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drwex(Aside: LJ is being bad lately - I'm not getting post/comment notification emails and I'm having that thing happen where I load my friends page once and see posts A-C-D-F then reload and see A-B-C-D-E-F. If I do not respond to what you write, this might be a factor.)
Obama got some props for finally showing a bit of backbone in standing up to the batshit insane faction that were holding the country hostage in an effort to deny people health insurance a bit ago. A bit late, but still.
Now it seems that Boehner has finally had enough. Reporters (see NPR's version) are a-flutter that he's taken to lambasting the loony wing of the House himself. And it's not just those who've gotten elected on nominally Republican tickets (though I still maintain that in a proper democracy they'd go ahead and form a third party). He's also annoyed with the Tea Party-identified pressure groups.
I've been saying for almost two years that the Republican party is at war with itself. Having leaders like Boenher who demonstrated apparently infinite patience for intra-party subversion made it seem less like all-out war but maybe that's finally over. I don't think Mr Boehner and I would agree on a whole lot but he does seem like a guy who understands how to get things done and what compromises are possible. I suspect that if he didn't have the Party of "No, Especially When It Comes From That Scary Black Man" throwing sand in the gears he probably would have gotten more accomplished. After he won re-election as Speaker last time he made some moves that should have put his rank and file on notice that it was time to close their differences. When they didn't, Boehner went along in ways that probably made him seem like a pushover.
I think he just might be done with that, now.
In other political news, the Senate Republicans have been doing their best to drag out the process and keep their colleagues as miserable as possible in order to state their unhappiness. I am both annoyed and heartened by this. I'm heartened that a minority party has found other ways to make its voice heard, but annoyed that they're applying it in an arbitrary and blanket way rather than targeting things that they feel really matter. It's too easy to dismiss this as "stalling tactics" when they attempt to block every single thing rather than drawing attention to issues and items of the most importance.
I get that the Republicans are worried about Obama filling judicial vacancies in key Circuits because they see those spots as launching pads for future Supreme Court nominees. But holding up the appointment of the Secretary of the Air Force because you are concerned about future SCOTUS plays is just dumb. Republicans seem to need continual "how not to look dumb" lessons.
There's news that the parties' Senate leadership will be meeting this weekend to try and get things moving again. In my opinion the best possible outcome would be for Reid to agree to roll back some of the filibuster changes in exchange for an agreement not to obstruct Presidential political appointments. I see no Constitutional justification for blocking the Commander-in-Chief's ability to have the military leaders they choose. However, given that Reid got double-crossed last time he did a compromise on these issues I think that's unlikely.
Obama got some props for finally showing a bit of backbone in standing up to the batshit insane faction that were holding the country hostage in an effort to deny people health insurance a bit ago. A bit late, but still.
Now it seems that Boehner has finally had enough. Reporters (see NPR's version) are a-flutter that he's taken to lambasting the loony wing of the House himself. And it's not just those who've gotten elected on nominally Republican tickets (though I still maintain that in a proper democracy they'd go ahead and form a third party). He's also annoyed with the Tea Party-identified pressure groups.
I've been saying for almost two years that the Republican party is at war with itself. Having leaders like Boenher who demonstrated apparently infinite patience for intra-party subversion made it seem less like all-out war but maybe that's finally over. I don't think Mr Boehner and I would agree on a whole lot but he does seem like a guy who understands how to get things done and what compromises are possible. I suspect that if he didn't have the Party of "No, Especially When It Comes From That Scary Black Man" throwing sand in the gears he probably would have gotten more accomplished. After he won re-election as Speaker last time he made some moves that should have put his rank and file on notice that it was time to close their differences. When they didn't, Boehner went along in ways that probably made him seem like a pushover.
I think he just might be done with that, now.
In other political news, the Senate Republicans have been doing their best to drag out the process and keep their colleagues as miserable as possible in order to state their unhappiness. I am both annoyed and heartened by this. I'm heartened that a minority party has found other ways to make its voice heard, but annoyed that they're applying it in an arbitrary and blanket way rather than targeting things that they feel really matter. It's too easy to dismiss this as "stalling tactics" when they attempt to block every single thing rather than drawing attention to issues and items of the most importance.
I get that the Republicans are worried about Obama filling judicial vacancies in key Circuits because they see those spots as launching pads for future Supreme Court nominees. But holding up the appointment of the Secretary of the Air Force because you are concerned about future SCOTUS plays is just dumb. Republicans seem to need continual "how not to look dumb" lessons.
There's news that the parties' Senate leadership will be meeting this weekend to try and get things moving again. In my opinion the best possible outcome would be for Reid to agree to roll back some of the filibuster changes in exchange for an agreement not to obstruct Presidential political appointments. I see no Constitutional justification for blocking the Commander-in-Chief's ability to have the military leaders they choose. However, given that Reid got double-crossed last time he did a compromise on these issues I think that's unlikely.
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no subject
Date: 2013-12-14 07:24 am (UTC)i think there are several dozen.
and at different times they Get To political creatures and wave what ever lure they need.
and then time goes buy and Group 2 comes up with Thing.
I want to find out who got to Barry Obama and what they threatened/tempted him with. and how often.