What Republicans should do
For those who may have missed it, commenter “Otiose” outlined a plan for Republicans in Congress that has a lot to recommend it. I’m highlighting it here:
The president has…opened himself up…by so cavalierly and broadly interpreting the laws he can hardly complain if a new Congress takes pains to detail exactly how the people here illegally are to be processed.
For example, the president has issued his order which disregards certain lower level convictions for certain crimes. The Congress should pass a stand alone bill that clearly states that all offenses including those he now ignores will be grounds for denying permanent status.
A bill specifying that if an applicant fails to disclose all past criminal offenses here and abroad that any status granted now can be revoked and will be grounds for permanently denying any future application, not to mention now but also grounds for future deportation.
A bill stating that anyone granted status cannot sponsor or be used to bring any relative now abroad to the US.
A bill making it very clear that the president’s EO granting status is only temporary and no one who accepts status under the president’s EO can be granted permanent status for any reason until after some future date.
A bill that requires states and local jurisdictions to cooperate with Federal Immigration authorities in processing deportations (especially criminal holds) or lose certain Federal funds. This will cut one way in Obama’s favor now but in 2017”¦.
A bill that directs the Immigration authorities to return applicants to their home countries for processing by local US embassies unless there is some criterion met for danger in the home country. This can be used to override liberal judges in 2017 even as Obama will ignore it (assuming he signs it).
A bill liberalizing the process for people studying advanced degrees upon graduation ”“ perhaps limited to certain fields ”“ to stay after graduation and work.
A bill to allow agriculture workers to obtain seasonal visas, but qualified by strict limitations ”“ e.g. overstaying the visas makes the offender liable for immediate deportation with no rights to contest and no ability to claim amnesty for home country issues etc.
A series of such votes would be a win-win in that if Obama signed them into law he would both restrict himself now and be enabling a future president. Even if he vetoes the Democrats would be on record which depending how they voted will either soften their support or help get them out of office.
Small incremental steps are worth more than a few flash big votes that make the Republicans looked untrustworthy.
I would add that they should pass a standalone bill securing the border.
Yayuss! Otiose, ya done good!
This is the way to push back. A majority does not favor bho’s amnesty EO, a majority wants the borders secured, and a majority (which will continue to grow) rejects ocare. Send dear leader stand alone bills that a majority will support and let him exercise his veto pen. Then send the bills back again.
Unfortunately, Boehner and McConnell don’t read Neo. and, even if they did, I still don’t believe they would even have the balls to do what Otiose outlined; they are that bad. As someone else commented, one would never know the GOP just won a major election by they way they are caving into Obama
Why bother?
physicsguy:
As I’ve said before, the GOP might (accent on the “might”) be waiting till the next Congress is installed.
Why not wait to act till your position is stronger, especially since it’s only about 6 weeks till then? They might remain just as cowardly as you say, even then. But they may not.
A person can hope, anyway.
If Congress can pass a bill that is very short and very simple, it will be much harder for the press to spin it into something horrible, which it wouldn’t be.
The problem is that everything the Republicans try to do is distorted by the press and lapped up by the LIVs as being evil and horrible, so large swaths of the country believe, against all common sense were they to actually understand what’s going on.
If the bill were short enough that it could be just a couple of paragraphs, and the key provisions be described in a sentence or two, it would much harder for it to be Orwelled into a law promoting the butchery of kittens and the destruction of rainbows.
Of course, to pass a law that clear and concise, the Republicans would first have to figure out what they stand for, and to be able to express it in a clear and concise way, and the vast majority of them are wholly incapable of doing that.
The education system has dumbed down the populace and the Left and the media are using that to their advantage. It’s time the Republicans wake up and start taking this into account.
Neo, I agree they shouldn’t do anything until the new congress is seated. I just don’t have any faith in those two to do anything even then.
A lot of the most insidious problems are a result of laws that show laziness on the part of Congress: EPA being able able to impose sweeping new regulations without a ratification process in the legislature; continuing resolutions that are a blank check; Byzantine l’etat c’est moi legislation from hell (or Nancy Pelosi’s office). Republicans need to pass comprehensible rather comprehensive laws.
“Why bother?”
Are you so excited and anxious to reach for the cartridge box?
I would love to see the Republicans mock Barack. Full court press. No letup for the next two years. Call him King Barack every time they utter his name.
Announce to the packed chamber to begin the State of the Union address “All Hail King Barack!” Mock him everywhere, all the time. And when the chattering class cries enough, raise it higher.
Mock him on billboards. Light up Times Square. I think a very large segment of the country – uh, the kingdom – would go with it.
There’s almost no end to the opportunities: the Royal planes; the Royal palace; the Royal golf courses; the Royal motorcades; the King’s Ministers (including Hillary); the Royal lackeys (NYT, MSNBC, etc); collecting taxes for the Royal Treasury.
Turn the 2016 election into a campaign against King Barack and his minions.
Let the next two years become a point in history where the Congress openly mocked the President for his aggrandizement.
That would go further than anything else I can think of to make sure it never happens again.
physicsguy Says: “Unfortunately, Boehner and McConnell don’t read Neo.”
No, but they read their e-mails. (At least their staffs do.) This morning I sent an e-mail to both McConnell and Boehner, suggesting all of Otiose’s ideas plus neo’s idea of a stand alone bill to close the border.
If every commenter here at neo’s place sent similar e-mails, the ideas could bubble to the top.
Here’s how you send an e-mail to McConnell:
http://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=contact
Boehner: http://www.speaker.gov/contact
It’s all well and good to wail about what’s wrong on a blog, but if you want to get involved, start writing to the Congress. Not enough people do. That’s why so many bad decisions are made. They can’t represent us unless they know what we think. Try it, you’ll like it.
JJ: “No, but they read their e-mails.”
I got those wankers on speed-mail, and I hit ’em all the time with this stuff. Even committee chairs not in my state. And I don’t cut out the parts about McConnell’s missing chin and Boehner’s damn crying.
Maquis,
Thanks for writing. You are an involved citizen. Unlike the masses, who are sheeple. Don’t forget that flattery attracts more favorable reads than derision. Although there is certainly a time for derision. I use it on my reps, who are all progs, on occasion