Last night, when I saw this headline about House Republicans working frantically to resurrect Barack Obama's TPA "fasttrack" bill, I pictured TPers' capillaries bursting en masse, even though it was House Democrats who shot it down last week via their TAA rejection and at least a hundred of them would have to humbly repent and seek their demigod's forgiveness for fasttrack to have a prayer of being "raised again on the fourth day".
Have faith in our enemies, brothers and sisters, for on this topic they will be your friends:
Barack Obama and his momentary Republican allies in Congress mulled several difficult choices Monday for rescuing trade legislation into which the president has invested a massive amount of political capital in the hope of completing a twelve-nation trade deal across the Pacific Rim.
After successful Democrat efforts to block the president’s trade package, Obama and House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-OH8) spoke by phone and consulted their respective top lieutenants as they tried to find a path to success, according to senior aides. Their first call was to abandon plans for a second vote Tuesday on a piece of legislation that must also pass for the entire package to advance to Obama’s desk. Given the grim outcome for Obama of the first vote on Friday — 302 against and 126 in favor — they stood no chance for turning nearly a hundred votes in four days.
Instead, Boehner decided to impose a temporary rule that, if approved Tuesday, will allow him until July 30th to bring up the trade debate at any time for a do-over of the stalled companion legislation to the trade package. If successful, Boehner will have bought an additional six weeks to find a way out of the mess.
Six weeks. Time in which for O's minions to "come to their senses" and "return to their god". Time in which for the hardest working man in politics to work his hypnotizing rhetorical magic to re-inflame the faithful and restore the "progressive" fire in their hearts. Which, of course, he equates with himself.
The White House tried to project just that narrative of Red Barry working the phones in telethon-like fashion, talking and persuading and arm-twisting to "get this done". Unfortunately for President Limping Quacker, his minions were neither buying it nor toeing the party propaganda line:
But in interviews Monday with several Hill Democrats who opposed the deal but might vote for it under some conditions, they said they hadn’t changed their minds. Nor did the White House or pro-trade advocates spend the weekend aggressively whipping behind their efforts, according to several senior democratic aides.
“Nothing,” said Massachusetts-1 Representative Richard Neal said when asked if he had heard from the White House after Friday’s vote. [emphases added]
Fascinating, isn't it? It's like everything Barack Obama ever says is a lie, including to his ostensible fellow-travelers. Although it's also rather perplexing in this instance, as it appears that either The One really believed that his "me, me, me" appeal would do the trick last Friday morning, and he didn't think any more appealing was necessary even after it clearly failed on that first vote, or he really doesn't care all that much about TPA and TAA and TPP, or he's simply too damned lazy to try and save it and is finding it easier to just blame its defeat on Speaker Boehner, even though he delivered more GOP votes for TAA than expected and did get TPA passed, if only by an eight-vote margin.
A demigod's life is a tough one, and all that.
But Captain Ed notices an intriguing scheduling detail that ought to grab TPers' attention:
The August recess will take place immediately after that date, which means it will be the last vote taken before all of these House Democrats go back to their districts and hold town halls and other events. Do Obama and Boehner really expect that these Democrats — facing [communist] populists and potential primary challengers at this stage of their two-year cycle — will want to arrive back in the ol’ home towns just after enabling a carte blanche on free trade? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
You know the GOP leadership's "failure theater"? It's looking to me like John Boehner is now giving Barack Obama a taste of that bitter medicine.
Second look at Republican strategizing capabilities?
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