25 November 2014

The GOP's Insanely Backwards Reaction to Obama


By: Daniel Horowitz

After last week’s unprecedented events surrounding Obama’s usurpation of federal power, it’s hard to determine which is more shocking: the impudence of the executive amnesty or the GOP’s feeble response.

To the extent that there is any passion or sense of urgency in the Republican response, it is directed at conservatives. They want to ensure that their base doesn’t “overreact” to Obama nullifying our immigration laws and permanently changing our borders, sovereignty, culture, and welfare state with the stroke of a pen.

What about their response to Obama?

They felt so passionate about it that they responded by leaving town until December 1, providing Obama with the last word on the crisis before Thanksgiving.

They felt so passionate about it that they responded by leaving town until December 1, providing Obama with the last word on the crisis before Thanksgiving.

Instead of uniting behind using the power of the purse to put an end to this madness and “get right” with 80% of the American people, Republicans are now focusing on paying Obama’s ransom. From Lindsey Graham and Jeff Flake to Mike Simpson and Thad Cochran, establishment Republicans are plotting a strategy to pass piecemeal amnesty in order to beg Obama to back off of executive amnesty.

Meanwhile, they are encouraging conservatives to respond maturely and not “take the bait” by doing something that would actually confront this rogue president. Instead, they are admonishing us about the need to focus on corporate tax “reform.”

It’s akin to telling someone who’s home is about to be set ablaze to continue working on other tasks and not get sidetracked dealing with the arsonist. Then again, we are beyond the point where metaphors can even capture the depths of absurdity and the scope of political malpractice on the part of Republicans. We are beyond 1984 where the opposition party turned out to be illusory.

In a sane world, House Republicans would return from their endless vacations and reconvene a special session on the constitutional crisis. They would censure this president and declare the entire executive order null and void. But most importantly, they would prohibit all funding for the numerous applications and processes that would be required to implement this coup, and attach it to the relevant funding mechanism for the government. If Obama is willing to shut down the government in order to fund something that is not only destructive and unpopular, but unlawful, that is his problem.

Sadly, we don’t live in a sane world- and if Republicans came back to town they would probably pass some shiny objects short of defund, and proceed with piecemeal amnesty bills.

So what is the remedy? What is the recourse?