree 100%. But the problems would be so much more interesting. When the swag has to be cut 4 ways, the battles become more intense. For example, right now the federal bureaucracy, throughout its thousands of agencies and departments, is just about 100% Democrat. Why even the congressional staffers who work for "Republicans," are in most cases ....gasp .... Democrats!
Another example? The media in Europe somewhat more openly tends to state their prejudices. Every party has an outlet. Here, every section of the media is 100% Democrat ... liberalism is a religion and dissenters are not working.
The Two Party System has devolved into the Uniparty. There has to be a basic re-jiggering of the arrangements.
And what do you think of repealing the 17th? Senators are really not supposed to represent the mob. They are supposed to safeguard the interests of their sovereign state ... AND its people. They are supposed to be subject to recall by state legislatures if they fail to do this. States with Republican legislatures cannot be represented honestly by Senators who are Democrats beholden to a national party.
I keep hearing that Reagan beat the Establishment and that somehow we can do that again.
This is NOT 1980.
Reagan did not have to deal with America-hating Marxists hell bent on destroying the country as an opposition party with a complicit GOP working in concert with the Democrats to not only destroy Conservatives, but establish an Imperial Oligarchy run by a dictatorship.
Reagan did not have to operate from a post-Constitutional framework with both parties corrupted and infiltrated by Communist operatives and agitators.
I have given up on working from within the system that the regime and the oligarchy have corrupted for themselves.
History teaches that you cannot reverse a tyranny incrementally, and neither can you stop lawlessness via civil means.
We are going to have to be thinking outside the box and beyond Washington if holding onto what is left of our liberties is a goal.
At least that is where I find myself thinking at this stage. I no longer have faith in the institutions of men in this country.
So then you agree that there's only one party currently, yes?
I’ll say it again: We have the same problems that the Democrats used to have in the 1970’s and 80’s a more conservative caucus leadership and committee chairmen that didn’t reflect their base.
Only we have a more liberal caucus leadership and chairmanship that now does not reflect us as a conservative Republican base.
We have to get rid of and weed out leadership then (MOST) of the rest will fall in line with new priorities to return the country to Constitutional, Free Market, Smaller Government and Traditional values priorities.
FIRST STEP: Replace Boehner with an actual conservative (both fiscally and socially).
There would be only three parties. There are no remaining moderate democrats. It would be D, R, and T.
Do it! There is no “dog” in the fight if you aren’t willing to get dirty and do it, battle them when necessary, make friends (allies) if possible!!
Might be interesting to have a ‘Populist’ caucus in Congress:
Priorities being: END CORPORATE WELFARE.
END THE FEDERAL RESERVE
RETURN CONGRESS TO CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY
BRING BACK FAMILY AG/FARMING
SMALL BUSINESS TAX CUTS
CUT THE “PAYROLL” TAXES
STOP GMO FOODS
I am sure there are others that both “populists” on the left and right could agree on and could agree to an agenda that benefits the great middle class (and poor that want to work and become “middle class” or “rich”).
You’re right that if Elizabeth Warren (and allies) and Ted Cruz (along with Rand Paul) and allies got together in a room it could be interesting what they come up with..
You are correct!
I’ll also state that if we implement “electoral fusion” in our voting in the states, you theoretically ~could~ see the rise of conservative 3rd parties when the Republicans go too far left (same would also ~probably~ happen with the Democrats).
“And what do you think of repealing the 17th? “
Thumbs up!
“Cruz got 22 votes last Friday. 6 of the new freshmen Senators are Tea Party folks. That makes 28 Tea Party and 26 RINOs. Does that mean McConnell is out and the Tea Party could take over the Senate?”
If that is the case, that $32,400 which turned into $324,000 for the repub senatorial committee will go to the Cruz faction.
Unintended consequences.
All politics is local, as the Demwit Tip O’Neill used to say. Local reps don’t vote as a bloc, at least not on the Pubbie side of the aisle, in part because they think for themselves, and in part because they have to answer to their constituents. Thanks 2ndDivisionVet.
There is a lot of interest on this site in the ways amd means by which the 17th Amendment can be repealed. How can this made to happen?
I think it would be worth a discussion, to see what the Tea Party insurgents could do, uniting to deny Boehner the Speakership in January and voting with liberal dissident Democrats who voted against Cromnibus to name a speaker who is part of neither Party establishment -- No Pelosis, no Boehner, no Cantor-wannabes (yes, I know Cantor's gone, happily primaried).
Well, how 'bout it? How' bout running Congress with a "weak" Speaker and no effectual Party leadership for a while?
I'm betting it would look and function a lot more like the Congress Abraham Lincoln and John Quincy Adams knew in the Jacksonian era, before kingpins and sugar trusts and political money from sleazy millionaires.
Abraham Lincoln (and Jefferson Davis) were railroad lawyers.
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.