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Senate Republicans and Boehner Unite Against Conservatives

By: Daniel Horowitz (Diary)  |  March 7th, 2012 at 10:45 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Who needs Democrats when so many Republicans are willing to orchestrate their agenda for them?

The Senate is on the precipice of passing Barbara Boxer’s highway bill with overwhelming support.  Mitch McConnell is negotiating a deal with Harry Reid in which Republicans would be granted a vote on some of their choice non-germane amendments.  After Democrats summarily defeat those amendments, Republicans will return the favor by voting for the underlying bill, which overspends its revenue source by 43% and raises taxes to bridge the gap.

The sad thing is that S. 1813 is not just Boxer’s highway bill.  It was supported by every Republican on the committee level, and only 9 Republicans voted against cloture to proceed with the bill on the floor.  In a sane world, McConnell would be negotiating proposals to cut mass transit and eliminate the 10% beautification mandates on the states instead of securing failed votes on non-germane amendments.  Then again, most Republicans in the Senate actually support the idea of federally funded transportation.  They also buy into Obama’s puerile logic that it will create new jobs, instead of spreading around existing ones.

Consequently, not only will Senate Republicans decline to block the Obama/Boxer stimulus, they will lock hands with Democrats, pass the Senate bill, and jam House conservatives.  For his part, John Boehner is using the Senate bill against conservatives, instead of joining with conservatives, to fight this terrible bill.  He will lock arms with Mitch McConnell instead of coalescing behind a devolution bill or the original House bill, which pegged spending to revenues.  Later today, he will issue a pungent threat to bring the Senate bill to the House floor if conservatives fail to cooperate with his bill.  This, from Politico:

In a closed-door meeting planned for Wednesday, top Republicans are going to deliver a tough but simple message: Continue to stand against the bill and you’re opposing conservative policy that will fix the flawed way Congress funds road-building and energy production. Join the team — support leadership’s plan to pass a House bill — and you can be part of the solution.
“The Senate will pass a bill,” a House leadership aide said. “House members will have to decide whether they want to pass a better bill.” […]

The strategy was developed late Tuesday and it’s yet to be seen if conservatives will buy the ploy. Moving transit money back into the general fund could gin up opposition. So could a short-term bill. As could the harsh language by leadership.

Go ahead, Mr. Speaker, make our day.  Let’s bring the Senate bill with its tax hikes to the House floor, and we’ll see who votes for it.

If we’ve learned anything from last night’s elections, it’s that incumbent congressmen can be unseated with relatively scarce resources in low-turnout primaries.

Cross-posted from The Madison Project

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COMMENTS

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  • DerKrieger

    … behave this way. Democrat leadership would never buck their base to join with the GOP to advance the GOP agenda. WTH is wrong with our team?

    We absolutely mst get new leadership. We are being defeated by our own party leadership. It’s Republicans like McConnel and Boehner that have helped get us to this precarious point because of decades long failure to stop and reverse Leftist policies. All that leadership like this has done is slow the relentless advance of the statists.

    • Ausonius

      We should not be surprised, but Der Krieger (i.e. The Warrior, for those of you who do not know German) is quite correct.

      It is beyond high time to remove these morons from power and then to remove them from the Republican Party.

      Earlier this week I wrote “America’s Epitaph:

      “Compromised Into Decay, Buried By Cowardly Short-Sightedness”

      It is depressingly wearing to read such items week after week, knowing that the end result is a near future of mediocrity followed by a slightly distant future of decay and demise.”

      • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Jacobson get2djnow

        & his supporters in the primaries are incredulous at Conservative animosity towards them. Can we find a more cogent example of RINO duplicity than this bill and its attendant negotiations?

      • ihateliberals

        Ever since GWH Bush took over from Ronald Regan the party of Regan has been dying and turning more and more to the left. After Bush’s defeat to Clinton the Party hasn’t put up a winner since. GW bush won by accident. Every candidate promoted by the Republicans has been what some called RINO’s but we now know their true colors they are Liberal Republicans. Their agenda isn’t that much different than the Democrats just a softer version of the same Progressive liberal BS. Bob Dole was the begining of the leftist movement. Then came GW Bush who narrowly won. If anyone but Al Gore had been runing onthe Democrats side Bush would have lost. Then we come up with John t(the poor POW) McCain. Another left-wing rpeublican and with that we had karl Rove and Michael Steele telling the Tea Party and the conservatives to go to hell even though it is the Right -wingof the Party that put them in office. Tey have been very quite about it until now. They have let the perception that people have had for many years that a vote for a Republican was a vote for the Right but in reality it is a vote for the Soft-Left. It’s like the difference between types of Porno movies. you have X-Rated which would be the left-wing Republicans and you have XXX-Rated which is the Progressive Liberal Democrats. The thing is you don’t want your children watching ether of these.

        The conservatives have to wake up. I have been a conservative Republican all my life and I am 64. I am but one person and for many years my Republican friends laughed at me. Now with the Nominee emanate of Romney a left-Wing Republican they aren’t laughing so much anymore. This move by Boehner is not surprising. he has fought the Teap Party congressmen from day one. The very people that put them in power. They now think that they have it sowed up and that they can defeat Obama with a left-wing-Republican. The conservatives were attacked and removed early on and now the party is livid that Santorum is in their way. They have pretty much removed Gingrich and all the other challengers. The problem is that the people are begining to wake-up to Romney and understand that he is left-wing and that our major concern is Obamacare and Romney will not under any circumstances repeal that law. he just wants to modify it.

        John Boehner, McCain, McConnell, Karl Rove, The Once RNC chairman Michael Steele, and many others inthe Republican Party are trying to kick the conservatives while we are down and are being brazen enough now to do it opening. A true conservative Republican would never go intothe enemies camp and strike this kid of a deal. The Liberal Democrats are snakes inthe grass and will bite the Republicans even as the deal is being stuck.

        consrvatives have to realize tht the current Republican Party is not the Party of our fathers or likein my case of my age group. we were Reagan Conservatives. What so many people don’t realize is tht George Bush hated Reagan and couldn’t wait for him to be out of offce so he could start on the left-wing Republican agenda. The party the GOP was livid in 1980 whenthe people the conservatives chose Reagan over Bushwhowas their chosen one. They swore it wouldn’t happen again that a conservative would be the nominee of theRepubican Party. here we are now in the most important election of our 200+ years and we are standing in the middle of the river on slippery stones and our only voice is Santorum and the Party is attacking him full force. If Santorum is defeated and Romney or Obama win the Gerenal election not only do we conseravtives lose but the world loses the most powerful and prosperous country in the world

        • http://www.theprecinctproject.wordpress.com ColdWarrior

          and what precinct do you live in?

          How many slots does your precinct have for precinct committeemen?

          How many are filled?

          How many of the filled slots are filled by conservative Republicans?

          Of the filled precinct committeeman slots in your voting precinct, how many are filled by conservative Republicans?

          What percentage of the registered Republicans in your precinct actually voted in the last two primary and general elections?

          Thank you.

          ColdWarrior

    • dennis1111

      thank you. dlc

  • inovrmihd

    The single most important objectives for conservatives should be to support a primary challenge to Boehner (McConnel too if he were up for reelection). AS long as Boehner is in power, conservatives lose.

    • liveforadrenaline

      Wanted to really earn their paychecks, then they would dump Boehner and elect someone else as Chair.

      Right now, they are just being used as cannon fodder for his battle of stupidity…

    • http://www.theprecinctproject.wordpress.com ColdWarrior

      CW

  • inovrmihd

    Obviously we are too late for a primary challenge. What I meant to say was to support the Democrat in the general election. If the Republicans lose the house, he will probably lose his speakeship, but if they hold the hosue, it is imperative that Boehner not be reelected.

    • Juggernaut

      Its worse than feeding the animals at the park, liberals will bite you, eat you and never say thank you. Even worse, they poop where they sleep and expect Americans to clean up behind them and pay their bills. Nuff said.

    • dennis1111

      Instead of throwing an election (of course it’s not that if you are not Republican), let’s continue to get conservatives elected and give that segment a bigger voice. dlc

  • kestrel

    Just say No to any highway bill other than a devolution one, or one that sticks solely to fuel taxes for revenue.

    I am at the point where driving past new sidewalks and highway “beautification” plantings makes me resentful. These things are becoming a symbol of how out of touch Washington is.

    Do sane people who are underwater on their mortgages launch expensive landscaping projects of their yards? Do they do so on credit, or spend their kid’s future — say, the kid’s college fund — for said expensive landscaping projects? No.

    Only in Washington.

    Only in Washington is all this stuff considered vital, and only by people who are spending other people’s money. And don’t bother calling it “job creation” unless you want the name “Keynesian” and the word “stimulus” hung around your neck.

    Just say No.

  • filobeddoe

    when he was nominated Speaker.

    Will he cry again when he loses it. What does Congress have to show under his leadership except black eyes?

    • kopen

      Called how fast can a republican turn from a Jeckle into a Hyde ,,I would say these rhino’s are getting to DARN good at it .. This speaker needs to go ,, He is in lock step with the lib’s
      We need more Tea Party and less rhino .. Where has the GOP dissapeared too.. WE got McCain in 08 and another loser in November if Romney gets the Nomination.. Newt is the best we have left after the repubs got rid of Herman, Michelle, and Rick ..
      Time to get behind Newt he knows how to get things done in Washington ..
      Leave it in GODS hand he knows Newts heart ..

      • filobeddoe

        spent more energy fighting Democrats then the conservative wing of his own party.

  • jlsankot

    Why is it I don’t get Red State’s updates so late. This was posted at 10:45 AM on Wed. and I didn’t receive it until 3:46 AM on Thurs. I have recently cleaned out everything I can so it can’t be that things are clogged up on my end, I don’t think. If anyone can help me out here, I’d appreciate it.

    This is especially disturbing as it disables me from calling the proper people, in this case Boehner, to tell him what I think before a vote is called.

    • jlsankot

      “Why is it I get Red State’s updates so late”.

  • rj145

    Where the Demoncrats have almost dictatorial party discipline, the Republicans continue on with their uncanny ability to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. These internal civil wars are almost suicidal in light of what is probably the most important election in our history. It is most definitely time for new party LEADERSHIP.

  • paco12348

    Newt will shake Nuts out of both Party Trees! Both Parties know that and the Republican Establishment nipped Newt’s political run in the bud when he first began to surge. They want Romney. He will be great for the Economy and the Republicans because he will leave their Nut tree alone.
    Newt speaks to more problems than just the economy and jobs. Yes, they are first and foremost now but , like Newt said, if we don’t do something about the radical Federal Judges it won’t matter who is President. They MAKE law, and give the Left everything they want. That must stop. We’re losing our Rule of Law and when it’s gone, we lose America. We need a candidate that speaks to ALL the problems and there are a multitude of them. Career politicians must go and sooner rather than later. We need people serving America, not Party.

    • kopen

      I’m with you we need Newt!

  • fightinmad

    I agree with paco, we need to get a fighter into Washington who understands completely what is at risk now. We are losing America day be day and our RINO Leadership is helping to strangle the life out of us. I cannot imagine why they would be so blind when things are so obvious unless the God they all want to ignor has placed his hooks in their jaws and is leading them to the trough of destruction. One day soon we will all wake up to a subversive communistic society where everything is totally controlled by Uncle Stalin Obama and we will have no strength left as a party or society to do anything. I think the Newt concept is the only choice we have. Santorum is also very tempting but I do not see the fight in him backed by a strong knowledge of how to get things done. Maybe they need to form a pact and let one lead and the other assume the VP role. Newt has enough time for one good term and then the younger Rick Santorum takes the reigns and has a Rubio as his VP to keep the ball rolling through the next 16 years to really get a handle on the problem and fix it. We still need the knowledge of Ron Paul to help lead the way into getting rid of the federal reserve. We also need a Palin type to lead the charge on the energy sector to get it fixed. The conservatives need to get together and lay out a winning strategy and then work the plan as a united team instead of as a bunch of hopefuls. We have the team members. We just need to get them to realize their spot in the team roster and play their part to the best of their ability as our Forefathers did back in the 1700s. If they don’t then the only cry I see left for us is “Even so come LORD JESUS.”

  • gagirl74

    This is why I am not sold on the idea of “forget the Presidency – concentrate on the House and Senate.” If there is no change in the so-called leadership, what good will winning those majorities do us? McConnell has got to be the WORST Senate Minority “leader” EVER!!! He is the Democrats best friend and Conservatives worst nightmare. Boehner? What a hypocritical, lying, backstabbing jerk! I think it is seriously time for all Conservatives to get out of the Republican party. They have totally abandonned conservatives, conservative values, and won’t stand up in the face of the President’s OBVIOUS extra-Constitutional behavior. Why would I vote for another Republican again? My last vote for anyone with an R behind their name will be in November. I hope it gets Obama out of office, but frankly, with this kind of limp-wristed, milquetoast, power hungry, ineffectual, turncoat, so-called leadership, I see no difference between the Republican “elite” and the socialist Democrats. I’m through after November. If there is a Conservative Party created on February 1, 2013, I’ll be there. Otherwise, I’m as finished as our country will be, regardless of who is elected. What a sublime opportunity we had! Completely bungled. I am now working on the story I will tell my Grandchildren about what life was like when we were free.

  • rightland1111

    As usual…the Republican Party was after me for money and I was not having a good hair day. I mean…after reading Drudge that morning, finding out more about Obama, having listened to Mark Levin…this was not the time to get a call.

    I have been very upset with the Congress because they have failed to steer this conversation about contraception back to the First Amendment…where it should be. After reading that Rush has not lost 42 advertisers (probably threatened Chicago Style)…I was not in the mood to give them money. I asked them if they truly knew how very, very angry we are in this country. How our Constitution is being trampled. I asked them if, in fact, they had a gun to their heads because they were all but forcing people into a third party consideration because they would not live up to the oath they swore to…The Constitution.

    I’m done giving money…for what? For someone or some party that refuses to look after our best interests? BTW…today’s news…after Panetta testified in front of Congress…We need UN approval to go into Syria. Don’t get me wrong…I don’t think we should…but the UN approval…and how much you want to bet a nickel that this is written into law…in either the Stimulus bill or Obamacare?

    I’m not trying to threadjack here…I’m just saying that Congress is losing on all fronts. What’s going on?