Republicans take full control of US Congress as clashes loom

[webfact]

Republicans take full control of US Congress as clashes loom
STEVEN R. HURST, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans took control of both chambers of the U.S. Congress on Tuesday, setting the stage for fierce partisan battles that could consume the final two years of Barack Obama's presidency.

Before the new Congress was two hours old, a veto showdown with Obama was set as the White House announced he would reject legislation approving the long-stalled Keystone XL pipeline, which Republicans intend to advance.

Also in the Republicans' sights: Obama's signature health care law, other key environmental and business regulations, and the president's recent executive actions on immigration sparing millions from deportation.

The Republicans are emboldened after pummeling the Democrats in the November elections, taking the Senate and expanding their majority in the House of Representatives. The party is now in charge of both branches of Congress for the first time since Obama took office, summoning unity despite an unsuccessful tea party-backed effort to unseat House Speaker John Boehner.

Boehner said Republicans will seek Obama's support for measures on jobs, energy and veterans. "It will be a sign the logjam is breaking," Boehner declared.

"Hard work awaits," said the new Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. "I'm really optimistic about what we can accomplish."

At the White House, Obama congratulated the pair and said he was looking forward to working with them.

"There are going to be areas where we disagree, and there will be some pitched battles, but I'm also confident that there are enormous areas of potential agreement," Obama said. "I wish them well and I think we're going to hopefully have a productive 2015."

Obama plans to meet with the new congressional leadership next week as both sides positioned themselves for two years of clashes and, perhaps, occasional cooperation that will help shape the outcomes of the 2016 presidential and congressional elections.

The president has sent a message that he's still relevant and infuriated Republicans with a series of high-profile presidential moves, including steps toward normalizing relations with Cuba. And no matter what the Republican Congress passes, Obama retains the power to veto legislation, an action he's taken only twice in six years.

At the top of the Republican agenda is a veto showdown with Obama over the oil pipeline from Canada to Texas. The Keystone measure is opposed by environmental groups and many rank-and-file Democrats. A similar bill passed the House but died in the Democratic-led Senate late last year. Republican leaders now intend to push the bill through the House late this week, and appear to be close to having enough votes to clear it through the Senate as well.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Tuesday he does not expect Obama would sign any Keystone legislation that reaches his desk. Earnest said a "well-established" review process is being run by the U.S. State Department that should not be undermined by legislation.

Despite the looming clashes, Republican leaders and the White House have indicated there is potential for cooperation on issues like trade, tax reform and infrastructure spending. The challenge for leaders of both parties will be facing down pressure from their more ideological members.

Obama might face pressure from his party's liberal wing if he tries to work out a deal with congressional Republicans on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal that 12 nations are trying to negotiate.

Senate liberals, led by Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, have declared opposition to the trans-Pacific trade deal, contending it would benefit global corporations at the expense of American workers.

As House leader, Boehner has seen his efforts to forge compromises thwarted in recent years by lawmakers aligned with the conservative tea party movement. But his hand is considerably stronger this year as a result of the Republican electoral triumph. The party will hold its biggest House majority in nearly 70 years.

His re-election Tuesday was marred by 25 Republicans who voted against him, but many Republican lawmakers dismissed the challenge as a needless distraction at a moment when the party should be celebrating its new majorities and showing voters it can lead.

McConnell's ascension Tuesday to the post of Senate majority leader was automatic following his approval by rank-and-file Republicans late last year. McConnell, who had been the Senate minority leader, faced criticism from tea party supporters over his role in brokering a bipartisan spending deal that ended a government shutdown in 2013. But he survived a tea party primary challenge last year and went on to handily win re-election to his Kentucky seat in the general election.
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Associated Press writers David Espo, Nedra Pickler, Erica Werner, Chuck Babington and Stephen Ohlemacher contributed to this story.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-01-07

[zaphod reborn]

Nonsense. The US government has always operated better when the executive and legislative branches are divided on party lines. Either the President and Congress work together, like they did under Clinton, or there's a total impasse. So either they pass good bipartisan legislation, or nothing gets done. And anything that halts the growth of the US government is a good thing.

Edited January 7, 2015 by zaphod reborn

[connda]

Elected US Congress: Financed by Wall Street, Lobbied by Wall Street, legislation written by Wall Street for the benefit of Wall Street with financial kickbacks to the their congressional sock-puppets. Rinse and repeat. Democracy? That's a joke. Legalized vote buying right out in the open endorsed by the Supreme Court. The institutionalize corruption by making the immoral and the unconscionable legal, make this (Thailand) third-world child's play pale in comparison.

[Publicus]

The House is the weak link and the 54 Republican cats in the Senate aren't too reliable either.

AT the first day of school today 25 Republican extreme tea party bulls voted against John Boehner as speaker, something that hasn't happened since 1860 on the eve of the Civil War.

Before the Republicans' government shutdown in 2013, 62 House Republicans voted to defeat the completely bipartisan 5-year $940 billion Farm Bill which is always a bipartisan policy program and had appropriately been endorsed by Boehner and Pelosi together..

No speaker of the House loses or suffers these kinds of votes, which with many other failures makes John Boehner incompetent and the weakest speaker in US history.

Divided government has never had tea party saboteurs in it before and Boehner can't manage or control any of them.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/12/18/1352723/-Worst-Congress-Ever

Edited January 7, 2015 by Publicus

[chuckd]

Elected US Congress: Financed by Wall Street, Lobbied by Wall Street, legislation written by Wall Street for the benefit of Wall Street with financial kickbacks to the their congressional sock-puppets. Rinse and repeat. Democracy? That's a joke. Legalized vote buying right out in the open endorsed by the Supreme Court. The institutionalize corruption by making the immoral and the unconscionable legal, make this (Thailand) third-world child's play pale in comparison.

Just for a little information, of the top ten organizations contributing to the 2014 election cycle, eight of them were Democratic and liberal donors with one being 50-50 and the remaining one being primarily Republican and conservative.

The Dems rule the roost when it comes to political donations.

https://www.opensecrets.org/overview/toporgs.php

[connda]

The average John and Jane Public actually believe there are fundamental differences between the Republican and Democrats. Dig though Plato's Republic until you get to the Allegory of the Cave. The people pulling the strings understand it - the rest are sheep getting ready to get sheared.

Understand the nature of the illusion, or get sucked in an split hairs over meaningless posturing and stage-play.