Via Dave Weigel, from the NYTimes:
…[A] debate in the House Rules Committee on the merits of a lawsuit that Speaker John A. Boehner plans to file against President Obama, exposed simmering partisan tensions as Democrats used the occasion to ridicule the speaker’s move as a hollow ruse.
“We have seen subpoena after subpoena after subpoena, witch hunt after witch hunt,” Representative Jim McGovern, Democrat of Massachusetts, said. “The American people should sue the House leadership for emotional pain and suffering.”
Republican members of the Rules Committee, and the legal experts they called to defend their case, were pressed to explain what appears to be the biggest problem with the House of Representatives’ filing a lawsuit against a president: the need to prove that the House has somehow been injured by the president’s actions….
“The lawsuit is clearly being used to appease members of the Republican Party who will not rest until President Obama is charged with articles of impeachment,” said Representative Louise M. Slaughter of New York, the committee’s senior Democrat. “This incredible waste of time will also be a colossal waste of money,” she added, pressing Republicans to reveal how much they were spending on the case.
Far from unanimously embracing the speaker’s plan, some prominent Republicans have been tepid in their support…
Democrats and their constitutional experts pointed out that the lawsuit could have consequences Republicans probably do not intend. If it is successful in challenging the administration’s move to delay parts of the health care law, for example, the result will be that the law is put into effect more quickly…
My emphases. If we didn’t have so many categories already, I’d add “Republican Clown Car on Parade” to the list…
PsiFighter37
How much money did the House GOP waste in defending DOMA? For all their talk about hating lawyers and judicial activism, they sure seem to favor suing first and (not) thinking about the merits later.
ronin122
Eh, there’s always the “assholes” tag.
Davis X. Machina
@PsiFighter37: When you’re standing at Armageddon doing battle for the Lord, you don’t pinch pennies.
The Dangerman
I don’t get their strategy sometimes; for example, they insist on sending the National Guard to the border…
…and do what that the Border Patrol isn’t doing?! I can’t believe they are advocating live fire but when Perry and Hannity ride down the Rio armed to the teeth, maybe they do?
WereBear
Republicans INVENTED Law of Unintended Consequences, mark my words.
Roger Moore
My big question is what relief they’re going to ask for. Even if the House has somehow been injured, they have to propose a remedy to their injury. It’s hard to see what remedy they could ask for except for specific performance, which will soon be moot anyway. It’s hard to see how this whole thing could more obviously be a publicity stunt.
dmsilev
And to top it off, the base doesn’t seem to be particularly impressed by this stunt. They regard it as a cop-out from what they *really* want, which is impeachment.
burnspbesq
There are times when I wish we had the English rule that the loser has to pay the winner’s attorney’s fees. Holder could have a hell of a party for all of DOJ. Rent out Nationals Park, hire Beyonce to perform, open bar …
Thoughtful David
@Roger Moore:
@dmsilev:
Yes, it is a publicity stunt, aimed at the batshit crazy fringe. But it’s so transparent they can’t even fool their own loons.
I’m still guessing it never gets filed. They’ll yammer and yammer and then it will just quietly disappear. And taking its place will be outright screams for impeachment from the loons, which Boehner will have to tamp down, and which will cause serious stress among the whole Tealiban.
Suffern ACE
@The Dangerman: I assume they are going to ask them to shoot the children. They can’t believe that waving guns around is going to deter these children. I mean, these kids have probably seen men with guns before. It’s why they are leaving, actually.
Little Boots
the fact that these people will probably be re-elected this year is a deep shame to this country.
although, maybe stunts like this will wake up just enough people before november.
Davis X. Machina
@Roger Moore:
Your Honor, we seek an injunction that would enjoin the President from any further presidenting, an’ shit.
Little Boots
@Davis X. Machina:
at least while black.
NotMax
Same folks who have assiduously labored on creating carve-out after carve-out within which it is illegal for reg’lar folks to bring suit against the saintly business sector.
Janus weeps.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@NotMax:
The other side of this is that Janus laughs.
piratedan
@NotMax: so all Obama has to do is incorporate himself as POTUS LLC and all of his employees, i.e. the Nation, would then have to deal with whatever health plan he could negotiate with the insurance company of his choice….. I think we may have to revisit this…. because I can see that some middle management could be marked for early retirement under this management model :-)
Baud
The Orangeman is such a loser, I can see him not having the votes to even pass this resolution.
Mandalay
The answer to that is known: absolutely nothing. The appropriate question to be raised ad nauseam is how much government money Republicans are wasting on the case. Every time a Republican advocates spending cuts, ask them the cost to taxpayers of their frivolous lawsuit.
WereBear
@Baud: It’s a distraction, that’s all. It’s like pretending to throw the ball for a dog.
Only dogs are great. Teahadis, not so much.
Baud
@piratedan:
It is a core tenet of Obama’s religion that he not be required to respond to a lawsuit. Too bad, teabaggers.
Hal
Ugh. I still have Orange Julius’s screeching “when’s he going to take responsibility for anything!!!” stuck in my head.
This is what Republicans voted for in the end. People making 170,000 a year to do nothing but say no, and file frivolous lawsuits. Haven’t any Repubs noticed their house member doesn’t do shit? The Lawsuit is just a way to make it seem like they are working one something, anything in order to justify all those job perks.
Also, I still can’t figure out the point to the suit. If it did somehow win, wouldn’t that mean the immediate implementation of the employer mandate, which Republicans originally asked for a delay in implementing in the first place?
Not to mention the fact that all we have heard from house Republicans is claims of criminal activity in Benghazi and the IRS, but all you can come up with is a delayed ACA mandate? I also wondered who the people were who bought vacuum cleaners from door to door salesman. I guess I should look no further than Boner’s district.
Anoniminous
Gallup, so don’t take too seriously:
Davis X. Machina
@Hal:
Their objection to doing anything is philosophical. That government is best, that doesn’t.
It’s in Burke. Or Oakeshott. Or Nozick. Or Rothbard. Or one of those guys.
But it’s someone famous….
Matt McIrvin
@WereBear: I assumed that forcing the employer mandate to come into effect more quickly was the point, under the assumption that it would cause general outrage and that they could then attack Obama for it in advance of the fall election.
Anoniminous
“Your edited comment was marked as spam. If this is in error, please contact the admin. ”
FYWP
Davis X. Machina
@Matt McIrvin: A clever move, this — to rob Obama of the support of people whose support he never had, going into a re-election fight from which he’s constitutionally barred.
mai naem
Maybe Obama just needs to throw it all to the wind and tell the GOP to go ahead and impeach him. Tell them he wants tax rates for those making $1M and up go down 6.66 percent and tax rates on those making minimum wage go up 6.66 percent. Those making $50-100K go up 3.666 percent. He then can tell them that he’ll sign up for drilling in ANWR and the Keystone pipeline. And, oh yeah, sign a bill outlawing all abortions. Just go for it all, because the Pavlovian response of the GOP to anything Obama wants is “Hell, no!”
Anoniminous
GOP needs to keep their base enthusiasm dialed to eleven or they could be facing losses in the House.
dmsilev
@efgoldman: Some GOP Rep was quoted today as saying that they’d like to impeach Obama but they’re just too busy to get around to it.
These people have all the self-reflection of a nest of vampires.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@efgoldman: Time to bring out my favorite Oliver Cromwell speech:
Randy P
@WereBear: When our lab got frustrated at that kind of teasing, she’d just start gnawing on my arm.
Hmmm, your analogy might have some possibilities…
WaterGirl
@Anoniminous: Were you trying to reply to someone? That’s what I was getting when I tried to reply to Omnes or MikeJ when their nyms were having trouble.
NotMax
@Davis X. MAchine
Bozo?
Roger Moore
@Thoughtful David:
When you can’t even fool the teabaggers, you’ve scraped far enough through the bottom of the barrel that you’ve probably struck oil.
Roger Moore
@dmsilev:
FTFY.
WaterGirl
@Roger Moore: Sadly, I think that is getting closer to the truth.
When I hear people say “I don’t think this is about race”, I look at them and wonder what world they are living in, because it’s not the same one I live in.
SFAW
@Davis X. Machina:
Breitbart? Isn’t he (still) dead?
[I have to confess, I enjoyed writing that more than decorum would allow.]
SFAW
@WaterGirl:
Oh, come on, get real. Even The Fuckin’ Nuge (or Nuuuuuuuuge!) says that he likes
niggersblack folks just fine, he’s hired some during his 50-odd years in rock’n’troll, and based his judgment on their character, not their color.Unless they’re sub-human mongrels, of course – then he’ll wanna shoot ’em.
Scott S.
So could the White House just go into court and say, “We concede,” let the judge order the ACA enacted immediately, and sit back and enjoy the squealing? It’s not like Boehner could appeal a case decided in his favor…
Anoniminous
@WaterGirl:
I was trying to link to an article on the Gallup site and do a blockquote.
Anoniminous
A Test. Ignore
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@Anoniminous:
Obvious spam word.
RaflW
A few days ago I suggested here that Obama just issue a new executive order rescinding the delay in the employer mandate. I still feel that way. Just sign the thing and then have a low-level press officer call a quick presser in front of Boehner’s office in Congress to reveal that the deed is done. The aid can say “If you have any questions, step thru this door. That’s the man that is demanding the reversal of the order. We’ve complied. It’s his baby now.”
Villago Delenda Est
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name):
The Rethuglican party in a nutshell. The Talibangicals, too.
Wipe them out. All of them.
David Koch
The mandate is going into effect next year, which is only 5 1/2 months away.
Oh, the derp.
The Other Chuck
@RaflW: Why on earth would Obama want to cut short the glorious spectacle of the GOP endlessly stomping on its own dick? Hell, he should delay it another year.
NonyNony
@The Other Chuck:
Yeah.
Let’s be honest here – if Obama undermines Boehner that way then Boehner will just come up with something else. He’ll have to – his caucus will demand it.
Might as well let them fume over this for a while and fight amongst themselves. You can always undercut them at the last minute if it looks like they might be getting somewhere.
Russ
@Davis X. Machina:
Wins the internet foreevah
wormtown
McGovern is my Congresscritter. He is really a great guy. so proud of him.