Congress

More on the Next GOP Hostage Crisis

Here’s more on the GOP plot to hold the government hostage which we mentioned yesterday.

Several high ranking Republicans in Congress have expressed their opposition to holding the government hostage and demanding a ransom of Obamacare’s destruction, but the pressure to do so is coming from all sides as conservative think tanks cast their lot with the Flying Monkey Caucus, to use a phrase coined by Charles Pierce.

via TPM

In one example of an unusual move, the advocacy arm of the Heritage Foundation — Heritage Action — announced Tuesday it will grade lawmakers on the basis of whether they sign on as cosponsors of — not merely vote for — a bill by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) to prohibit any funding of Obamacare in the annual budgeting process. [...]

The deep-pocketed conservative group Club For Growth issued a statement Wednesday demanding that “[i]f Senator McConnell is committed to defunding ObamaCare, then he should sign the Lee letter.” Club President Chris Chocola added, “We are disappointed by rumors that Senate Republican leadership is pressuring Senators not to sign Lee’s letter or to remove their names — they should instead encourage others to sign on.”

Senator Mike Lee and his Coalition of the Willing who have pledged to vote against funding the federal government unless President Obama agrees to abandon his affordable healthcare program aren’t numerous enough to block a vote of cloture and the passage of a continuing resolution, but they’re sure to create a very visible spectacle over the coming months which Democrats should exploit to their advantage as we head into campaign season.

With that said, I wouldn’t necessarily expect a continuing resolution to pass with ease in September. There will be a fair amount of jockeying even by those who claim they’re opposed to holding the federal government hostage.