It's fine if Republicans find their ideology compatible with Democrats'. They simply need to immediately file paperwork making their Democrat status official.
10/30/13, "Republicans Demonstrate No Strategy or Desire to Win at Sebelius Hearing," Rush Limbaugh
"RUSH: Okay, so let me ask you a quick question. Have you been watching the Sebelius hearings today? Good. Tell me what you think....I'm getting e-mails, "Boy, this Sebelius, oh, is she looking bad. Oh, my God, it's embarrassing. Oh, jeez..."...
And my friends, I'm sorry, but I have a different take. I mean, she does look all that, but are there any Republicans there? There are? Really? I haven't seen any evidence of it. There's some Republicans at that hearing? Really? They've got a purpose? They've got a strategy?...Everybody's now caught up in whether Obama knows the details of this or not, and I'm just gonna tell you, he doesn't care. He doesn't care. Mao Tse-tung didn't know the details, all of them. Neither did Fidel.
I'm just saying these guys have a different agenda. The details don't matter. The chaos is what's crucial here, and with every new day of chaos, they're closer to what they really want, which is single payer. And if the Republicans don't understand that, they can nail Sebelius all day long and they're not gonna accomplish anything. That's all I'm saying.
Now before we go to the audio sound bites, let me give you a quick overview, just a quick review of the hearings today, folks, with Kathleen Sebelius. I didn't hear it all....But what I saw alarmed me a little bit. It didn't seem to me that the Republicans were organized or prepared and the Democrats are.
They're constantly, always moving their agenda forward. They're always moving their ideology forward. They always have a plan; they're always on the attack. We've got a gold mine here, and we're not using it. I didn't hear a question -- and there could have been one asked. I didn't hear a question about any no-bid contracts. I didn't hear any Republican say, "Look, if you guys can't even launch the website, if you guys can't even get a website up and running, how in the world you gonna run one-sixth of the US economy?"
It's like they're afraid to. It's like there's still a fear of going after Obama, or going after Sebelius, just from the consultant level of the party or whoever's running the Republican Party. There seems to be some instruction that's gone out from on high to back off. "Don't even get close to making it look like it's personal! Don't be mean!" I'm at a loss. Well, no. I'm not at a loss to understand it. I know exactly what's going on. There is no Republican ideology is what is going on.
There is no Republican strategy. There is no ideology. Now, it may well be that there is a strategy. It could well be that whoever came up with this idea that, "Well, this thing's in the middle of the imploding. Just back out and let it." Maybe that's the instruction that's gone out. "You know, don't be mean, don't be critical, 'cause this thing's imploding itself, and it'll go down," and that's such a big mistake. Because with every new day of chaos, Obama and the Democrats are getting closer to what they want, which is single payer....
I didn't hear any ideological questions whatsoever. I didn't hear anything. In fact, one Republican I heard (I don't remember his name) said, "My constituents want to be able to buy insurance, and you're making it impossible."
What are you saying, bud? Your constituents do not want them! He was from Texas. I saw that. "My constituents want to be able to buy health insurance and they want to be able to go to your website to do it."
No, they don't want to go to this website. What is this guy talking about? It's very frustrating for me. Sebelius is clearly being hung out to dry here. She is clearly the fall girl. She's gonna survive. Obama's not gonna get rid of her....I don't know that the Republicans did much damage.
A few of 'em gave her hell on the basis of incompetence and the website and this kind of thing? Okay. (interruption) People are losing their policies. Okay. All right. Fine....Snerdley's here defending some of them. "Well, they went after her." I guess the question then is, "Okay, people watching this want to scrub it now?" Well, okay If people watching this do not want to get rid of Obamacare, then this is not a factor.
It's all I'm saying.
Republicans had a chance here to try to convince people, "We don't want this. We have to find a way to get rid of it. It's hurting too many people," whatever -- and if the people watching do not have as a take-away that we want to get rid of this, then no damage done, right? That's my take on it. You might say the Republicans don't want to win. I've talked to professional athletes about the concept of knowing how to win.
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The first one that ever explained it to me in a way that made sense was Danny Ainge of the Phoenix Suns. It's not enough that you have great talent. It's not enough that everybody on the team's great. You've got to know how to win. It's an attitude combined with a desire -- and then after you win, you have to want to be in the position of having won without any guilt, without any regrets. It's the old saw about some people afraid of success because they simply don't have enough confidence in themselves.
So when they do experience success, what they end up telling themselves is, "It's not deserved, it's not warranted," and therefore it isn't gonna last....It's not really success," and they talk themselves out of it. I think there is a pervasive attitude in the Republican Party right now that they can't win. They don't think they can win because of the media, they don't think they can win because of whatever -- and if they don't think they can win, they're not gonna try to.
Knowing how to win is a really key thing, and the Democrats don't have any problems like that. They don't care. They'll lie. They're Alinskyites. They will lie, they'll make things up, they'll even hurt their own people in the process, as long as they win what they want -- and it is their people, along with everybody else, being hurt by this fiasco. But guess what has been learned? There is, in fact, a pretty big union carve-out in Obamacare where they are not subject to all of the things that are happening right now.
They've got their subsidies.
So a big Obama constituency, along with members of Congress and their staff, are exempt. But there are a lot of Democrats being hurt. We've had the stories from the news yesterday. Individuals told their stories of how they lost their insurance. Some of these of people are Democrats. A lot of them are. A lot of them voted for Obama, and a lot of them have said they wouldn't do it again. Democrats don't care about their own people being hurt here because their objective is to get single payer....
When this day of hearings is over, the American people ought to be rising up demanding this thing be scrubbed. That's the opportunity we had here, and apparently Republicans don't look at it that way."
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House Energy and Commerce Committee members
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Comment: I looked at the list of Republicans on this committee starting with pathetic Chairman Fred Upton and immediately understood why the hearings were a waste of time and a disservice to Americans who paid for them. GOP House Speaker Boehner believes GOP House members must do what Obama wants or at minimum give him no problems. A significant number of GOP names on this committee would have no problem with that or at minimum are more eager to please Mr. Boehner than the voters who elected them. It's fine if the GOP establishment wants the same things democrats want--big government, crony capitalism, and permanent, dependent voters--as long as they immediately file paperwork and make their democrat status official. The US can't survive without a healthy 2 party system.
Shortly after Obama’s 2012 re-election the NY Times was given access to contents of a 'private' meeting conducted by GOP House Speaker Boehner. GOP House members agreed with Boehner they must do what Obama wants. Perhaps as a reminder of what befalls those who don't follow orders, the Times notes Boehner raised $100 million for select 2012 House campaigns:
12/6/12, “Boehner gains strong backing from House Republicans,” NY Times, Steinhauer
“Many House Republicans appear to view Mr. Boehner with the same sort of respect that adult children award their parents for the sage counsel they ignored in their younger days.…
On Wednesday, in a private meeting between Mr. Boehner and House Republicans, member after member spoke in support of him, in some cases saying a deal they would have rejected six months ago would most likely be taken today.
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“I want to be a strong advocate and say that I am with the speaker,” said Representative Scott Rigell of Virginia, a House freshman. “I am with the leadership.”
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Further helping Mr. Boehner, at least for now, is the sense that he is no longer forced to look constantly over his shoulder,
fearing a counterproductive move by Representative Eric Cantor of
Virginia, the majority leader who has spent much of the past two years
quietly maneuvering around Mr. Boehner.
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Mr. Cantor signed on this week to Mr. Boehner’s package including $800 billion in new revenue, putting him squarely on the same page with the speaker. Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin,
the chairman of the Budget Committee and recent vice-presidential
candidate whom many of the most conservative members look to for cues, also signed on.
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That proposal, along with the speaker’s approval of a decision to strip plum committee assignments from four members who consistently voted against the leadership,
has brought great consternation from conservative groups and
influential conservatives outside the House. But Mr. Boehner and the
majority of his members seem willing to ignore the outcry.
Then there is the not-small matter of fund-raising:
Mr. Boehner, who on Wednesday spoke briefly by phone with Mr. Obama about the budget standoff, raised nearly $100 million for Republican House candidates this election cycle, including incumbents, further securing good will.
Then there is the not-small matter of fund-raising:
- [Ed. note: The so-called 'crisis' was for show. The GOP 'gave in' to smooth the road for Obama's re-election. The 2011 "debt ceiling agreement" postponed substantive matters until after the 2012 election.]
(continuing): “Our members understand the serious issues this country faces,” Mr. Boehner said Wednesday, when asked about the shift in his conference. “They understand that we’ve got to solve this problem, and we will.”
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Several Republicans said Wednesday that the combination of the onerous nature of the potential tax increases and spending cuts and the realities of the recent election combined to bolster Mr. Boehner’s support.
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“I think the presidential election has something to do with it,” said Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.
- “We understand that we’re going to have to deal with Obama for four more years.
Also, there is an understanding that this is a very serious situation.“”…
- [Ed. note: No surprise Kinzinger is front and center nullifying his own election as ordered by Boehner. Establishment Republicans donated to Kinzinger's campaign in 2012 against a Tea Party supported candidate and he won.]
(continuing): “Over the last two years, many
conservative members, buoyed by a group of freshmen who constantly moved
the bar for Mr. Boehner on budget negotiations, seemed to drive much of
the House agenda, assuming that a Republican would occupy the White House next year.”…
- [Ed. note: The Times says House Republicans did what they did from Nov. 2010 to Nov. 2012 because they assumed a "Republican" would win the 2012 election. First, House members are only elected for two year terms. Many don't even know if they'll be there after Nov. 2012. Congressmen are supposed to serve the people who elected them, not an imaginary future president.]
(continuing): “But with Mitt Romney’s and Mr. Ryan’s White House dreams dashed, Mr. Boehner resumes the role of the titular head of his party here, and many
“He is the de facto negotiator for the party,” said
Representative Trey Gowdy of South Carolina,
who along with other lawmakers from his state has given Mr. Boehner headaches in the past.“…
- [Ed. note: Trey Gowdy fans, barf alert.]
(continuing, NY Times): ““Perhaps I am practicing the grace that comes from watching someone try to do
Further, many members saw some of their loudest oppositional colleagues marginalized or voted out of office, like Representative Joe Walsh of Illinois.”…
- [Ed. note: The GOP was helped by its pals on the left which spent heavily against Joe Walsh. Another barf alert: GOP congressman Tiberi is described as newly "resigned" before the power of Boehner:]
(continuing): “In turn, members who have previously supported Mr. Boehner without comment
“I think many of us who were being quiet two summers ago are going to call it for what it is,” said Representative Pat Tiberi, Republican of Ohio. It is Mr. Obama, not Mr. Boehner, he said, who should be the focus of Republican ire.
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Mr. Tiberi was at once resigned and hopeful.
a rare opportunity
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Comment: “Much leverage?” You’re the House. You have 100% veto proof power on allocating and withholding money. You have a radical left president in a second term who’s already achieved his stated goal of ‘fundamentally transforming America’ and who never has to face voters again. The duplicitous GOP seeks to deprive citizens of checks and balances authorized by the government they pay for. At minimum, everything a radical left president proposes should simply be turned down. A President can still do whatever he wants by Executive Order and regulation. If Obama’s is the only election that counts, fine, then go home! As to “getting something done,” when the GOP says it wants to “get something done,“ (parag. 7) it means screw the people and reward cronies and the radical left.
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Comment: “Much leverage?” You’re the House. You have 100% veto proof power on allocating and withholding money. You have a radical left president in a second term who’s already achieved his stated goal of ‘fundamentally transforming America’ and who never has to face voters again. The duplicitous GOP seeks to deprive citizens of checks and balances authorized by the government they pay for. At minimum, everything a radical left president proposes should simply be turned down. A President can still do whatever he wants by Executive Order and regulation. If Obama’s is the only election that counts, fine, then go home! As to “getting something done,” when the GOP says it wants to “get something done,“ (parag. 7) it means screw the people and reward cronies and the radical left.
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Citation re: Aug. 2011 debt deal merely smoothed the road for Obama’s re-election:
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8/1/2011, “Debt-ceiling disaster postponed – but not for long,” John Case, peoplesworld.org
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NPR is as thrilled as the NY Times about the Boehner-Obama team:
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12/8/12, “Once Boxed-In, Boehner May Finally Be Master Of The House,” NPR, Frank James
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The House has 100% authority on funding:
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10/2/13, “Obamacare can be defunded without Senate approval,“ Examiner, Christopher Collins
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8/1/2011, “Debt-ceiling disaster postponed – but not for long,” John Case, peoplesworld.org
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NPR is as thrilled as the NY Times about the Boehner-Obama team:
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12/8/12, “Once Boxed-In, Boehner May Finally Be Master Of The House,” NPR, Frank James
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The House has 100% authority on funding:
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10/2/13, “Obamacare can be defunded without Senate approval,“ Examiner, Christopher Collins
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6/24/13, “Dems Unlikely to Target Boehner in 2014 Messaging,” Real Clear Politics, Caitlin Huey-Burns
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2/20/13, “As Country Club Republicans Link Up With The Democratic Ruling Class, Millions Of Voters Are Orphaned,” Angelo Codevilla, Forbes
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“Increasingly the top people in government, corporations, and the media collude and demand submission as did the royal courts of old.”…
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“Increasingly the top people in government, corporations, and the media collude and demand submission as did the royal courts of old.”…
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Added: Two days after Obama’s re-election John Boehner enthused that ObamaCare was “the law of the land” simply due to Obama’s re-election. ObamaCare isn’t the law of the land, isn’t legal to this day. Among other things, Mr. Boehner failed his constitutional duty to hold a vote in the House up or down on ObamaCare as a tax.
- 11/8/13, “John Boehner: ‘Obamacare is the law of the land’,” Politico, David Nather
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