Posted on 02/16/2015 11:18:30 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
In a move more reminiscent of Texas Senator Ted Cruz than Ohio Representative John Boehner, the House Speaker has pursued a strategy to defund President Obama’s executive action on immigration, leveraging funding for Homeland Security in the process.
Bloomberg News reports:
House Speaker John Boehner said he’s prepared to let funding lapse for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and blame Democrats if the Senate fails to pass a House-backed bill for the agency.
…
The Homeland Security Department faces a shutdown of nonessential operations if Congress does not reach agreement before current funding ends on Feb. 27.
When asked if he was prepared to let the funding lapse, the Ohio Republican said, “Certainly. The House has acted. We’ve done our job.”
Predictably, Democrats stand poised to blame Republicans in the event of a partial government shutdown.
“He will be responsible for shutting down a large part of the government,” [New York Sen. Chuck] Schumer said in a statement. “The American people will perceive it that way, and his party and the country will suffer for it.”
Adding to that sentiment is everyone’s favorite me-too moderate, Senator John McCain:
“The American people didn’t give us the majority to have a fight between House and Senate Republicans,” McCain said on Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “They want things done. We cannot cut funding for the Department of Homeland Security. We need to sit down and work this thing out.”
In a fight between John McCain and John Boehner, which one represents the establishment? After recently claiming that he was Tea Party before it was cool, Boehner is now positioning himself to look the part.
Has he actually grown a spine, or is this too little too late? Where was this defiant opposition to Obama’s executive action when the Congress passed the Cromnibus? Does this move win you over?
(Today’s Fightin Words podcast is on this topic available here.)
He is just playing the “positioning game”....
nothing more, the guy doesn’t have a stiff bone in his body, except maybe the Viagra induced one...
Talk is cheap and Boehner hopes we’re buying plenty.
Eliminate dhs. I cursed w after he foisted yet another useless agency on us
He is just playing the “positioning game”....
Yep. He’s talking tough now because it doesn’t matter. Senate Dems will kill DHS defunding bill and GOP will ram through a clean bill at the last minute. You can set your clock to that happening soon.
I’m being Susie Sunshine here, always hoping for something positive to happen. Maybe Boehner finally got bullied too far by Obama. I’m just doubtful that even that would stop Boehner from punishing constitutional conservatives in the HOR.
Those of us that were watching closely, saw the effect that the 2008 and 2009 Sarah Palin had on politicians like Jim DeMint and Rick Perry, and others, that started speaking more confidently and defending conservatism with bolder language, and becoming less timid in standing against the media and the left.
It could be that leadership like TED Cruz, that steps out in front and survives the media onslaught and continues to meet it, really does do what leadership is supposed to do, reproduce itself and create courage and forward movement.
Boehner could be on the White House script ,so there could be some kind of Bizarre Deal coming
Talk is cheap from the squishy Cheeto. He’ll fold like a cheap suit.
Now when he tries to revert to the old days it's more than likely just pandering before the eventual behind-the-scenes capitulation.
” Where was this defiant opposition to Obama’s executive action when the Congress passed the Cromnibus? “
Where it is now, in the toilet.
Exactly, he probably was just rattled by the attempt to unseat him, just enough to realize he needs to maintain some pretense of not being a total stooge.
When all is said and done I believe it will be: “or is this too little too late?”
Republicans ought to keep it real simple. They should simply say to the American people that Obama’s policies be they Obamacare, excessive regulations, borrowing and money printing,the non enforcement of laws and border security, bizarre contortions and incomprehensible statements when confronted with Islamic terrorism are just some of the reasons the American people elected a Republican Congress and Senate. They should explain that while they do not have executive power, they are doing all they can as legislators to limit the damage and correct what they can.
Cruz’ schedule is grueling. He’s literally 1-2000K miles away from where he was yesterday, every day.
An GOP-e analyst on FNC a minute ago had to grit his teeth as he announced Cruz is now on the upswing.
Congressman Boehner HAS been sounding quite a bit more conservative lately. I’ll hope for the best but if his (and his leadership’s team) actions turn out to not follow the “talk”, I won’t be surprised.
But I’m definitely willing to be pleasantly surprised.
nobody will fall for that I hope
After the outcry over his reelection as speaker he has had to up his Kabuki.
I hope the illegals decide Cruz is the man they will vote for. It would be the ultimate poetic justice and they would begin work on that fence immediately.
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