President’s Day Open Thread [2.16.16]
The conservative Wall Street Journal is less than pleased with the GOP Majority in Congress:
Republicans in Congress are off to a less than flying start after a month in power, dividing their own conference more than Democrats. Take the response to President Obama ’s immigration order, which seems headed for failure if not a more spectacular crack-up…
If Homeland Security funding lapses on Feb. 27, the agency will be pushed into a partial shutdown even as the terrorist threat is at the forefront of public attention with the Charlie Hebdo and Islamic State murders. Imagine if the Transportation Security Administration, a unit of DHS, fails to intercept an Islamic State agent en route to Detroit.
So Republicans are facing what is likely to be another embarrassing political retreat and more intra-party recriminations. The GOP’s restrictionist wing will blame the leadership for a failure they share responsibility for, and the rest of America will wonder anew about the gang that couldn’t shoot straight… It’s not too soon to say that the fate of the GOP majority is on the line…This is no way to run a Congressional majority, and the only winners of GOP dysfunction will be Mr. Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton.
The Republicans are so beholden to their hate filled talk radio misinformed base that they have lost the ability to govern. Everything is some macho symbolic show down with the GOP. Its all visceral, divisive and religious issues. Similar to what is happening in the Middle East
That is true. The big thinkers in the GOP decided to build a dysfunction machine. Thanks to a compliant Democratic Party, it has worked beyond their wildest dreams.
I no longer believe that the GOP antics hurt them politically. People who dont read political blogs all day forget what happened 2 seconds ago\
… yeah sure they are trying to legalize killing gay people BUT DID YOU HEAR WHAT KANYE DID!?!?!?
Ben,
I agree that it doesn’t hurt them. I think the reason it does is less about Kanye and Co. and more on the constant dystopian refrain for just about everything. Take your phrase “legalize killing gay people.” Of course you didn’t mean that literally and used it as way to make a point, but it’s not much different than many of the messages the public receives on a daily basis. So what do they do? Tune out of course. If everything is outrageous, then nothing is outrageous. If you want someone to pay attention today you have just about scream at them. Words like crisis, holocaust, genocide, terror, thunder snow (using a more current example). Utter devoid of meaning because it’s all terror, genocide, starvation, on every channel all the time. So they tune out and turn on Kanye so they can comment on North West’s fur coat. They already know what you are going to say, it’s a crisis. Now let me get a look at that fur coat.
Be thankful Boehner & Co. are incompetent and at each others throats, I am. Sure, they’ll damage the government, hurt the American people and waste another big pile of money, it’s what they do. Their “shut down the government” game may not damage them with their base, but it does harm them with independents and fool hardy Dems who might give them a shot. Look for many more such games, even if shutting down Homeland Security is the fiasco most think it will be.
Dave, I think you nailed it.