When RINOs Cross the Line…..
Renee Parsons
If there is one essential awareness to come out of the current Congressional budget dispute, it is that previous differences between the RINO wing of the Republican party, those who favor establishment status-quo policies and vote with the Marxist Democrats as compared to those who have an America First attitude are now in open revolt. While the America First crowd means exactly that; how will any expenditure or policy benefit the American people.
In anticipation of the upcoming 2024 budget debate, a group of forward-thinking House Republicans identified $33 Trillion on the debt clock as an extraordinary fiscal crisis as if no one else in Congress had any recognition that a potential Federal government default was an imminent possibility. Today an impending 2024 crisis with $2 Trillion interest payment and a $2 trillion shortfall await a Congressional response.
As materialized in the last few days on the House floor, votes to remove Ukraine funding created an inexorable stalemate wholly due to fabrications by the nefarious Atlantic Council and the inconsequential Defending Democracy Together which spew a web of deceits to mindless neocon Republicans who are content to know-nothing about the Ukraine war. It is those RINOs, the great majority of whom are elected in Red Republican states, must be held accountable as they continue a lackadaisical attitude about their own country and more about self-enrichment via MIC contributions.
As any voyeur of Congressional roll-call votes know, it is undeniable that RINOs take the side of globalists on a repetitive basis whether it be foreign or domestic or economic policy – the frequency of which amounts to a betrayal of American values as they remain partners with the Dems in the face of US self destruction brought on, in no small way, by the RINO/Dem alliance. The infidelity of Red States Republicans to their local base may be attributed to an inactive, passive constituency who have allowed the RINOs to control the party’s state-wide political apparatus.
During the last few days of debate in the House, an obvious question arose about whether the House or Senate Republican caucus truly understood the dire fiscal facts as Reps. Schweikert (Az) and Kelly (Pa) offered a valuable analytical presentation on the current crisis (4:24). Both wrung their hands in despair and inexplicably continued to vote the status quo.
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On the Ukraine front, has either caucus ever invited Scott Ritter or Col. Doug MacGregor to conduct a briefing on the true reality of the Ukraine war and a discussion about Putin? Of course not. Why confuse the caucus with facts that contradicts the hogwash they are being fed or have an educated caucus who can make intelligent decisions on their own without being told how to think.
In a recent Tass interview, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made it clear that since the Ukraine counter-offensive failed, there will be no ceasefire as a military solution is the only viable outcome for Russia and there will be no ‘freeze’ while Ukraine re-arms. With the 2024 election approaching and Ukraine now a political rather than a military problem, the question for a morally bankrupt GOP is whether another $80 Billion is worth driving the US economy into the ditch. In case it has gone unnoticed, the growing majority of Americans are done with Ukraine.
To add further controversy, Speaker McCarthy’s flip flop on whether Ukraine funding is in or out of the CR remains a source of distrust just as his failure to provide the promised twelve appropriation funding packages in early September threw the caucus into turmoil and done little to solidify his support as a leader.
Background: As the Constitution clearly identifies “all bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives,” it is clear that the legislative process has been abandoned since the late 1970’s. At that time, Congressional leadership allowed the Executive branch to elbow in and assume control of preparation and submit their ‘proposed’ budget as bona fide, at which time Congress acquiesced its role to the Executive Branch. Hence, without a hands-on Congressional role, blind leading the blind began an era of annual bloated budgets.
In a nutshell, one element of the struggle today is reintroduction of the proper legislative process which would personally involve every elected Member to participate in a line by line review of the twelve Federal departments, just as happened last week. However, a brain-dead Congress would prefer to allow Leadership to remain in total control of the process; through a Continuing Resolution or an Omnibus without nosy Electeds daring to butt in and demand their Constitutional share of the action.
In order to forestall a government shut down, Speaker McCarthy proposed a stopgap measure until November 17th. HR 5860, Continuing Appropriation Act and other Extension Act was approved 335 – 92 with 126 Republicans voting in favor. The Act need a two/third vote of the House.
The Senate then adopted the House CR on a vote of 88 – 9 with 39 predominately red state Republicans voting in favor.
With the Sept. 30 approval of the House and Senate CRs, an ideal situation has been created for Leadership to stall while they quietly, behind he scenes, prepare a gigantic thousand page Omnibus bill without elected Members having any opportunity to review or amend its contents. The Omnibus will be held until mid December when a ‘crisis’ will be declared as the Budget will be rammed, sight unseen, through Congress just before the holidays; therefore avoiding the messy complication of an unsustainable insolvent government; never acknowledging the signs of bankruptcy until the bottom drops out.
On November 17, the fun will begin all over again as Leadership can be expected to hardball a final Omnibus into approval for 2024 spending.