Remedial Politics 001

The GOP Senior Republicans, Washington's Inside-the-Beltway Oldtimers, seem to have become confused about the purpose of politics. Members of the House Appropriations Committee are pressuring Speaker Boehner to discipline his caucus to force the newcomers to the House to get in line and vote with the GOP caucus.

The cause of this furor was a vote in the House on a "minibus" appropriations bill, which passed with 133 Republican votes and 165 Democrat votes. 101 Republicans voted against the bill, and the House leadership is upset that these Republicans didn't vote with their caucus. As quoted in Newsmax, one GOP congressman told The Hill. “We’ve got some people who need to learn Politics 101. It either hasn’t been explained to them or they haven’t felt the need to play team ball."

That might be, but it probably isn't. Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., is quoted as saying “As we negotiated these last three bills, we went into it with a fairly strong position, and it was really House Republicans and Senate Democrats that drove the train. Now it’s going to be House Democrats at the table in a major way because we have to have their votes to pass the bill." Read that again, and the problem jumps out at you. The House GOP "leadership" went to the Senate Democrats to work out a bill that the DEMOCRATS in the House and Senate wanted, and kicked their own caucus to the curb - and then had the gall to be "offended" that the House conservatives couldn't support them.

The Senior Republicans in the House seem to need Remedial Politics 001 before they take politics 101. Republicans are elected to support the Republican platform. 101 Republicans did that; the Senior Leadership did not. Apparently the Senior House Leadership is so inured to the Number Two position that they can't help but run to the Democrats for leadership ideas. Of course the House Democrats will be at the table in a big way, Representative Kingston; you had the Senate Democrats design the bill, and possibly unbeknownst to you, Senate Democrats and House Democrats are in the same party.

Remedial Politics 001. Senior Republicans need to get on board the Republican platform with their constituents. While it is true that a Representative is obligated to serve all constitutents, these Republicans were elected by a majority of people in their districts who chose to have the Republican ideals represented. Craft bills the Republicans can support and then go negotiate with the Democrats - without giving away the farm. Compromising principles is not the best solution - it really is better to pass no bill than a bad bill.

So enamored of the Democrat party platform is this Senior House Leadership that they can't even properly represent their constituents. And they are confused and offended when other Representatives in their party seek to represent the party as they should.

This sorry excuse for leadership is why the House has been so ineffective at controlling spending and limiting Obama as he bypasses and lawlessly ignores the Constitution. If the Senior House Leadership can't or won't change their ways, Republican voters need to replace them with Representatives who can, like the 101 who stood firm.