Patterico's Pontifications

3/3/2015

GOP Utterly Caves on Amnesty/DHS Funding

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 6:00 pm



Raise your hand if you’re surprised.

I see no hands.

96 Responses to “GOP Utterly Caves on Amnesty/DHS Funding”

  1. Ding.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  2. A country without a border will soon cease to be a a country at all. And on this, we have the likes of Boehner, the Bushes, McCain, Graham, et al to blame. They have gotten away with softpedaling enforcement for their money guys since 1986. At a loss how it is our feckless pols are more inclined to represent illegals than American citizens. How do these bastards look at themselves in the mirror? Disgraceful, and typical.

    Bugg (bd9445)

  3. It’s odd how at once everyone knew this was going to happen but we still needed to have the Kabuki rage, leaving the ragers in a worse off position.

    sing (bbbfe8)

  4. I am not much of a fan of Boehner. But this fiasco rests solidly in the laps of McConnell and the senate as far as I am concerned.

    elissa (732606)

  5. The GOP did not cave. The Speaker caved. 70% of the House Republicans voted NO. Boehner may have one the vote, but to quote Disraeli, he lost the party.

    He should resign.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  6. I am not much of a fan of Boehner. But this fiasco rests solidly in the laps of McConnell and the senate as far as I am concerned.

    Fire them both. I have been supporting of both of them up to now, and I view this as an utter betrayal. McConnell seeks comity with people would would burn him alive if they could get away with it, and Boehner has no fire in his belly at all.

    To hell with both of them.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  7. The GOP Hall of Shame

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  8. Rule 22, …allows any House member (Pelosi) to force a vote on a bill if the Senate refuses to create a conference committee. Senate Democrats filibustered the creation of a conference committee on Monday evening, thwarting the process by which the House and Senate might have ironed out the differences between the DHS appropriations bills passed by the two chambers. The original House bill blocked funding for the implementation of Obama’s 2012 and 2014 executive orders on immigration. The Senate bill did not block funding for the president’s amnesty.

    Boehner: “As you’ve heard me say a number of times, the House has done its job by passing legislation to fund DHS and block the president’s executive actions on immigration,” he reminded the conference. “Unfortunately, the fight was never won in the other chamber. Democrats stayed united and blocked our bill, and our Republican colleagues in the Senate never found a way to win this fight. The three-week CR we offered would have kept this fight going and allowed us to continue to put pressure on Senate Democrats to do the right thing. Unfortunately, that plan was rejected.”

    http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/414730/boehner-executive-amnesty-will-continue-be-litigated-courts-joel-gehrke?target=author&tid=1211296

    elissa (732606)

  9. I am surprised it happened so soon. I expected much dramatic wailing on Wednesday or Thursday and a final surrender on Friday.

    kishnevi (9c4b9c)

  10. Boehner may have WON the vote, but to quote Disraeli, he lost the party.

    sheesh.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  11. McConnell had the nuclear option and did not use it. Once the senate caved it was over. Period.

    elissa (732606)

  12. The key thing is to remember who voted with Boehner to pass this horrific betrayal of the Constitution. The good news is that 167 Republicans voted NO. This is better than two out of three. The rest, including Boehner, need to be made to understand that they are not Republicans. Professional Federal Pensioners, perhaps, but not the sort of fellows who fought the Civil War.

    The Blaze has this list of those who put themselves before their county. Personally, McSally is a real disappointment, as is McMorris Rogers.

    I’m sure that Boehner emphasized that they were hostages and this was the best route for everyone. This is called the Stockholm Syndrome by those who don’t like to call it like it is. These fools were weaklings and cowards.

    The question that I am pondering is whether we would be better off in the long run with a minority of 167. As things stand now, all of Obola’s failures will become a “bipartisan” effort, meaning 75 cowards plus all the rest of the Democrats support the administration. The country might be better of if the Republican Party actually stood for something. Like Constitutional government, for example.

    bobathome (cb0d92)

  13. With friends like this …

    JD (86a5eb)

  14. Rule 22 did not force Boehner to vote Aye. If Pelosi forced the vote, he should have whipped all GOP members to vote against, and start all over. Instead he led the way.
    Is there a way to force a Speaker to quit in mid session?

    kishnevi (adea75)

  15. I actually am surprised, and here’s why. Although the GOP took the blame (thanks, MSM) after the last prior shutdown, IT DIDN’T HURT THEM AT THE NEXT ELECTION.

    Now was the time to have risked popular disapproval. If anything, the need was stronger than before because Obama’s amnesty via DHS is plainly unconstitutional. (The only other option, impeachment, would fail if tried and would only have installed a certifiable lunatic as President if it did succeed.)

    No courage. None.

    Mitch (bfd5cd)

  16. I don’t disagree with you about this Kish. Neither he nor McConnell deserves a pass.

    elissa (732606)

  17. The Chamber of Commerce and their Congress need to be deposed. Hopefully we can do it through elections before they kill our republic.

    Steve Malynn (6b1ce5)

  18. “… not the sort of fellows who fought the Civil War.”

    They are EXACTLY that sort of fellows.

    Matador (3f9cd7)

  19. #Unexpectedly!

    redc1c4 (dab236)

  20. U. S. Grant is about as far removed from Boehner as I can imagine. Grant had more in common with Lee than he does with our current Republican leadership.

    What in the world is your point?

    bobathome (cb0d92)

  21. I didn’t raise my hand, but can I write an essay on “How Bibi’s Speech Saved Boehner’s Behind” for extra credit?

    Patricia (5fc097)

  22. A country without a border will soon cease to be a a country at all.

    But far more crucially (and worse) is what’s on the other side of that border. Let’s be honest. If Mexico were a historically prosperous, stable, well-educated, crime-free, corruption-free society — if it were like, say, Switzerland with tacos — then keeping a wary eye on that border wouldn’t be quite so understandable.

    However, there’s an upside to all this: At least most people in Mexico and their immigrant brethren in the US tend to be sensible, upwardly-mobile, right-leaning voters. Yea, uh-huh.

    Mark (c160ec)

  23. However, there’s an upside to all this: At least most people in Mexico and their immigrant brethren in the US tend to be sensible, upwardly-mobile, right-leaning voters. Yea, uh-huh.

    and i’m a shoe in for Miss America 2015.

    redc1c4 (dab236)

  24. Mr. Lincoln, and his henchman, had no more respect for the Constitution than those you rightly criticize. They wanted what they wanted, didn’t give an itshay about the means.

    That, in the world, is my point.

    Matador (3f9cd7)

  25. Thanks for the clarification, Matador. I was always a little dubious about Lincoln’s decision to fire on Fort Sumter, but, as you say, a man’s got to do what he’s got to do.

    bobathome (cb0d92)

  26. I still say that the injunction may hold for months and the DHS bill could have stipulated that it was good until the injunction was reversed. I haven’t read the details but I think the funding bill could have contained such language and did not. They should have done so and the failure to include such language will result in the GOP being blamed later if the deal falls apart.

    Strategic thinking is not a GOP strength,

    Mike K (90dfdc)

  27. If only we could have defeated slavery this easily.

    sing (bbbfe8)

  28. Boehner is just as responsible for this crap as McConnell. It’s been a foregone conclusion for months.

    http://www.redstate.com/2014/12/04/boehner-scrambling-find-democrat-votes-cromnibus/

    …To a great extent one of the best outcomes, other than Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) using his newly acquired Obamacare coverage to have some of Erick’s gifts surgically attached, would be for the Democrats to pull the rug out from under Boehner, leaving him holding a bill that has the support of neither the GOP nor the Democrats.

    http://blogs.rollcall.com/218/boehner-suggests-he-wont-cave-to-conservatives-on-cromnibus/

    …Conservatives are bashing the cromnibus — which would fund all elements of government until October except the Department of Homeland Security, which would be funded until March or February — because it does not block President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration.

    …Boehner pledged to fight Obama’s executive action “tooth and nail.” Asked on Thursday just how sharp those teeth and nails are — if Republicans were really doing enough to stop the president — Boehner didn’t seem eager to give in to conservatives.

    …Asked how Republicans might actually block the executive action, Boehner said there were “a lot of options on the table.

    “And I’m not going to get into hypotheticals into what we could or couldn’t do,” Boehner said, “but I do know this: Come January, we’ll have a Republican House and a Republican Senate — and we’ll be in the stronger position to take actions.”

    But Boehner also said there were “limited options in terms of how we can deal with this,” and many Republicans believe that by not blocking the president’s immigration action, Republicans are condoning it. And by giving in now, in December, it makes it less likely that Republicans will fight the action later, in February or March…

    Even before the cromnibus passed the Republicans’ options to oppose Obama were already limited. By passing the cromnibus, Boehner made sure they were non-existent. And it worked out exactly like Boehner’s critics said it would, didn’t it?

    The fix was in back in December. How long is it going to be until people wake up and realize McConnell and Boehner aren’t be outmaneuvered by Obama? They’re getting exactly what they want out of this. Giving the donor class what it has always wanted, which is what Obama wants but for different reasons, while stringing conservatives along with some story about how they just can’t beat the Dems while Obama is preezy.

    Steve57 (127339)

  29. 2. A country without a border will soon cease to be a a country at all…

    Bugg (bd9445) — 3/3/2015 @ 6:26 pm

    That’s what fundamentally transformed means.

    Steve57 (127339)

  30. Mark just called Switzerland “a corruption-free society.”

    Leviticus (5b58c7)

  31. #27: sing, I’m not sure I understand. The “we” that defeated slavery was the Republican Party, mainly Lincoln and Grant with a bit of help from Sherman, and probably over a million wounded and dead patriots who gave their all. The Republican Party was just humiliated because of the failures of their (our?) leadership. Not unlike the first few commanders of the Army of Potomac 150 years ago. But I wouldn’t saw “we” defeated ourselves, there was no need to defeat anything. “We” just gave up.

    Not unlike the path that the administration is pursuing to give Iran nuclear weapons. The Iranians really didn’t need to defeat us. We just gave up.

    But if you’re saying the challenges faced by Boehner, et al, are trivial compared those that real leaders have had to face in the past, I’ll agree with you.

    bobathome (cb0d92)

  32. Your sarc noted, I was never dubious about the one Cloaked-in-immense-power’s decision to resupply a fort no longer in his domain. And, he didn’t have to do it, except for all that dough his piggy piggy government would lose if the divorce went through. Yes, the bloodless assault on Sumter, save for the casualties resulting fron an equally unnecessary and incompetent surrender ceremony, was grounds for an all out invasion. OK then.

    But since I don’t think either of us wants to threadjack here, I will leave you with this: Your boy U.S. Grant was no Lee, on the battlefield or off. A failure at everything, including POTUS, other than sending men to their death. When Obama cloaked himself in the image of Lincoln in the run-up to 2008, many laughed. Take an honest, hindsight look at both, their true motives as opposed to those attributed to them by their sycophants. Obama lies almost non-stop, but not then. Just no one knew what he was really saying.

    Steve57 at 28: Perfectly said. We are sleeping with the enemy.

    Matador (3f9cd7)

  33. We elect them. Why is anyone astonished?

    Ag80 (eb6ffa)

  34. I wasn’t surprised to see that my new Rep voted for it. She’s another McCain Jr., who was bought and paid for before her first primary. A term hf uses frequently is fitting.

    I left the party many years ago, but I’m still stuck with them. I’m sick of having to vote for the lesser of the weasels.

    AZ_Langer (a65cb5)

  35. totally , absolutely OT:
    Thought this was interesting
    Norway ending FM broadcasts

    seeRpea (3383a9)

  36. The real takeaway here is that the GOP House leadership voted against the caucus. In a parliamentary system the leadership must resign. Probably won’t happen here, but it should.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  37. seeRpea,

    The problem is that digital radio over FM bands isn’t all that much better than FM itself. Of course if you make digital radios and station equipment, it’s LOTS better.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  38. BTW, does anyone doubt that if Hillary wins and the Dems retake the Senate that they will nuke the filibuster completely, starting with the Supreme Court fight to replace Ginsberg?

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  39. Mark just called Switzerland “a corruption-free society.”

    Leviticus, liberals like you — and certainly Obama — should not just talk the talk, but walk the walk. That’s why I recommend you shuffle on over to one of the left-leaning paradises of either the US or Mexico, where most of your neighbors (and local politicians) will think and vote the way you do.

    I hear that Detroit is lovely during the summertime, and Michoacan, Mexico is a wonderful place to own a vacation retreat.

    Hey, Barack, forget about Hawaii!

    usatoday.com, July 2014: Switzerland has earned its reputation as a safe, neutral nation. Yet it’s hardly pacifist or gun-averse. In fact, the small and stable country has the highest firearm ownership rate in Europe 46 guns for every 100 people and the third-highest in the world, outdone only by the U.S. (89) and and Yemen (55).

    The precise number of privately owned guns is unclear because many are undeclared. Switzerland also has no national centralized register, with records kept only by the 26 cantons. The Small Arm Survey published by Geneva’s Graduate Institute of International Studies (GIIS), estimates it at 3.4 million firearms for a population of nearly 8 million.

    This staggering figure is partly explained by Switzerland’s unusual national defense system, which relies mostly on a citizen militia. All Swiss men aged 18 to 34 undergo military service and are issued with an assault rifle or pistol to keep at home, in case they are called to protect their homeland. Historians believe the system dissuaded the Germans from invading Switzerland during World War II.

    Gun culture is deeply seated in the country, regulations are liberal and sport shooting is extremely popular. Given how many Swiss have a weapon lying around in their basement or cupboard, Switzerland’s rate of gun-related deaths — 3 per 100,000 people — may seem low compared to the United States’, where it’s 10.3 per 100,000.

    washingtonpost.com, July 2014: If, to some, the relatively lax gun laws in the United States seem to be out of whack with those of other industrialized nations, frustrated activists such as [Luis] Merino [a Mexican military veteran who works as a private security consultant] say Mexico’s tight regulations are even further out of whack with his country’s heavily armed reality.

    Nowhere has this been more evident recently than in the ­mafia-plagued western state of Michoacan, where the government has tried to contain the spread of vigilante militias in recent months by organizing them into rural defense forces­ with offers of a one-time amnesty for their unregistered (i.e., illegal) guns.

    Thousands of farmers and ranchers have queued up for hours to legalize AK-47s, AR-15s and other powerful weapons whose mere possession is supposed to be a major criminal offense. With so many nominally prohibited guns coming out of the woodwork, some Mexicans in other states are asking why they, too, shouldn’t have the right to own such a weapon.

    In the late 1960s, a central government wary of new uprisings by leftist guerrillas sharply curbed gun sales and permits, imposing some of the toughest restrictions in the Western Hemisphere. In the decades that followed, Mexico morphed into the bleak dystopia of National Rifle Association nightmares, where the criminals are well-armed, the cops are often crooked and an honest, law-abiding citizen faces stifling bureaucracy just to get a handgun for self-defense.

    “Just as politicians in the U.S. don’t want to talk about tightening gun restrictions, Mexican politicians wouldn’t propose weakening them,” one high-ranking Mexican official said on the condition of anonymity in order to speak candidly. “Our policy has essentially been defined in opposition to U.S. gun laws.”

    Mark (c160ec)

  40. I’m done. I will never vote for a Republican again as they only have Rockerfeller Republicans by me. Gotta move to the South ASAP and hope for the split to happen sooner than later.

    NJRob (d36337)

  41. We shouldn’t just sit at our computers and complain in the comments. We should act. I just changed my registration from Republican to No Party (California). It is easy as we have online registration. If Republican registration suddenly drops by a million, I think the Republican Party would wake up.

    Ken in Camarillo (061845)

  42. The republican party is the democrat party.
    Why are the republicans holding a primary?
    They will have less votes than ever, since they vote against the party continuously.
    Work for cash and going to get my e.b.t.

    mg (31009b)

  43. This was nixon’s southern strategy. How do you get not rich people to vote for the party run for and by rich people? Social issues! Say abortion is murder but get your girl friend an abortion when she needs one. like george bush jr. Say your against illegals invading this country but don’t pass laws to punish business that hire them or enforce any law to stop it.

    trickey dick (73f555)

  44. Chamber of Commerce and Harry and Nancy are still the leaders in the clubhouse.
    boehner and mcconnell and the chamber of commerce 2016
    Anyone that does business with a chamber of commerce member is proud to be a commie.

    mg (31009b)

  45. Hi, perry. Still voting for the Goldman Sachs/Wall Street Democrats?

    Steve57 (127339)

  46. Politics is the art of compromise
    fooling the electorate and keeping your big money donors happy
    getting idiots to vote for you so you can keep your phony-baloney job.

    nk (dbc370)

  47. I will venture to say 10 million conservatives stay home in 2016. No reason to play the game anymore. It’s now- all about my family,
    fluck this country and the chicken shits who inhabit it.

    mg (31009b)

  48. If Republican registration suddenly drops by a million, I think the
    Republican Party would wake up.
    Ken in Camarillo (061845) — 3/3/2015 @ 11:56 pm

    But could we, would we ever trust them again?

    I’ve watched plenty of pols change from Dem to Ind to Rep in an effort
    to get elected. They had one main platform; themselves.

    jakee308 (49ccc6)

  49. re #37: I don’t see how that is a problem as almost all Norwegians have gone digital equipment.
    ‘course if you are a tourist that doesn’t help much. Maybe a business in digital radio equipment rentals will pop up.
    Wonder what they will do with the bandwidth. Don’t they will just let it be a free-for-all.

    seeRpea (3383a9)

  50. McConnell had a full house, Reid had a pair of deuces and McConnell folded instead of calling Reid’s bluff. If McConnell had said DHS funding is blocked because Democrats are preventing a vote Reid would call off filibuster.
    McConnell has to go.

    b mac (70295f)

  51. Anyone else think it’s time for a third party?

    Jeff Crump (00addb)

  52. failmerica would be in better shape today if vacuous hooch Alison Grimes had won

    and that’s just sad

    happyfeet (831175)

  53. “The real takeaway here is that the GOP House leadership voted against the caucus. In a parliamentary system the leadership must resign. Probably won’t happen here, but it should.”

    In fact, it seems to argue that the real House majority / leadership should come from a coalition of the democrats and a collection of GOP realists. Not gonna happen though, so we will continue to hear complaints about the House being out of touch.

    sing (bbbfe8)

  54. Your boy U.S. Grant was no Lee, on the battlefield or off.

    Correct. He won battles. Lee was a handsome gentleman who faced incompetents the first couple of years but could do no better than a draw once Meade took over and who lost the war.

    I am not a big fan of Grant as general because he had horrendous casualties whereas Sherman won battles without heavy casualties. The guy who won the war for the Union was Sherman. Atlanta fell just before the 1864 election and had it not done so, McClellan might have had a real chance.

    Mike K (90dfdc)

  55. I also admire Sherman very much. I believe that he was sincere when he said he hated war. I believe his strategy of total war against the South was so that the Civil War would not be fought over again by the next generation, should he leave the South the ability to rebuild its fighting strength.

    nk (dbc370)

  56. I agree with Steve57. Boehner’s Cromnibus in December — where he funded everything but DHS — made this happen, and unless you think Boehner is a drooling idiot then he knew it had to happen. Boehner isn’t an idiot but he is an advocate for immigration amnesty (and, at this point, probably ObamaCare, too), along with McConnell and Obama. All three will lie to Americans because they know better than we do.

    DRJ (e80d46)

  57. Perhaps the highest hurdle for ElBayly to clear would be the program’s requirement to affirm, ”I do not endorse nor will I practice or use language in the institution that will support violence, terrorism, discrimination against other inmates.”

    Yes, that’d be a pretty tough hurdle for any contracted Muslim cleric to get over. Considering that according to the Quran that’s exactly the language Allah endorses and uses everywhere. And according to the Ahadith, same goes for Muhammad.

    http://www.sunnah.com/bukhari/56

    Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “I have been sent with the shortest expressions bearing the widest meanings, and I have been made victorious with terror (cast in the hearts of the enemy), and while I was sleeping, the keys of the treasures of the world were brought to me and put in my hand.” Abu Huraira added: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) has left the world and now you, people, are bringing out those treasures (i.e. the Prophet did not benefit by them).

    Sahih al-Bukhari 2977

    Steve57 (127339)

  58. well there is that troubling quibble, but they’ll find a loophole,

    narciso (ee1f88)

  59. I was reading a history of the Knights Templar, DRJ, and the siege of Damsscus in 1148. They helped lead a large Crusader army that started to conduct the siege from the west from a strong, easily defended position. It was well watered, and orchards provided them with plentiful food as well as wood for siege engines among other uses.

    Then some military genius moved entire force to the exposed plains to the east, which lacked adequate food and water. When Nur ad Din arrived the Crusader position was untenable so they had to withdraw.

    It was about that time the foot soldiers started to wonder who was being bribed by the opposition to throw fights.

    That’s how I feel about our nominal GOP leadership. Who’s being bribed to throw fights. Because they started out in a very strong position after the November election and then threw away every advantage. Boehner is just as responsible for making the GOP position untenable as McConnell.

    Steve57 (127339)

  60. Meghan’s coward daddy provided cover every step of the way

    happyfeet (831175)

  61. well it’s somewhat like the geniuses that moved the exile invasion force, from Trinidad, the Vendee to the Bay of Pigs, enemy action,

    narciso (ee1f88)

  62. Just kidding; in this case we not only know who is being bribed, but who is bribing them, and what they’re being bribed to do.

    Boehner, McConnell, and the donor class have been very open about the rot at the top of the party.

    Steve57 (127339)

  63. There are a lot of examples one can use, narcisso, but I thought I’d pick one that paid homage to Obama’s inane Prayer Breakfast speech about Christians needing to get off their high horses about ISIS.

    Steve57 (127339)

  64. All three will lie to Americans because they know better than we do.

    But a good percentage of the American populace deserves plenty of blame too, based on various opinion polls. Blame for giving Obama and the left more benefit of the doubt than it deserved during the sequester in 2013, and, currently, giving Obama far more of a positive rating than he deserves. Even the immigration amnesty program apparently pulls at the heartstrings of quite a few people throughout this country based on, again, things like the Gallup Poll.

    ‘The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.’

    Mark (c160ec)

  65. I didn’t know about that detail, so it wasn’t Nurah Al Din’s great insight alone,

    narciso (ee1f88)

  66. re #54: don’t recall which historian wrote it about General Grant, it was
    Grant was interested in the War , not in winning battles.
    In his SouthEast campaign, when he lost the battle he didn’t retreat but went forward. Grant wanted location, location, location and to keep Lee’s Army moving. Grant was the 1st General of that Army to undertake the task needed with his advantages. And he operated differently then when he was in the ‘West’.

    I have relatives from the South. Sherman is not looked on kindly , Grant sort of is. Maybe it has to do with Grant’s post-War actions.

    seeRpea (3383a9)

  67. I think it has more to do with Sherman’s slash and burn strategy, seeRpea. Sherman was the kind of general I’d be: everything in front of me will die and everything behind me is destroyed.

    Hoagie (58a3ec)

  68. The crusaders made it easy for him, narcisso. But then a large faction of the local forces never had their heart in the siege. Damascus was one of the few independent Muslim cities that had shown any friendship to the local Franks. But when the French and German kings leading the Second Crusade showed up they couldn’t believe the local Christians were entering into treaties with the Saracens. Of course, since they were so outnumbered playing politics and exploiting divisions among the Muslims, especially between the Sunni Caliphate in Baghdad and Shia Cairo, was a matter of survival.

    Mistakes were made. Nur ad Din took advantage of them.

    Steve57 (127339)

  69. I am reluctant to ascribe genius to anything Boehner or McConnell undertake. Our history is replete with examples of massive incompetence at high levels, and it is the exceptional commander who can recognize opportunity. Grant’s campaigns in the West were bloody, but he knew what was important and seized it. His superiors failed to understand what he was doing until long after he’d given them their victories. Lincoln was perhaps the only person in the administration who recognized Grant’s contributions as he was waging his early battles. And the charge that he was indifferent to casualties is fraudulent. The Civil War was a turning point in warfare. The weapons were much more accurate and capable of relatively rapid fire, artillery was much more deadly, and naval warfare was revolutionized with the ironclads and steam power. Massive casualties are the inevitable result of such technological advances. Just think about the trenches in WWI when we took the next big step in war fighting technology.

    The recent vote that saw McMorris Rogers side with Boehner is probably a reflection of her position in the leadership, and the necessity of providing a united front. Alas, the united front she joined consisted of a tiny minority of Republicans and the entire collection of Democrat stooges in the House. This will cost her in the next election. I greatly fear that McSally is stumbling down McCain’s path. It seems unlikely that she did this out of cowardice, but I am at loss as to what else might motivate her vote. She can read, and I don’t think her fingers were crossed when she took the oath of office.

    bobathome (cb0d92)

  70. Another favorite read of mine was Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant, the autobiography which he struggled to finish as he was dying of cancer so that his wife and children might have some income from the book sales. The book was published in two volumes by Mark Twain shortly after Grant’s death. Here is his poignant description of Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House:

    When I had left camp that morning I had not expected so soon the result that was then taking place, and consequently was in rough garb. I was without a sword, as I usually was when on horseback on the field, and wore a soldier’s blouse for a coat, with the shoulder straps of my rank to indicate to the army who I was. When I went into the house I found General Lee. We greeted each other, and after shaking hands took our seats. I had my staff with me, a good portion of whom were in the room during the whole of the interview.

    What General Lee’s feelings were I do not know. As he was a man of much dignity, with an impassible face, it was impossible to say whether he felt inwardly glad that the end had finally come, or felt sad over the result, and was too manly to show it. Whatever his feelings, they were entirely concealed from my observation; but my own feelings, which had been quite jubilant on the receipt of his letter, were sad and depressed. I felt like anything rather than rejoicing at the downfall of a foe who had fought so long and valiantly, and had suffered so much for a cause, though that cause was, I believe, one of the worst for which a people ever fought, and one for which there was the least excuse. I do not question, however, the sincerity of the great mass of those who were opposed to us …

    As a side note, the small town of Galena, IL was the hometown of Grant as well as a surprising number of other Civil War Union generals. It is a picturesque and charming 19th century town that time forgot, filled with history. Many of the historic homes are bed and breakfasts and several of its local restaurants are interesting. Galena is a delightful weekend getaway.

    elissa (87e2bc)

  71. I felt like anything rather than rejoicing at the downfall of a foe who had fought so long and valiantly, and had suffered so much for a cause, though that cause was, I believe, one of the worst for which a people ever fought, and one for which there was the least excuse. I do not question, however, the sincerity of the great mass of those who were opposed to us …

    It’s important to show respect for our enemies and empathize with their perspectives and points of view. — Hillary Rodham Clinton

    Sherman didn’t buy into this romantic moonbeamery. He was jubilant that young men, North and South, would no longer be bleeding their lives out on some battlefield from a Minnie ball in their guts.

    nk (dbc370)

  72. #71: elissa, the humanity and compassion of Grant and Lincoln are in stark contrast to the current manchild who is unleashing such misery in our country. Immediately after the fall of Richmond, Lincoln walked through the city with just a handful of guards and subordinates in order to speak with the survivors and judge the situation firsthand. He understood the suffering the war had caused, and I’m sure he was looking forward to correcting as much as he could. And Grant’s difficulties trying to make his way as a non-slaving owning farmer in the South showed a great deal of character. There are pictures of the cabin he constructed for his wife and family, and it wasn’t much. And his wife was the daughter of a prominent slave owner. Those amongst us who have been indoctrinated in the public schools and haven’t bothered to read on their own, laugh at Grant for this period of his life. To the contrary, I think he showed courage and a commitment to higher ideals that surpass any of his critics, then or now. Indeed, Grant’s funeral in NYC was attended by a number of senior Confederate Generals, Simon Bolivar Buckner and Joseph Johnson were pall bearers along with Sherman and Sheridan. This says much.

    bobathome (cb0d92)

  73. re #72: it wasn’t “romantic moonbeamery”, it was being realistic about the machinations of a real Civil War. No, Sherman would not have acted as Grant did. He would have exacerbated the situation by insisting on the Southerners being treated like a conquered foreign enemy , damn the political and social costs. Grant letting the Southern Army keep their horses was key to the mending process from the Civil War.
    (doubtful Grant would have acted like that towards , say, Brits or Mexicans. Indians? harder to say which way he would have gone)

    seeRpea (3383a9)

  74. U. Grant and B. Obama do share one aspect:

    both awful as PotUS .

    seeRpea (3383a9)

  75. I’m glad you saw and responded to that comment@ 71, bobathome. I hoped you would, as I know you are a big reader and history buff, too. Good input from you, too, seeRpea

    elissa (87e2bc)

  76. Grant was a much better President than we were taught in our public schools. The current incumbent is incomparably worse, as were Carter, LBJ, Hoover, and FDR. It is helpful to remember that anyone who attended public schools beginning in the 1950s has been indoctrinated into believing that the US is an evil imperial empire. Disparaging our founders and men like Grant is an important element in this campaign of reeducation and eventual enslavement. Don’t make the mistake of judging the behavior of men in the 19th Century using contemporary standards. You must understand the world as it existed then in order to correctly evaluate their actions.

    bobathome (cb0d92)

  77. I understand your point, seeRpea. There has to be reconciliation after a Civil War. Heck, we did it with the Germans and Japanese. I do disagree with your assessment of what Sherman would have done, though. He would only have cared about the war re-starting, not exacting vengeance.

    I was heavily involved in the bankruptcy proceedings of Martha Washington Hospital in Chicago where Grant was treated for alcoholism, BTW. (And later involved in a different way with the surviving Martha Washington AA group. 😉 )

    nk (dbc370)

  78. Obola’s pall bearers will be a very select crew. Black racists, white terrorist bombers, jihadists, and a whoever drew the short straw from the new majority of the Supreme Court. Beyond that,those who bother to attend the funeral will be shedding tears only because their Obama-phones are hopelessly out of date. And of course, a delegation from the Czar of Russia and the Emperor of China will show up to party late into the night.

    No comparison with Grant.

    bobathome (cb0d92)

  79. Anyone else think it’s time for a third party?

    No, this is a two-party system, and third parties don’t work.

    Instead, I think it is time for a second party.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  80. No, its time for a convention of the states to neuter the central government. A new second party will just become another captive of DC as well.

    Steve57 (813c29)

  81. It would have been better if john Boehner had not led his whole caucus astray like this.

    It was, maybe,the only thing they could think of, to prevent some of his members from shutting down the whole government last year, but this never made any sense, in spite of its superficial logic. And it wasn’t a very good thing to do to some of his members.

    If they were going to hold something hostage, it should have been an unrelated agency, one that Democrats wanted more than they did, like the EPA. That’s one thing.

    And a big problem is that they talked so much among themselves theydidn’t realize taht only about 30% of the American public, at most, is adamantly opposed to amnesty, and some 45% are perfectly happy with at least the substance, if not the manner, of what President Obama did.

    And this was an attempt to force Democrats to vote for, and President Obama to sign, legislation they opposed. You can’t win trying to force people to enact legislation they oppose.

    Sammy Finkelman (a551ff)

  82. It was pretty smart, or maybe a coincidence, for Boehner to push this thing through on the same day as Benjamin Netanyahu’s highly popular speech, which was a clearly anti-Obama event, partly because Obama made it that way.

    I don’t know whether it is a possibility that he even scheduled the speech for that reason — probably not, as the original drop dead date for DHS was February 27.

    But somebody must have seen the opprtunity as the date approached.

    Sammy Finkelman (a551ff)

  83. 81. Please think longer and harder about that, Steve57. Consider that there are likely even more corrupt forces working behind the scenes to take advantage of that possibility. As bad as things are now, they could get much worse.

    AZ_Langer (a65cb5)

  84. re #77: oh please, UGrant was an awful PotUS. and the schools where i grew up in the 70s were not into disparaging the Founding Fathers. Heck, i remember the disbelief in the public playgrounds that Washington’s & Lincoln’s birthdays were going to get combined and that was in the 80s.

    on the other hand, WWilson was always hailed as a hero too. I still put him as the worst PotUS.

    seeRpea (3383a9)

  85. Suppose you got your wish, McConnell killed the filibuster, and the bill passed. Obama vetoes.

    What was the plan, then, again? Since even a plurality of Republicans oppose shutting down DHS, I’m sure you geniuses have one, but just have been keeping it secret, right?

    Or are you just a bunch of useless whiners with nothing to back up your nasty talk?

    Estragon (ada867)

  86. That was extraordinarily insightful.

    JD (86a5eb)

  87. re #84: first off, you make the PotUS veto.
    second – heck yeah, let us find out who has our principles out in front. we already know people like McCain , McConnell and Boehner don’t. Who else?
    third – it would have been interesting to see how lack of filibuster would work out the next 2 years. Maybe the filibuster is over rated. What other rules may be over rated?
    (there is nothing on the law books or Constitution about filibuster, it was / is a Senate rule)

    seeRpea (3383a9)

  88. re #84: missed your last line. What ‘nasty talk’ ?

    seeRpea (3383a9)

  89. America- home of the dolts.
    Evidently no one in this nation will fight for what’s right.
    When reading history books growing up, I never would have guessed we would lose are brains to a racist black devil.

    mg (31009b)

  90. When voting in 2016, if your already in a blue state, don’t vote or vote for the democrat. Even if Walker wins the primary, I will not vote for him in Massachusetts. I really despise the people in this chicken-shit fixed government hell hole.

    mg (31009b)

  91. The republicans need to quit screwing America.
    http://townhall.com/columnists/larryelder/2015/03/05/draft-n1965912

    mg (31009b)

  92. Boehner is fortunate to have loyal supporters: Pelosi and Boehner agreed to use Netanyahu speech as cover for vote on bill authorizing clean funding of DHS, and now Dems vow to protect Boehner from conservative coup. Republicans aren’t fortunate to have Boehner.

    DRJ (e80d46)


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