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Republican Strategery
Author: BobR    Date: 2013-11-14 12:02:03

It's hard to tell what the Republicans are trying to accomplish. After losing ground in the 2012 elections, they talked a good game about being more inclusive, reaching beyond their largely white male demographic to pull in more voters.

Then they shut down the government.

Then they complained loudly that people couldn't get access to the healthcare insurance exchanges that they've been trying to kill for years.

And now they're punting on immigration reform... again.

The Senate did the heavy lifting and passed a bipartisan bill to address the biggest problems in our immigration system. The main problem is young adults who were brought into this country as babies, have lived here their entire lives, know little of their parents homeland, and now are in legal limbo when it comes to getting jobs or higher education. John Boehner (R-OH) has stated that the bill will not be touched this session. Naturally, Harry Reid (D-UT) is a bit agitated:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) chided Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) for his refusal to negotiate with the Senate on immigration reform.

“I'm stunned,” Reid said in an interview Wednesday with Fusion, a joint venture by ABC News and Univision. “How could anybody in good conscience tell one group he's trying to do immigration reform, and a few minutes later, say 'I'm not going to do anything about a conference?' "

Earlier in the day, Boehner reiterated what he’s said before on immigration reform: “I'll make clear we have no intention ever of going to conference on the Senate bill."

His comments confirmed the House will not take up the issue this year, which President Obama and Democrats have pressed for. Last week, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) also ruled it out for 2013, arguing there are too few legislative days remaining in this session.

That should go over well with the Latinos that the Republican party is trying to woo.

Even the Catholic Church - not known to be a bastion of liberal values - is asking the Speaker to reconsider. Boehner - a Catholic - is going to go against his church on this one. I imagine that's going to make for an awkward confessional - assuming he ever goes.

The recent wins by Democrats in VA and elsewhere show that the uber-right-wing faction of the Republican party which seems to drive the narrative during the primaries can't win in the generals. Yes, Chris Christie is a Republican, but he's not a tea-bagger. That the tea-partiers lost in VA and AL, and a moderate Republican won in NJ should be all the evidence the Republican party needs to put the foaming-at-the-mouth crazies back in their cages. TX Gov Rick Perry is calling for compromise within his party (in his own special double-speak kind of way, bless his heart). Business - the end-all and be-all for the Republican party - is asking the Tea-baggers to sit down and shut up.

It's possible that the Republican establishment can regain control of their party. They've got less than a year to figure this out. They are counting on the bungled Obamacare website roll-out to sweep them back into the good graces of the electorate, but that site will be humming along nicely before primary season, and the complainers will be old news by summer. Everyone will be enjoying their shiny new healthcare plans wondering what the hell the Republicans were trying to do in getting rid of it. There's still another budget battle in February. Any guesses on how THAT will turn out? All they'll have come November 2014 is their own poor record in Congress.

And they'll have only themselves to blame.
 

82 comments (Latest Comment: 11/15/2013 03:01:12 by TriSec)
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