What Else is New? Mitch McConnell Saves Boehner's Skin on DHS Chicken

     I did wonder last night if McConnell had hit on the way out last night. 

     Will it be Mitch McConnell to the House's rescue again?

    "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) called the vote Monday the "first opportunity for Democrats to show where they stand after a federal judge preliminarily enjoined the Administration from moving ahead with actions President Obama himself referred to as ‘ignoring the law.’"

    "After the vote, McConnell put standalone legislation on the calendar to overturn Obama's immigration actions, outside the DHS funding process. He said he prefers the House bill, but that his alternative offers "another option we can turn to" if Democrats keep filibustering."

    Note: As much as it pains me to have to say it, TPM errs in referring to McConnell as the minority leader. 
     http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2015/02/gop-discovering-running-all-of-congress.html

     It looks like it. As Greg Sargent says, the only way out for the GOP is 'to cave' which the GOP hates. I mean Scott Walker's whole candidacy is how he never had to cave in Wisconsin, how he made all those unions, students, and Democrats eat his shit and like it. Don't worry, Walker gloats, people love a bully. He tells us I didn't negotiate.

    http://www.amazon.com/Unintimidated-Governors-Story-Nations-Challenge-ebook/dp/B00C5R7C2U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424801815&sr=8-1&keywords=scott+walker

   Walker promises the national GOP that they to can make people eat their poop but it's not working-again. When you pick an absurd fight and bite off more than you can chew, all you can do to get out is: surrender. 

   As usual the way out is for Bohner to dig himself a big old hole and then in comes McConnell with the way out-this was true on the debt ceiling, the fiscal cliff, the 2013 government shutdown and now the impasse on DHS funding. 

   "The DHS funding bill that blocks Obama's initiatives to shield more than 4 million people from deportation has already passed the House, but McConnell has been unable to overcome a Democratic filibuster in the Senate. McConnell brought it to a vote again Monday afternoon, and for the fourth time Senate Democrats successfully filibustered it." 

    "Moments later, McConnell put legislation on the calendar to overturn Obama's immigration actions in a standalone manner — separate from DHS funding."

    "This looks like a cover vote to eventually pass a clean DHS bill," said a conservative Republican aide on Capitol Hill, who requested anonymity to criticize the party leader."

    "The new legislation targets Obama's immigration initiatives in November 2014 to shield mostly undocumented parents of American citizens from the threat of deportation. Unlike the House-passed bill, it does not target Obama's 2012 program to protect young people brought to the U.S. illegally as children, the so-called DREAMers."

     "McConnell said the bill gives Congress "another option we can turn to" for the purpose of funding DHS if Democrats don't let up in their filibusters."

     "McConnell's move is aimed at winning over centrist Democrats like Sens. Joe Manchin (WV) and Claire McCaskill (MO), who oppose Obama's 2014 executive actions but want to separate them from DHS funding. Manchin recently told TPM he would vote to overturn Obama's immigration initiatives as a standalone bill but not as part of DHS funding legislation. The White House has promised to veto legislation that rolls back Obama's executive actions on immigration."

     http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/republicans-blink-on-immigration

     There are lots of reasons the GOP can't govern but one is that not only can they never agree with Democrats on anything no matter how trivial and routine they can't even agree amongst themselves. Usually, the Senate GOP has been-relatively-the voice of reason; not saying much, of course, as in the land of the Blind the one-eyed man is King. 

     As Greg Sargent points out, the Senate is trying to convince the House GOP to vote for McConnell's measure arguing that Obama's action may be struck down soon thanks to that ruling by that Texas court. Realistically, though even if that ruling stands the DAPA eligible immigrants won't suddenly be deported. 

     http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-leopold/dapa-eligible-immigrants-_b_6726192.html

     Of course, some conservatives point out that there's no guarantee that the final ruling will go the way the want it but the Senate GOP wants to make the case to end this fiasco. 

     "If Republicans do split the vote into two votes, the one blocking Obama’s actions would be filibustered by Democrats (0r vetoed by Obama), and the one cleanly funding DHS would pass. Thus, DHS funding would no longer be available as leverage over Obama’s actions, something conservatives don’t want to happen, given that the court battle’s resolution is uncertain."

      So that's the choice-either gut DHS-which ironically won't even stop Obama's EO-or give up 'leverage.'