While it is depressing to even contemplate a GOP controlled Congress, if one is a cynic and writes about politics, the coming two years may provide lots to comment about as the Republican leadership tries to restrain the excesses of the Christofascists/Tea Party lunatics of the Party, more of whom are now members of the U.S. Senate. Thinking that they have a mandate - don't they always? - many of these reality free individuals will want to make no compromises and will want to take obstructionism to new levels. The problem for the GOP as a whole, however, is that it needs to show that it can govern. Something far different from merely opposing everything Democrats and/or the president wants. A piece in Politico looks at the internal war that the GOP may be facing. Here are highlights:
Congressional Republican leaders are sending subtle warnings to the right wing of their party: The days of crisis-dominated Washington are over.House Speaker John Boehner’s allies are quietly telling members he wants to be a “responsible leader.” Incoming Majority Leader Mitch McConnell expressed little willingness to use the debt ceiling as leverage for spending cuts. And top Republicans in both chambers have even showed a new eagerness to cut deals with the White House and allow Democratic proposals to come before the Senate.Emboldened by sweeping midterm election victories, Republican leaders are vowing not to repeat the errors of past years, when messy fiscal fights eroded public confidence in Washington and became the hallmark of the GOP-controlled House.
“There will be no government shutdown, and there will be no national default,” said McConnell, speaking here at a news conference at the University of Louisville.Asked whether he would insist on spending cuts as part of a debt ceiling increase, something House and Senate conservatives have demanded in past years, McConnell signaled he would pursue other avenues instead.Much is on the line for the GOP. In 2016, Republicans will once again have a shot at retaking the White House, and they could lose control of the Senate after spending hundreds of millions of dollars to win it back in Tuesday’s elections. They want to be confrontational with the president, but not to overreach, which might mean taking a more moderate approach than many on the right would like. Only time will tell whether they can overcome the influence of their activist base.
Republican leaders may have reason to feel more free to stand up to conservatives in their party. In Tuesday’s elections, Republicans won their biggest House majority since the Truman era, while taking back the Senate for the first time since 2006. Their Senate victories were powered by pushing establishment-backed candidates . . .Republicans face a brutal map in Senate races in 2016 — with a number of GOP senators up for reelection in blue and purple states, like Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Illinois. Senators facing tough races rarely want to cast tough votes, especially ones that put them out of step with their electorate. That could put McConnell in a bind between conservatives pushing a harder-line agenda and blue-state Republicans seeking to moderate.“I think we will have to keep expectations realistic of what we can accomplish, knowing it will be a very narrow majority and we will have to manage that dynamic in the Senate,” said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, No. 3 in Senate GOP leadership. “But I do think there will be more of an incentive for the House and Senate to work together because our fortunes are going to rise and fall. Right now, the dynamic is very different between the House and Senate.”
The challenges now facing McConnell and Boehner underscore the brutal reality in Washington: Enacting legislation is much harder than making promises on the campaign trail.
My prediction? The lunatic far right will not cooperate and soon we will see more of the never ending GOP civil war between those in touch with objective reality and the Christofascist/Tea Party element.
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