Can’t Govern Themselves Out of a Paper Bag

The promise from the Republicans after the November election was they would show the country they were more then the party of no. More than obstructionists. They would actually have plans on how to run things. They’d pass legislation. There would be no shut down of the government. They would be a united party and they would get things done. President Obama would be shown as the person blocking getting things accomplished.

And that is working oh so very well for them:

House Republican leaders will face a familiar dilemma this week when they try again to approve funding to keep the Department of Homeland Security functioning through the end of September: They know their party is too divided to resolve the crisis on its own but fear the political fallout if they rely on Democrats to get them out of the jam.

After a humiliating defeat of their original funding plan Friday afternoon, House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) has just five days to craft a new outline to keep DHS funded or face the politically debilitating prospect of at least temporarily shutting down an agency designed to protect Americans. By late Sunday, Boehner’s House Republicans had no clear path to a solution other than retreating from their demands that the DHS funding measure include provisions that would block implementation of President Obama’s executive actions on immigration.

Good to see the Republicans once again and always put their party ahead of the country. Can’t possible offend those far right conservative Tea Party members. Least they throw a tantrum like some four year old that doesn’t get their way. This charming group of adults:

is led by a breakaway faction of Republicans working under the banner of the Freedom Caucus, 10 lawmakers who repeatedly object to leadership’s moves as insufficiently conservative. This group decided it no longer trusted the original conservative caucus, the Republican Study Committee, and formed their own smaller, purer caucus.

Closely allied with outside conservative groups who have agitated for an aggressive line, even if it means shutting down the DHS, that caucus led the way in rallying 52 Republicans to oppose Boehner’s three-week funding plan and, initially without Democratic support, tanked that vote.

What this shows is the main stream Republican Party still cannot control these bunch of babies who are holding the governing of this country hostage to their whims. Far be it that Boehner put what is important to the country first and tell these people exactly where to go.

But in order to do that Boehner would have to turn to the Democrats in order to pass legislation. Something he is obviously not ready to do. Maybe at some point Boehner will actually act like the Speaker of the House of Representatives instead of the Tea Party’s lackey.

But I wouldn’t hold my breath.

UPDATE:
 It seems Boehner allowed a clean bill to be voted on late this afternoon. The vote was 257-167 with all the Democrats voting for it. Boehner could have done this last week with the same results. But he must do Kabuki Theater with the Tea Party first. This is not the way to show you can govern. It shows just how spineless Boehner is.