House Republicans are calling the short term continuing resolution they just passed, 230 to 189,
"regular order."
On Thursday, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) seemed to reveal the GOP strategy—don't put the House in a position where it has to negotiate with itself. Instead, run it through regular order, which seems almost arcane today but is how lots of stuff used to get done.
"We'll send this over to the Senate, we'll see what our colleagues can do over there," Cole said. "Once they've made their decision … then they'll send something back. And at that time, I have no doubt that we'll pick it up and react to it and try to respond in appropriate fashion."
There's nothing "regular" about this bill. That's because it absolutely flouts existing law. Republicans are trying to make the crippling sequester levels of spending permanent, in defiance of the Budget Control Act that they agreed in 2011 would set spending levels. They are attempting to nullify existing law, the Affordable Care Act. In case you're counting, it's vote number 42. While they're at it, they're going to try to wreck the economy.
Or in the words of one Democratic representative:
Ahead of CR vote, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) says on House floor that GOP needs to wake up from its "radical, ideological wet dream"
— @edatpost
Now it's on to the Senate, where it's dead on arrival and where you've got Republicans all over the map, from
Sen. Rand Paul and his fever dreams about what constitutes "winning," to Sen. John McCain who says his colleagues
aren't "rational." Meanwhile, they're merrily taking the whole nation with them down the road to economic crisis.
Stand with Daily Kos and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in denouncing Republicans who would completely shut down the government just to destroy Obamacare.
