Just holdin' my breath for now.
Here's the present state of mind of GOP lawmakers as they take a week off to reflect on all they have accomplished (ahem) since taking control of Congress: some are clear-eyed, some hopeful, and some seem downright delusional.
First the clear-eyed, from Michael Memoli and Lisa Mascaro:
The new Republican majority, said one lawmaker granted anonymity to speak openly about their work, is like the dog that caught the car — still figuring out what to do next. Rather than begin the year with an agreed-upon strategy or comprehensive agenda for the party in power, the 114th Congress opened last month with a loosely defined set of legislative priorities.
Nice to know at least one congressional Republican sees what everyone else is seeing—a majority in chaos.
Then there's the hopeful, from a Republican commenting on passage of the Keystone XL bill (which President Obama will be vetoing):
"Is it the most important piece of legislation facing the nation? No. But it is an opportunity for us to prove that we're able to work with each other and govern, and it is a good test of whether or not the president is interested in doing that as well," said Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.). "We have to learn how to crawl before we can walk, and walk before we can run."
Right—this is just a Congress at the infantile stages of development. Fingers crossed that the GOP learns to crawl soon and progresses from taking the bottle to eating solids.
Finally, there's the delusional from Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), who is crafting Congress's annual budget in response to President Obama's plan:
When asked to assess the new Congress' performance so far, the former vice presidential nominee suggested the outcome was incomplete.
"We've got a lot more to come," Ryan said. "I feel like we're just hitting our stride."
Hmm. The House has voted to repeal Obamacare for the 56th time—a bill that's more an exercise in comic relief than an act of governing. Republicans labored over and finally passed the Keystone XL, which promises to produce a couple thousand jobs at best and, btw, is headed straight to veto. And then there's that little problem of funding Homeland Security, which has resulted in a
fit of GOP temper tantrums and finger pointing. Funding for the department runs dry Feb. 27, still
no solution in sight.
If that's "hitting your stride," the nation is in for an epic marathon in the 114th.