Obama Acts, Republicans Rage, and Who is That Laughing?

Whether you voted for Barack H. Obama, or not, you'll have to admit one thing--he certainly knows how to piss off the right wing.

A little over 500 days ago the senate passed an immigration reform bill. In a moment so rare it almost ranks as science fiction the measure was put together and supported by both democrats and republicans. Unfortunately after moving out of the senate it had to go through that mob of miscreants who are known as the house of representatives.

As we know all too well, the lower chamber is infested with a frighteningly large number of tea party cranks who think the only true answer to the immigration question is shoot all the immigrants. John Boehner, who in theory is in charge of the house, not to mention the republican caucus, has about as much control over these clowns as the Iraqi government does over ISIS.

Because he lacks any semblance of balls, Mr. Boehner's response to the immigration issue in general and the senate's bill in particular has been to do nothing at all. That's right, ignore it, maybe it will go away.

Last night the president decided he'd had enough of the speaker's bull shit. He employed an executive order which will take the heat off nearly five million people who are living here now without proper documentation. The vast majority of them are parents of citizens of these United States. The action doesn't provide a pathway to citizenship for anyone, nor does it mean we're going to stop patrolling the southern border. Actually it will free up money and personnel so border security can be tightened.

Boehner's initial response was, "Instead of working together to fix our broken immigration system the president is acting on his own. That's just not how our democracy works." The speaker did not mention how the president would be able work with a house that has repeatedly wasted its time by voting to repeal The Affordable Care Act and he didn't make any counter proposals. In fact he didn't even drop a hint there might be a house bill in the works on the issue.

Anticipating such blatant nonsense the president said in the speech last night, "To those members of congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better, or question the wisdom of me acting when congress has failed, I have one answer. Pass a bill."

Indeed. Pull your heads out of your tail ends and do something.

Today Boehner began to ratchet up the rhetoric. He was quoted as saying, "By ignoring the will of the people President Obama has cemented his legacy of lawlessness and squandered what little credibility he had left."

He isn't the only one yammering away wildly. Republicans great and small are screeching to the high heavens. Outgoing OK senator Tom Coburn went so far as to tell USA Today, "The country is going to go nuts, because they're going to see it as a move outside the authority of the president and it is going to be a very serious situation. You're going to see--hopefully not--instances of anarchy. You could see violence." Of course when Coburn says, the country, what he really means is conservative white people. It is highly doubtful the Hispanic population, among others, will take up arms because of what the president did.

Out in Arizona, Maricopa County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio filed a law suit to stop the order. Arpaio has spent the last six plus years claiming Obama was born someplace other than here and is ineligible to be president. His department has also been whacked on the wrist for racially profiling Latinos.

When it comes to immigration, Jack Kennedy used executive action and so did, Ronald--by God--Reagan. George Bush and Billy Jeff Clinton did also. The only differences between then and now are the number of people impacted and the president doing it is named Barack Obama.

Yes, because it is Obama this time around one can almost hear that railroad named impeachment clickety-clacking  down the tracks in the distance. The proudly righteous have been aching for an excuse. Now they will believe they have one. Unfortunately, for them, even in January, they won't have two thirds of the senate which is needed to convict and remove the president from office.

That's right, sometimes real life simply doesn't play out the way you want.

Then, finally, for those of you currently rending your garments in rage, if you listen closely there is something else you will be able to hear--it would be the ghost of Crazy Horse laughing his arse off.

Hey, can you blame him?



11-21-14