What a week for those who follow politics. A lot happened. A visit from the Holy See. The White House hosted a China state dinner admidst cyber hacking allegations. Governor Scott Walker suspended his presidential campaign. President Putin of Russia met with President Obama despite fierce animosity over Ukraine and Syria. A looming government shutdown was barely avoided. And the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, announced his retirement and relinquishment of the gavel.
My brain nearly overloaded just writing that. Each event was serious and consequential in its own right. But, by way of tradition, I will be analyzing the one story that highlights the problems of the Republican party. Like a broken record, I know. The truth is: it's just too easy to mock the GOP.
Speaker Boehner was, and is, a conservative. Looking at his record one can see that he followed the Republican platform to a tee. A number of special interest groups ranked him in high regard, i.e. NRA, Pro-Life Groups, Conservative Tax Organizations, you name it. Unfortunately, it isn't enough these days. The party has moved so far to the right, so extreme in its ideology, that no "conservative" can ever vote with, talk to, compromise between, or negotiate with a liberal or Democrat.
Governance is not a goal for the Freedom Caucus, a group of legislators who ascribe to pure conservative principles. Any legislation that relies on a compromise with the opposing party is viewed with suspicion, contempt. It is much more important to make one's conservative views known, even if it involves symbolic, but pointless, parliamentary exercises.
Such is the reality in today's Congress. A splinter in the Republican party has resulted in the resignation of Speaker Boehner. Mr. Boehner knew that he was going to face a fight for his speakership. All because he refused to engage in a tactic that was doomed to fail. The "purest of pure conservatives" wanted to shutdown the government over Planned Parenthood funding. Mr. Boehner did not.
Believe it or not there are still some Republicans who believe that laws must be passed -- like necessary spending bills. They understand the dynamics of having three branches of government, of two chambers in Congress, of the mathematical requirement to override a Presidential veto. Some Republicans think that conservative values can be advanced through compromise and regular order.
I fear that this is only the beginning. On the right side of the political spectrum there is a deep desire for hyperbolic statements or gestures. The rise of Donald Trump, Ben Carson, and Carly Fiorina reflect this. The truth is no longer relevant. Fiorina has double-downed on falsehoods directly to Fox News after being challenged by the friendly-to-Republican network. It is more important to control the narrative rather than surrender to actuality.
The fall of the Speaker of the House was just a symptom of a much larger problem. We have one of the two major political parties unable to function. The GOP now resembles an anarchic insurgent collective. Its mission is to destroy government, not operate within it. John Boehner was not a friend to Democrats, but he will certainly be missed.
Showing posts with label House of Representatives. Show all posts
Showing posts with label House of Representatives. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Saturday, September 21, 2013
What About Our (Fiscal) Civil War?
"Bang bang bang," I shouted when I jumped into the Tennessee grass and tried to avoid the imaginary fire from my older brother. We were both under ten at the time but that did not stop us from developing an interest in United States history - particularly the Civil War. I wore gray, the color of the Confederates, and my brother wore blue for the North.
With a battle site not ten minutes away, in the city of Franklin, it was easy for two young boys to get enthralled with the fights of the past. There was one problem for me, however: I never got to win. The South suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Franklin.
During this month of September the public had an opportunity to discuss and debate another civil war - the one in Syria. It was interesting to see the different viewpoints and coalitions for and against a military strike. The whole global crisis and argument developed because President Assad used Sarin gas against his own people. The lungs of 400 children were paralyzed because of the banned chemicals.
Not surprisingly, the conservative-controlled House of Representatives were opposed to the strike. Some of the members may have opposed the strike on rational grounds, but it is almost certain that some wanted to simply oppose the President. Congressman Israel thought so and stated that:
"Does anyone truly believe that if Mitt Romney had been elected president and had asked House Republicans for exactly what President Obama is asking, that House Republicans would oppose it to the extent that they’re opposed to what President Obama wants? The level of hypocrisy is what amazes me."
Luckily, we did not have to find out if there were enough votes from the House of Representatives. A diplomatic deal was struck and for the meantime postponed a potential global conflict. Unfortunately for the American people, we can still expect a domestic conflict that will have an impact on our everyday well-being - the budget battle and likely government shut-down.
The truth of the matter is that we are embroiled in another American civil war. This war is not being fought with horses and bayonets. The weapons of choice for this ideological civil war is special interest money, political brinkmanship, and a wide army of pundits. The casualties: our economy and the American people.
If you have not been following, the Federal government is facing a possible shut-down because extremists in the House conditioned the funding of the Government on the defunding of ObamaCare. It is a symbolic move, which has a zero change of passage, but has the ability to cause havoc to our markets and economy.
The GOP obsession with ObamaCare has curtailed any laws from being passed, i.e. comprehensive immigration reform, tax reform, campaign finance reform, and a host of laws that could only help the United States. Now, the GOP's irrational fixation will slow our already slow recovery.
ObamaCare was passed and signed in 2010, upheld by the Supreme Court in 2012, and has helped millions of young Americans stay insured through their parents' health care. 78% of the young beneficiaries of ObamaCare are Republicans.
Yet, we are still fighting. Why? Because there is a political opposition that cannot govern and perhaps do not want to govern. A government shut-down is precisely what some of the Tea Party zealots advocate. They do not want a limited government, they do not want a government at all.
Every civil war eventually comes to an end. I am certain that this fiscal one will end too. But only because the American people are fed up. Reasonable conservatives and liberal Americans will come together to express their dissatisfaction with the gamesmanship. We do not have to accept a government that is incapable of compromise and disrespectful of the opposition.
In the end, we are all in this together - brothers and sisters of the Constitution. I can guarantee that despite these budget fiascoes, there will still be young children replaying the great history of our country in their front yards, perhaps the Battle of Franklin too. I even bet that, just like my brother and I, they will eventually get tired, smile, and put down their imaginary arms. Sometimes its more fun to be on the same team.
With a battle site not ten minutes away, in the city of Franklin, it was easy for two young boys to get enthralled with the fights of the past. There was one problem for me, however: I never got to win. The South suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Franklin.
During this month of September the public had an opportunity to discuss and debate another civil war - the one in Syria. It was interesting to see the different viewpoints and coalitions for and against a military strike. The whole global crisis and argument developed because President Assad used Sarin gas against his own people. The lungs of 400 children were paralyzed because of the banned chemicals.
Not surprisingly, the conservative-controlled House of Representatives were opposed to the strike. Some of the members may have opposed the strike on rational grounds, but it is almost certain that some wanted to simply oppose the President. Congressman Israel thought so and stated that:
"Does anyone truly believe that if Mitt Romney had been elected president and had asked House Republicans for exactly what President Obama is asking, that House Republicans would oppose it to the extent that they’re opposed to what President Obama wants? The level of hypocrisy is what amazes me."
Luckily, we did not have to find out if there were enough votes from the House of Representatives. A diplomatic deal was struck and for the meantime postponed a potential global conflict. Unfortunately for the American people, we can still expect a domestic conflict that will have an impact on our everyday well-being - the budget battle and likely government shut-down.
The truth of the matter is that we are embroiled in another American civil war. This war is not being fought with horses and bayonets. The weapons of choice for this ideological civil war is special interest money, political brinkmanship, and a wide army of pundits. The casualties: our economy and the American people.
If you have not been following, the Federal government is facing a possible shut-down because extremists in the House conditioned the funding of the Government on the defunding of ObamaCare. It is a symbolic move, which has a zero change of passage, but has the ability to cause havoc to our markets and economy.
The GOP obsession with ObamaCare has curtailed any laws from being passed, i.e. comprehensive immigration reform, tax reform, campaign finance reform, and a host of laws that could only help the United States. Now, the GOP's irrational fixation will slow our already slow recovery.
ObamaCare was passed and signed in 2010, upheld by the Supreme Court in 2012, and has helped millions of young Americans stay insured through their parents' health care. 78% of the young beneficiaries of ObamaCare are Republicans.
Yet, we are still fighting. Why? Because there is a political opposition that cannot govern and perhaps do not want to govern. A government shut-down is precisely what some of the Tea Party zealots advocate. They do not want a limited government, they do not want a government at all.
Every civil war eventually comes to an end. I am certain that this fiscal one will end too. But only because the American people are fed up. Reasonable conservatives and liberal Americans will come together to express their dissatisfaction with the gamesmanship. We do not have to accept a government that is incapable of compromise and disrespectful of the opposition.
In the end, we are all in this together - brothers and sisters of the Constitution. I can guarantee that despite these budget fiascoes, there will still be young children replaying the great history of our country in their front yards, perhaps the Battle of Franklin too. I even bet that, just like my brother and I, they will eventually get tired, smile, and put down their imaginary arms. Sometimes its more fun to be on the same team.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Blame the "Republicans"
It was an unusually cold morning for Irvine and the grass was dewy. I woke up and walked outside to my patio and I looked at my college, UCI, in the distance. I wondered how many of my fellow students would actually vote that day. I was even more curious as to how many would vote for a Republican. When I walked back into the living room, my roommate, half-dazed, asked curiously, "Did you vote, Chris?" I replied, "Yeah. But, I do not think McCain has a chance..."
I use to be a registered Republican. I grew up in a conservative family, went to a conservative high school, and associated with conservative friends. The funny thing is I never really believed in the values. My mother would always tell me with a smile, "Chrissie, if you want to be the Republican president, you are going to have to stop watching Hardball. And you better throw away those liberal books. I don't think your Republican friends will love those Michael Moore DVDs either." I would always grin and respond that I was just trying to study the other side.
The fact of the matter is that a lot of individuals use to be Republicans. There use to be a time when Republicans could advocate for a limited government without insulting 47% of the country. However, like with all things, time brings change.
The Republican party has changed dramatically. It use to be a party that could govern. It use to be a party that acknowledged that the government could do great things - a catalyst for a healthy, robust, and strong country. President Eisenhower, a Republican, implemented one of the largest government programs that created the interstate highways of today. President Nixon created the government agency that helped pave the way for cleaner air and water. Nixon happened to have also dirtied the image of the presidency, but that was after the fact.
The party has now moved so far to the right that it is unrecognizable from the time of Eisenhower or Nixon. RINOs are aware of this phenomenon.
By the way, "RINO," means "Republican In Name Only," a smear tactic that is used by the purest of Republicans to hold the party line.
Bob Dole, the 1996 Republican presidential candidate and Senate majority leader in the 1990's, lamented this much when he appeared on Fox News. He stated that the Republicans should put a sign on the door that says "closed for repairs." He wants Republicans to come up with a few positive ideas because neither Reagan or himself would feel comfortable in its membership today.
It is not only the Republicans of the past that are self-aware of its path to destruction. The College Republican National Committee came up with its own report, which found that people associate Republicans with "close-mindedness and racism." The report also undermined the core principles of the Republican leadership. The majority of young Republicans want higher taxes on the wealthy and more government spending on education. The report even summed up its economic findings with the sentence, "economic growth and opportunity cannot just be about tax cuts and spending cuts."
Everyone must be writing a report after the Republican party was handily defeated in the 2012 elections. The Republican National Committee came up with an "autopsy report" to help the party move forward onto the 2014 cycle. The subject matter of the self-funded study was that the RNC has to do a better job of reaching out to minorities and eliminating the poor messengers of its ideals. No one should have to hear about a Republican mocking the less fortunate or a Senator calling Hispanics "wetbacks."
Yet, with all of the studies, and with all of the introspection, we can expect more of the same from Republicans. They are the ones responsible for the stasis and dysfunction in Congress; and its okay, we should admit it.
Two widely-recognized independent political scientists have admitted it and they think its pertinent to a rational discussion on how we can get out of the rut. Ornstein and Mann wrote a book, which argued that: "The GOP has become an insurgent outlier in American politics. It is ideologically extreme; scornful of compromise; unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition."
They also included a football analogy. "While the Democrats may have moved from their 40-yard line to their 25, the Republicans have gone from their 40 to somewhere behind their goal post."
The week of June 3, 2013 represented the extreme attitudes of the Republican House of Representatives. The dysfunctional body failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act for the 37th time and it voted to end the DREAM executive order, which allows young immigrants to apply for a deportation deferral. Neither of the House bills had a chance to become law, yet, they voted for it anyway.
One has to wonder whether our country can recover from this partisan divide, which has stopped all reform at every level. I remain cautiously optimistic that our generation can do something about it, but something needs be done now. As other Americans walk onto their patios and look into the horizon, they all ask the same question: what does our future hold and do we have a chance? I think that we do.
I use to be a registered Republican. I grew up in a conservative family, went to a conservative high school, and associated with conservative friends. The funny thing is I never really believed in the values. My mother would always tell me with a smile, "Chrissie, if you want to be the Republican president, you are going to have to stop watching Hardball. And you better throw away those liberal books. I don't think your Republican friends will love those Michael Moore DVDs either." I would always grin and respond that I was just trying to study the other side.
The fact of the matter is that a lot of individuals use to be Republicans. There use to be a time when Republicans could advocate for a limited government without insulting 47% of the country. However, like with all things, time brings change.
The Republican party has changed dramatically. It use to be a party that could govern. It use to be a party that acknowledged that the government could do great things - a catalyst for a healthy, robust, and strong country. President Eisenhower, a Republican, implemented one of the largest government programs that created the interstate highways of today. President Nixon created the government agency that helped pave the way for cleaner air and water. Nixon happened to have also dirtied the image of the presidency, but that was after the fact.
The party has now moved so far to the right that it is unrecognizable from the time of Eisenhower or Nixon. RINOs are aware of this phenomenon.
By the way, "RINO," means "Republican In Name Only," a smear tactic that is used by the purest of Republicans to hold the party line.
Bob Dole, the 1996 Republican presidential candidate and Senate majority leader in the 1990's, lamented this much when he appeared on Fox News. He stated that the Republicans should put a sign on the door that says "closed for repairs." He wants Republicans to come up with a few positive ideas because neither Reagan or himself would feel comfortable in its membership today.
It is not only the Republicans of the past that are self-aware of its path to destruction. The College Republican National Committee came up with its own report, which found that people associate Republicans with "close-mindedness and racism." The report also undermined the core principles of the Republican leadership. The majority of young Republicans want higher taxes on the wealthy and more government spending on education. The report even summed up its economic findings with the sentence, "economic growth and opportunity cannot just be about tax cuts and spending cuts."
Everyone must be writing a report after the Republican party was handily defeated in the 2012 elections. The Republican National Committee came up with an "autopsy report" to help the party move forward onto the 2014 cycle. The subject matter of the self-funded study was that the RNC has to do a better job of reaching out to minorities and eliminating the poor messengers of its ideals. No one should have to hear about a Republican mocking the less fortunate or a Senator calling Hispanics "wetbacks."
Yet, with all of the studies, and with all of the introspection, we can expect more of the same from Republicans. They are the ones responsible for the stasis and dysfunction in Congress; and its okay, we should admit it.
Two widely-recognized independent political scientists have admitted it and they think its pertinent to a rational discussion on how we can get out of the rut. Ornstein and Mann wrote a book, which argued that: "The GOP has become an insurgent outlier in American politics. It is ideologically extreme; scornful of compromise; unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition."
They also included a football analogy. "While the Democrats may have moved from their 40-yard line to their 25, the Republicans have gone from their 40 to somewhere behind their goal post."
The week of June 3, 2013 represented the extreme attitudes of the Republican House of Representatives. The dysfunctional body failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act for the 37th time and it voted to end the DREAM executive order, which allows young immigrants to apply for a deportation deferral. Neither of the House bills had a chance to become law, yet, they voted for it anyway.
One has to wonder whether our country can recover from this partisan divide, which has stopped all reform at every level. I remain cautiously optimistic that our generation can do something about it, but something needs be done now. As other Americans walk onto their patios and look into the horizon, they all ask the same question: what does our future hold and do we have a chance? I think that we do.
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