The GOP: The Stupid Party

With sequestration set to begin tomorrow, the Republican Party looks to be the big loser in the court of public opinion.  Moreover, it seems to be belatedly dawning on the GOP saboteurs that they have unwittingly ceded power to the White House in terms of how many of the budget cuts will be implemented.  It's a case of be careful what you ask for.  Potentially, sequestration will deal the GOP a double whammy: it will get the blame and Obama will have maneuvering room to adjust cuts to his best advantage.  A piece in Politico looks at what the idiots in the GOP failed to consider as they have sought to trash the economy as a means of harming Obama.  Here are details:

House Republicans fear the massive spending cuts set to take effect Friday will result in Congress continuing to cede its constitutional power of the purse.

Republicans are fretting that the $85 billion in cuts will transfer big power to the administration. Lawmakers say President Barack Obama’s administration will have unilateral leeway to shutter federal programs and spend the government’s money without any input from them.

The argument is just emerging, and ignores the idea that many Republicans now support the sequester cuts as a way for the government to tighten its belt, barring any better budget-reduction plan. It also belies the reality that Republicans largely supported the sequester idea to begin with when it first passed Congress as part of debt ceiling negotiations in summer 2011.

But as the spending cuts become real, Republicans are crying foul and worry the sequester will be used to implement a host of Obama’s top priorities.

The GOP fear was cemented this week when the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency freed illegal immigrants who were detained — ICE officials said they did so to save money before the sequester hit. The administration denied involvement, but Republicans were buzzing that the executive branch and agencies will take drastic actions to force the GOP to the negotiating table.

Others think the Office of Management and Budget will shutter programs in certain congressional districts to pressure lawmakers.  “I’ve watched this administration for two years up close and personal, and they will absolutely behave in ways that are intensely political,” Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) said.

As the House faces the reality of the sequester, Republicans are watching with fear.  “Everything is a concern with this administration,” Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio) said. “There’s only so much we can do – everything is a concern.

The transfer of power from the legislative to the executive branch is a continuing problem; lawmakers say Congress is increasingly ceding to the presidency its most precious constitutional authorities, including its power over the purse.

In 2010, Congress forfeited the authority to earmark spending bills after a decade of scandals. Congress gave the Department of Transportation a pot of more than $1 billion for projects across the country. The money wasn’t even earmarked, and there was little congressional oversight.

This week, the Senate Republican leadership proposed giving the president the authority to replace the sequestration bill with one of his own that would restructure spending cuts in a more flexible way. In the House, that proposal doesn’t have legs and is unpopular.

All of this points to another political reality that has taken hold in Washington. If there’s a tough decision to be made, lawmakers don’t want to be anywhere near it.  Having power means taking the blame when voters get mad. Like most of Washington’s dysfunction, the sequestration stalemate can be viewed through a pretty simple prism: No one wants the risk of responsibility for an unpopular policy.

The truth is that the GOP created the current state of affairs by lacking the spine to stand up to the ugliest elements in the party.  Congressional Republicans feared primary challenges more than adverse consequence to the country.  Now they may find themselves twisting on the rope they themselves erected and watching the GOP suffer irreparable damage.  I for one have little sympathy for them.