Et tu, Marco?



Michael Brendan Daugherty, political editor of Business Insider, revealed nine days ago on Real Time With Bill Maher

I spoke to a Senator earlier this week, and he told me that, a Republican Senator told me that Mitch McConnell has told his conference that ‘We’re not doing anything, we won’t make a single move between now and the election, because any move could be risky, and all of the shit is sliding down on President Obama.’

So, they’re not going to do anything, they’ve talked about this very clearly among themselves.

It has been fairly clear for a long time that the Gas and Oil Party had decided to obstruct every move by Barack Obama, largely to reap the benefit from a president who would appear ineffective and ineffectual by failing to have major pieces of his agenda enacted.    As an added benefit, the country would suffer and electoral advantage would come the way of the out party, the GOP.

Daugherty's finding adds evidence, all the more startling for the lack of attention it has received.   It is no less stunning because the mainstream media refuses to acknowledge that central political fact of the past three-and-a-half years.

Still, Marco Rubio is taking it a step further.     CBS- not the Onion- reports

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., may now refrain from introducing his much-anticipated version of the DREAM Act following Friday's administration announcement of a deportation deferral process for young, undocumented citizens in the U.S.

A Rubio spokesman told CBS News chief White House correspondent Norah O'Donnell, "Obama's move kicks the can down the road for two years." He added that both Rubio's version of the DREAM Act and the president's announcement today achieve similar policy goals.

The Floridian, according to Politico, maintains "There is broad support for the idea that we should figure out a way to help kids who are undocumented through no fault of their own, but there is also broad consensus that it should be done in a way that does not encourage illegal immigration in the future,."     He called the shift in policy "welcome news."     Nonetheless, he contended "By once again ignoring the Constitution and going around Congress, this short term policy will make it harder to find a balanced and responsible long term one."

Senator Rubio, Politico reminds us, has (had?) been "working quietly to build a coalition among both Democrats and Republicans to draft a compromise version of the DREAM Act that would stop short of full citizenship for young illegal immigrants."     Senator Durbin (D-Ill) stated "What the president did is what [Rubio] asked for in the bill, that’s the way [Rubio] described it to us.”

So Marco Rubio, the son of refugees from pre-Castro Cuba, is concerned that the federal government may, in the President's words, "expel these young people who want to staff our labs, or start new businesses, or defend our country simply because of the actions of their parents — or because of the inaction of politicians." He pursues legislation to give these deserving younsters a break.    With the Dream Act having been blocked by congressional Republicans, the Obama administration establishes new rules to bring to fruition, at least in the near term, the policy change Rubio seeks.

Rubio, however, is not pleased, ostensibly because the administration has accomplished this unilaterally, without congressional action, thus inhibiting realization of a "responsible, long-term" solution.      But the Senator, according to CBS, now is reluctant to introduce legislation- legislation that would bring about the change he has supported but which he believes should have been implemented by legislation rather than presidential fiat.

At first thought, it makes no sense for Rubio to be obstinate.   But it does, because he merely would be following the strategy outlined by his (Minority) Leader- do nothing that would imply agreement with Barack Obama.    Or, rather, do nothing because if something is done and legislation is passed, Republicans will find it that much more difficult to complain that government is the problem and the holy private sector is the solution.   Better, they figure, for cynicism to build among Americans.   It is the stuff- the only stuff- of which Republican majorities are made.



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