By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ
McALLEN, Texas | Well, he's asking. Republican Congressman Charles Eugene "Chip" Roy, representing District 21 encompassing some of both Austin and San Antonio, seemed way off his cloud yesterday.
The 51-year-old congressman asked the sentient question: What has the GOP done lately?
This from newrepublic.com: [ Representative Roy went scorched earth on his Republican colleagues on Wednesday, haranguing them for years wasted on inaction and chaos as opposed to doing their jobs.
The Texas Republican and Freedom Caucus member spent his time on the House floor on Wednesday shouting and wildly gesticulating at his caucus, condemning them for capitulating on promises by working with Democrats and lamenting the party’s transparently vacuous approach to building a border wall.
"One thing. I want my Republican colleagues to give me one thing. One. That I can go campaign on and say we did," Roy said. "One!" ]
There was no immediate response.
It's a damned good question. Best one of the week, we say.
Republicans in Congress - and our locals - have been good yappers. Often, they have tossed that same question at Democrats. It'll be interesting to see if there is an answer at some point today.
Don't hold your breath...
-30-
I'm a Republican and even I have been saying this for the longest time. They need to work together to govern and whatever this party has become is not the party I want to be associated with. That's one of the main reasons I stopped voting red since 2016. And probably won't again for the rest of my short remaining years.
ReplyDeleteWe have become a nation of polarization, hatred & intolerance. Neither party has a monopoly of good governance. The far right, believes all Ds suck & those on the far left, believe all Rs suck...quite frankly, both those extremist views suck. As a border resident, I acknowledge our challenges along the border...drug problem, yea...however, no demand, no supply. Mexican Cartels...yea, bad, but no worse than the US Cartels that help with the distribution. We need 100% southbound surveillance to mitigate the flow of cash & weapons going South. Is the border a war zone? Are we being invaded? Interesting question...I would look to ask those in Ukraine or Israel. Our relationship with Mexico is about as weak as I have seen in years. No dialogue, no diplomacy, no cooperation with our largest trading partner. Border wall? IMHO, not gonna work when you have gaps as wide as a football field up & down the border, coupled with employers throughout our country willing to provide jobs to illegals...many challenges that we must face & solve together as a country, not political adversaries.
ReplyDeleteAgree with most of your points. And, true, that clamping down on employers, which largely never happens, would be a meaningful action...
DeleteEcho that.
DeleteBefore becoming a congressman, Chip Roy was chief of staff for the idiot Ted Cruz. Any more questions?...
ReplyDeleteI don't see any Democrats trying to start physical fights on government property. Weird, it's almost like they know they are there to do a job for the American people and are capable of containing their big feelings. The Republicans have turned our Capital into a circus.
ReplyDeleteRight now, the Republican Party is useless. Fact.
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere that back in the 1970s, senators and congressmen voted along party lines 60% of the time and today it's over 90%. No one thinks for themselves (or their constituents) anymore on either side.
DeleteIt was during the Clinton era that Newt Gingrich essentially divided this nation, or began driving a wedge deeper that already existed. We haven't had sanity in our government for 30 years.
I'm afraid you're right. We now definitely have two major/dominant political parties and they're going to do what they want to do. At the moment, it's not good. Government is not on their minds, at least not shared government...
DeleteLike any other complex problem, solving it requires the identification of the root cause. The incentive structure for politicians is such that it is almost a requirement to NOT work on a bipartisan basis for the good of the country. I trace that back to things like allowing parties to draw gerrymandered congressional districts vs. other methods that map out more equitable ones that foster and reward cooperation between parties. You solve that and I believe you will start seeing the difference.-AntonioG
ReplyDeleteI just don't see it as being complex at all. Our governance at that level requires cooperation. I'm also not so sure a third or fourth party would help things, but we need to do something. Race (the politics of Trump) is a huge part of our ragged national discourse. That further separates us. Gerrymandering is a contributing factor, yes. But, really, the American voter is damned lost. I speak of the general population, not the faddist MAGA types. Thanks for the thoughtful comment...
Delete