While Congress was trying to ease the pain of the so-called fiscal cliff, Representatives were apparently throwing their constituents under the bus.
On New Year’s Day, they refused to vote on reinstating the Violence Against Women Act and then refused to vote on relief for victims of Hurricane Sandy. While it appears they are ready to set things right, what was House Speaker John Boehner thinking? Did he have a post-New Year’s party to attend, or was he just hung over from New Year’s Eve? Even members of his own party were furious, but seemed to calm down on Thursday when the first $9 billion was approved for hurricane relief, with the promise of more to come.
Sure, Kansas will probably continue to send Republicans like Tim Huelskamp to Congress no matter how bad it gets, but the GOP needs to think about shrinkage. Aren’t there some Congressmen out there who are wondering if their jobs have been sacrificed? The stage has been set for more progressive candidates to replace some of these obstructionists. Does Congressman Boehner not care that his own approval rating is something like 29 percent? Although he was reelected Thursday as Speaker of the House, some furious party members in New York and New Jersey must have held their noses while they voted for him. Huelskamp didn’t vote for him, complaining not about recent snubs but decrying the Speaker’s lack of leadership. On that score, the distinguished gentleman from Fowler, Kan., may be right.
Susan Thacker