Wednesday, January 9, 2013

GOP Outlaws

I usually try to avoid hyperbole when it comes to talking about how extreme the Republicans have gone these days. In part that's because I want to reserve the well of rage for the really serious stuff. My energy for doing so runs out if I chase after every stupid thing they say/do.

But Steve Benen noted something yesterday that I didn't see many other people catch. He commented on this report from The Hill.
House Republicans signaled Thursday they will not follow rules in President Obama's healthcare law that were designed to speed Medicare cuts through Congress.

The House is set to vote Thursday afternoon on rules for the 113th Congress. The rules package says the House won't comply with fast-track procedures for the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) — a controversial cost-cutting board Republicans have long resisted.

The rules package signals that Republicans might not bring up Medicare cuts recommended by the IPAB — blocking part of a politically controversial law, and resisting Medicare spending cuts.
(link added by me)

Benen's commentary focuses on the hypocrisy of Republicans insisting on reducing spending for Medicare while they promise to not follow the law in Obamacare that cuts costs in Medicare. He's totally right to point that out. But of course most of us have gotten used to the idea of Republicans being hypocritical when it comes to fiscal issues.

The bigger issue to me is the idea of House Republicans writing rules that require them to break a law passed by Congress and signed by the President.  I have to wonder if a Congress has ever done that before.

Imagine the implications...a Congress that gets to decide which laws they abide by and which ones they reject. That's a MUCH bigger issue than hypocrisy - its a recipe for chaos.

What is behind this is a Republican Party that is refusing to live by the rules of representative democracy. If they don't like the law, their option is to pass a bill to change it. They've been unable to do that - and so they're just going rogue.

That's dangerous.

3 comments:

  1. What are the enforcement options? Congressional refusal to abide by a duly passed and signed bill is pretty clearly illegal. Who is liable?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I believe that President Obama, through his attorney general, is obligated to enforce the laws passed by Congress. So he will have to force them to comply.

      When the Southern states seceded from the Union, Lincoln took over all Federal property in the Southern confederate states, sending union soldiers to protect that property from the confederates.

      Also, Lincoln declared that the "confederate states" were in rebellion and were enemies of the United States.

      It was a pretty terrible time. I wish the media would expose these Republicans.

      Delete
  2. I keep wondering if part of the repug/traitors plan is to force some kind of civil insurrection! Since the media will not speak on it, gun manufacturers and sellers used the tragedy to sell even more guns and bullets you can feel the temperature rising.

    How could these few rich people put these hateful, mean ignorant people in place to be allowed to create so much illegal havoc and no one in the media or pundits or experts, etc etc be willing to speak loudly. It is our silence that is permitting this madness to fester! The politicians are grandstanding both pro and con!

    I am sick to my stomach! If not now when, if not us who?

    Smilingl8dy

    ReplyDelete

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