Just when you think they can’t possibly sink any lower, they prove you wrong.  They screamed, yelled and threatened Democrats demanding a bill to help ease what they defined as a ‘crisis’ at the southern border.  So, the Democrats in the Senate put on their bipartisan hats, worked across the aisle and hammered out just such a bill.  There was give-and-take on both sides – that’s called ‘compromise’ and it’s how things get done in any group where there are various viewpoints and opinions that sometimes conflict.  Okay, boys ‘n girls, dust off the hands … good job!  Now to get it … what … oh wait … they forgot to get permission from private citizen Trump!  So much for all those hours (and taxpayer dollars) spent on the bill’s creation …

Robert Hubbell tells the rest of the story …

Congressional Republicans surrender

By Robert Hubbell

06 February 2024

When future historians write the obituary of the Republican Party, they will debate the contributing causes and the precise time of death. But there is no doubt that the GOP’s inability to pass a bi-partisan bill providing funds to Ukraine and Israel while reforming America’s broken immigration system will figure prominently in the obituary.

In killing the bipartisan bill they demanded in the first instance, congressional Republicans surrendered their constitutional authority under Article I to a failed insurrectionist seeking reelection to escape four criminal indictments.

To be clear, you haven’t missed anything yet. The bill is still technically alive. But we need only look at the actions of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday to see the handwriting on the wall.

Mid-day on Monday, McConnell took to the Senate floor to urge his colleagues to pass the bi-partisan bill. About six hours later, McConnell told his colleagues in a private meeting to filibuster the bill. Per the Associated Press,

In a dramatic turnaround, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell recommended to GOP senators in a closed-door meeting that they vote against the first procedural vote Wednesday, according to two people familiar with the meeting who were not authorized to talk publicly about it and spoke anonymously.

It came just hours after the Kentucky Republican had urged colleagues on the Senate floor that “it’s now time for Congress to take action.”

You will remember that Mitch McConnell made a dramatic statement from the Senate floor in 2021 after refusing to convict Trump for conspiracy to incite insurrection. He blamed the insurrection on Trump and said that Trump could later be held liable civilly and criminally for his actions on January 6. For a fleeting moment, it appeared that remnants of McConnell’s vestigial backbone were intact.

On Monday, Trump squashed McConnell like a bug. He humiliated McConnell before the world. He ordered McConnell to dance like a marionette and McConnell did so without a peep.

Senate Republicans are claiming they are filibustering the bill to allow more time to consider the provisions of a 370-page bill. Don’t believe it. Trump appeared on Newsmax on Monday, calling the bi-partisan bill “a Democrat trap, a trap for Republicans” that should be rejected out of hand. Hours later, McConnell pulled the emergency brake on the legislative process.

Democrats were stunned by the turnabout. Democratic Senator Brian Schatz said,

Just gobsmacked. I’ve never seen anything like it. They literally demanded specific policy, got it, and then killed it.

Democrats will continue to urge passage of the bill. President Biden immediately issued a statement outlining the provisions of the bill, saying,

We’ve reached an agreement on a bipartisan national security deal that includes the toughest and fairest set of border reforms in decades.

For too long, going back decades, the immigration system has been broken.

Here’s how we start to fix it.

Even though the bill is likely dead, it is smart for Democrats to continue to advocate for its passage until it is clear there is no hope. At that point, two things will change.

First, until now, Trump has occupied the fact-free high-ground by claiming that President Biden is allowing an “open border.” While that claim is false, the response has been complicated and dense. Now, President Biden can simply say, “We proposed a solution drafted jointly with congressional Republicans at their request, but you killed it to advance your partisan interests.”

Second, Republicans will now be forced to vote separately on funding for Israel and Ukraine—without the cover of an immigration bill. The Putin-loving Caucus embedded in the GOP will be forced to emerge from the shadows and identify themselves. Let’s hope that enough Republicans in the House and Senate understand that supporting Ukraine is in the vital national interests of the US and democracy across the globe. (The funding for Israel seems secure.)