Is the Republican establishment pulling out?
Grassroots conservatives, the base of the Republican Party, have let it be known in no uncertain terms that they are not going to be knee jerk supporters of establishment Republican priorities. Nor will they be go-along supporters of business as usual politics. Accordingly, Iowa’s Gold Dome Republicans and Washington’s K Street Republicans are feeling the heat on tax and immigration issues while the latter is receiving the cold on donation requests.
Gas tax increase burns
In Iowa the 10 cent gasoline tax increase proposal, sponsored by Republican House Transportation Committee Chairman Josh Byrnes, passed without opposition out of subcommittee. Governor Branstad has indicated he would not veto it and is officially staying out of any disagreement. Those developments are hardly inspiring.
What is inspiring is that Republican Party of Iowa (RPI) Chairman A. J. Spiker, true to the Republican grass-roots judgment contained in the RPI Platform, has announced opposition to the tax increase. Staking out the Republican brand on key timely issues is welcome and appropriate.
In an encouraging report from Iowans for Tax Relief (ITR), which true to its mandate has opposed the tax increase, they indicate that it is unlikely that the Senate and the House will debate Byrne’s bill this session, indeed that it may not even pass out of full committee. Elements of the Republican establishment have pushed it or are indifferent to it. But they felt the heat and may be pulling back. Read more about what ITR suggests about road repair and tax increases here.
Immigration hot tamale
The immigration reform “principles” that have been receiving the bum’s rush from Republican Congressional leadership – Boehner – Ryan – Cantor may have been critiqued to death. Earlier promises of action on a full package of reforms may no longer be “operative.” That development came after Republican leadership heard from the Republican congressional rank and file at the recently concluded Republican retreat. No doubt representatives were hearing from their constituents as well.
Representative Paul Ryan said in an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s This Week program:
Here’s the issue that all Republicans agree on — we don’t trust the president to enforce the law. So if you actually look at the standards that the Republican leadership put out, which is security first, first we have to secure the border, have interior enforcement, which is a worker verification system, a visa tracking program. Those things have to be in law, in practice and independently verified before the rest of the law can occur.
Ryan’s lead comment is a fine tack as to how to get out of pushing for their otherwise arguably unprincipled principles. Obama can’t be trusted — so an immigration bill is now impliedly dead in the water as far as the House is concerned. The outrage is that it is a true statement regarding Obama and not limited to immigration.
So where does that leave Congress as regards any legislation? They won’t consider impeachment, for which there are grounds. So in our judgment the focus of Republican congressional leadership should be on reining in federal bureaucracies of all sort through the power of the purse . . . and finding their tongue in every venue to point out the reason. It is an all-purpose political shield and spear to do what needs to be done . . . Obama can’t be trusted. We know . . . fat chance.
A chill on the Republican establishment’s anti-TEA party plans?
At the other end of the political temperature spectrum is the coldness visited on the political fundraising of recognized Republican establishment organizations connected to Karl Rove. The New Your Times reports Fund-Raising by G.O.P. Rebels Outpaces Party Establishment.
Four Republican-leaning groups with close ties to the party’s leadership in Congress — Crossroads and its super PAC affiliate; the Congressional Leadership Fund; and Young Guns Action Fund — raised a combined $7.7 million in 2013. By contrast, four conservative organizations that have battled Republican candidates deemed too moderate or too yielding on spending issues — FreedomWorks, the Club for Growth Action Fund, the Senate Conservatives Fund, and the Tea Party Patriots — raised a total of $20 million in 2013, according to Federal Election Commission reports filed on Friday.
Grassroots Republicans are voting — with their calls and with their pocketbooks. The Republican establishment should take heed, and their head out.
R Mall
Sadly, not only is Obama not to be trusted on anything, but neither is Paul Ryan and the rest of the GOP “Establishment”.