Republicans, Democrats, America - All Without a Leader

Sometimes a leader is the only solution.~~~~~ Today, the Senate passed a "clean" bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as both chambers of Congress scrambled to avoid a partial DHS shutdown at midnight tonight. The legislation passed by a 68 to 31 vote and would fund DHS through the end of the fiscal year. It doesn't include the immigration riders that have caused a congressional stalemate. But, the funding fight isn't over yet. The House is set to vote later today on a short-term funding measure to keep DHS open until March 19, in a bid to buy time for conference committee negotiations, called reconciliation, with the Senate on a final DHS budget bill. If the stopgap bill passes the House, the Senate will almost certainly quickly approve it to keep DHS agencies, such as the Secret Service and Border Patrol, funded. But Democrats have vowed to block the conference committee, saying it would create the potential for a new legislative impasse and again threaten a shutdown in March. "We will not go to conference on some jury-rigged situation they send back," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid told the Senate. Other Democrats suggested senators couldn't afford to vote against the "clean" DHS bill in the wake of numerous terrorist attacks around the world. "Our enemies are watching, now it's time to defend America," New Hampshire Democrat Senator Jeanne Shaheen said. The deal to separate the spending bill from the immigration fight wasn't easy for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who had to work hard for conservative Republican support. Before voting on the clean bill, GOP Senator Mike Lee tried to effectively kill the agreement between McConnell and Reid to separate the immigration and funding fights. Lee said that senators needed to undo Obama's 2014 immigration actions in order to protect the Constitution. Senator Lee gave a speech from the Senate floor, saying : "I implore all of my colleagues to remember themselves as operating within a constitutional framework, in which far more than your status as a Democrat or as a Republican, as a liberal or as a conservative is at stake, you're here to defend your own power, your own authority given by your own people." ~~~~~ But, less than 12 hours before DHS will shut down without new funding, Republicans are having trouble gaining support from their own members for the bill, because it would do nothing to attack what they consider to be President Obama's unconstitutional executive order actions on immigration. Just hours ago, Speaker Boehner recessed the House - indicating problems. Republican aides downplayed the delay and said the vote would take place today, but Democratic sources said the bill lacked the support to pass. A Democratic aid said : “Sounds like they’re having major problems, and part of it is tied up in what order to take the votes. Still unclear how (or if) they can resolve it. We could solve all their problems if they’d put the Senate bill on the Floor.” The office of Majority Whip Steve Scalise issued an updated floor schedule shortly after 1 p.m EST, outlining the GOP strategy “when the House reconvenes,” without saying when that would be. The House GOP wants to approve a measure funding DHS for three weeks, and approve another measure requesting a conference with the Senate to iron out differences between the proposals passed by each chamber. Setting up the conference is expected to be the easier of the two House votes. Without language overturning Obama's actions, it’s not clear the GOP has the 218 votes necessary to approve the three-week extension bill -- especially now that House Democratic leaders are urging their members to vote against it, forcing Speaker Boehner to find 218 votes among his Republican caucus members. The vote on setting up the conference will come first and will be followed by a debate over the three-week funding, thus giving more time for House GOP leaders to find the needed votes. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she thought the GOP would be able to pass the bill. ~~~~~ President Obama would sign a short-term funding bill for DHS if one is approved by Congress, the White House said today : “If the President is faced with a choice of having the Department of Homeland Security shut down or fund the Department for the short term, the President is not going to allow the agency to shut down,” Press Secretary Josh Earnest said, adding, “So the truth is, if the President is faced with a choice between the short term extension and shutting down the Department of Homeland Security, he will sign the short-term extension.” ~~~~~ While the Republican House and Senate leadership is desperately trying to avoid a DHS partial shutdown that Democrats will use to question the GOP's ability to lead, those Republicans most affected by a shutdown are speaking at the Conservative PAC conference (CPAC), each one explaining why (s)he would be the best Republican 2016 presidential candidate. There's a certain irony in that. The GOP hasn't had a leader since 2008, when outgoing President George W. Bush was driven out of public life by his own Republican Party - a pariah because of his aggressive Middle East policy and Iraq war. The ostracism was magnified by the Democrat Party and their candidate Barack Obama, who promised to get America out of Iraq and Afghanistan. America bought the fairytale. Obama has been blaming George W. Bush for everything for the last 6 years. And without President Bush, the GOP has been leaderless -- and even now, George W's own brother, Jeb, wants to legitimize his 2016 candidacy by separating himself from his brother's presidency. ~~~~~ Dear readers, while GOP wannabes are touting their presidential qualities to CPAC and Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader McConnell are trying to save the GOP from a new PR debacle -- there is no Republican leader. There are only equals, each one slightly distrusted by every other. A leader would enforce party discipline around a vision that makes every act part of a unifying whole. There is no vision, no whole, so there is no reason to sacrifice specific goals for a greater goal. Barack Obama has kept President Bush in a negative spotlight, helping to create a GOP that is a sort of orphan. But, Obama is not a leader for his Democratic Party either. The result? Immigration reform is in shreds - the President is trying to create "executive-made" law by defying the Constitution - Pelosi and Reid have enough votes to keep anything from happening if they personally decide it shouldn't. AND, Boehner and McConnell - under immensely negative media and Democratic commentary - are doing their best to save America and its Constitution from a President hell bent on becoming a real 'American Caesar.'