« BACK  |  PRINT

RS

MEMBER DIARY

Ron Johnson: The Lone Ranger

By: Daniel Horowitz (Diary)  |  April 18th, 2012 at 10:45 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Senator Kent Conrad has finally made it clear that he has no intentions of passing a budget resolution.  He will offer the “Simpson-Bowles plan” without allowing any amendments or even a committee vote, much less a floor vote.  That’s some budget resolution.  Without a budget resolution to guide the topline spending numbers, the Senate Appropriations Committee has already begun markups on the 12 appropriations bills at the subcommittee level.

It goes without saying that Senate Republicans wouldn’t reward this behavior by voting for their approps bills – spending bills that fail to eliminate a single wasteful program or agency within the burgeoning government bureaucracy.  There is no way they would help grant Harry Reid superior leverage over their allies in the House like they did last year, right?

Wrong.

Of the 14 Republicans on the full committee, which includes Mitch McConnell, there is only one conservative.  That would be the most junior senator, Ron Johnson.  As CQ reports, Ron Johnson was the only no vote against the Transportation-HUD (subcommittee roster) and Commerce-Justice Science (subcommittee roster) approps bills – the first two spending bills considered yesterday.  Those bills are typically approved by voice vote, but Johnson forced a roll call recorded vote on the spending bills.

Republicans who are too scared to declare which department they would be willing to cut usually opt for individual expenditures like Amtrak, when pressed to offer specific cuts.  These bills continue to fund numerous wasteful and unconstitutional programs, including failed entities like Amtrak.

If there are any more leaks about Ron Johnson, we’ll know where they’re coming from.

Cross-posted from The Madison Project

Tags: , , ,
Get Alerts

COMMENTS

POSTING RULES  |  LOGIN TO COMMENT  |  REGISTER TODAY
  • YnotNOW

    and replace many of the “establishment” Republicans with true conservatives.
    I know many here are anxious and do not want to wait, but the Senate changes very slowly, and we must stay in the battle for the long haul.

    • General_Confusion

      We are about send moderate backup to McConnell and Boehner in the form of Romney. The party has spoken and steady as she goes, go along, get along seems to be the order of the day.

      If we couldn’t push back this time I’m not sure what will be different next time. The 2010 midterms were great but leadership pushed back hard, closed ranks with the dems and told the conservatives to sit down and shut up. Needless to say the efforts of the tea party types was not appreciated.

      • davesinsanantonio

        to both houses of Congress, and to statehouses and city halls.

        But, understand that if we do elect conservatives to Congress, Mitt Romney will not veto their conservative bills. He may not suggest such, and he may not even like such, but he will sign them (or at least let them become law without his signature).

        Mitt Romney will not be the problem, current leadership is, and will remain in the future, the roadblock to any strong conservative push.

        So GOTV for all the real conservatives who are running for either house of Congress.

      • YnotNOW

        Staying prepared for the “long haul” is exactly what my post was encouraging. Don’t put too much hope in any one election cycle – such as your disappointment in Romney. Instead, consider him a small step in the right direction (i.e. at least he’s better than Obama), and then work toward the “better” replacement in the future.

        One of the reasons why we have to settle for such a “disappointment” at the top of the ticket, is that we have to take more time to develop our “farm team” of conservatives that will be ready for higher office in a few years. Ron Johnson is a prime example, and I would also include Rubio, Jindal, Rand Paul, and a host of other “new” conservative faces.

        Set realistic expectations for short-term, and work to make the outlook better for the long term.

        • bbee12

          Changes will take 1 election at a time. #1 change must be give and take which is not happening now.

          • YnotNOW

            is indeed happening – it just happens that you object to the “compromise” candidate that came out of the give-and-take between the conservative and moderate wings of the Republican party.

            Yes, take 1 election at a time. But don’t expect 1 election or 1 candidate to lead to nirvana – expect them to take 1 step forward in the right direction, and then continue into the next election cycle to take 1 more step.

        • arthurjake

          When things dont get the least bit better with him in office if he will loose the next term. We are almost better off with him losing than we only have a liberal for another for years instead of at least 8 running the country.

          • YnotNOW

            That alone is enough for me to work very hard to elect Romney over Obama.

            There are so many other reasons as well, that I refuse to take the time to type them out for you.

  • RichmondG30

    nt

  • clintonformccain

    meet the spending guidelines agreed to under the poison pill arrangement?

  • apilee

    Support the Senate Conservatives Fund or other good coservative candidates! Let some congressmen (and women) find out what unemployment is like.

  • celador2

    I was impressed with the Britt Hume interview of Chr Conrad and committee member Johnsonone Sunday. Conrad repeated the Bowles- Simpson Debt Deal was better than a budget resolution. Ron Johnson disagreed. For a rookie Johnson is grounded, single minded and confident, He is a man on a mission to get spending under control because he thinks that tasks is do-able..

    Sen Conrad is retirng after years of service while Sen Ron Johnson ran for a leadership post against seniority/ Blunt and got 22 votes. Johnson’s DEBT CONCERNS and plans for a real time budget may benefit from the new make up of the Senate after 2012 as GOP with conservatives concerned with debt may pick up seats.

    In other words, the discussion on more gridlock on a budget may not be a done deal year after year but a dynamic debate very soon with more conservatives added to the Senate who do want an old fashioned ‘budget resolution’ just as does Ron Johnson..
    .
    Thanks to Ron Johnson, Hume, RS and all who bring the Senate budget gridlock to our attention.

  • bgintn

    for the continuing information on our RINO Alexander.
    Next vote cycle he is in our sights, time to go.

    AGENDA 21 the hydra-headed monster again.

    Summary: Fiscal Year 2013 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill

    Promoting sustainable communities
    Sustainable Communities Initiative: $50 million within HUD?s Community Development Fund for the Sustainable Communities Initiative to promote integrated housing and transportation planning. Joining HUD in this initiative will be the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency. The funding included in the bill will provide grants for integrated housing and transportation planning efforts on both the regional and local level.

    Can anyone explain and justify this?
    5 to 7 questions that need to be asked in 2020?

    Fiscal Year 2013 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations

    Bureau of the Census ? The bill provides $970 million for Census. This is $82 million above the fiscal year 2012 level, and fully supports core programs, like the Economic Census, while providing cost reduction guidance for planning the 2020 decennial census.

  • ihateliberals

    The likes of McConnell, McCain, Boehner, Karl Rove etc. are not RINO’s they are Left-Wing Republicans. They activity fight against conservatives just like the Liberal Democrats do. When you look at their voting records and the Bills they support you will find they only vote for conservative values 40% of the time. (Heritage Foundation) John Boehner attacked the Tea Party members that put him in office from the git-go. From the very beginning in January 2011 the Democrats only wanted $30 Billion cut from the 2011 budget While the Republicans had announced they wanted $100 Billion cut. After many negotiations and behind closed doors the final bill passed was for $33 billion. Go Figure. This has been true wih most of the bills passed by this congress. whatever the Democrats want they just have to wait and Boehner caves and gives it to them. It’s like Pelosi never left except you don’t have to listen to her stupidity.

    • celador2

      After the 2012 elections it is possible a new crop of constitutional conservatives will be part of the Senate debate on a ‘budget resolution’ as put forward by conservatives like Johnson. If not we all settle with accomodation as usual.

      Will new members vote to retain Mitch McConnell as their Senate leader when they were elected to balance the books and cut spending?

      Conservatives get just so far with leadership like MItch that is entrenched.If Republicans are winners of the majority the leadership post will be even more important. How the new Senate picks its leaders after 2012 will say a lot. Seniority matters and I hope they all hold it in high regard.

      But seniority used as a stonewall tactic is unrepublican!

      GOP Senators may have to stand up for the constituents who sent them to Dc to work, not just fall into crippling tradition that serves to silence the election message of 2012 by retaining McConnell as Leader

      .

    • ghostship

      It’s us.

      Unfortunately, Conservatives tend to be more reactive instead of proactive. Conservatives as a group tend to focus much more on stopping and slowing down the Progressives agenda than pushing our own. It’s a defensive mindset vs an offensive one and short term thinking vs long.

      We as a nation are at the two minute warning of the final quarter and we’re down by 25. It’s time to go big or go home and it seems that the republicans in Washington have already got their bags packed.