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| "Goddammit, we have things we want to get done here." |
House Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio says the president's executive action — expected to be announced Thursday — will "poison the well" for cooperation with the upcoming Republican-controlled Congress. Incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky compared it to "waving a red flag in front of a bull." Tea party conservatives have renewed talk of censuring or impeaching the president.
But the strong reaction by Republican leaders has less to do with opposition to the nuts and bolts of the president's immigration policy and more to do with fear and anger that the issue will derail the agenda of the new Republican majority before the next Congress even convenes.
Republican leaders who had hoped to focus on corporate tax reform, fast-track trade pacts, repealing the president's healthcare law and loosening environmental restrictions on coal are instead being dragged into an immigration skirmish that they've tried studiously to avoid for most of the last year.
That's largely because the question of how to handle the estimated 11 million immigrants living illegally in the U.S. bitterly divides Republicans, and the party has been unable to agree on an alternative to the president's plan.
The President's plan to use executive action to push through an immigration plan has the Right Wing demanding impeachment and threatening another government shutdown, which are two things that Boehner and McConnell are desperate to avoid.
With nothing left to lose, and everything to gain, the President is essentially double dog daring the Republicans to use up these last two years of this presidency in a battle that will waste their time and demonstrate to the American people that the only thing that they can focus their attention on for more than a few minutes is destroying this President.
In the meantime the focus has been taken off of dismantling Obamacare, or introducing bills that the President and the Democrats do not want passed.
All in all it is a rather brilliant strategy, and I have to imagine that after this one plays itself out that Obama has more tricks up his sleeve to keep the Republicans off balance until 2016 when many more voters will turn out to vote, and the Republicans will be at a political disadvantage.
These Republicans in Congress as nothing more than assholes who do nothing (work wise) except obstruct President Obama since the first time he took his oath of office!
ReplyDeletePresident Obama is doing nothing different than previous Republican presidents also did as to immigration!
Not one damned thing is different other than the fact Boehner, McConnell et al are racists and detest President Obama because he is black and succeeds in spite of their negative efforts.
Fuck them all in Congress and get their asses out of there when they come up for reelection. They have done nothing to help Americans. They have made it worse for the poor and have put many in the middle class section in trouble!
This is exactly right and our Ninja President has them on the run.
Delete12:33 PM Correction in the first sentence - "These Republicans in Congress 'are' nothing more than - - - -
DeletePres. Obama's planned actions on immigration are nothing like what the hysterical right-wing GOP represents them to be. His coming Executive Order is based on legal authority and precedent set by former GOP presidents. Sadly, the media amplifies the hysteria.
ReplyDeleteI say "Go for it Mr. President!” Make the GOPPERS and TEABAGGERS own up to their poisonous agenda and racism!
ReplyDeleteRepublicans Can’t Stop Obama: Boehner Told He Can’t Defund Immigration Executive Orders
ReplyDeletePresident Obama has won again as a Republican House committee has notified congressional Republicans that it is impossible to defund Obama’s executive orders on immigration.
The Hill reported,
“This agency is entirely self-funded through the fees it collects on various immigration applications,” the committee said in a statement. “Congress does not appropriate funds for any of its operations, including the issuance of immigration status or work permits, with the exception of the ‘E-Verify’ program. Therefore, the appropriations process cannot be used to ‘defund’ the agency.”
A spokesman for Rogers and the panel elaborated on the point in a discussion with reporters.
“We cannot, literally cannot, defund that agency in an appropriations bill because we don’t appropriate that agency. That agency is entirely fee-funded,” spokeswoman Jennifer Hing said.
House and Senate Republicans are left with two options.
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/11/20/republicans-stop-obama-gop-told-impossible-defund-immigration-executive-orders.html
ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox Show Their Pro-Republican Bias By Refusing To Air Obama Speech
ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox revealed their pro-Republican bias by dreaming up a dubious Republican talking point based reason to not televise President Obama’s ten-minute speech announcing his immigration executive orders.
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/11/20/abc-nbc-cbs-fox-show-pro-republican-bias-refusing-air-obama-speech.html
Bill Clinton Has Obama’s Back on Executive Action: He’s On ‘Pretty Firm Legal Ground’
‘Twas the night before Executive Action and all through the House, Republicans were screeching….
But former President Bill Clinton took up for President Obama, saying he is on “pretty firm legal ground” to take executive action on immigration reform, seeing as every president in the modern era has issued some kind of executive action on the issue.
“As far as I can tell every president in the modern era has issued some executive action on immigration, so I imagine he’ll be on pretty firm legal ground,” Clinton said at a gala Wednesday evening to celebrate the 100th anniversary of The New Republic magazine, according to Rachel Huggins, reporting for The Hill.
Thus Clinton backed up Presidents Reagan, Bush I and II, and Eisenhower who all took executive action on immigration reform. In fact, every president since Eisenhower has done it.
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/11/20/bill-clinton-obamas-immigration.html
In a statement put out from Leader Pelosi’s office, the Democratic House Minority Leader praised the President for taking action where Republicans failed to act, referring to President Obama’s Thursday evening announcement on executive action he’s going to take on immigration reform.
ReplyDeleteLeader Pelosi went through the shameful threats Republicans have been making against President Obama for doing what all modern presidents before him have done, and then urged people not to listen to Republicans on immigration reform, saying we “welcome President Obama’s meaningful, courageous and imminent action.”
The statement from the Democratic Leader’s office:
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/11/20/pelosi-praises-obama-strong-leadership-republicans-failed-act.html
This Is America. We Welcome People From All Around The World
ReplyDeletehttp://theobamadiary.com/2014/11/20/this-is-america-we-welcome-people-from-all-around-the-world/
Except if you are the first half-black President, then America doesn't do such a great job of welcoming you. They call you a "Kenyan-Muslim" who isn't even American and find any reason to denigrate you because of your skin color. Obama's presidency has proven one thing about this nasty-assed hateful place that many of us call home and that the majority are disgusting racists. If there is one good thing Obama has done it has made many of us realize that America is anything but "exceptional". It's a wasteland of hate and greed and low information citizens that make the majority of us want to live in a "real" first world nation, any of them but this one. I'm so ashamed and when traveling I don't admit to being American I go with Canadian or an expat in Central or South America (where we have traveled a lot) and unless I have to show my passport I'm NOT American.
DeleteO/T: Gryphen, just came across this and thought maybe it might interest you -- 12 kids have died in Idaho since 2011 due to faith healing ...
ReplyDeletehttp://samuel-warde.com/2014/11/faith-healing-blunders-idaho/
He just posted about this yesterday.
Deletehttp://theimmoralminority.blogspot.com/2014/11/god-is-my-codefendant-there-are-32.html
Gryphen does a really good job of staying on top of the religious retards.
Thanks for that, Anon 1:21. I can't believe I missed an IM post ...!
DeletePresident Obama is the best chess player in Washington DC.
ReplyDeleteAnd I just love how the R's say that Obama is poisoning the well. They have been saying that since he got elected. And they refuse to compromise on anything since he got elected. From Day One, the R's have done everything they can to undermine our President. They do not put the Country first, they put themselves and their party first.
So go ahead R's, impeach, block, shutdown, do what you gotta do. But if they impeach, Obama's numbers will go up. If they shutdown the government, the military will not get paid. If they play games with the debt limit, our credit rating will go down as it did the last time they played that game. The only thing they can do is block the President's nominees and the President can appoint some of them during the recess.
Looks like check and checkmate to me.
I am really hoping they aren't so colossally stupid as to shut the government down again. I and my co-workers can't afford that foolishness.
DeleteM from MD
2:54 -
DeleteBoehner and McConnell will have their hands full when it comes to the potential government shutdown.
They realize it will put the GOP candidates in serious jeopardy with a Presidential election coming up all too soon. However, the wingnuts like Cruz don't care about the party in general and are eager to sacrifice their colleagues' futures and the future of the American people in their pursuit of ideological purity.
This struggle could further divide the Republican party and set them against each other instead of uniting them against the President and the Democrats.
Here are the facts and figures:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.immigrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/docs/executive_grants_of_temporary_immigration_relief_1956-present_final_5.pdf
“Perhaps the most striking historical parallel to today’s immigration challenges is the ‘Family Fairness’ policy implemented by Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush, Sr. The story behind the fairness policy begins on November 6, 1986, when President Reagan signed the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), which gave up to 3 million unauthorized immigrants a path to legalization if they had been ‘continuously’ present in the U.S. since January 1, 1982. But the new law excluded their spouses and children who didn’t qualify and forced them to wait in line, creating ‘split-eligibility’ families, as they were called. The U.S. Catholic bishops and immigration groups criticized President Reagan for separating families.
ReplyDelete“In 1987, Reagan’s Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) commissioner announced a blanket deferral of deportation (logistically similar to today’s DACA program) for children under 18 who were living in a two-parent household with both parents legalizing, or with a single parent who was legalizing. Then, in July 1989, the Senate passed legislation to protect a bigger group—prohibiting deportation of all spouses and children of those who were legalizing under IRCA.
“But the legislation stalled in the House, and in 1990 President Bush Sr. administratively implemented the Senate bill’s provisions. His INS commissioner, saying ‘We can enforce the law humanely,’ expanded the blanket deferral to as many as 1.5 million spouses and children of immigrants who were legalizing, provided they met certain criteria. President Bush thus protected over 40 percent of the then-unauthorized population from deportation. The House then passed legislation, and President Bush signed it later that year.
“The Family Fairness program is only one example of the common characteristics of presidential decisions to act on immigration. Several decisions were large-scale actions potentially affecting hundreds of thousands or millions of immigrants. Some presidents focused on the necessity of keeping families together. And other presidents acknowledged the absurdity of trying to deport people for whom major legislation in Congress was pending.”
http://americasvoice.org/blog/icymi-every-u-s-president-since-dwight-eisenhower-taken-executive-action-immigration/
Once again, as the dumfuck Repulicans sit down for a nice game of checkers, Obama breaks out the chess board. Every. Fuckin. Time.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.deliberatelyconsidered.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/6807730981_3abac418931.jpg
DeleteHaha. I think President Obama secretly loves to bug the crap of the conservatives; two can play that game, Sarah.
ReplyDeleteWhy Republicans Are So Mad About Obama's Immigration Order
ReplyDelete...Obama is making them feel impotent. This is where all the other pieces come together. Being in the opposition party can be frustrating, because your role is fundamentally not to do things, but to try to stop the president from doing things. That's an important task, but it isn't quite as satisfying as remaking the country to suit your vision. Republicans' greatest fear about this is that Obama will go ahead and do what he wants and they won't be able to stop him, even though they worked so hard to gain full control of Congress after six long years. They won the election, his approval ratings are low, they firmly believe they're right, and yet this president they loathe so much is about to just walk all over them anyway. No wonder they're mad.
http://prospect.org/article/why-republicans-are-so-mad-about-obamas-immigration-order
Ha, ha, ha! His next two years are going to be him bugging the crap out of the GOP and smiling the entire time! They won't impeach him and he's going to get things done. I love it! Even though the Senate and House are a GOP majority, you can't beat the beauty of a lame duck President with an Agenda! Gonna be fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteThat's right, and when it comes time for the next presidential election, all these morons are going to be taken to task by their own party for not doing enough to stop the president and/or for not doing enough to push their own agendas. What, are they going to spend the next two years wasting time and money trying to impeach the President with absolutely no cause or hope for success? To paraphrase the POTUS: 'Go ahead, Gentlemen"
DeleteWell, 2:50pm, progressives are still looking for a decent candidate to put his or her hat in the ring for 2016, but I think if we find someone halfway decent we might get ourselves a new president, someone male or female that is not part of a previous regime. Hopefully things play out this way and if not we get ourselves a crazy republitard POTUS running a retarded congress and that also too will be fun to watch, fun for me, but not too much fun for younger americans that aren't already set for life.
DeleteSorry this is long but I've been simmering about something and this post just relit the flame.
ReplyDeleteI DO NOT GET why Republicans have been SO successful at turning their lies about Obama into generally accepted truth OR why Democrats have basically just rolled over and let it happen!
The documented facts SO contradict the widely-accepted lie of Obama: Worst President EVER!!! that it sometimes seems to verge on brainwashing. I mean, post a comment even vaguely praising Obama -- include a link to solid, unassailable proof even! -- and it's GUARANTEED to attract hate and insults like a swarm of army ants at a blanketless picnic.
Just to be clear, I understand HOW it's happened -- constant, well-coordinated obstructionism, criticism, disrespect and ridicule ... rinse and repeat ... over and over ... on a loop ...
I also totally get why Mr. First Af-Am President can't get real about it much less fight it directly -- "He's playing the race card AGAIN!!" ... "Too weak to handle the job!" ... or, even more classy, "Too LAZY to handle the job!" ... "Boy, black Presidents are a really BAD idea!" ... blah blah (black) blah blah (black) ...
And yes, I know the fucks at Fox have been blasting the "Obama BAD!" message like eardrum-shattering heavy metal at the Gitmo untried, unconvicted prisoners -- oh, sorry, "detainees" -- but it seems like even lib outlets have wimped out in countering that message.
And OF COURSE our electorate is dumb as toast! Hell, I have trouble finding the fridge on bad days ...
But all this was capped by the recent mid-terms. Never mind that Dems were all "Barack who??" -- I can't remember hearing EVEN ONE Dem candidate even list Democrats' vs. Republicans' accomplishments since 2009!
It seemed like with even the briefest rundown of the GOP's "successes," Dems should have been catapulted into office. There's just no justifying the Repubs record of: voting restrictions, sleazy abortion clinic closing laws, a pointless fucking government shutdown that cost $24 billion, confirmation of Obama nominees blocked including a Surgeon General at ebola-time, more voting restrictions, more abortion clamp downs plus redistricting./gerrymandering, etc. etc. etc.
So last night, Rachel Maddow showed a disturbing poll (which I'm having trouble finding right this sec).
First she showed the top 5 issues all voters (Reps, Dems, Pervs, whatever) think are most urgently in need of addressing and they were (I thnk) immigration reform, college loans, carbon emissions ... um ... shouldn'ta smoked that doob ... well, they were 5 totally worthwhile issues that'd do a lotta good for a lotta people.
Next, the poll described what Obama would likely propose tonight about immigration reform without mentioning his name and asked "Do you agree with those measures?" and a healthy majority said "Yes!"
But THEN they asked "Do you agree with how Obama is handling immigration reform?" and BOOM -- suddenly it was like 75% practically shouted "NO!!"
IOW, screw the facts ... Obama = BAD!!" ... even from a lot of Dems???
To be clear: I got clean and sober off the KoolAid 5 years ago which is also when I recycled my tinfoil hat as a broiler liner ... but what I'm way too long-windedly asking here (aka "The point"?) is:
Is it just me or has Obama's presidency been like watching a slow-motion, obviously-rigged prize fight?
IOW, is it possible Democrats have been given any OTHER incentive(s) to sell Obama out other than their supposed self-preservation?
IOW -- okay, I'll just say it -o- Is it possible Dems been PAID to take a DIVE?
End of rant, with gratitude to anyone who actually managed to read this far. (I likely wouldn't have, except I had to proof it.)
I have wondered the same thing (were Dems paid to try to lose). I also have wondered whether some master strategist somewhere said, "Hey, Dems, let's throw the election and let the Repubs fuck up for two years so we have a 2016 landslide." Because I don't know how else to explain how pathetically the Dems phoned it in during this campaign season.
DeleteExcellent rant, Grrrrr! I am an independent but am absolutely furious with the silence of the dems through the mid-terms cycle at what President Obama has accomplished and, yes, I do believe it is to save their own asses! He's NEVER had the support he's deserving of, and they let the pubes control the conversation from the get-go.
DeleteA hear! hear! to every last thing you said.
Three words: corporate owned media
DeletePresident Obama is Taking Action on Immigration
ReplyDeletehttp://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/immigration/immigration-action
Here Are the Facts On President Obama’s Executive Action on Immigration Reform
Deletehttp://www.politicususa.com/2014/11/20/facts-president-obamas-executive-action-immigration-reform.html
Think Obama hatred is confined to red states?
ReplyDeletehttp://thatoregonlife.com/2014/11/new-porta-potty-company-now-renting-obama-bucket-oregon/
Don't miss this IM readers!
ReplyDeletehttp://theobamadiary.com/2014/11/20/ebola-victims-heroes-and-a-cynical-western-media/
"John A. Boehner of Ohio says the president's executive action will "poison the well" for cooperation with the upcoming Republican-controlled Congress.
ReplyDelete--------------------------------------------
Sorry, orangey boy, you and your republican thug buddies have been making it clear for years that you would not, under any circumstances, ever agree with or support the President in anything. You have also made it clear that you didn't care how many Americans you hurt or how much you damaged the country and the economy, as long as you hurt the President. So just fuck off back to your gin bottle.
Ummmm...nooo, Mr. Jack O'Lantern.
DeleteI do believe that well was poisoned when the gang of Republicans met on Inauguration Day of 2009 and pledged to obstruct everything this President tried to do.
Obama's Immigration Move About Much More Than Politics
ReplyDelete...Of the thousands of words written lately on President Obama’s impending order to exempt some undocumented immigrants from the threat of deportation, most have dealt with the politics of the issue, not the humanity behind it. What the media have largely failed to emphasize is that Obama’s order will be shaped almost entirely by the imperative of keeping parents with their children. The administration is planning to allow the undocumented parents of children born here (and who are, thus, U.S. citizens) to stay and receive work permits. Unfortunately, this will not include parents of the “dreamers” who are already protected by executive order from deportation.
What the pundits have tended to overlook, as well, is the humanity behind Obama’s apparent willingness to act without congressional approval.
http://prospect.org/article/obamas-immigration-move-about-much-more-politics
Let 'em bitch and moan. Let 'em try to impeach him. I am so DAMN sick and tired of their crap. Can hardly WAIT for the Heifer WTF rebuttal.
DeleteWanna call him emporer? Wanna call him dictator? Fine, then call martial law, Mr. President, and shape this country how you wanted to in the first place. Yes, I do get that angry but that this "radical, marxist. muslim, commie" is out to ruin this country is bloody ridiculous. Look no further than the GOP and Koch brothers for that.
GOD I am so pissed.
Nefer... don't malign Gin... unless handled irresponsibly, of course. Needless to say, some things orange boy and his regressive thug (spelling variants, please) buddies don't care about: The wellbeing of the average citizen in this Nation.
ReplyDeleteI ran out to Costco to stock up on Popcorn. This is going to be xtra butter GOOD watching their heads pop. Can't wait for Sarah's well prepared speech on the demise of Amerka, how POTUS brought EBOLA to the US to "Divert attention from the Democrats" and a shout out to read Bristol's blog and the wonderful delightful post her little independent, hard working, punching in and out type girl she's so dang proud of.
ReplyDeleteAnd all President Obama has to do is smile and say "What's a "Thonghazi"?, but he won't cause he don't give a flip about Sarah, her offspring, real and rented, and the pitiful life they lead shaking the last dimes out of the mentally deficients pockets.
This is what I like best about our President. He's miles ahead of the rest and they're shocked every single time without fail.
The mere fact that they're researching articles of impeachment and trying to find a way to block him legally is a riot. Do they think he just says things without doing his homework first?
Those sons of bitches GOP politicians have had 6 fucking years to put a plan together on immigration and now they're mad POTUS is making Executive Branch decisions based on his Constitutional powers. 5 million new immigrant voters in 5 years based on deferred action. Screw you Conservatives!
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that the Rethugs keep threatening impeachment or making other veiled threats against the president but they never do anything.
ReplyDeleteYet their constituents continue to vote for them,which I presume is because of these threats,(really putting the prez in his place). You would think at least some of them would have figured out they are all talk and no action.