I stayed up to watch the vote on the Rule for the OBBB…and it was all just so very irritating. I’m sick of these GOPers who play this game of chicken.

I get that everyone wants to maximize their political gain out of these things…but the place to do that is while the bill is being crafted, not when its up for final passage. It is like we’ve raised up a generation of Congresscritters who don’t know how to do it…and then as I mentally ranted and raved about it, I understood: they really don’t know how to do it. Do you realize how long its been since real politics took place in the Capitol? It isn’t a political field…its a stage. Its where you go to have an impressive background to state your talking points. Politics is done in staff offices…and for staffers, a bit of backstabbing at the crucial moment is probably what they’re told to do…and likely by Democrats (there is a poll of staffers for DC…and I’ll bet most of them are Democrats).

I don’t think these guys know how to horse trade and I’ve got the horrified feeling that they can’t horse trade because horse trading requires that you keep your word. In the old days of politics, a person’s word was their bond. You only rarely made a solid promise to do something but when you did, you kept your word. You had to. If you got a reputation for ratting out, you’d be finished. Nobody would trust you – the Party bosses would find a primary challenger because nobody likes a liar. Or, at least, nobody used to. Olden days valued honesty. Modern times seem to value the brazen lie – and the more brazen it is, the more it is admired. One of the GOPers causing the hold up last night just last year was stating that border security was the most important issue of our times…and there she was last night, objecting because the bill didn’t cut spending by an additional one percent. That isn’t principle – that is being a liar.

We really need to get people to understand that this isn’t a game. The fate of our nation is at stake – and while Democrats can gum up the works and prevent us from getting all we want, we still must get as much as we can. Trump must be able to rely on a solid GOP caucus…and if he can’t, then its time to primary until we do. We can’t make these people honest, but we can make them afraid.

Oh, Jeffries got up in the House to rant and rave against OBBB and he said, I quote, that the “deportation machine will be unleashed on steroids”. So, what we voted for.

Have a great and safe Fourth!