Republican Congress Prepares To Destroy Republican Congress In DHS Shutdown Showdown

Tick tock, tick tock, only a couple days left before the Department of Homeland Security runs out of money, and it'll be the Republicans' fault. That's a FACT, and all of America knows it. 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was having a hell of a time getting Democrats to cooperate on his DHS funding bill, just because Democrats are not interested in overturning President Obama's executive action on immigration reform. As they have saidfour times now, but Republicans never listen. So earlier this week, McConnell finally surrendered and agreed to a clean funding bill, just like Democrats have been telling him to all along, gee what a novel concept.

So, we all good here? We going to keep our national security secure and funded and all that good stuff? Not just yet, because there is one teeny tiny itsy bitsy little problem, and it is the Republican Party:  

Emerging from an hourlong meeting on Wednesday, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) refused to offer any support for a proposal by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to break the logjam by holding separate votes on DHS funding and overturning President Barack Obama's executive actions on immigration.

"I'm waiting for the Senate to act," he told reporters. "The House has done its job to fund the Department of Homeland Security and to stop the president's overreach on immigration. And we're waiting for the Senate to do their job."

In other words, no, Mitch, screw you. What the House GOP really cares about is letting the president know he is NOT the president of them (technically, he kinda is), and doing executive actions is unconstitutional all of a sudden (technically, nuh uh), even though all those other presidents before him did it too (true story), but that was different because they were not Obama (BLACK MAN IN THE WHITE HOUSE).

But if Republicans care about national security so much, like they are always saying they do, why is Boehner so unwilling to say, "Ok, fine, we will compromise like grown-ups"? Oh, hmm, maybe it's because the nutjobs in his caucus are nuts, and they REFUSE to support any dumb compromise that does not explicitly tell President Obama to suck it. And if the Senate will not pass the House's version that Democrats have already blocked FOUR TIMES, then House Republicans will shut this mofo DOWN, national security be damned.

Like Arizona Rep. Matt Salmon, who said, "I will fight against any funding bill that does not fully defund the president's illegal actions."

And Texas Rep. Pete Sessions: "Straight out, if you ask me, 'Am I just going to support a clean bill?' No."

And Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks, who told reporters "there's no way on God's green earth" he will support McConnell's stupid compromise bill if it doesn't include a Suck It, Obama provision.

Too bad for Mitch McConnell. He really did want to prove he could be a Great Leader o' the Senate and Get Things Done, but gosh darnit, those whackjobs in the House just won't let him. Who knew governing was hard?

Oh well, we're sure you fellas in charge will work it out amongst yourselves eventually, if your rank and file don't overthrow you before midnight on Friday for betraying the party in favor of something so minor like our national security. Tick tock, tick tock ...

[ TPM / The Hill ]