Patrick J. Buchanan: Against Barack Obama, But For What?

Source:The New Democrat

Pat Buchanan with I believe the question of the day. Against Obama, but for what? Republicans are obviously against President Barack Obama and fire is hot, in case you need any other obvious facts. But what are they for and what do the actually want to pass into law in the next Congress. Now that they will control both the House and Senate and with a solid if not big majority in the House of Representatives. Senate Democrats will have a significant minority in the next Congress. 45-46 Senators, so Harry Reid or whoever is the next Senate Minority Leader will have real influence over what gets passed out of the Senate.

My question for Congressional Republicans especially their leadership in the House and Senate and Speaker John Boehner and Leader Mitch  McConnell in particular. What do they actually want to pass into law in the next Congress and get signed by President Obama. And what do they want the President to veto or Senate Democrats to try to block. The next Democratic Leader in the Senate who will be the Minority Leader will have a question as well. What does he want to block in the Senate with his members and perhaps some more moderate Republicans who will up for reelection in the next Congress. And what does he want the President to veto if House and Senate Republicans decide to go on their own.

If the Congressional Republican Leadership actually wants to legislate in the House and Senate and pass things into law, they are going to need to work with President Obama. And find issues that they both want to address and can find agreement. The Keystone Pipeline should be one of them that should pass with a solid bipartisan majority in both the House and Senate. Infrastructure investment, energy policy and trade are three other issues where they have common ground that President Obama will want to address in the next Congress as well.

The ball is in the Republican court because they'll run both the House and Senate in the next Congress and as a result will set the agenda for that in Congress both on the floors and in committee. What will get done in the next Congress will be up to them and what they actually want to get passed into law. And if they actually want to legislate, meaning pass things into law that the President signs, they'll need to work with President Obama and Senate Democrats as well most likely if they want to pass things out of Congress that the President will sign.