THE 2022 MIDTERMS, IF SOMETHING LOOKS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE…

Politically speaking, there continues to be much talk about some ‘red wave’ that may, or may not, be looming just over the horizon, but I can’t help but wonder if it might be nothing more than a case of wishful thinking. Because, quite frankly, it’s going to take a great deal more than words for it to become a reality. A little incentive must also be provided. And right now, despite the debacle that we have all been watching unfold over the course of the last 11 months, Republicans still seem to be lacking when it comes to convincing enough of the American people to trust them as being willing, and able, to reverse any of what has now gone so horribly wrong.

Republicans have been very busy, of late, predicting a midterm election red wave next year, one that, or so they claim, could sweep both chambers of Congress and end unified Democrat control in Washington. But as we all know, merely talking about something, of even wishing it to be true, doesn’t mean that it will come to pass. But such confidence on their part is predicated on a number of factors. Among the things poisoning the electoral well for the Democrats are the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, rising fuel prices, supply chain woes, inflation and deeply unpopular leadership in Washington from *president ‘Creepy Joe’ and his deputy, ‘The Hoe.'

The House is viewed by many on both sides of the political aisle as being the most vulnerable to a Republican takeover, given the Democrats’ razor-thin five-seat majority there. However, despite a favorable map for Democrats, the party’s 50-50 majority in the Senate could also be toppled. History can also be said to be on the side of the Republicans, with the party in the White House customarily shedding seats in the midterms as voters look to make their voices heard. Republican waves helped flip the House toward Republicans in 2010 and the Senate four years later, while a blue wave helped win Democrats back the lower chamber in 2018.

Recent waves have flipped dozens of seats, and it’s this time around that the Republicans must net just five seats to triumph next year. The current positive estimation of Republican chances in 2022 is not the first, or the last, to predict a Republican triumph across the board. Republicans around the country gearing up for the midterms are promising a major education reform push focused on parental rights and educational standards. A Republican path to victory must involve advocating for strong schools that teach our children how to excel, not watering down the curriculum, a school where parents have a say in what their children are being taught.

But as I stated earlier, there are plenty hurdles that can be said to lie in the path of Republicans. And first of many, I think, is the fact that over the course of the last five years Republicans have dug a rather sizable hole for themselves, especially when it comes to providing the American people with sufficient reason for voting for them. And it’s been far more recently that those within the Republican Party, by allowing what was clearly a fraudulent election to be ratified, have made it possible, and dare I say far easier, for those on the left to steal elections in the future? Insanity is, as they say, doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

And also, it’s the Republican Party that seems to have virtually no problem at all with continuing to allow those accused of “insurrection,” because of the events of January 6, to rot in jails. Every one of these very same Republicans now lauding some coming ‘Red Wave’ should be loudly protesting, every single day, how these patriots continue to be incarcerated, and essentially tortured, by those enemies of both God and country. Also, the southern border has remained wide open for months. And yet where is the outrage from these Republicans, and the intransigence? Nowhere! A party consisting of cowards and feminists isn’t going to ‘fix’ or change anything.

While there is a pretty good chance that the Republicans will retake Congress, sadly there’s an even better chance that they will retain the same weak leadership, they currently have. And as we all know it’s no one in ‘The Swamp’ who either fears or has much respect for, either Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy, since they both seem to possess the same habit of rolling over much to the detriment of the American people. And we need no one who is not prepared to work hard at destroying the progressive agenda. Those Republicans seeking only to ‘go along, to get along’ need not apply. These progressives must be rooted out and shown for what they truly are.

And too, we must always remember, and never allow ourselves to forget, how it is that the Republican Party has the rather strange propensity for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory to the point where some, like myself, have been left wondering if they actually want to be in charge and possess the necessary interest in actually wanting to govern. That and the fact that far too many of those who call themselves Republicans are nothing more than members of the opposition working on the inside. They’re only slightly better than the Democrats, in most cases, and are usually worse because anyone who is a traitor to their oath, is the most despicable.

And so, if Republicans do come to win a majority in both houses of Congress, my fear is that once again they will choose only to squander it by handing control over to any of our current batch of RINOs. And it will be just like the show votes on repealing Obamacare, when they actually get a chance to do something real and effective and instead their spines melt and it will be once again that they will simply bend over and allow the Democrats to have their way. McConnell and McCarthy must be replaced by those genuine conservatives who are more interested in making government work for the people than in working with Democrats to further screw the American people.

It doesn’t instill much confidence in me when I see Republicans essentially gloating about a supposed victory nearly a year out from an election. Especially when I know that our cadre of RINOs are only too happy about the prospect of regaining their own power. With them it’s not about gaining an opportunity to pass legislation needed to get America back on track for the American people, that which was the same legislation they refused to pass when last they held the majority in Congress. To those ‘Establishment Republicans’ I say, “Shut up already. Winning only means something after you have done it and only if you do something with it. So for now, just shut up."

Now not being one who typically offers advice to the Democrats, as I see it their chief goal should be one of trying to find a way to maintain their status as a national party. It would seem that they are now well on their way to being relegated to the fringe lunatic zones. If they are able to actually realize that fact, they may well attempt to avoid it using the vile methods we have become accustomed to see from them and if they have the same success that we are accustomed to seeing Democrats produce, we may never hear of them again at all. Most countries don’t have political parties comprised of those who hate their country, so we likely don’t need one either.

I have no doubt that riots will likely follow a ‘Red Wave,’ if that happens. And if blessed with another opportunity Republicans had better take full advantage of it. They will need to be united right to the very last one if our fraudulent *president is to be neutralized as he, and his handlers, will, no doubt, attempt to block anything that a Republican Congress might try to achieve. We've got to go public. The American people have got to know what is going on, and not only what those in the ‘fake news’ media are telling them. Republicans must act together as it’s the next two years that are absolutely vital to the survival of the country. There will not be another chance.

Of course, the Democrats continue to deny that any election fraud took place, despite the overwhelming amount of evidence to the contrary. Democrats believe that they are somehow ‘entitled’ to cheat because it’s they, and they alone, who supposedly represent our minority ‘victims.’ Fraud ends in failure. Afghanistan, crime, inflation, shortages, CRT, mandates and so very much more. Millions of us believe that President Trump won, and that ‘Creepy Joe’ Biden is a fraud. We do not consent to his authority. And so it is with great hope that in both 2022 and 2024 the pendulum can be made to swing back to ‘America First’ and the consent of the governed.

WHEN DID ‘GOP’ COME TO STAND FOR, ‘GROUP OF PUSSIES’…

Ya know, just once I wish there would be an instance to which I could point where the guys on our team showed just a little backbone by standing up to the Democrat leadership in Congress instead of running off like scared little wimps and cowering in the nearest corner.  And people wonder why it is that Donald Trump continues to kick ass in the polls.  When, exactly, did GOP come to mean, “Group of Pussies?”  Because that’s pretty much all that we now have in Congress.

And it was just yesterday that ‘Dingy Harry’ made yet another threat, saying, "Unless Republicans go along with Democrats, the government shuts down at midnight this Friday."   And he went on to say, "If we fail to meet that deadline, it will be another evidence of a Republican failure in leadership."  I think I’d just drop over dead if just once the Republican in Congress put the needs of the country above political expediency and stood up to this flaming asshole!

‘Dingy Harry’ went on to say that if Republicans fail to pass an omnibus appropriations bill by midnight on Dec. 11 -- a date that they themselves picked -- it will be because they continue to attach their "ideological agenda" to the must-pass omnibus.  Now what the Hell is thus asshole talking about?  Isn’t that the very same thing that ‘Dingy Harry’ himself can be said to be guilty of?  So am I to understand that Republicans are to be denied being able to play by the same rules? 

‘Dingy’ said, "No legislation will pass with these poison pill riders. We passed a bipartisan budget agreement, we did it through good-faith negotiations. It was meant to stop a government shutdown, and we need Republicans to work with us, to stop with their demands for provisions that won't be signed into law."  Why is it always the Republicans who MUST work with the Democrats but the Democrats never see it as being appropriate to work with the Republicans?

And it was at the same news conference, that proverbial dingbat Democrat from Washington, Patty Murray, chose to throw in her two-cents.  This imbecile proceeded to make a threat of her own saying Republicans had better work with Democrats if they know what's good for them.  Really?  She said, "[If] there's one thing that's clear from the past few years, it is that the only way for Republican leaders to avoid a Tea Party crisis is to work with Democrats to get things done."

And it then that this escapee from a padded room in some mental ward said, "We saw that with our bipartisan budget deals, we are seeing that today with the Every Student Succeeds Act, and I'm hoping that we can see it again with this omnibus."  Murray said Republicans are "still playing games" by trying to jam through policy riders that have no chance of becoming law and that would be devastating for our workers, our seniors, our women and our families if they do.”

And still this idiot babbled on making very little sense.  She said, "So they need to push the Tea Party demands aside, they need to drop their poison pill riders and work with us to finish this budget process in a way that works for middle class families and the economy."  I thought a bit ironic to hear that coming from someone whose party has been the principle architect when it comes to the damage that has been done to the middle class, especially over the course of the last seven years. 

House Speaker Paul ‘RINO Ryan’ told reporters on Tuesday that, "we're not going to let the arbitrary December 11th deadline stop us from getting this right. We're going to get the best agreement we can possibly get, and those negotiations are ongoing."  Ryan held out the possibility of passing a short-term ("handful of days") continuing resolution to keep taxpayer money flowing at current levels until the omnibus spending package can be passed.

Barry “Almighty” has already promised to veto a CR. The White House says Republicans have had enough time to meet their own deadline.  Once again the Republicans prove to be their own worst enemy.  What they should do, but likely won’t, is to let Barry veto the bill and then hit the airwaves blaming any government shut down on those truly responsible.  But that’s likely too much work so they’ll simply cave on the issue and go home for the Holidays. 

Why is it that those on our side always seem to be so completely incapable of articulating the hard choices that must be made if our country is to survive long enough for the next generation to take over?  And why can’t they make it crystal clear that should the government be made to shutdown it’s only because of the Democrats stubborn refusal to do what everyone knows full well MUST be done.  But nope, we can’t do that, it’s just so much easier to simply cave.

REPUBLICAN CONTROL EXPANDS, AND YET…NOTHING EVER HAPPENS…

So while those in government who claim to be member of the Republican Party continue to expand in number, more by default than as a result of any specific deed accomplished, it’s those who align themselves with the Democrat Party that continue to dwindle in number.  And yet, even with this increase in numbers there has been no effort undertaken to stop, or to even slow, the country’s steady movement left.  Such reluctance to act has only served to encourage the Democrats who, even though fewer in number, have met with much success in their mission to destroy this nation.    

One can argue, I suppose, the fortunes of the Democrat Party changed with the arrival of Barry.  Although, at the time, many predicted something quite different would take place. The damage that Barry has inflicted upon the Democrats in Congress, as well as to those in a number of state legislatures, has been widely reported on over the last 7 years.  But of course it has been downplayed, or ignored entirely, by many on the left.  But this past Wednesday, and for the first time, it was nicely summed up nicely in just 140 characters (or less) what Barry has achieved.

This rather brilliant, and albeit quite brief, summation came from Republican operative Rory Cooper who managed to tie what can be described as being a rather nice little bow on the Democrats’ fall from grace with a Tweet that simply tallied up all of the many losses.  “Under President Obama, Democrats have lost 900+ state legislature seats, 12 governors, 69 House seats, 13 Senate seats,” Cooper tweeted. “That’s some legacy.”  We all heard about the losses experienced by the Democrats but to see them written out in such a manner, the totals seem quite amazing.

And as election results began to come in after this past Tuesday’s elections we saw that the trend appears to be continuing.  That trend being, of course, that the Republican Party had again been quite successful in expanding on 2014 mid-term gains at the state level.  Republicans maintained their control of the Virginia senate, despite the best efforts of Gov. Terry McAuliffe and tons of money spent by the likes of Mike Bloomberg, as well as the New York senate.  Republicans also held on to their majorities in both Mississippi houses while picking up seats in Pennsylvania.

And in what’s being called a surprise by many, and a win reminiscent of Larry Hogan’s 2014 win as governor of The People’s Republic of Maryland, is how easily Republican businessman Matt Bevin handily defeated Democrat Attorney General Jack Conway for the governor’s seat in Kentucky, becoming only the second Republican to hold that office in the last 40 years. Bevin’s win makes a total of 12 Republican governor pick-ups since Barry first took office.  Again, a rather significant string of losses that are said to be all the fault of the one who we had supposedly all been waiting for.

Republicans took control of a record 67 state chambers in the 2014 mid-term elections, and they continue to control both chambers in 23 states.  Meanwhile, Democrats have complete control of just seven, which leave the remaining ones with power being divided between the parties. And Republicans of course hold majorities in Congress, where Democrats hold just 44 Senate seats and 188 House seats.  And yet despite the fact that their numbers have been increasing, the direction is which our country seems to be headed has changed very little, if at all.

And yet, what have the Republicans managed to do with this growing power that they possess?  Not much of anything, really!  Other than appearing to be only too happy to assist Barry “Almighty” in doing just about anything he wants to do in his ongoing effort to “fundamentally transform’ this country.  Now granted, while we have seen most of such assistance coming more from those Republicans inside the beltway, there has been more than a few out beyond the beltway who have also been willing to assist Barry in his mission to destroy our country.

And frankly, I’m a bit perplexed why it is that people continue to vote for Republicans, especially when we continue get little or nothing in return.  They make all manner of promises with apparently no intension of following through.  The tactic worked quite well for them in both 2010 and again in 2014.  In Washington there has been little or no push back against the rabid spending of Barry “Almighty”, and even less has been accomplished as far as reversing the course that this country has been on for decades, but especially over the course of the last seven years.

I’m at my wits end.  While it sounds encouraging to hear how it is that the Democrats have been getting their collective ass handed to them over the last few election cycles, what do we on the right have to show for any if it?  Jack shit, that’s what!  What, are we just supposed to walk around with our chests all puffed out because we own more states?  Or that we have more House seats than at any time since World War II?  Big deal!  How about we flex our political muscle a little?  How about we DO something for the country?  But nope, it’s just more of us to cower in the corner!   

KEEPIN’ MY FINGERS CROSSED…

So here we are now with the election finally behind us. And I wonder how many of you out there are, like me, hoping for the best, but at the same time fearing the worst. The truth is I simply could not stay home on Election Day, just as I couldn’t bring myself to vote for a Democrat. So I did the only thing that would allow me to get any sleep at night, I voted straight Republican. While doing so, I must admit, there was a little voice in my head warning me.

And then, I think, it was just yesterday that I was reading somewhere that Paul Ryan vowed that he had enough Republican support to get immigration reform done. And I couldn’t help but wonder what it was that he might have meant by "enough Republicans". Did he mean that there are now enough Republicans willing to stand with ALL of the Democrats so that amnesty could be pushed through Congress in much the same manner that Obamacare was?

Since the morning after the night before I’ve been hearing all manner of grandiose plans coming from those who will comprise our newly minted Senate majority as well as our expanded majority in the House. Some of which have been more than a bit disconcerting, and much of which I can’t help but wonder if it is nothing more than just a lot of talk. We will be required to keep a very close eye on those whom we just elected, they are not to be trusted.

LET’S NOT GET TOO FAR AHEAD OF OURSELVES, SHALL WE…

Don’t get me wrong, I’m plenty happy that the Republicans took control of the Senate and padded their numbers in the House, but I’m hearing some trash-talking that would seem to indicate that we may be letting things go to our head, at least a little bit. And what I mean by that is that I recently heard where Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, proclaimed Wednesday that Republicans may have built a "hundred-year majority" in the House. What he said was, "We're back to a majority as big as any of us have seen in our lifetimes. It may be a hundred-year majority."

Sounds to me like he may need a little cold water thrown in his face in order to bring back down to Earth. Because there is nothing that points to this as being anything other than a temporary thing that could all come to an end in just two very short years. Granted, House Republicans have swelled their majority to at least 243 and are on track for more pickups that would give them the biggest House majority since the Truman administration more than sixty years ago. But as they say, there are few things in life that are permanent, and that’s especially so when we’re talking politics. I’d hate to see that put to the test.

Republicans could very well end up with as many as 249 seats, which would be the largest House Republican majority since 1930. That's well past their early goal of netting 11 seats for a 245 seat majority in the next Congress. Walden’s language seemed to echo GOP strategist Karl Rove’s dream from ten years ago of building a "permanent" Republican majority in Washington. And in trying to perhaps throttle things back a bit. Daniel Scarpinato, a spokesman for the NRCC, said Walden was merely putting Tuesday’s resounding victory into historical context, not predicting decades of House GOP rule.

Scarpinato went on to say, "His reference to a ‘hundred-year majority’ was that it’s been nearly 100 years since we’ve seen a majority this size." And he made sure to add, "[He] wasn’t suggesting in any way that the majority is safe for 100 years." Personally, I think Walden was a little too quick to open his mouth without thinking. People hear that kind of gibberish and form their own opinion about what he ‘meant’ to say without the benefit of Mr. Scarpinato’s interpretation. It’s idiotic comments like these that make things more difficult than they really need to be. Somebody needs to grab Walden by the short-hairs and tell him to shut up!

Anyway, Walden and other GOP leaders exulted at a press conference at Republican National Committee headquarters after the election and much grandiose plans were discussed. Walden said, "Our party will ultimately be measured by how we govern and that’s what Americans have elected us to do and we’re eager to get to that work." And on that I will most definitely agree with Mr. Walden. But if our Republican majority does little more than to settle for half-measures and providing lip service, this accomplishment of which they now seem to be so proud will come to a premature, as well as a very ugly, end.

Look, this little ego trip that so many now seem to be on, could very easily come back to bite us all in the ass, and such comments could easily have a very adverse effect before the new Congress even gets started. Because unless these folks demonstrate that they are serious about taking care of the ‘people’s’ business, they could very well be in for the same type of ass-kicking in 2016 that the Democrats got this time around. Priority one needs to be the getting rid of Obamacare. If they’re unwilling to do that, this majority that we now have is pretty much worthless. And what we’re already hearing from some of these guys is far from encouraging.

WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT FROM A REPUBLICAN CONGRESS???

As I have said before, and on more than one occasion, should the Republican Party successfully avoid what has become their standard practice of ever so skillfully snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, and actually end up being fortunate enough to gain for themselves complete control of Congress, their window of opportunity to demonstrate to the American people that they’re doing so was worth the risk, will be a very narrow one.

And so it is then that these days I find myself in the rather unusual position of actually agreeing with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Mr. McCarthy recently warned that the GOP must make "radical changes" in the next two years if it does in fact succeed in taking control of the House and the Senate as a result of the midterm elections. It’s either that, he says, or the party will lose the 2016 presidential race. He’s correct in his assessment.

It was while speaking to a group of donors that McCarthy was heard to say, "I do know this, if we don’t capture the House stronger, and the Senate, and prove we could govern, there won’t be a Republican president in 2016." McCarthy’s plan is to build bridges with Republican senators so that they can reach the voters with one voice, and he’s already been talking to South Dakota Sen. John Thune about strengthening ties between the two chambers.

It’s been through a series of interviews that McCarthy has said, "My belief is you have one chance to make a first impression." He has also said, "From the very first day after the election, we should be laying out to the American public what the expectations are. Why make two different agendas?" Now while what he says does make a great deal of sense, it’s a very rare occasion when you see the actions of Republicans matching up with the rhetoric.

McCarthy says that there’s a "75 percent" chance the GOP will take the Senate, while noting that it the Democrats maintain control of the upper chamber it will be a tough time for him personally and the public. He said, "If it stays Democratic, it’s going to be a frustrating time." McCarthy may be overstating his party’s chances a bit, but he’s right about the consequences to be faced if the Democrats are able to maintain their control of the Senate.

The thing is, the task that McCarthy has set for himself and his party will not be an easy one, because it’s a sure thing that the Democrats will begin to construct every type of roadblock imaginable right after it becomes official that ‘Dingy Harry’ is out of his job. And if the Republicans hope to meet with any amount of success over the course of the next two years, then they will need to grow both a spine and a rather sizeable pair of cojones. Otherwise, what we’re hearing from McCarthy will amount to little more than just words.

‘ESTABLISHMENT’ REPUBLICANS GO ON THE ATTACK…

Once again we have those who proudly identify themselves as being "establishment Republicans" are showing us which side they are on as they set about the business of throwing we the American people under the proverbial bus. Their latest tactic is to now go about warning important donors that they could possibly lose support in Congress on defense contracts and other issues if they don't step up to help beat back Tea Party primary challenges to incumbent senators. Which proves that we the people must take matters into our own hands!

According to the Wall Street Journal, one of those good ol’ boys, and a guy who’s about as useless as a screen door on a submarine, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, recently warned officials from defense contractor BAE Systems Inc. that if Tea Party factions begin winning primaries, military spending will take a hit. This proves that there is pretty much nothing that old Mitch won’t say in his effort to stave off attempts by conservatives to increase their numbers. We need no more moderates like this guy.

"In the current debate, spending cuts have trumped robust national-security spending," one person who attended a fundraiser for the Kentucky Republican, told the Journal. "The main message he was pushing was: Get involved, mainly to teach those who are primarying incumbents that it is not helpful to run against incumbents who are champions for the industry." What we need are some stalwart conservative champions who are willing to stand up for the American people and against the status quo!

More than half of the 12 Senate Republicans up for reelection in 2014, including McConnell, face challenges from Tea Party candidates. Personally I think that that is a great idea. But McConnell doesn’t see it that way, and has been very busy, as a number of others have, in warning potential contributors that if Republicans and their supporters can’t come together, the party has no chance of taking back control of the Senate. I would argue that the Tea Party helps in that endeavor. People want to see a clear and obvious difference.

And then of course we have our joke of a House Speaker, John Boehner of Ohio. He’s another spineless wimp who has, on a number of occasions, lobbied for establishment Republicans to beat back their Tea Party brethren. He recently had a tantrum accusing the group of handicapping the party by "forcing GOP lawmakers to take ill-advised policy positions," a reference to the federal government shutdown, which many Americans blamed on Republicans. Actually, it was more of a shutdown that wasn’t, and had very little of an impact.

And the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has also chose to now enter the fray by pouring money into the coffers of establishment candidates from Alabama to Idaho, candidates who tend to be much more ‘moderate’ than do their Tea Party-aligned challengers to the right. The Chamber blames the grass roots faction for holding the country hostage by demanding the defunding of Obamacare, resulting in the 16-day ‘partial’ government shutdown in October. However, the Chamber also favors amnesty for illegal aliens and is pressing for it’s passage.

The Tea Party is "a reactionary conservative force . . . that prefers the sorts of dramatic changes that threaten the stability traditional conservatives usually seek to preserve," writes University of Washington political scientist Christopher Parker, author of "Change They Can’t Believe In," in a blog piece from, of course, none other than the Washington Post. What else can we expect from this rag? They root not for the American people, but for Democrats and Democrat wannabes like McConnell and Boehner. We need those who are true conservatives!

"Reactionary conservatives fear losing their way of life amid social change. To preserve their group’s social prestige, they’re willing to undermine long-established norms and institutions," Parker observes. "Furthermore, reactionary conservatives are more likely to subscribe to conspiracy theories as a means of explaining the perceived erosion of their dominance. Reactionary conservatives will, therefore, claim that their "enemies" are destroying their way of life. Compromise is commensurate with defeat, not political expediency." That’s bullshit!

Many people, these days, see very little difference between these establishment Republicans and Democrats. And I’m one of them. Next November we will have what many say is an excellent opportunity to take back the senate, and if folks, when stepping to the voting booth, see little or no difference between the candidates running, where’s the incentive to vote for the candidate with the R after his or her name? Every single incumbent on our side of the aisle should be sent packing. They have proven to be useless and self-serving.

And as proof of that I offer up the fact that the Senate Republicans chose to stand with ‘Dingy Harry’ Reid rather than the House Republicans on the defunding of Obamacare. And add to that the fact that I’m now hearing rumors about how these establishment Republicans are about to cave not only on amnesty but also on raising the minimum wage. That’s insanity! What we need are people who are not afraid to advocate what we need to do in order to prevent Barry and his merry band of Democrats from moving any further with destruction of America.

REPUBLICANS SURRENDER AND THE DEBT CONTINUES TO GROW…

I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank those Republicans, starting with Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, who recently felt compelled to once again screw the country by deciding to bend to the will of ‘Dingy Harry’ Reid and our ‘Dear Beloved Leader,’ Barack Hussein Obama. My daughter very much appreciates being presented with an opportunity to take on even more debt just so the Democrats can then, in turn, continue to provide to their parasitic constituents the near endless stream of ‘benefits’ that they receive in return for voting for those same Democrats.

The US Treasury wasted very little time as it quickly set to work feeding the country's appetite for borrowing after the 11th hour cave by gutless Republicans lifted the debt ceiling, an act that was claimed to have avoided, that which was never in any serious danger of occurring, the much talked about default. Treasury figures show the government went to the markets for an additional $300 Million almost as soon as the $16.7 trillion cap was removed with the signature of Barry "Almighty" early Thursday morning.

By the end of Thursday, the country's debt had already risen to a staggering $17.03 Trillion. Thanks Mitch, glad you got your $2 Billion piece of the pie! Anyway, at least part of the rise came with the resumption of the sale of state and local government series securities, which were suspended on May 17 after the $16.7 Trillion ceiling was set and the Treasury needed to juggle operations to remain beneath it for as long as possible. The US needs to borrow increasingly more to bridge a monthly deficit averaging an unbelievable $60 Billion.

There was much talk about the refusal by congressional Republicans to raise the ceiling without first gaining some political concessions from their Democratic rivals and the White House. But while they started strong, they faded pretty fast, until finally raising the white flag. It seems that talk of the Treasury being forced into the position of being cash short and defaulting on its obligations, including the debt, was just too much for them. Even though the government takes in roughly $230 Billion every single month, which is more than enough to keep us from default.

But we will once again be going through pretty much the same kind of thing next February 7. And as a conservative Republican I won’t be getting my hopes up as far as there being an outcome different to what I saw this time around. Oh, our side will undoubted start out by talking pretty tough, by it will all be for naught. Because it will end the same way that it always does, with sorry-assed excuses from our supposed leaders. I just wish that once, just once, they could find it within themselves to do what’s best for the country!

GUTLESS REPUBLICANS WILLING TO DO NOTHING TO STOP OBAMACARE...

The Senate Conservatives Fund website shows that 1.2 million people have now signed a pledge to defund the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. But it would seem that a number of our top Republicans have, apparently, refused to sign the pledge. And I’m quite sure that no one will be all that surprised when they hear the names of at least some of those individuals. Because the list includes such notable RINOs as Mitch McConnell, as well as John "The Maverick" McCain and his trusty sidekick, Lindsey "Prissy Boy" Graham. I find it odd that even though no Republicans, in either the Senate or the House, voted to pass Obamacare, they remain so apprehensive about defunding it. WHY?

The senators’ website, which also features a stopwatch counting down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the end of the fiscal year and a proposed continuing resolution to keep the government funded, also names all 11 Republican Senators who, at least up to this point, "won't pledge" to sign the petition. And here again, there are no real surprises, because aside from McConnell, McCain, and Graham, the other Republican Senators who "won't pledge" to sign are Richard Shelby, Roy Blunt, Richard Burr, Tom Coburn, Jeff "Amnesty" Flake, Lamar Alexander, Bob Corker and Orin Hatch. All guys who like to refer to themselves as conservatives, but very obviously are not.

There are, however, 13 Republican Senators, dare I say actual conservatives, who have signed the pledge. And they are Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Chuck Grassley, Mike Crapo, Jim Risch, Pat Roberts, David Vitter, Deb Fischer, Jeff Chiesa, Jim Inhofe, John Thune and Mike Enzi. The remaining Republican Senators are listed as not having signed the pledge as opposed to those who have said they will not sign it. The senators in support of defunding Obamacare have said they will vote for a continuing resolution that will fund government operations but not the healthcare law. And that’s the "red line" that MUST be adhered to by many more of our congressional Republicans.

To me, those who refuse to sign this pledge to defund Obamacare, are just as guilty, if not more so, as those who worked so hard to shove this abomination through Congress courtesy of every political trick in the book. And while the Republicans can lay claim to the fact that they had nothing whatsoever to do with forcing this disaster onto the American people, by choosing now to do absolutely nothing to remove this tremendous burden off of the backs of those being forced, literally, to contend with it, makes their inaction far worse than the original act of passing it. And their unwillingness to take any action, makes them deserving of retribution to be delivered to them at the ballot box.

Look, the entire purpose of pushing this thing through Congress in the first place had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with actually ‘fixing’ our supposed "broken" healthcare system. Having the government in complete control of what healthcare is available to the American people has long been a proverbial wet dream of the Democrat Party, going all the way back to the days of FDR. And you would think that preventing such a thing from occurring would be sufficient motivation for the Republicans to do all that they can to kill it. Instead they seem quite content to simply let things ride, attempting to pacify the people with vague promises that really have so substance.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Right now the number one priority of our members of Congress should be to gut, severely limited, or kill completely, this debacle that is Obamacare. We ‘need’ members of Congress who are not afraid and who are willing to do ‘all’ that is necessary to put an end to that which they claim to recognize as being so damaging. And if that requires a government shutdown, which we all know is not really a shutdown, then so be it. I feel that they are only taking the easy way out. Because rather than working on how best to articulate why Obamacare must be scrapped, they choose to do nothing while making it appear, through political trickery, as if they are.

FOR CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS, THE MOMENT OF TRUTH HAS ARRIVED...

I'm not what you'd call a big fan of Sean Hannity, because I think, to a certain degree, his success has gone to his head. Maybe not on the same scale as say, a Bill O'Reilly, but still, there are those occasions where I do find myself in agreement with him. One of those occasions was last night, when he told his guest, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), that if Republicans pass a government funding bill next month that includes money for Obamacare, they'll lose his support. Now while some might say that by his even saying such a thing demonstrates a kind of arrogance, I would argue that, instead, it was said out of nothing more than pure frustration. Because I'm feeling pretty much the same way, but I don't have the platform from which to make my frustration known nor am I anyone that those in Washington listen to.

Gowdy, who I am a big fan of, supports defunding Obamacare, and has predicted a "robust debate" over funding the healthcare law that Barry "Almighty" is now rather selectively enforcing. Gowdy told Hannity, "We just have to have one of those 'come to Jesus moments' as a party where we say, 'You know, what do we stand for? What is enough to fight over?'" This is where Hannity piped up saying, "This is it for me." Going on to say, "I'm going to tell you, congressman, you guys don't do this, you've lost me. I'm done. Because there's no difference between you, then, and the Democrats at that point. None." Gowdy responded by saying, "Juries like contrast. Voters like contrast." Adding, "This is a wonderful opportunity for us to provide contrast." But will it just be another opportunity squandered?

As anyone knows who has been paying even the slightest amount of attention, in the absence of regular budget bills, Congress must pass another continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government at current levels as the new fiscal year begins on October 1. Conservative Republicans insist that the CR must not include money for Obamacare, but Democrats will never agree to that, and a stalemate on funding the government would cause much of it to shut down. Democrats, Barry "Almighty" included, would be only too happy to blame Republicans for a government shutdown because it would give them fodder for their attempt to regain control of Congress in the 2014 midterm election. And that worries Republican leaders. But I think they are wrong. Desperate times call for desperate measure.

And as is usually the case, our lily-livered-lint-licker of a House Speaker, John Boehner, has been his usual noncommittal self when it comes to discussing the passing of a CR that defunds Obamacare, saying in July, "No decision has been made about how we're going to deal with the CR next month." However, Boehner and other Republicans see the repercussions of Obamacare -- including the loss of full-time jobs -- as a winning midterm campaign issue for themselves. In the House, Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ga.) has sponsored a bill, H.R. 1005, the Defund Obamacare Act. Gowdy is one of the bill's 138 co-sponsors. And in the Senate, Republicans Ted Cruz (Texas) and Mike Lee (Utah) have sponsored similar legislation. But these guys can't win on their own, and sadly those in leadership aren't helping.

There's an old country song that goes: "You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything, You've got to be your own man not a puppet on a string, Never compromise what's right and uphold your family name, You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything." The Republicans in Congress have now, I believe, arrived at what could very well prove to be for them, and therefore the country, a very pivotal moment. And the urge to support something in the name of political expediency must be set aside in favor of supporting that which is in the best interest of our country. So I find myself in agreement with Mr. Hannity, in that if the Republicans refuse to do what we all know must be done, then, essentially, there is no difference between them and the Democrats! And if there’s no difference, why vote for them?

IF ONLY WE HAD SOME ‘REAL’ LEADERS…

And here we have yet another piss poor example of what passes for Republican leadership in Congress these days. I say that because while his office would not say whether Mitch McConnell is advising his GOP colleagues to oppose a plan by Sen. Mike Lee to defund Obamacare through a must-pass continuing resolution funding measure, his office did say that his party is "united" in getting rid of the unpopular health care law. Ok, does that not sound like a modern day version of "Who’s on first, What’s on second, and I Dunno’s on third"? It’s well past time for our emasculated congressional leadership to be replaced with someone who actually has some balls! Our current clowns simply talk out of both sides if their mouths.

Some boob, by the name of Don Stewart, who we’re told is the communications director for McConnell said in an email, "Republicans are 100 percent united in their support for repeal of Obamacare, and the Leader is a co-sponsor of a bill to defund it and a bill to repeal it." However, Stewart would not say whether McConnell opposes Sen. Lee’s plan or if news reports that McConnell is actively working against Lee are true. The continuing resolution, or CR, is legislation to fund the government for a certain period in the new fiscal year, which starts on Oct. 1. It is must-pass legislation that Congress and the president must come to an agreement on by Sept. 30 or the government would shut down for lack of congressionally authorized funding.

Lee wants the CR to include language prohibiting any further funds for Obamacare, particularly the individual mandate, which, as it stands now, is supposed to kick in on Jan. 1, 2014. A separate and distinct bill to repeal Obamacare would not have the same budgetary bite as the CR, which must be passed to keep the government operating. This guy, Stewart said, "The Senate Republican Conference is united in its goal of a full repeal of Obamacare. Sen. McConnell is a co-sponsor of a bill to defund the law and a bill to repeal it." He then went on to say, "Members are having multiple and ongoing conversations about how best to repeal and defund the law—but all with the same goal." Sorry, but that sounds like a bunch of political bullshit to me!

Senator Lee is circulating a letter to his Senate colleagues that he plans to send to ‘Dingy Harry’ Reid calling for defunding any further implementation of the health care law. At one time the letter reportedly had as many as 17 signatures. However, the number is down to 12, according to Stephen Hayes of the Weekly Standard, who is citing McConnell as being one reason Senators are now backing away from Lee’s plan. Top GOP Senators, including John Thune and John Cornyn, had signed on. But by Wednesday, five senators who had supported the letter initially, had "asked to have their names removed," including Cornyn. Sens. Kelly Ayotte, John Boozman, Mark Kirk and Roger Wicker have also reneged on their support.

"This wasn’t a coincidence," Hayes wrote. "Sources tell The Weekly Standard that Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell made clear he didn’t like Lee’s approach and the fact that media reports were suggesting Republicans were eager for a shutdown." Ryan Taylor, communications director for Sen. Wicker said, "Upon reflection, the senator became convinced that the implicit threat of a shutdown is not the most effective way to influence the final result." And in speaking of Wicker, Taylor actually went on to ‘claim, "He is a proud cosponsor of multiple legislative efforts to stop the Obamacare train wreck, and he will not stop pursuing those efforts." This is just more political BS!

And then we had Sara Lasure, a spokesperson for Senator Boozman, who simply said, "Those reports are incorrect," when asked if Boozman was told to back away from the letter after first signing on. She chose not to elaborate further on the subject. The Club for Growth also pointed straight to McConnell. "We are disappointed by rumors that Senate Republican leadership is pressuring Senators not to sign Lee’s letter or to remove their names, they should instead encourage others to sign on," said Club for Growth President Chris Chocola in a statement Wednesday. He went on to say, "If Senator McConnell is committed to defunding ObamaCare, then he should sign the Lee letter and promise not to support a continuing resolution or any budget that funds Obamacare." Right On!

While the status of Lee’s push remains uncertain, a similar effort is underway in the House, and being led by a letter from Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.). As of Thursday, the House letter had 65 signatures and "members are still signing on to support the effort," Emily Miller, communications director for Meadows, said in an email. Those signed on in the House may face opposition from the GOP leadership, as Speaker of the House, Bonehead Boehner said no decisions have yet been made on how to handle the Affordable Care Act’s, aka Obamacare, funding in the continuing resolution to fund the government past Sept. 30. Boehner has to decide if he’s going to do what’s best for the country, or what’s politically expedient.

Our limp-wristed Speaker of the House, John Boehner, said the House will do "everything we can to make sure this doesn’t really go into effect," on Thursday, but when asked if that includes defunding the law in the CR, he would not say. His idiotic response was to say, "No decision has been made about how we're going to deal with the CR next month, in September."  Boehner has been very critical of calls to shut down the government before, insisting that is not in the Republican’s plans either over the increasingly unpopular health care law or fights over raising the more than $16 trillion debt limit. "The Democrats think they benefit from a government shutdown," Boehner said in 2011, during a budget over the debt ceiling. "I agree."

So here we are, folks, once again finding ourselves between a rock and a hard place because we seem of have no one who possesses the necessary leadership skills, guts, or political will to do what we all know is necessary. Instead they pussyfoot around, claiming to be united in their stand against what is the nightmare of Obamacare, and yet seem perfectly unwilling to do that one thing that they know would rescue us from the consequences of it. So here we sit, waiting for these guys to do what we elect them to do and what we pay them for. Which is the arrangement that a majority of these folks seem totally unable to grasp. And they seem to expect us to accept how it is they view that arrangement. We can no longer allow that sentiment to continue!

YUP, FOR SHORE…REPUBLICANS ARE OUR LAST LINE OF DEFENSE. FRAID NOT!!!

Providing a bit more proof that they are not quite the last line of defense that they perceive themselves to be, the House Republican leadership, on Thursday, again violated the pledge that they made to the nation back in 2010. You know, the one that said if they regained control of the House of Representatives they would put "all pieces of legislation" online for at least 72 hours before bringing them up for a vote. This time around, it was on Wednesday at 4:29 p.m that the Senate passed a 574-page continuing resolution that will fund the federal government for the rest of fiscal year 2013. This 574-page continuing resolution differed substantially from the 269-page version of the same continuing resolution that the House had passed back on March 6. Nonetheless, our less than stellar House Republican leadership brought the Senate language up for a vote in the House at 10:54 a.m. on Thursday, or only 18 hours and 15 minutes after it passed the Senate.

The Hill published a piece at 10:01 p.m. on Wednesday reporting that the House Rules Committee had released the text of the Senate-version of the CR that the Senate had approved five and a half hours earlier. "The House Rules Committee late Wednesday released the text of the Senate-passed bill that keeps the government funded for the rest of fiscal year 2013," said The Hill. "The bill is the Senate-amended H.R. 933." Remember now, this was back on Sept. 23, 2010, when House Republican leaders were busy reaching out to Tea Party folks in hopes of winning back control of Congress in that year’s midterm elections, even releasing a document they called "A Pledge to America." In it they said, "We will govern differently than past Congresses of both parties." They also promised, "We will require that every bill contain a citation of Constitutional authority. We will give all Representatives and citizens at least three days to read the bill before a vote."

At the event the Republican leaders staged for release of "A Pledge to America," Rep. Jason Chaffetz stood with then-House Minority Leader John Boehner, then-Minority Whip Eric Cantor and then-Deputy Minority Whip Kevin McCarthy and explained that this language meant the Republicans were promising to the nation that they would post all pieces of legislation online for "at least 72 hours." Chaffetz announced, "We are taking a pledge today to do a number of things." He went on to say, "It starts with all pieces of legislation be available online for 72 hours--at least 72 hours--so that the public has a chance to review the legislation and so that members of Congress can actually read the bill." McCarthy, who is now the House Republican Whip, went on national television twice and reiterated, rather strenuously, that the Republicans were pledging to America to post legislation online for 72 hours before voting on it.

And it was on Sept. 23, 2010 that McCarthy told Fox News he would love to debate Democrats about the provisions in the pledge the Republicans had released that very day. "Do they disagree that a bill should be put online for 72 hours and actually read before it’s voted on?" McCarthy asked. And it was again, on Oct. 10, 2010, that McCarthy told CNN, "When you look at the Pledge to America that the Republicans have laid out, there is a cultural change in there." He went on to say, "There is something that opens up the floor that hasn't been done for quite some time, where bills won't be written in the back of the room, where the bills have to be laid out for 72 hours, where bills actually have an open rule, where people can bring amendments up on the floor, which any freshman congressman that's sitting there today has never even seen that happen under the rule of Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats."

After the Republicans did win back control of the House in the 2010 election, Speaker-to-be John Boehner even went so far as to release an op-ed on Nov. 12, 2010, in it he highlighted his and his party’s pledge to post bills online for 72 hours before voting on them. "We will make it easier to cut spending, require bills to be published publicly for 72 hours before Congress votes, and end the practice of using 'comprehensive' bills to lump together issues that have nothing to do with each other," wrote Boehner. Back on March 6, when the House Republican leaders called a vote on their version of the CR, they also broke their "Pledge to America" to post bills online for at least 72 hours. It was reported at the time that the text of that 269-page version of the bill was posted at 2:21 p.m. on Monday, March 4 and voted on at 2:03 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6. Only 27 House Republicans voted against it the Senate version of the CR.

Ok, so back to Boehner's silly claim that we are now supposed to somehow consider Republicans in the House as being our last line of defense. Sorry, but I'm just not seeing it. And frankly, I'm not seeing all that much difference between him and Pelosi. And I'll tell ya, if people don’t see all that much of a difference between the parties where's the incentive for them to vote Republican? It would be nice if we could take Boehner and our leadership team at their word, but sadly, such was not the case. Then as now they do nothing more than to tell us what they think we wanted to hear, and there's no intention of ever following through. So why should we view them as being anymore trustworthy than Barry "Almighty?" At this point in the game our leadership team in the House has a bit of a credibility problem. And sadly I see very little evidence that they are least bit concerned about it, since they seem to be taking no action, whatsoever, in an attempt to alter that perception.

MORE ON THE HOUSE REPUBLICANS BEING OUR LAST LINE OF DEFENSE...

As I mentioned in a previous post, it was during a recent gathering of donors that Speaker John Boehner was heard to say that the House Republicans were essentially the country's last line of defense against what Barry is trying to get accomplished. So in what is an effort to provide a little proof that nothing could be further from the truth, I would like to draw attention to the fact that the Republican-controlled House is preparing to vote today, and may have already done so, on the Senate-approved continuing resolution to fund the government for the rest of this fiscal year and that it would give Barry "Almighty" the discretion to slightly DECREASE the number of Border Patrol agents. And this would be on top of their going along with the funding of Obamacare.

Their decision to go along with this would make 2013 the second year in a row that the administration has DECREASED the size of the Border Patrol, and that's according to official data released by the Border Patrol itself. In fiscal 2011, according to the Border Patrol, there were 21,444 Border Patrol agents. Of these, 232 were deployed along U.S. coastlines, 2,237 were deployed along the U.S.-Canada border, and 18,506 were deployed along the U.S.-Mexico border. In fiscal 2012, again, according to the Border Patrol, the total number of Border Patrol agents decreased by 50 to 21,394. Of these, 224 were deployed on U.S. coastlines, 2,206 were deployed on the U.S.-Canada border and 18,516 were deployed on the U.S.-Mexico border.

The continuing resolution (CR) that passed the Senate on Wednesday and that the Republican leadership will rush to the House floor on Thursday, only requires the administration to maintain at least 21,370 Border Patrol agents, another 20 less than the government fielded last year, and 70 less than it fielded two years ago. To keep the government funded another CR only needs to be enacted by March 27, six days from now, when the current CR expires. The section of the new Senate passed CR, that the House takes up today, that governs spending on Customs and Border Protection says: "Provided further, That the Border Patrol shall maintain an active duty presence of not less than 21,370 full-time equivalent agents protecting the borders of the United States in the fiscal year."

In a January 29 speech calling for "comprehensive immigration reform" that would give illegal aliens a "pathway to citizenship," Barry "Almighty" boasted that his administration had put more Border Patrol agents on the southern border than at any previous time. "First, we strengthened security at the borders so we could stem the tide of illegal immigrants," Barry lied. "We put more boots on the ground, on the southern border than at any time in our history." And a page on the White House website dedicated to Border Security actually made the claim that Barry has "doubled" the number of Border Patrol agents. "President Obama has doubled the number of Border Patrol agents and today border security is stronger than it has ever been," says the page. "But there is more work to do."

However, according to the official Border Patrol data, Barry did not double the number of Border Patrol agents. There were 20,119 Border Patrol agents in fiscal year 2009, which started on Oct. 1, 2008 before Obama was elected president. Of those 20,119 Border Patrol agents on duty in fiscal 2009, 223 were on the coastlines, 1,887 were on the Canadian border, and 17,408 were on the Mexican border. In the four fiscal years from 2009 through 2012, the overall number of Border Patrol agents did not double. It went from 20,119 to 21,394—an increase of 1,275, or 6.3 percent. From 2009 through 2012, the number of Border Patrol agents specifically deployed to the U.S. Mexico border went from 17,408 to 18,516—an increase of 1,108 or 6.4 percent.

Up through fiscal 2010, which ended on Sept. 30, 2010, the Border Patrol used a metric called "border miles under operational control" to measure its performance. A border mile under operational control, according to the Government Accountability Office, was one in which the government "had the capability to detect, respond to, and interdict cross-border illegal activity." Less than a month ago, on Feb. 26, GAO Director of Homeland Security and Justice Issues Rebecca Gambler told the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on the Border in written testimony that when the administration stopped using border miles under operations control to measure the Border Patrol’s performance, 56 percent of the U.S.—Mexico border was not under control.

That means the U.S. government did not have the ability to detect and interdict illegal border crossers along more than half of the U.S.-Mexico border. "At the end of fiscal year 2010, DHS reported achieving varying levels of operational control of 873 (44 percent) of the nearly 2,000 southwest border miles," Gambler testified. So, what do you think, are the House Republicans really acting as our last line of defense? There's an old saying that I think is applicable regarding our current situation. It's the one that says, "With friends like you, who needs enemies?" And that's how I feel whenever I hear Boehner make the idiotic claim that were it not for him and the House Republicans things could be, and would be, so very much worse. It's a crock!

BOEHNER OUR LAST LINE OF DEFENSE? NOW THAT'S SCARY!!

I'm not sure what it is that John Boehner might be smokin, snortin or shootin up, but whatever it is, it must certainly be some pretty potent stuff. My reason for suggesting such a thing in the first place is the fact that Boehner was recently heard telling donors at a fundraising event that Barry’s second term was "supposed to be the president’s honeymoon, and our nightmare." Boehner then added, "Instead, he’s been the one on the ropes." However, I would beg to differ with the Speaker on that point. "This isn’t the way the talking heads said it was supposed to be," Boehner said at the National Republican Congressional Committee’s large March fundraiser at the National Building Museum, or so Politico reports.

In what was nothing more than and exercise in blowing smoke, Boehner said the president is hampered because House Republicans are balancing the budget, while Barry has no such plans to do so. Boehner told the gathering that the House Republican Conference is the "last line of defense" against what he believes will be a left-leaning agenda from Barry "Almighty" if Democrats take the House in 2014, according to a source who was in the room. And what I thought was particularly humorous was when he said, "I don’t know what these next few months will bring, but I do know one thing," adding, "We are the minority here in Washington…we are the last line of defense." Now is that a ballsy statement, or what?

And then, I guess, in an effort to blow his own horn, and trying to make the case that at least it's better than having the Democrats in charge, he said, "The president, his goal is to retake the House for Democrats and make Nancy Pelosi Speaker again." He went a little further by saying, "He’s got a whole laundry list of policies – like a 'cap and trade' national energy tax – that he knows he can only get with a Democratic House. (Oregon Congressman) Greg Walden is working hard on a plan to put a stop to all this. But we need your help." While it all sounds pretty good, I just don't have enough confidence that Boehner has the requisite spine to actually carry through with any of what he says. Recent history would indicate that he's just not up to the challenge.

And I'm very curious to know what it is, exactly, that has old John so convinced that Barry is "on the ropes" as he says he is. What does he offer up as being proof of his assessment of things. Is it the fact that the Republicans have decided to keep funding Obamacare? Sorry but they're out of excuses on the topic. But you have to give old John credit, he sure does talk a good line. But, I'll tell ya what folks, if the Republicans in the House are truly our last line of defense, then, my friends, we're very likely to be in much more trouble than we thought. Don't get me wrong, there are a few stars on our side, but far too few to make a difference. Boehner has gone to great pains to pretty much marginalize all those folks.

What needs to placed in the works, and right now, is a search to be put underway the purpose of which is to locate a genuinely conservative candidate capable of going up against Boehner in a primary. Because I think we all know, or should know by now, that Boehner is not a conservative, even though he tries to play one every time he goes on television. Boehner long ago outlived what little usefulness he might have once had. Personally, I'd argue that if anyone is on the ropes, it's our Republican majority in the House. Our leadership team of Boehner, Cantor and McCarthy, for lack of a better term, SUCKS! I think we can all agree on that. They all seem to be far more interested in their own 'careers', than actually saving the country.

REPUBLICAN RE-DO?

The continuing saga in Congress' latest never-ending must-pass legislation environment lurched ahead toward what is certain to be yet another House-Senate showdown, highlighting a partisan rift so raw that an effort to help disaster victims has become mired in disputes over jobs, the national debt and the discredited Solyndra solar energy company. The Republican-led House approved "revamped," and I use that term very loosely, legislation early Friday providing $3.7 billion to help people battered by Hurricane Irene, Texas wildfires, tornadoes and other natural disasters. The money would replenish an emergency fund that Homeland Security Secretary Janet "The Clueless Moron" Napolitano warned could be depleted early next week. The measure would also prevent a federal shutdown next weekend by financing government agencies from the October 1 start of the new federal fiscal year through November. 18. It was approved by a near party-line 219-203 vote shortly after midnight. There were 24 Republicans who remained steadfast in their opposition to this bill while 6 Democrats joined with those Republicans who supported the bill.

However, the stellar individuals who make up the leadership in the Democratic-run Senate were quick to promised that the legislation was pretty much DOA, saying it lacked sufficient disaster assistance. In other words, it doesn't spend enough money. Democrats also complained, and as usual quite loudly, about cuts the bill would make to help pay for the aid by trimming $1.5 billion from Energy Department loans, "loans" which we are supposed to believe are aimed at spurring development of fuel efficient vehicles, a program they said is creating thousands of badly needed jobs. You know, the same kind of "loans" that were made to now defunct Solyndra, whose executives are now pleading the 5th as they testify in hearings before members of Congress. "They insist on holding out on Americans who have suffered devastating losses," Senate Majority Leader "Dingy" Harry Reid, D-Nev., said of GOP lawmakers. "Americans are tired of this partisanship. They deserve to know that when disasters strike, we will be there to help them." Yea right, this coming from the biggest partisan hack in all of Congress. Shut the Hell up, Harry!


Now the Senate version, which was approved last week with the support of 10 GOP, I can only assume RINO, senators, provided $6.9 billion in disaster aid but with absolutely no cuts to help pay for it. Now I'm not sure who exactly those 10 Republicans were who voted for this thing, but I think I make an educated guess that would be pretty accurate. Mostly likely it was those usual suspects whose names we are quite familiar with as always being those who take such great pleasure in "reaching across the aisle." It was unclear how the standoff will be resolved as we move forward from this point. The House and Senate had both planned to take next week off, but neither seemed likely to risk accusations of ignoring the thousands of Americans victimized by natural calamities or of allowing the government to shut its doors. "We're establishing priorities," said Rep. David Dreier, R-Calif. "We have a priority, that being dealing with our fellow Americans." "The last thing Congress should do is hold up disaster assistance because of partisan politics," said Rep. Michael Simpson, R-Idaho. He said that while he hasn't always believed emergency spending must be paid for with savings in the past, "In the past we have not had a $14 trillion" deficit. "That's the danger to this country," he added.


House passage represented a reversal from an embarrassing setback the chamber dealt its Republican leaders on Wednesday. On that day, the House rejected what was a nearly identical measure, shot down by Democrats complaining its disaster aid was too stingy and conservative Republicans upset that its overall spending was too extravagant. The bill the House approved Friday morning contained just one change, that being an additional $100 Million in savings from cutting a second Energy Department loan program, this one aimed at sparking new energy technologies. Wow, merely a very small drop in a very big bucket and one that amount to nothing that would have changed my mind as to where I would have being willing to support this thing. So I guess it's safe to assume that it still provides for all of the same things that so many found objectionable during the first go round. You know not only things like funding for Obamacare implementation and Planned Parenthood, but also the funding to the United Nations Population Fund and, of all things, the allowing of funding to the Palestinian Authority all set to continue on into the new federal fiscal year that begins on October 1. All for a measly $100 Million in supposed savings.


Even with this additional $100 million in "savings" being cut from a second Energy Department loan program, the same program that financed a $528 million federal loan to Solyndra Inc., I don't see how so many who were so adamantly against the bill the day before could, in good conscious, so quickly turn to, and become willing to support essentially the same bill on the second time through. The Barry "Almighty" administration had praised Solyndra as a model for green energy companies, but now Congress is investigating the circumstances under which the government approved the loan. The California solar panel maker that had won such high praise from Barry "Almighty" has since gone belly up and laid off its 1,100 workers. Forty-eight Republicans had voted against the bill on Wednesday, a number that GOP leaders were able to cut in half in Friday's vote after hours of lobbying. One who switched from "no" to "yes" was conservative Rep. Jeff Landry, R-La., who said he was swayed by the new cuts in the technology loan program. That's nothing more that pure unadulterated bullshit, and Rep. Landry knows it! So he can peddle that crap to somebody else. What was he provided with in exchange for his vote?


The present bout of "gridlock" over the spending bill is the third time this year where the two parties have clashed over legislation whose passage both sides considered crucial to their cause. Democrats, as always, see the spending of even more money as being the only solution. It matters very little to them that we are well beyond being broke. Republicans, on the other hand, at least the conservatives among them, prefer perusing a different method out of sheer necessity. Back in April with just hours to spare, the two sides reached agreement, essentially with the Republicans caving, on a bill that averted a federal shutdown and provided money for government agencies through September. Then this summer, they battled for weeks before, with Republicans again capitulating, finally approving legislation extending the government's borrowing authority and narrowly preventing a historic federal default. Against a backdrop of the 2012 presidential and congressional elections and angst over the country's dismal job market, this year's clashes have been intensified by the infusion of dozens of Tea Party Republicans who often show little inclination to compromise. And rightfully so!


Wednesday's defeat of the spending bill was only the most recent time they have made life difficult, and deservedly so, for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. And it underscored the challenges that may lie ahead this fall as Congress tackles efforts to fix the economy, create jobs and try to rein in a growing debt that now stands at over $14 Trillion. Democrats tried turning the House spending bill debate into a battle over the economy, lambasting Republicans for cutting loans for technology research that they said creates jobs. "When Americans need jobs, the Republicans are pushing an anti-jobs bill," said Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich. The Democrats arguments just don't hold water. How much money has been wasted in their effort to "create or save" jobs with the only result being a net loss of over 2 million jobs after having spent over $1 Trillion? Republicans said the "loan" money that was cut wasn't being spent anyway, which Democrats, of course, quickly denied. And let's be honest here if we can, that loan money, like the money "loaned" to Solyndra and who knows who else, has had nothing to do with jobs. It has had everything to do with it being a method by which Barry's can use to pay back his big time campaign contributors. Barry is awash in corruption. As is the entire Democrat Party. And the American taxpayer is just expected to just continue to cheerfully pony up and cover the escalating cost of this corruption.

REPUBLICANS FIRE BACK...

Congressional Republicans are more than a little PO'd with our stellar "community agitator" of a president right now, who apparently thinks he can bully them into coming around to his progressive way of thinking. It all stems from Barry’s rather public scolding of them on Wednesday, when he essentially accused them of doing nothing more than sitting idly by while the issue of raising the debt limit becomes all the more crucial, to him, and the date that we will supposedly go into default gets closer. He even made a rather idiotic, and somewhat overly simplistic statement, saying they don’t measure up to his own daughters, who complete their homework early. And even some Democrats are questioning the intent, wisdom and potential political fallout of Barry's somewhat arrogant message.

Just a few of the responses that were forthcoming from the Republican camp:


- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urged Obama to drop the politics and head for Capitol Hill to negotiate a solution. “The president doesn’t seem to get it,” he said in a floor speech. What's more, Obama rejected McConnell's invitation to a lunch with Republicans to discuss the budget and debt ceiling morass.


- National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn said Obama should have put his own financial priorities in order by canceling a campaign fundraiser in Philadelphia Thursday night to instead focus on the government’s debt.


- Rookie Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, sent Obama a letter suggesting that he drop the grandstanding and submit a deficit reduction plan. “House Republicans acted, and now we await your spending reduction plan — perhaps not with open arms, but we do have open minds,” he wrote.


Like I said, some Democrats seem as perplexed as Republicans regarding the current tactic being employed by Barry. They say that by using a rather accusatory tone and terse demeanor that he essentially has provided Republicans with what could be a rather potent political opening. “The president might as well cancel every golf game, Martha’s Vineyard vacation, and fundraiser from here until doomsday because he’s living in a glass White House and Republicans are already throwing rocks,” a senior congressional Democratic source told Politico. Now I'm not sure I would characterize what's going on here as anyone throwing rocks, at least as it would pertain to Republicans. But that is pretty much all the Democrats have been doing since they lost control of the House last November. Throwing rocks, and more that a few tantrums has become the behavior of choice being exhibited by Democrats on a fairly regular basis.


But then some say that there may actually be a method to Barry’s very obvious madness here, or so The Hill is reporting. It seems that there are those who are of the opinion that his comments could actually serve as some much needed red meat for liberal Democrats who are none to thrilled with Barry right now, keeping them chewing quietly while the president works on reaching some sort of a budget agreement with Republicans. “If the president is in a veritable fight with the Republicans, the left will give him a lot more room to make a deal,” according to one Democrat speaking to The Hill. “To be sure, the left likes this President Obama a lot more than the post-partisan brand."


Still, angry and rather bellicose rhetoric, while it may make Barry feel better and pacify his base for a bit, may not be enough to placate your average knuckle-dragging, slope-headed, Neanderthal Democrats who note that Barry has far too frequently used this sort of "distraction" over the course of this past year, launching verbal assaults against conservatives while, in the end, essentially moving to the middle himself. “I think the problem is that Obama’s words have lost much of their credibility,” Lara Brown, a political science professor at Villanova University, again told The Hill. “He has talked many times about issues near and dear to progressives' hearts, but he has rarely delivered on his pledges.” Oh, I don't think I'd go that far there, Professor Bimbo.


So Barry’s strategy carries with it the risk of alienating his base more. “If they don't get taxes in this deal, then there won’t be taxes on the table for the next two years, and you don’t solve the problem and you p--- off all your allies,” so said an unnamed Democrat to The Hill. But any tax increase would appear to be dead on arrival at the House. “The president is sorely mistaken if he believes a bill to raise the debt ceiling and raise taxes would pass the House,” House Speaker John Boehner said Wednesday. “The votes simply aren’t there.” They had better remain "not there." The Republicans must remain resolute on this issue of tax hikes. We need to remain focused on what the real problem is here, spending.


Barry has now made crystal clear exactly what his priorities are and has been very clear in having done so, and thus is really in no position to make idiotic accusations against the Republicans. He’s proven that he is not going to be cutting back on fundraising anytime soon. His re-election team whipped out the collection plates Thursday to bring in every last dime. They want to show impressive numbers in their second-quarter contribution filings. Their goal for the quarter is $60 million. Campaign manager Jim Messina preached to the converted. “If you’re planning on donating to this campaign at any point in the next 16 months, . . . do it now,” he wrote in a note to supporters.


Barry hit two big-time fundraisers in Philadelphia Thursday, while first lady Mrs. Barry got into the act with a $500,000 event up in Vermont. Barry wants a strong early showing when it comes to dialing for dollars to energize his campaign while his approval rating remains very firmly stuck under 50 percent. If it can make the $60 million mark, the Obama campaign would break former President George W. Bush’s $50.1 million record — set in the third quarter of 2003 — for quarterly contributions in the year before an election. Ok, so what's the most important issue here, fundraising or the economy and our national debt. Sounds to me that what's most important to Barry is breaking Bush's fundraising record. Now there's an important priority.