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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPresident Obama’s Cuba Surprise Sends John Boehner and Mitch McConnell Reeling
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/12/17/obama-cuba-surprise.html
President Obamas Cuba Surprise Sends John Boehner and Mitch McConnell Reeling
By: Jason Easley
Wednesday, December, 17th, 2014, 6:30 pm
President Obamas December Cuba surprise has sent both John Boehner and Mitch McConnell reeling as the president has again demonstrated his tactical superiority over the Republican congressional leadership.
Speaker of the House John Boehner reached deep into the empty bag of Republican talking points and pulled out the old Obama is caving to dictators line.
Boehner said, Relations with the Castro regime should not be revisited, let alone normalized, until the Cuban people enjoy freedom and not one second sooner. There is no new course here, only another in a long line of mindless concessions to a dictatorship that brutalizes its people and schemes with our enemies. If anything, this emboldens all state sponsors of terrorism, as they now have an even better idea of what the president meant when he once told Russian leaders he would have more flexibility after his re-election. We have seen this before, and I fear we will see it again. Despite these reservations about the presidents changes in our policy toward this communist regime, we all feel great joy and relief for Alan Gross and his family. Americans do not forget our own, and we speak out today because we have a moral responsibility not to forget anyone anywhere who longs for liberty and dignity.
Soon to be Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had even less to say. McConnell would only say that he agreed with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Sounds like the correct response to me. I think he knows more about this than almost anybody in the Senate if not everybody in the Senate and I wouldnt differ with his characterization.
Rubios response consisted of a temper tantrum where the Florida Republican compared Obama to Jimmy Carter.
After causing chaos within the Republican Party with his immigration executive actions, President Obama has exposed more fractures and divides with his announcement of a change in policy towards Cuba. The end result has been Boehner disagreeing with Chamber of Commerce, House Republicans disagreeing with each other, and Mitch McConnell looking like a stooge by offering up a variation of yeah, what he said as a response.
Republican control of Congress has unleashed President Obama, and if the last two months are any indication, Boehner and McConnell are in for a very difficult two years.
tanyev
(42,622 posts)JaneyVee
(19,877 posts)The beheadings continue".
babylonsister
(171,094 posts)JaneyVee
(19,877 posts)babylonsister
(171,094 posts)does sound like him.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)they will change their minds. They just haven't received the info yet.
They certainly had no problem with Reagan's love for Saddam Hussein, nor have I heard a word from them about all the other Dictatorships we support, like Bahrain, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Uganda among others.
All they are doing is blathering, until they get their instructions.
They sure had no problems with the Bush gang supporting every dictator they could find.
I would like to ask them some specific questions about that.
In fact I'm glad to see they no longer support OUR decades long support for Dictators like Pinnochet eg.
Maybe now they've had a change of heart, we can start changing our disastrous FP finally.
Ruby the Liberal
(26,219 posts)They won't get credit for it.
The next GOP Administration, it will be the bestest idea since sliced bread.
bobclark86
(1,415 posts)... who apparently like American money. Go figure
Jester Messiah
(4,711 posts)And Russia, and Vietnam, and a host of other countries with whom we regularly do business. Whodathunkit.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)I always got a kick out of Right Wingers who slammed 'commie nations' but when you asked them about China and Nixon, they had no clue. Nor did they want to.
Amnesia sets in when money starts flowing. I'm sure this has all been worked out, we never do anything for altruistic reasons. And the Right, five years from now, will have forgotten the 'commie' part of Cuba just as they forgot with China.
Cha
(297,722 posts)gracias babylonsistah~
elleng
(131,140 posts)Same crap from Jeb.
malaise
(269,186 posts)perfection
Still laughing at the absolute scrambling and confusion - it's delish
It IS delish!
BootinUp
(47,197 posts)and in a Presidential year election they are headed towards a serious beating.
Rex
(65,616 posts)"So you all will have to excuse me while I kick down this door and give both delinquents a good verbal thrashing."
"Thank you and God bless America."
BootinUp
(47,197 posts)the video clip?
Rex
(65,616 posts)Whoever made it did a pretty good job, it really looks like he is kicking down a door.
longship
(40,416 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)I love Fallon's reaction. The POTUS does a mic drop, you better dam well follow suit!
JaneyVee
(19,877 posts)babylonsister
(171,094 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)And next time someone gripes the parties are the same...ask them which republican was ever planning on normalizing relationships with Cuba. I bet they stfu.
CakeGrrl
(10,611 posts)He keeps making fools of these idiots time and again.
babylonsister
(171,094 posts)Long time! Great to see you!
And yes, the President cracks me up. He is smart and collected and there are so many chumps out there who don't get it.
Yes, he does things none of us approve of, but then he can be brilliant and politically savvy. I approve!
CakeGrrl
(10,611 posts)Unfortunately, the voters did what he repeatedly warned against: they completely gave the keys back to the GOP to drive them into another ditch.
Some people may eventually get it, and it sounds like some around here may NEVER get it, but he's the only thing keeping America from that ugliness that's about to come through Congress.
longship
(40,416 posts)lenrely
(13 posts)Thank you for posting this. Definitely a victory.
niyad
(113,582 posts)1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)Have you been to Ferguson or New York or to your home state of Ohio lately?
freshwest
(53,661 posts)bhikkhu
(10,724 posts)...and its been pretty well shown that economic sanctions don't lead to "regime change", ever, as far as I can recall. They just lead to poor people being more entrenched in poverty, more powerless and isolated.
George II
(67,782 posts)bhikkhu
(10,724 posts)where panic breaks out at the top if the rich stop getting richer for a bit, and government is relied upon to remedy affairs at the cost of all the rest.
I don't get into that argument much, but all the push for government austerity dating back to Reagan is pretty much self-imposed sanctions, which has entrenched poverty. Not much going on here as far as regime change either. Obama had good intentions, but once the whole ruling class gets used to a rate of return, they aren't giving it up. Especially when fooling the people has proved so easy.
George II
(67,782 posts)displacedtexan
(15,696 posts)This is fantastic news!
malaise
(269,186 posts)babylonsister
(171,094 posts)To stand out? Mission accomplished!
George II
(67,782 posts)...some Hispanic backlash against Rubio for his idiotic and insulting speech today.
DinahMoeHum
(21,812 posts). . .and pass the popcorn.
Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)napkinz
(17,199 posts)Cha
(297,722 posts)calimary
(81,507 posts)to LEAVE THE WATER BOTTLE WHERE IT IS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where's yer bottle, marco-baby?
LiberalArkie
(15,729 posts)maybe the poor might benefit..
TrollBuster9090
(5,955 posts)lonestarnot
(77,097 posts)lonestarnot
(77,097 posts)evilest of evil grins "They do know what to do in a hurricane!"
MoreGOPoop
(417 posts)When Jackson Browne is scheduled to play in Cuba
I'm hoppin' a plane!
And, thanks, Babylon Sister, for the Schadenfreude.
It's fun to watch the worms squirm!
L0oniX
(31,493 posts)Fuddnik
(8,846 posts)Paula Hawkins......the original Michelle Bachmann.
joanbarnes
(1,723 posts)brer cat
(24,615 posts)I certainly expect to see his ass at the front of the line for the next #BlackLivesMatter protest.
SCVDem
(5,103 posts)what this fiasco never could.
Look at China? They have a middle class larger than our 20%.
L0oniX
(31,493 posts)babylonsister
(171,094 posts)Blue Idaho
(5,057 posts)The GOP leadership are buffoons and the President is busy drinking their milkshakes. I can't wait for him to announce the next mind melting liberal executive order. Maybe he really has been playing three dimensional chess after all.
Fred Sanders
(23,946 posts)bluesbassman
(19,379 posts)Well done Mr. President!
George II
(67,782 posts)....those two morons apoplectic.
It probably caused the Turtle to go diving for the Kentucky bourbon bottle and Boner knock off an extra pack of cigarettes and an hour in the tanning booth.
HoosierCowboy
(561 posts)..those little veins popping out on Rushs' temples.
Jester Messiah
(4,711 posts)And I love it. They're ripping each other to shreds in the forums. I doubt this was Mr. Obama's explicit goal in this process, but it's a damn nice bonus. Hope he keeps the pressure on headed into '16. The more he riles up the derper base, the crazier their candidates will have to act in order to placate them, sending the moderates and independents running for the hills.
Texas Blues
(55 posts)I love it. Finally we get a win after the election!