Thursday, October 17, 2013

The Republican Bail Out of Obama

While people who consider themselves the only essence of the conservative movement in pure form decry the debt ceiling agreement (as though opposing an increase in the debt ceiling is a rational way to control budgetary spending), and accuse Republicans who helped pass it of treason against the cause (or worse, being a RINO), the truth of the matter is that they have led a circus that may have sav...ed the Obama presidency from oblivion.

Six weeks ago, the national conversation -- increasingly acknowledged even by the media -- was centered around Obama administration scandal and ineptitude: through abuse of power at the IRS, through abuse of power at the NSA, through the amateurish pushing us to the brink of war in Syria, and, to a lesser but growing extent, the cover up over Benghazi. Inexplicably, in the most misguided Washington act of self destruction since Bill Clinton dropped his trousers for Monica Lewinsky, Ted Cruz and his gaggle of Sancho Panza's in the House of Representatives decided to change the subject. The Obama scandals dropped out of view, Obama's polling has since started moving upward, and Republicans have polling numbers just above what they had in Missisippi in 1862.

On top of that, Republicans opposed to Obamacare have saved its present failure from being the front page story that it should be. Three weeks into the grand opening of the health care exchanges: they still don't work, and according to the health care experts I read, many of whom favored Obamacare, they are nowhere close to working. That should have been on the front page for 3 weeks running, thus adding to the story of Obama administration ineptitude. Instead, it is buried behind the Republican strategy of shutting down the government as a means of supposedly stopping the implementation. Obamacare's technological failure should still become front page news, but you have bought him 3 weeks, and a weakening U.S. economy, blamed inaccurately on the congressional stunts, may buy him more time.

Of course, Republicans will blame the media for not covering the story accurately. OK, let's accept that premise. Now, most of you believed beforehand that the media would be against you, so what was your strategy for winning this battle? What was your tactical plan? What was your realistic outcome that would have had a chance of prevailing outside of your echo chamber?

Sadly, the bill that passed means that we will go through this again in early 2014, making it more likely to be a story in the lead up to the 2014 elections. Republicans who don't think they like this House will be really displeased with the one that may be coming.
 
 

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