A song, titled: “War (Huh … What is it Good For?)” was hugely popular in the late 60’s. Paraphrased, the song asks the same question about both houses of Congress. In the song, the answer immediately follows the question and applies to Congress as well: “Absolutely nothing.”
On Wednesday night the Senate, controlled by Harry Reid, okayed another temporary measure to end the government shutdown, thereby jacking up the debt ceiling and allowing runaway government spending by The Lyin’ King’s regime through February 7, 2014. Obamacare remains intact. Reid didn’t get the trillion dollar borrowing limit he wanted; he only got in excess of $990 billion. What a win for the people!
This “same-old, same-old” temporary “fix” was dubbed a triumph of bi-partisan compromise. On Wednesday, The Washington Times reported Harry Reid’s self-serving political-speak: “The compromise we reached will provide our economy with the stability it desperately needs,” The Washington Times translated: “For Republicans, the deal was more about getting an embarrassing couple of weeks behind them than in being able to claim victory in a deal that they felt compelled to make.”
Mitch McConnell decided that airing his underbelly, while his paws waved in the air, was necessary: “It’s my hope that today we can put some of those most urgent issues behind us …” One can be certain that, at least, is true. Because the American people got nothing for their pains.
Harry Reid is hardly a newcomer to mind-boggling hyperbole. The RINOs outdid him. So convinced are the statists that their positions within the ruling class are secure that they actually applauded the efforts of Mitch McConnell, insuring passage of this utter rubbish. Reid affirmed that the bill “would not have been possible” without his “good friend” McConnell. Doubtless true, but all that tells us is that Reid, McConnell and the rest of the ruling class have set the bar for public contempt even higher than it was before. My Way reports: “… top advocates say they’ve seen virtually no change in the political dynamics that stymied past efforts for a compromise to end the cycle of brinksmanship and threats to harm the economy… ‘We’re probably going to have to go through this a few more times,’ said Bob Bixby of the bipartisan Concord Coalition, which advocates budget reforms. Even if a compromise plan this month wins House, Senate and White House approval, Bixby said, it will leave fundamental problems that ‘they haven’t done anything to address’.”
In short, kick-the-can-down-the-road, business as usual.
The House has, as expected, folded like a cheap suit bringing the embarrassing display of political kabuki theater to a pathetic close. FOX News reported: “House Speaker John Boehner said Wednesday that the House ‘absolutely’ will take up the new Senate budget plan — even if he has to rely on mostly Democrats to pass it — and that he expects the partial government shutdown to end by Thursday. Boehner commented in an interview with Cincinnati radio station WLW-AM. ‘We fought the good fight. We just didn’t win,’.”
That statement would have been more convincing if anyone had believed John Boehner even knew how to spell “fight” much less could’ve put up his political dukes. Boehner proved, Wednesday night, that he is, if nothing else, a man of his word.
A titanic battle for Frank Lautenberg’s vacant Senate seat in New Jersey is taking place as of this writing. Cory Booker vs. Steve Lonegan. By Thursday, it will all be over. One could reasonably argue that Reid applied screws to the Senate Wednesday in order to draw attention away from a race that might narrow the Democrat stranglehold in the Senate.
McConnell, not so stupidly, helped spread the smokescreen. It appears Kentucky received several billions of dollars in the newly agreed upon measure … coincidentally, no doubt.
Democrats have not permitted the passage of anything but stop-gap, continuing resolutions in over four years. Passing a permanent budget is Congress’ primary, Constitutional responsibility. But Republicans in Congress , with few exceptions, are equally reprehensible.
Like the song says, Congress is worth “Absolutely nothing”.
