If we don’t want to see the annual 1500-page Christmas “continuing resolutions,” Republicans might take a lesson from the Polish Left about making a statement about what you stand for. In 2016, they occupied Parliament for 26 days over Christmas to protest a budget they did not like and deemed invalid. Yes, the world media painted it as “defense of democracy,” but American conservatives -- avoiding that Leftist filter -- should learn a lesson.
As usual, after symbolic “debate” on a variety of irrelevancies, the Senate is moving towards taking up a “continuing resolution” (CR) to fund the government. The current CR, which is the trans equivalent of a real budget, runs out Friday. Congress should have had funding bills in place by September 30 but, well, there were so many Biden judges to stuff.
The usual suspects, of course, are bemoaning “this is not how you should run a government!” It isn’t, but there is method to this madness.
If Majority Leader Chuck Schumer allowed the kind of real debate with real amendments that “the world’s greatest deliberative body” still rides on the gases of, then lots of pork in the form of earmarked sacred cows would be gored. Can’t have that!
…so, hold the bill until the last possible moment before Christmas, put it forward as “all or nothing,” and then push the story (happily taken up by a pliant media) that “Republicans” will “take away your Social Security payment” if they “don’t fund the government.” Five days before Christmas and with the end of the current Congress in a little more than two weeks, lots of members will hold their noses and vote for it.
What else could conservatives do?
Well, they might take a lesson from liberals in Poland.
In mid-December 2016, the conservative Law and Justice government also had to enact its budget, and the Polish Left (basically the folks now running the country) opposed it. Two days earlier, the government had adopted new rules about journalists roaming through Parliament, which is what the Left really didn’t like.
When a leftist parliamentarian took to the floor to oppose the budget but carrying a “Free Media!” card, he was ruled out-of-order. In response, the Left physically blocked access to the lectern where speakers addressed parliament. The government, having to pass its budget and not wanting physically to break up the occupation of the chamber, adjourned the meeting to an adjacent chamber and adopted the budget there.
In outrage at being outmaneuvered over their political stunt, the Left announced a physical occupation of Parliament. They literally sat in the chamber from December 16, 2016 until January 12, 2017. Every day. Including Christmas Eve. Including Christmas. Including New Year’s Day.
Now, all those days are important all around the world. In Poland, Christmas Eve is especially important. Poles will do everything and come from everywhere they can to be at their family tables on Christmas Eve for the Wigilia dinner.
The Polish Left (whose comfort with Poland’s Christian heritage is at least as hostile to that of the American Left’s in the United States) maintained discipline. It sat in Parliament. It even organized its own Wigilia.
Of course, they did not have the quorum to do anything, but they made a symbolic statement. Eventually, they had to accept some minor face-saving accommodation and give up. But not before they made their point in the national and international media all, of course, in the name of “saving democracy” in Poland.
For all the Republicans huffing and puffing about Christmas CRs in Washington, a question: are you willing to reject the CR and physically sit in Congress, daring your Democratic colleagues to come back and enact a real budget or sitting them out through January 3, when you take over?
Because anybody who thinks using usual parliamentary procedure is going to change anything is, frankly, deluded. Speaker Mike Johnson has put forward budget bills to die in Chuck Schumer’s Senate. He can’t come over, hogtie the Majority Leader, and force votes -- and, unless five Democrats voluntarily absent themselves, the votes won’t be there anyway.
So, your options:
What this process really argues for is an end to lame-duck sessions, such as the five-week process of government-by-losers we’ve seen. In the 18th century, there was a reason for that process. Today, when most congressmen and senators commute back and forth to their states at least once a week, there isn’t. There should be no reason to bring back a Congress containing defeated or retiring members after a general election when that new Congress could just as easily be seated.
And, if we were doing that, it would mean this continuing resolution would be addressed by Republican majorities in the Senate and House… which means we’d probably have at least some budget bills in lieu of that CR.
I know that the “calm, middle-of-the-road” response to this will be: relax, just one more time and then we’ll fix things. Well, unless you also fix how you lose the public narrative every time you threaten a shutdown, you haven’t “fixed things.”
So, except for exciting press releases, are we ready to do what it takes to end this annual abuse… or will it be business as usual? Because the annual celebration of Christmas pork in place of a Christmas goose is not quite accurate: it’s just the American taxpayer who gets goosed in the end.
Image: AT via Magic Studio
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