GOP-Takeover: The loonies have a plan

[cal04]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/10/14/910368/-GOP-Takeover:-The-loonies-have-a-plan
by Jed Lewison

They are insane:

Republicans plan January takedowns of Obama’s ‘czars’

Republicans will have President Barack Obama’s czars and his use of regulatory powers to circumvent congressional inaction on issues such as cap and trade in GOP crosshairs if the party takes control in January.

Since taking office, Obama has named 33 czars without Senate confirmation and congressional oversight, and together they hold power over everything from the environment and bank bailouts to the auto industry. The president’s practice of naming czars has garnered criticism from members of his own party, such as the late West Virginia Democrat Sen. Robert Byrd, who called it unconstitutional.

“When the Republicans are in charge, you will see the oversight subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee active on a whole host of fronts,” said Rep. Fred Upton, Michigan Republican, who would chair the subcommittee if the Republicans take control of Congress. “How are these funded? So whether it be the authorizing committees and appropriations committees in terms of deleting the funds for those, I think you could go after it in one of two different ways.

So what's so crazy about the GOP plan? Well, the basic problem is that it's rooted in Glenn Beck's delusional conspiracy theory that our nation has been overtaken by a secret cabal that aims to impose a a Fascist-Communist dictatorship on the United States of America.

What Beck (and now Republicans) call "czars" are really just presidential aides and advisers, many of whom have been confirmed by the Senate. There's nothing new about them and they've existed since the founding of the Republic. In fact, far from being a threat to our democracy, these are people who are working to preserve our Constitution and strengthen our nation. They are serving us and they are accountable to us -- not the other way around.

But Republicans know they need to scare the shit out of their base to win this election, so they've decided to sell Beck's conspiracy theory to the electorate. The problem with that cynical political strategy is that they can't just sell the conspiracy -- they've also go to to promise to do something about it. And so they are now running up and down the country vowing to eliminate a threat which doesn't exist.

They are so desperate for power that they've allowed the loonies to take over the party. It's not that I've ever been a fan of the GOP, but this is worse than it's ever been, at least in my lifetime. They've collectively lost their minds.

[NewJeffCT]

1. That's only part of the problem

They'll also hold hearings on impeachment, trying to drum up anything remotely scandalous as justification.

They'll investigate the acquisition of Bo, the presidential dog. (they investigated Socks when Clinton was president)

They'll shut down the government and slow down every Obama nominee

They don't care - if the country goes into the toilet, it will be mostly blamed on Obama and Republics could nominate Palin-O'Donnell in 2012 and win.

[yellerpup]

4. The precinct captain at the polls during the Sept. primary

started calling Obama a Communist and ridiculing all the positive Democratic initiatives and accomplishments to date. I got into it a little bit with him (no voters were present) and found that his main gripe was "raising taxes on the people who create jobs." Thanks to DU, I was able to refute his every screwball Limpball talking points and then he started, "What about Clinton--he was impeached! Impeached!" "For what, besides show?" He cited the affair with M.L. and I said, "Then every president virile enough to have sex has had a girl on the side. Why wasn't Bush I impeached? Why wasn't Eisenhower impeached? Having an affair was never an impeachable offense until Clinton took office." Even the other Republicans working in the precinct rolled their eyes at his hypocrisy. He said, "But Clinton lied." I countered with, "Why wasn't GWB impeached for lying about Iraq? Bill Clinton's impeachment cost us $52M dollars and how many billions of our money has been spent on attacking a country that had nothing to do with 911?" Then the first voter came in and we worked peacefully together for the rest of the day. The Repugs will do anything to keep from working for us, and their base doesn't seem to mind at all. Vote, people! Get out and vote!

[awoke_in_2003]

7. And you can guarantee...

if Boehner becomes Speaker, impeachment will not be "off the table". Yeah, that is a big "FUCK YOU" to Nancy Pelosi. And before I get dog piled- she is not my rep, but she is Speaker so she is accountable to ALL americans.

[Demeter]

2. Chaos Is NOT a Plan

and if Harry Reid is out of the picture, they won't get any purchase.

[Just One Woman]

3. The plan is war

The plan is to create an atmosphere for civil war. I have hopes in the chamber-gate grabbing these guys by the balls.

[starroute]

5. I'm not really sure they can do anything

The "czars" are just presidential advisers. They are part of the White House staff, and unlike officials who go through a confirmation process, they have no power of their own -- they only express the president's power.

I haven't been able to find a clear statement online, but from what I have come up with, I don't see that Congress has any control over the White House staff -- the size and structure of which has varied greatly over the last 70 years.

It's possible they could refuse to appropriate money for it -- which I would think would set off a major constitutional crisis -- but not determine who is or is not part of it.

It looks to me as though the Republicans are mainly afraid of Obama using executive orders and signing statements in the same way that Bush did to govern in the face of an intractable GOP-dominated Congress and are preemptively trying to bully him out of it.

Beyond that, it looks like they're trying to break the government -- either deliberately or out of their hatred for the Democrats. Since the 1930's, more and more power has passed into the hands of the executive branch, mainly because Congress is incapable of keeping up with what's needed. As a result, if the Republicans try to cripple the presidency, all they're likely to do is make the whole country ungovernable.

[verges]

6. I'm confused.

How can Obama be a communist and still have Czars?

[awoke_in_2003]

8. "be a communist and still have Czars?"

it is the same reason that the Nazi party was socialist- do not try to understand, it will only make your brain hurt :)

[creon]

9. paranoid style

Maybe the paranoid style that is prevalent in americam politics has come out again. Richard Hoffstadter wrote an excellent book about it.

It is pretty wild stuff. That tends to occur when people are the prisoners of their passions.

[docvet]

10. Fool me once...

If the Obama admin did the job it was voted to do, then we would not be witnessing this Republican rise. Actually, the healthcare(insurance) reform was an actual repub plan. Further war and more patriot act-type curtailing our freedoms. Bailing out banks and attacking the liberal base just shows us that there is not much difference between the two parties. Now it will be easier to defend the dems' enforcement of right-wing policies.

[sallyseven]

11. Doc vet your insane

You cannot corral mad dogs and get any results. Republicans want him to fail and also the common people to fail. They want to destroy the democratic government and replace it with a theo racy and a dictatorship that is beholden to the rich.