GOP Rep. Criticized on CNN for Holding Fast to America's Constitutional Principles
"You are more interested in chaos and thinking of principle than your responsibility of governing."
3.1.2015 |
News
| Trey Sanchez |
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) was criticized on Sunday's State of the Union on CNN for being more interested in America's constitutional principles than his responsibilities in the country's governance in the midst of the threat of government shutdown through the funding of the Department of Homeland Security and President Obama's order of amnesty.
Host Dana Bash used the interview segment to repeatedly castigate the congressman by reminding him that his critics feel he is more interested in principles over responsibility.
But Jordan argued the message voters sent in the November was that they had had enough of President Obama's illegal executive actions. He said:
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Remember this underlying action, what caused all of this, is when the president last November did something that 22 times before he said he wouldn't do, then he turned around and did it. Legal scholars say it's unconstitutional, we know it's unconstitutional, and the only court to rule on this, the federal court in Texas, said what he did was wrong. And for the Democrats to insist upon being able to still spend money for something everyone knows is unconstitutional, the president said he wouldn't do, and a federal judge has ruled is wrong, that's the problem.
But Bash felt all of this was getting in the way of actual passage of laws and implied that the only way to avoid another government shutdown would be to set aside these differences and simply do the job he was elected to do. She then read a quote from Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA):
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'I prefer to be in an arena voting than trying to placate a small group of phony conservative members who have no credible policy proposals and no political strategy to stop Obama's lawlessness.'
Bash said, "He's talking about you, calling you a phony conservative, and saying you have no policy to get around this, and a plan."
"Look, I don't call -- say things about my colleagues," Jordan responded. "What I do know is this -- last November, there was an election. This was an important issue in that election. The voters spoke loud and clear. They gave us an overwhelming majority in the House of Representatives. They gave the United States Senate majority to the Republican Party as well. And we know this is unconstitutional.
Pressing further, Bash interjected saying Jordan sounds no different than his Republican leadership but suggested they are more likely to get something done by "living in the reality of the process" because they realize "they don't have the votes ultimately to do it without shutting down the Department of Homeland Security."
An increasingly charged Jordan asserted that a compelling enough case has yet to be made proving Obama's lawlessness. Appealing to fairness, Jordan asked: "How is it fair to citizens if you let non-citizens, illegals, go back and get tax refunds for the last three years? How is it fair to seniors if you let non-citizens, illegals, participate in our Social Security system. How is it fair to voters -- our Secretary of State, under oath, came and testified in Congress and said non-citizen illegals are going to have the potential now to be involved in our election process, to actually vote. Most importantly, Dana, how is it fair what the president did, how is it fair to those legal immigrants who did it the right way, who followed the law, how is it fair to them?"
Here is how Bash responded:
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You've made that point and I understand that you obviously feel very passionately about this. But this is also about passion and principle versus governing, and it just -- from people looking in from the outside, and even more importantly your fellow Republican colleagues, think that you are more interested in chaos and thinking of principle than your responsibility of governing.
Their conversation continued:
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Jordan: Not at all. We're most interested in adhering to the principles that are consistent with the Constitution. We're most interested in doing what the voters elected us to do in November. You don't think this was a big issue in the election last November? Of course it was. This was -- taking on the president's unconstitutional executive amnesty actions was a huge issue in the election and the voters spoke overwhelmingly. And all we're asking now for Harry Reid to do -- all we're asking him to do is follow the process.
Bash: Have you been in any conversations about trying to get rid of House Speaker John Boehner?
Jordan: That's not the point.
Bash: Have you? Yes or no?
Jordan: No, of course not. No, that's not the point. The point is to do -- to do what we told the voters we were going to do, and to do it in a way that's consistent with the United States Constitution -- consistent with fundamental fairness and consistent with the only court to rule on this [and] do it in a way that's consistent with the federal judge's decision.
Pushing ever harder, Bash continued through the rest of the interview asking if the GOP was planning a coup to take down Boehner or impeach the president. Jordan ignored the bait and continued pleading for Republicans to remember what the voters told them to do in November -- follow constitutional principles and stop an out of control government.
http://www.truthrevolt.org/news/gop-rep-criticized-cnn-holding-fast-americas-constitutional-principles
