Sessions Reveals Cynical Republican Strategy

Rep Pete Sessions (R-Texas) followed in the great tradition of Senator Mitch McConnell and talked about Republican goals in frank terms.

“Everything we do in this body should be about messaging to win back the Senate”

Steve Benen sums up the implications better than I could.

“In other words, according to this House GOP leader, half-way through the 113th Congress, Republicans should give up on governing altogether. All that matters is politics, campaign considerations, and “messaging.”

In terms of the larger context, keep three angles in mind. First, this Congress is already on track to be the single least productive in generations, and if Sessions is right, this will not get better. Second, there’s actual work lawmakers should be tackling, but if House Republicans officially abandon the pretense of caring about governing, their sole record going into the 2014 midterms will be a government shutdown, a series of hostage crises, and a culture-war crusade the American mainstream has no use for.”

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.