A day after it was reported that a terrorist group was urging attacks on malls in the United States, conservatives continued to refuse to support a bill that would avoid a shutdown of Homeland Security.
Not even a threat from an al-Qaida affiliate urging attacks on malls in the U.S. can get the conservatives to budge.
Conservatives and Republicans have adopted the delusional line of thinking that a Homeland Security shutdown won’t be that bad.
According to National Journal:
A DHS shutdown now appears possible, if not likely. And the optics, conservatives say, are not as bad for the party as some pundits have screamed about. Some Republicans believe that, if spun right, Democrats will get the brunt of the blame.
“DHS should not shut down for one day,” Sen. Ted Cruz argued during a press conference before Congress left for last week’s recess. “The only reason there is a risk that could happen is that Senate Democrats are putting partisan politics above the national security interests of this country.”
Adding to their confidence, some Republicans have pointed out that the impact of a DHS shutdown might not even be that extreme. Unlike during the full government shutdown in October 2013, DHS is just a fraction of the government, and most of the things people care greatly about will continue to function.
Risking a shut down for any length of time just so that Republicans can prove a political point is an insane strategy. Congressional Republicans and the conservative outside groups are obsessed with using their congressional majority to prove their dominance over Democrats. If they have to risk a potential terrorist attack in order to make themselves feel stronger, it appears that they are happy to do it.
Republicans refuse to understand common sense. They are in charge of Congress now. When something goes wrong, like shutting down Homeland Security, they are going to be blamed. It’s that simple. Polling has already shown that the majority isn’t buying the Republican demand that the immigration executive actions must be undone before Homeland Security can be funded.
Polling also shows that the majority is not buying their attempts to blame Senate Democrats for a potential shutdown. Democrats have made it clear that they aren’t going to blink and agree to vote to overturn President Obama’s executive actions on immigration. Even if they did vote with Republicans, the president would veto the bill, and Republicans would be right back to where they started from.
This mess was created by House Republicans, and now they are willing to potentially jeopardize the lives of American citizens because a “win” is more important than national security.
The Republican behavior in this situation is a reminder that it isn’t Washington that’s broken. The nation’s dysfunctional politics begin with the Republican Party.
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