by Vito Tomasino
Well, you did it again, shut down the Government. For that you incurred the wrath of the
nation, and deservedly so. And for what? What did the Republican party hope to gain by
attaching amendments to the spending bill that they knew in advance would not even be
allowed on the floor of the Senate, much less be passed and signed by the President? If
there is a reasonable, non-political answer to that, I'd like to hear it.
Politics, a wily old pol once said—it could have been Tip O’Neil—is the art of doing the
possible--words of wisdom that members of both parties would do well to heed. Having
said that, it's only fair that I be asked to explain where "the possible" lies in this made
made in Washington crisis?
The answer could not be more simple. Give Obama everything he wants, and more.
Hear me out.
The President will not allow The Affordable Health Care Act to be modified or curtailed
in any way by amendments to the spending bill, and I agree with him. It should not be.
Any law passed by Congress, signed by the President of the United States, and upheld
by the Supreme Court must be fully implemented as written. Our Constitution
demands it.
Are we not a nation of laws? Moreover, the President of the United States is as duty
bound to uphold those laws as any American citizen.
There is a process by which Congress can enact legislation to change an existing law,
but holding the United States Government hostage in a futile attempt to expose the
shortcomings of President Obama's signature legislation is not it.
Here is my proposal: House Republicans should—along with any Democrats who
may want to co-sponsor it—submit a new bill to the Senate which would fully fund
the government; one that includes an amendment demanding the full and immediate
implementation of The Affordable Health Care Act without exception or delay granted
to any person or any entity.
Once the bill passes the House—in what I believe will be a successful bi-partisan effort—
Speaker Boehner should take the diplomatic initiative in applauding that effort and
encourage his colleagues in the Senate to do the same. He should also make it clear to
the American people, that as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, he will do
everything in his power to see that the laws of the land are upheld by all.
When that bill goes to the Senate—I would suggest raising the debt ceiling at the same
time—Harry Reid will have no recourse but to bring it to the floor for a vote. He and
the President will have everything they asked for in it, and more. It is the “more” part
that will stick in their craw, but they will have no choice but to swallow hard.
As for Obamacare, if, in fact, it is a train wreck waiting to happen, the sooner it wrecks
the better for us to make it right. If it does, who loses? A few disgruntled Republicans
and Democrats, and an outmaneuvered President who will be contemplating his “lame
duckness” for the next three years.
Either way, who wins? The rest of us!
Well, you did it again, shut down the Government. For that you incurred the wrath of the
nation, and deservedly so. And for what? What did the Republican party hope to gain by
attaching amendments to the spending bill that they knew in advance would not even be
allowed on the floor of the Senate, much less be passed and signed by the President? If
there is a reasonable, non-political answer to that, I'd like to hear it.
Politics, a wily old pol once said—it could have been Tip O’Neil—is the art of doing the
possible--words of wisdom that members of both parties would do well to heed. Having
said that, it's only fair that I be asked to explain where "the possible" lies in this made
made in Washington crisis?
The answer could not be more simple. Give Obama everything he wants, and more.
Hear me out.
The President will not allow The Affordable Health Care Act to be modified or curtailed
in any way by amendments to the spending bill, and I agree with him. It should not be.
Any law passed by Congress, signed by the President of the United States, and upheld
by the Supreme Court must be fully implemented as written. Our Constitution
demands it.
Are we not a nation of laws? Moreover, the President of the United States is as duty
bound to uphold those laws as any American citizen.
There is a process by which Congress can enact legislation to change an existing law,
but holding the United States Government hostage in a futile attempt to expose the
shortcomings of President Obama's signature legislation is not it.
Here is my proposal: House Republicans should—along with any Democrats who
may want to co-sponsor it—submit a new bill to the Senate which would fully fund
the government; one that includes an amendment demanding the full and immediate
implementation of The Affordable Health Care Act without exception or delay granted
to any person or any entity.
Once the bill passes the House—in what I believe will be a successful bi-partisan effort—
Speaker Boehner should take the diplomatic initiative in applauding that effort and
encourage his colleagues in the Senate to do the same. He should also make it clear to
the American people, that as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, he will do
everything in his power to see that the laws of the land are upheld by all.
When that bill goes to the Senate—I would suggest raising the debt ceiling at the same
time—Harry Reid will have no recourse but to bring it to the floor for a vote. He and
the President will have everything they asked for in it, and more. It is the “more” part
that will stick in their craw, but they will have no choice but to swallow hard.
As for Obamacare, if, in fact, it is a train wreck waiting to happen, the sooner it wrecks
the better for us to make it right. If it does, who loses? A few disgruntled Republicans
and Democrats, and an outmaneuvered President who will be contemplating his “lame
duckness” for the next three years.
Either way, who wins? The rest of us!
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