Republican Assault on Governance

[malchior]

Think this theme finally deserves it's own thread. Might as well kick it off right with a truly terrible idea. GOP Rep wants to outsource CBO work to political hacks at Heritage et al.. I guess it is time to roll out any idea that paves the way for their ridiculous, shameless, and regressive agenda.

[LordMortis]

In exactly which reality are the Heritage Foundation non partisan?

[Kraken]

The Republican assault on governance dates to Reagan's proposition that government is always the problem and never the solution. Deregulation and tax cuts are their religion, faith-based in defiance of ample contradictory evidence. When they're out of power they're the party of obstruction, and when they're in power they're the party of destruction. It is no wonder they can't govern.

[malchior]

True - this started with Reagan but they are tearing up functioning institutions to line their own pockets and the pockets of the ultrawealthy at an ever increasing pace. It is insanity that this is even an idea and that no one is hanging off the alarm bells. They are the literal referees and members of the GOP want to hand it off to the hackiest hacks in history?

[LordMortis]

True - this started with Reagan but they are tearing up functioning institutions to line their own pockets and the pockets of the ultrawealthy at an ever increasing pace. It is insanity that this is even an idea and that no one is hanging off the alarm bells. They are the literal referees and members of the GOP want to hand it off to the hackiest hacks in history?

Boy, does that sound familiar...

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/01/russia-i ... study.html

[Zarathud]

This would effectively outsource government to the Koch brothers. Can you imagine the OUTRAGE! If any Democrat had proposed outsourcing the Department of Labor to Unions?

[Pyperkub]

Don't like the message? Shoot the messenger!

[Holman]

The Republican assault on governance dates to Reagan's proposition that government is always the problem and never the solution. Deregulation and tax cuts are their religion, faith-based in defiance of ample contradictory evidence. When they're out of power they're the party of obstruction, and when they're in power they're the party of destruction. It is no wonder they can't govern.

The last Republican to care about good government was Eisenhower. Every standard-bearer after him (Nixon/Goldwater/Reagan/etc) belongs to a different party.

I taught an Eisenhower of the third generation after Ike. The family are all Democrats now.

[Grifman]

In exactly which reality are the Heritage Foundation non partisan?

In the same way the liberal Urban Institute is non partisan (and that one was on his list also)

[Grifman]

Think this theme finally deserves it's own thread. Might as well kick it off right with a truly terrible idea. GOP Rep wants to outsource CBO work to political hacks at Heritage et al.. I guess it is time to roll out any idea that paves the way for their ridiculous, shameless, and regressive agenda.

I'm not in favor of this at all but:

1) To be fair, he lists both conservative and liberal sources of data and studies
2) Come back when you have more than one guy saying this Mark Meadows is not the Republican Party by any means. This is like taking an amendment offered by an extremely liberal Dem and saying that person represents the Dem position on that particular amendment.

That said, it's a stupid idea. None of these groups look at all the policies that the CBO scores, and none of them can respond with the speed that the CBO can, and none of them work with Congress in the way necessary to score various bills. His amendment is based upon a total lack of understanding how the CBO works.

[RunningMn9]

Come back when you have more than one guy saying this Mark Meadows is not the Republican Party by any means.

Mark Meadows is the Chairman of the Freedom Caucus. In effect, he's 35-40 people saying this. Not enough to do anything with it, but not just one crazy old coot in Congress.

[malchior]

I disagree. It isn't like pointing out the most lib dem at all. He is head of the freedom caucus which is always smack dab in the middle of all the wrangling and has a lot of bargaining power at the moment.

[Max Peck]

That said, it's a stupid idea. None of these groups look at all the policies that the CBO scores, and none of them can respond with the speed that the CBO can, and none of them work with Congress in the way necessary to score various bills. His amendment is based upon a total lack of understanding how the CBO works.

You seem to be assuming that his goal is something that works. This would be fine if all he wants is to neuter the function of the CBO in order to pursue unfettered advancement of his agenda.

[Grifman]

Come back when you have more than one guy saying this Mark Meadows is not the Republican Party by any means.

Mark Meadows is the Chairman of the Freedom Caucus. In effect, he's 35-40 people saying this. Not enough to do anything with it, but not just one crazy old coot in Congress.

The Freedom Caucus hardly represents the average Republican in Congress, thank heavens. Though that's not saying much

I'm just saying that "Republicans Assault Governance" is a bit of a broadbrush paintjob at this point.

[Grifman]

You seem to be assuming that his goal is something that works. This would be fine if all he wants is to neuter the function of the CBO in order to pursue unfettered advancement of his agenda.

Seeing that he suggested that the analysis liberal policy groups be included, I'm not sure how that leads to "unfettered advancement".

[malchior]

Come back when you have more than one guy saying this Mark Meadows is not the Republican Party by any means.

Mark Meadows is the Chairman of the Freedom Caucus. In effect, he's 35-40 people saying this. Not enough to do anything with it, but not just one crazy old coot in Congress.

The Freedom Caucus hardly represents the average Republican in Congress, thank heavens. Though that's not saying much

I'm just saying that "Republicans Assault Governance" is a bit of a broadbrush paintjob at this point.

It is one example of some of their ideas - the last 30 years are the body of evidence. Especially considering what is happening *right now* in the Senate.

[LordMortis]

It is one example of some of their ideas - the last 30 years are the body of evidence. Especially considering what is happening *right now* in the Senate.

At first glance 30 years feels like Hyperbole but when you think about it, the decent into madness really did start when Clinton got in to office and the likes of Rush Limbaugh gained a footing. It really is 25+ years in the making. Now 25 years ago, there was no republican wall of ob/de-struction but that's when the seeds were being sewn.

[malchior]

It is debatable to be sure. If I were to draw a hard line it'd be the Contract with America but I'd also argue the descent was catalyzed by Iran Contra and the Bork confirmation hearings. Those events started the low level conflict that burned through the Clinton years, eventually turned into the trench warfare of the Obama years, and the open rout we are seeing now to use some gratuitous and slightly hyperbolic war metaphors.

[LordMortis]

It is debatable to be sure. If I were to draw a hard line it'd be the Contract with America but I'd also argue the descent was catalyzed by Iran Contra and the Bork confirmation hearings. Those events started the low level conflict that burned through the Clinton years, eventually turned into the trench warfare of the Obama years, and the open rout we are seeing now to use some gratuitous and slightly hyperbolic war metaphors.

Do you really think Iran/Contra and the Golden Triangle extended systemically to the GOP. I just don't see it. If I accept that then suddenly I have to go all the way back Barry Goldwater and while the influences were all there, I don't think party contamination happened until conservative talk radio became a ubiquitous topic and I think this happened when they chose Bill Clinton to unify against with Witewatergate being their rallying cry.

If I could lay the unification toward insanity at one thing, it would be Vince Foster's death being publicized on AM radio followed closely by Reno's response to the Branch Davidians.

[Zarathud]

A partisan Supreme Court nomination for a key figure in Watergate. And a President circumventing Congress with clandestine CIA ops. Highlights, to be sure.

It's almost reassuring to know things were once just as bad in Washington DC.

[Carpet_pissr]

Consider Karl Rove and his influence: he's the one that promised Republicans that his ideas would lead to a "permanent majority" in all three branches of government so many years ago.

[LordMortis]

Consider Karl Rove and his influence: he's the one that promised Republicans that his ideas would lead to a "permanent majority" in all three branches of government so many years ago.

Heh.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing- ... -to-do-the

[Max Peck]

You seem to be assuming that his goal is something that works. This would be fine if all he wants is to neuter the function of the CBO in order to pursue unfettered advancement of his agenda.

Seeing that he suggested that the analysis liberal policy groups be included, I'm not sure how that leads to "unfettered advancement".

You selectively omitted your own comment:

That said, it's a stupid idea. None of these groups look at all the policies that the CBO scores, and none of them can respond with the speed that the CBO can, and none of them work with Congress in the way necessary to score various bills. His amendment is based upon a total lack of understanding how the CBO works.

I'm just suggesting a reason why he might be proposing a "stupid idea" (to use your own words). If the CBO is holding him back, and he wants to replace the CBO with something that you say is going to be more dysfunctional, do you think he's doing it to help or hinder his cause?