An Infuriating Way That Democrats Are Different From Republicans

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/cuellar-slams-obama-border-crisis

Henry Cuellar (D-TX) has criticized Obama for not anticipating the current crisis caused by underage migrants from Central America.

The problem is that this crisis was largely unanticipated.  And the solution to the crisis should involve Congress.  Basically, the US does not automatically deport underage immigrants from Central America. They have to go through an asylum hearing, because there is some awful shit historically that goes down in Central America.  Underage migrants from Mexico get shipped right back over the border, because Mexico.

This is the law.  The problem has been a massive influx of teenage migrants from Central America, which has destabilized the situation by flooding the asylum process.

The solution, of course, is to change the law, which only require the prompt and speedy action of a constructive and efficient Congress....

Rep. Cuellar's criticism of Obama is therefore fairly far off the mark.  This is similar to endless fondling of the fossil fuels by Democrats like Landrieu, Manchin and Pryor.  But at least that makes narrow sense, given their home states.

Cuellar represents the lack of party unity that doesn't exist in the modern GOP.  McConnell in particular has created parliamentary levels of party unity in the Senate.  Meanwhile the House remains so terrified of its Tea Party shadow that it refuses to govern at all.

There are a few examples of rhetorical apostasy in the GOP: the Paul-McCain argument over foreign policy doesn't really count, since the GOP currently has no foreign policy - it has the argument.  But Paul's dissent on civil liberties comes close.

But that dissent is also trained on Obama.  Cuellar could decry the inaction of the House on immigration, but instead he blames in the President who is trying to work around the constraints of the law.

All of this ties in to the poll that found 33% of Americans calling Obama the worst president since World War II.  You can take a wild guess what percentage of that 33% are conservatives.

It has been party unity that has allowed the GOP to survive, despite holding minority positions on economics, fiscal policy, marriage equality, contraception, the environment, guns and a host of other issues.

I certainly don't want the Democrats to emulate that unthinking brand of party loyalty, but sometimes guys like Cuellar should just shut the fuck up.