The other obvious question would be will the mature members of the establishment wing of the party—the little that remains–be able to reassert the needed control away from the teabaggers who are working to destroy the party right after they finish with the country?
Before the Republican Party can govern they must first deal with the teabaggers.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy bluntly warned that Republicans will blow the presidency in 2016 if they don’t make some radical changes – and quick.
McCarthy told a group of Long Island donors that their gains in the House will amount to little if they can’t govern over the next two years.
Legislative cliffs are over. (How it took the GOP this long to figure out such tactics are awful to the process of government while the markets despise them should underscore that the party is not constituted with the brightest lights.) One muscular, unified agenda will bridge both chambers. If he has his way, House and Senate Republicans will kick off the year at a joint retreat to get on the same page. He and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) have already been holding private dinners with lawmakers from both chambers to build relationships.
“My belief is you have one chance to make a first impression,” McCarthy said, as his black SUV crawled eastward on Long Island. “From the very first day after the election, we should be laying out to the American public what the expectations are. Why make two different agendas?”
McCarthy is intently focused on the first few months in session, which he sees as critical for his agenda. He would like to use the lame-duck session to pass a long-term government-funding bill, so Washington can begin focusing on big-picture legislating, instead of just trying to keep government’s doors open. He also is aiming to renew a host of lapsed business-focused tax provisions and renew the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act — two items with bipartisan support.
Now the following is something I have long supported and applaud–no matter who proposes the idea.
Also in McCarthy’s crosshairs: the congressional budget process. He thinks writing a budget each year is antiquated, and said Congress should consider budgeting once every two years. Also, he wants to reform the Congressional Budget Office so it studies the impact of legislation over, say, 20 years, instead of 10. He said Congress often times gets “stuck in our subcommittees” and he wants to “start looking at what we’re doing in the next 50 years.” McCarthy says Washington is frozen because the “structure holds us back.”
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