The Forces of Nullification Behind Opposition to Boehner

The Right Wing extremists are out in force, wearing their nullification on their sleeves in support of Louie Gohmert (R-TX). I pointed yesterday to examples of Gohmert being, shall we say, unmoored from our shared reality.

Glenn Beck got Crazy Louie on the phone yesterday and Louie said he was going to nix the safety net, get rid of two-thirds of the regulations, and have votes of confidence/no-confidence every two years in order to avoid having a dictatorship in Congress:

I didn’t really know much about former large animal veterinarian Ted Yoho (R-FL), the other guy wanting Boehner’s job, other than that he is a birther. But Right Wing Watch took a look at him yesterday, and it turns out he’s a bit “out there” as well, including his belief that only property owners should be allowed to vote:

Some of his other crazy ideas, courtesy of RWW:

• Insisted Obamacare is racist against white people because it taxes tanning beds: “It’s a racist tax and I thought I might need to get to a sun tanning booth so I can come out and say I’ve been disenfranchised because I got taxed because of the color of my skin.”
• Opposed immigration reform because he believes Hezbollah smuggled 1,500 terrorists into the U.S. through the border.
• Sponsored the bill to block Obama’s executive action on immigration (which passed 219-197), explaining: “To vote no against the bill is to vote no against the Constitution.”
• Endorsed massive cuts to the food stamp program while admitting that his family used food stamps for a couple of months after falling on hard times.
• Doubted the constitutionality of the Civil Rights Act but compared his efforts to repeal Obamacare to the Civil Rights Movement.
• Floated the idea of impeaching President Obama.

Yoho’s attempted derail of Obama’s executive action on immigration, his Executive Amnesty Prevention Act, later changed to the Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act, H.R. 5759, was a nullification bill, pure and simple.

Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act of 2014 by Michael Oleaga

H.R. 5759 had Boehner’s support despite Yoho having voted against Boehner as speaker two years ago. Boehner said that to ignore Yoho’s bill was an “act of monumental arrogance.”

Gohmert voted “no” despite being one of 17 co-sponsors. He said it was a good bill and that Yoho is a friend, but that a technicality – an exception that was added to the bill – would have strengthened Obama’s hand.

The White House, taking note of this attempt to nullify executive action, unsurprisingly, was “strongly opposed” to the bill and hinted that Obama would veto it. The bill nevertheless passed the House on December 4 by a vote of 219-197.

Yoho responded to the passage of his bill in a statement:

I introduced this legislation to stop the president’s executive amnesty. I could not stand idly by as the president trampled our constitution, our laws, and our sovereignty. I am glad that 219 of my colleagues joined me.

Never mind there is broad national support for Obama’s executive action, that the Archbishop of Chicago defended Obama’s executive action, that Obama’s executive order is entirely constitutional and that the Republicans are only upset at executive action when Obama does it.

Another one of those vocally upset that Obama will not submit to being a puppet for the GOP, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), introduced the Senate version of the bill (S. 3015) with one co-sponsor, Ayotte, Kelly (R-NH) on December 12, saying,

I believe that the Constitution is clear that the legislative power resides in Congress. The President is not a king and he does not have the power to enact laws then execute his own laws. Our Constitution is being violated by this executive order and other actions by the Obama Administration to govern by executive fiat.

Though the the bill was not enacted by the 113th Congress, it is clear that Should either Gohmert or Yoho become Speaker of the House, Latinos will find even less reason to vote Republican in 2016 than previously, if that is possible.

That said, it is not likely either man will get the gavel out of Boehner’s orange hands. However, the fact that we are so close to extremists like this wresting control of the House is frankly terrifying. That this kind of thinking should pass for mainstream is an indication of just how far right the GOP has gone. For example, if you consult CNN on the Boehner question, you won’t find any discussion of the Tea Party extremism behind it.

Another huge indicator that Boehner’s opponents are beyond extreme is Glenn Beck’s support for Gohmert. Beck says that we can save America and the GOP by electing Crazy Louie. That’s right, a Two For, a BOGO for America.

Beck said yesterday that,

Louie is not going to compromise, Louie is the guy. We have another chance, America, we have another chance. Please don’t pass this signpost, please, there’s another exit, take it.

“Shut the switchboard down, tell everybody you know in the freedom movement, ‘Louie Gohmert.’ Call them now.”

This opposition to Boehner is really about opposition to Obama, and, despite all the talk about “freedom” and upholding the separation of powers, what Tea Baggers really want is, in violation of the Constitution, to force the president into the role of a compliant puppet of Congress.

Photo from Fox Nation

Hrafnkell Haraldsson

Hrafnkell Haraldsson, a social liberal with leanings toward centrist politics has degrees in history and philosophy. His interests include, besides history and philosophy, human rights issues, freedom of choice, religion, and the precarious dichotomy of freedom of speech and intolerance. He brings a slightly different perspective to his writing, being that he is neither a follower of an Abrahamic faith nor an atheist but a polytheist, a modern-day Heathen who follows the customs and traditions of his Norse ancestors. He maintains his own blog, A Heathen’s Day, which deals with Heathen and Pagan matters, and Mos Maiorum Foundation www.mosmaiorum.org, dedicated to ethnic religion. He has also contributed to NewsJunkiePost, GodsOwnParty and Pagan+Politics.