Is US Becoming a Banana Peel Republic? | National Catholic Reporter

Is US Becoming a Banana Peel Republic? | National Catholic Reporter by MSW. MGB: A banana peel Republic is one pratfall after the other.  We actually have that.  There will not be a series of vetos because Leader-to-Be McConnell does not have enough votes at his disposal to block Harry Reid, or any Democrat, from a filibuster. Still, the Senate often does pass legislation - just not the dreck sent over by the Republican Study Group - which Boehner allows to pass and then die.  The main dysfunction was the House and probably still will be - due to the Hastert Rule, which was put in after Speaker Gingrich (who claims to be a budget balancer) allowed a coalition of Democrats and Moderate Republicans to pass Clinton's tax and appropriations bills with the Republican right wing (now the RSC) fuming.  It has always been in the Speaker's purview to stop this non-sense - and with no obvious RSC leader ready to challenge him for the Speakership (and the prospect that Pelosi may support him in any removal vote - and that would be unprecedented), the Hastert rule may be about to go down in flames.



Now, to the various issues.  The Executive Order on immigration was most likely vetted so it could not be challenged in court, which is likely why the Republican Study Group geeked (as well as the fact that they lose in any government shutdown, even one this far from the next election - and you can't get farther than after the last one.  They are simply ticked that they were outmaneuvered so well - and getting ticked is what their constituents want them to do - because they are still ticked that the son of a Kenyan radical born in Hawaii who is younger than they are could be elected to the presidency and they could not - and still cannot.



The under-funding of Homeland Security is just plain stupid, especially when you are waiting to go through security at an airport and they tell you the flights are all canceled once the temporary funding expires.  Next. (and they are still ticked at the young, African Hawaiian thing).



On the tax extenders, I am not so sure that the permanent versions won't pass this year - removing all the baseline issues that adhere to them and allowing them to be deleted in leisure rather than passed in a two year window or single year window.  I suspect that the President would sign an omnibus with permanent tax extenders in them, although it sounds like we won't find out.  One year wins! (It gives the I don't like the young black guy caucus something to do next year or the following spring).



The extension of the child tax credit, et al, are not sun-setting this year - so there is time to make them permanent later - or even expand them - and expand them by a lot - thus making it possible that many who chose abortion now will choose childbirth later when the prospect of caring for the child seems out of reach - although they still don't like the young (not so young anymore), African Hawaiian (they hate the optics of Christmas back in the islands) suggesting ways to reduce abortion that they disagree with, because the pro-life movement seems to believe in personal responsibility in all things financial but not on women's health and abortion. They certainly hate funding immigrants in this way - I guess they are OK with aborting anchor babies. Luckily, the Supreme Court has made its views clear on such exceptions for a long, long time.



Electric motorcycles are fine with me, provided they go really fast and throw in body army too.  There will be a time when electric cars are fueled from an underground roof-deck and motorcycles are gone - so give them their fun while we can.



Just to highlight one thing, the congruence between the Congressional Right to Life Caucus and the Republican Study Group if fairly high (aka, the Hell No Caucus MSW talks about).  Democrats for Life and their fans need to realize that and maybe take a step back from the festivities of January 22nd next year.  When you lie with these dogs.....