Republican counterfactuality prevents home mortgage relief

The Republican Representatives and Senators in our House and Senate have shown impressive unanimity over the last three and a half years.  They have, without fail, rejected every proposal put forward by our President regardless of its content.  As a result, the government of the United States has not been guided by any laws that our President might have used to enact his policies.

Republican leaders explicitly stated, immediately after the election of President Obama, that they would oppose every measure he might put forward in order to prevent his re-election four years hence.  They have kept that promise, and as a result, the ship of state has been effectively rudderless for the last three years.  Even before the by-elections in 2010, the Democrats were unable to command a supermajority in the Senate except on a few occasions.

Now that three years have passed with essentially none of President Obama’s policies in force due to Republican obstruction, the Republicans are campaigning on the slogan that “President Obama’s policies have failed.”  How can a policy be described a failure when it was never put in place?  Perhaps what they mean is that President Obama has failed to endorse the policies that they want, despite the fact that their candidate for President lost the election.

There is a certain lethal apocalyptic attitude to the Republican Party these days.  Even their bureaucrats left over in President Obama’s executive division are toeing the line while their legislators are preventing new directors from being seated.

The acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency has refused to follow orders and rejected a debt relief plan handed down by the White House.  He happens to be a holdover from the Bush Administration who is still in his post because Senate Republicans are blocking a vote on Obama’s choice for permanent director.

Even though this debt relief plan would help millions of Americans who are underwater on their mortgages and would yield a net fiscal benefit to the finance agency, the director won’t follow Obama’s orders to implement it.  For unknown reasons, Obama has not fired him or made a recess appoint to replace him.

There is nothing too low for the Republicans now.  They will do anything to regain power over the government.

It is ironic that the popular base for the Republican Party has been shrinking for years as former minorities increase their share of the citizenry.  Asian and “Latino” percentages are growing rapidly, while African-American numbers have remained relatively steady.  Additional demographic changes have led to a gradually shrinking percentage of Republicans and gradually increasing Democratic and Independent numbers.

Demographic changes have been very uneven across the country, and one area is the polar opposite of another.  The presence of a strong majority for one’s party, particularly if it is Republican, will be demonstrated as dramatic bumperstickers and stereotyped behavior towards strangers.  Democratic areas tend to be less demonstrative.

In the face of changes that, overall, diminish their base, the Republicans have reacted with paranoia and xenophobia.  They have circled their wagons.  Look for more wrathful outbursts in the near future.