QOTD -- The Party Of Third-World Instability

 

"... GOP lawmakers scaremonger about the foreign-born, characterizing immigration as an invasion. As Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) dog-whistled last week, 'Import the 3rd world. Become the 3rd world.'

"Alas, the faction working to turn the United States into a developing country is not immigrants but Collins’s own party. It’s Republicans, after all, who have supported the degradation of the rule of law; the return of a would-be dictator; the gutting of public education and health-care systems; the rollback of clean-water standards and other environmental rules; and the relaxation of child labor laws (in lieu of letting immigrants fill open jobs, of course).

"America has historically drawn hard-working immigrants from around the world precisely because its people and economy have more often been shielded from such 'Third World'-like instability, which Republican politicians now invite in..." -- Catherine Rampell, Washington Post, on "The Surge in Immigration Is A $7 Trillion Gift To The Economy."  But, of course, "the border crisis" is something MAGAt Republicans want to run on this November. Good luck with that, given their cult / party's kowtowing to their cult leader in tanking the best chance for a border security bill in decades.  People are already noticing and voting accordingly.

We See Crackpots, Too!

... And they're Republicans!  As if to prove our point from the post below, here's Republican media message guru Frank Luntz interviewing the mother- in- law of Citizens United Foundation's David Bossie at the recent South Carolina Freedom Freedumb Summit:
Immigrants are like "rats and roaches."  She seems nice -- and completely in tune with the Republican base in the audience.

(P.S. - note how Luntz unsuccessfully tries to wrest the microphone away after he realizes she's off message her rocker.)

Hillary Clinton: "Path To Full Citizenship" For Immigrants

In remarks at an Hispanic youth roundtable yesterday in Las Vegas, Nevada, Hillary Clinton went big (er, "grande") in her position on immigration reform:

In perhaps the strongest remarks on immigration of her entire career, Hillary Clinton vowed Tuesday evening to “do everything I possibly can” to help immigrants – including going beyond President Obama’s executive actions to extend deportation relief to undocumented immigrants.

“We can’t wait any longer for a path to full equal citizenship,” Clinton declared during a roundtable meeting with young, undocumented immigrants at a high school here.

Clinton distinguished herself from Republicans on the issue and made a personal appeal for reform. “This is where I differ from everybody on the Republican side,” she said. “Make no mistake. Today, not a single Republican candidate – announced or potential — is clearly and consistently supporting a path to citizenship. Not one.”

Republicans who do support comprehensive reform typically favor a pathway to legal status, but Clinton said anything short of full citizenship is “code for second-class status.”

The Democratic presidential candidate hit almost every issue on the immigration reform activist’s wish-list. She called for more humane detention practices, making it easier for families to plead their case for leniency, and took on the private prison industry. And crucially, she said she supported President Obama’s actions to shield millions of immigrants from deportation – and promised to go do even more.  “If Congress continues to refuse to act, as president, I would do everything possible under the law to go even further,” she said.

Recall, if you will, that the 2013 immigration reform bill that was passed in the Senate 62-38 has been left to die by nativist House Republicans under the leadership cowardice of Speaker John "Mr. Tangerine Man" Boehner (R-Eunuch).  As Clinton points out, when they're not raising the canard of "secure the border," Republicans often try to finesse the issue by calling for a path to "legal status," while making sure their base knows that "amnesty" (i.e., a path to full citizenship) is off the table.

This has to be one of the defining issues of the campaign and one that, fortunately, Democrats are on the right side, not only of history but of humanity.

EPIC Fail: Boehner, Republicans Caving On Homeland Security Funding

As anyone with a grip on Reality knew would happen eventually, Weeper of the House John Boehner (Eunuch-OH) has thrown in the towel on holding Homeland Security funding hostage to his Crackpot Caucus' demand that a poison pill provision be included overturning President Obama's immigration actions:

In a major victory for President Barack Obama, the Republican-led House relented on Tuesday and will back legislation to fund the Homeland Security Department through the end of the budget year, without restrictions on immigration. 

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, outlined the dwindling options for his deeply divided GOP caucus on Tuesday morning after the Senate left the House with little choice. Boehner pointed out that the issue is now in the hands of the courts.

(Obligatory musical accompaniment)

"Nothing to see here, move along, move along:"  The decision was clearly timed to coincide with Bibi "Bomb Bomb" Netanyahu's speech to Congress this morning, but it won't be enough of a fig leaf to hide this disaster for the Republican/ New Confederate/ Stupid Party.

Republican Judge Halts Obama's Immigration Reform -- For Now

It's not just the Republican House of Representatives pulling out all the stops to sabotage President Obama's immigration reform executive action (see post below).  Yesterday, a Republican judge in (where else?) Texas, responding to a suit by 26 Republican State attorneys general, put his head up his ass and came out with this:

Judge Andrew S. Hansen [Hanen] of Federal District Court in Brownsville, an appointee of President George W. Bush, issued an order prohibiting the administration from carrying out its deportation relief programs, for which applications were to begin Wednesday. In November, the president announced that his administration would exercise prosecutorial discretion by extending deportation reprieves to immigrants who met certain requirements, had family ties in the U.S., and did not have criminal records.

The Administration has said it will appeal the judge's order to the 5th Circuit Court (where, most legal experts believe the order will be overturned), and issued this statement:

The Supreme Court and Congress have made clear that the federal government can set priorities in enforcing our immigration laws — which is exactly what the President did when he announced commonsense policies to help fix our broken immigration system. Those policies are consistent with the laws passed by Congress and decisions of the Supreme Court, as well as five decades of precedent by presidents of both parties who have used their authority to set priorities in enforcing our immigration laws.

As with the 5 Republican "justices" on the Supreme Court, the Federal judiciary (not to mention State courts =cough= Alabama = cough=) is sprinkled with far-right ideologues who are all- too- willing to ignore law and precedent in their losing, rear-guard action to damage the President and protect the powerful and the privileged.  This has nothing to do with the merits (just as the King v. Burwell attack on the Affordable Care Act has nothing to do with the merits).  It's all about delay, sabotage and obstruction, and it's the only thing the Republican/ New Confederate/ Stupid Party seems to be good at.

BONUS:  Regarding "merit," here's Charlie Pierce on the Administration's claim of prosecutorial discretion in providing relief in deportations:

That Hanen is as full of shit as the Christmas goose should go without saying, but we'll say it, anyway. The discretion of both prosecutors and of the executive branch in deciding the merits and ultimate value of what cases they choose to pursue is well established in law, especially in U.S. v. Armstrong, a decision handed down by that hippie chief justice, the late William Rehnquist.  

That's all the analysis we need.

President Obama's Executive Action On Immigration: Si, Se Puede!

So, is President Obama's executive action on immigration being supported by Latinos?  Puede decir el 90 por ciento?

(click to enlarge)

(Latino Decisions National Poll, Nov. 20-22))

Said Latino Decisions co-founder Matt Barreto, “This is the most unified we have seen Latino public opinion on any issue.”  The poll also found a strong majority wants the Republican/ New Confederate/ Stupid/ White Man Party to stop trying to block the President's initiative.  Or, as the President says, "Pass a bill!"

Morning Read - Power Struggle

If you read this post,  Charles Blow's observation won't come as a surprise:

Don’t let yourself get lost in the weeds. Don’t allow yourself to believe that opposition to President Obama’s executive actions on immigration is only about that issue, the president’s tactics, or his lack of obsequiousness to his detractors. 

This hostility and animosity toward this president is, in fact, larger than this president. This is about systems of power and the power of symbols. Particularly, it is about preserving traditional power and destroying emerging symbols that threaten that power. This president is simply the embodiment of the threat, as far as his detractors are concerned, whether they are willing or able to articulate it as such.  [snip]

Make no mistake: This debate is not just about this president, this executive order or immigration. This is about the fear that makes the face flush when people stare into a future in which traditional power — their power — is eroded, and about their desperate, by-any-means determination to deny that future. 

This applies not only to the extremist Republican/ New Confederate/ Stupid/ White Man Party, but to their enablers in corporate media =cough= once great Washington Post =cough=.   That's why we continue to say to President Obama and Democrats:  ignore the frightened, vicious chatter and do the right thing.  They're going to hate you and fight you whatever you do anyway.

Quote Of The Week

My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants. We were strangers once, too. And whether our forebears were strangers who crossed the Atlantic, or the Pacific, or the Rio Grande, we are here only because this country welcomed them in, and taught them that to be an American is about something more than what we look like, or what our last names are, or how we worship. What makes us Americans is our shared commitment to an ideal -– that all of us are created equal, and all of us have the chance to make of our lives what we will. -- President Obama last night in his address to the nation on actions he's taking to reform the immigration system.  If you didn't see the address, here's the link to the White House transcript.

President Addressing Nation Tonight On Immigration Plans

Well, at least he's addressing the part of the nation that watches Univision and Telemundo (to be fair, CNN, MSNBC, PBS and Fox "News" are also expected to broadcast the speech).  The main broadcast networks declined to broadcast the President's speech in prime time tonight (November is sweeps months, and we all know what'$ important to tho$e network dolt$).  But if we had to choose between Univision and Telemundo audiences tuning in and those of the old networks, we'll take the former.

Meanwhile, when you hear Republican vandals and their Very Serious enablers in the media yap about the President's action "poisoning the well," American Bridge has a helpful rundown of all the other times over the years Republicans declared "the well" was poisoned before by an Obama action.  Here's a summary of American Bridge's piece we copped from Daily Kos:

Sen. Jeff Flake: If Obama Took Partial Credit For A Deal On Immigration Principles Reached By Eight Senators, It Would “Poison The Well” With Republicans. [...] 

Marco Rubio: Obama’s 2012 Executive Orders On Immigration “Poisoned The Well.” [...] 

Lindsey Graham: Obama’s Strategy On Gun Control “Poisoned The Well.” [...] 

U.S. Chamber Of Commerce Spokesman Bruce Josten: Obama National Labor Relations Board Appointments “Further Poison The Well.” [...] 

Rep. Paul Ryan: Obama’s Criticism Of Ryan Budget “Poisoned The Well” In The Budget Debate. [...] 

Senator Lindsey Graham: If Democrats Use Reconciliation To Pass Affordable Care Act, It’s “Going To Poison The Well For Anything Else They Would Like To Achieve For This Year Or Thereafter.”  [...] 

Sen. Bob Corker: Democratic Efforts To Repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell “Poisons The Well” On The START Treaty With Russia.

In case anyone hasn't noticed, that well's been poisoned since the day a black Democrat took the Presidential oath of office in January 2009.  That's why you have to ignore the crap they're shoveling and do what's right.

A Tale Of Two Editorial Boards

The execrable once great Washington Post Bezos Bugle editorial board on President Obama's pledge to act on immigration:

Mr. Obama may find a constitutional way to rewrite the nation’s immigration laws. But in his frustration with democracy, he is likely to prove his point: Unilateralism will not make the system work.   [snip]

Mr. Obama may find a constitutional way to rewrite the nation’s immigration laws. But in his frustration with democracy, he is likely to prove his point: Unilateralism will not make the system work.  (our emphasis)

"Unilateralism will not make the system work."  There's no end to the stupid in that line.  It just sits there like a deaf,  blind, thing. (What was that Shakespeare quote?  Oh yeah: "You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things."  He must've met the once great Washington Post's Bezos Bugle's editorial board.)  What do these frightened ninnies think will "make the system work?"  Golf with John Boehner?  Tea with Mitch McConnell?

The Miami Herald, whose editorial board is nearly a thousand miles away from Washington, yet has more perspective on what's going on right under the once great Washington Post's Bezos Bugle's nose:

We hope it’s soon and that he does everything he can within the law to provide a strong measure of relief to immigrant communities in Florida and throughout the nation. They’ve waited patiently and for too long for the president to act. [...] Mr. Boehner and other Republicans have not been shy about threatening the president if he decides to go ahead, saying any relaxation of immigration rules would “poison the atmosphere” in Washington. Really? At this stage — after years of demonizing the president, blocking his agenda, voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act some 50 times, and so on — now they’re saying No More Mr. Nice Guy?  (our emphasis)

Mr. Obama would be wise to ignore the posturing by his adversaries on The Hill. They’ve been in “No” mode for so long they apparently don’t know how else to behave. If they’re serious about wanting to pass a bill to supersede his executive action, they have the votes to do it whenever they’re ready.

The once great Washington Post's Bezos Bugle's own Eugene Robinson has an opposite page riposte to the unteachable numbnuts on his own editorial board (Fred Hiatt?  Ruth Marcus?  The smell of faux centrism leads back in their direction.):

The president has not just the right but also the obligation to “use all the lawful authority that I possess,” as he promised last week in a long-deferred effort to repair an immigration system that both parties agree is broken. Law and precedent give Obama wide latitude, and at this point he can hardly be accused of acting rashly.  (our emphasis)

Except by the once great Washington Post's Bezos Bugle's editorial board.

Monday Reading - Carrying The Fight To The Republican Vandals

A couple of good reads on the struggle between the Republican vandals and people who want government to work (as usual, please read the entire pieces).

Charles Blow on why government is "broken" and who's breaking it:

Congressional Republicans have been sent to Washington with a mandate not so much to conduct business but rather to collect a bounty, to do what they promised and what their supporters expect: Stop Obama at any cost and at every turn, to erase his name or at least put an asterisk by it.

Blow concludes with this observation about the Republican/ plutocrat master plan:

Liberal ideology depends on a productive federal government; conservatism rises when that government is crippled. 

Republicans, in all their cynicism, are increasing their efforts to break the government. 

Isn’t America great?

E.J. Dionne, Jr., on the Democratic push-back that's already started on net neutrality, climate change and immigration:

Republicans did a brilliant job in the campaign playing on the idea that Obama is weak, passive and without a game plan. That was the not-so-hidden meaning of all their television ads about the Islamic State, Ebola and immigration. So Obama has made clear that he won’t be weak and passive and that he has a game plan. 

But what of the hand-wringing by the usual suspects to this continuing "partisanship"? Dionne:

Yes, Washington may again be engulfed in partisan warfare. But at least this time, it will be over things that are actually happening.  (our emphasis) 

And, we might add, things that are actually worth fighting for.

Today's Cartoon Twofer - Immigration And The Republican Rage Machine

As President Obama prepares to issue an Executive Order addressing the immigration crisis in America, the howls from the right wing are starting to rise.  (Read, if you must, New York Times Republican scold and would-be moral arbiter "Cardinal" Ross "I Seriously" Douthat's piece if you want to experience full-on crackpot hyperbole.)  Meanwhile, Republicans are threatening to use budget bills to pressure Obama to back down on immigration.  If only consistency and humanity guided them rather than pure racist partisanship.  At the risk of their tiny heads exploding, these right-wingers might want to see what other recent Presidents took executive action to shield immigrants from deportation =cough= St. Ronnie =cough= Poppy Bush =cough=.  But, seriously, you were expecting something different? Our rule of thumb applies here as elsewhere:  the louder the Republicans squeal, the more certain you can be you're doing the right thing.

In the meantime, here's your cartoon twofer:

(click to enlarge)

(Jim Morin, The Miami Herald)

(Rob Rogers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Immigration Reform: Muy Importante!

Steven Colbert takes on the long delay in passing immigration reform, and why it will maybe definitely probably be law next year, because... muy importante! (after the muy importante ad):

The Colbert Report
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Colbert Report on Facebook

Where are your cojones, indeed.

Obama Delays Executive Action On Immigration

President Obama, feeling the pressure to do what he can to save the prospects of some conservaDems in the South and elsewhere, has decided to delay any executive action on immigration until after the November mid-term elections:

The decision is a reversal of Mr. Obama’s vow to issue broad directives to overhaul the immigration system soon after summer’s end, and sparked swift anger from immigration advocates. The president made the promise on June 30, standing in the Rose Garden, where he angrily denounced Republican obstruction and said he would use the power of his office to protect immigrant families from the threat of deportation. 

Today:

“Because of the Republicans’ extreme politicization of this issue, the president believes it would be harmful to the policy itself and to the long-term prospects for comprehensive immigration reform to announce administrative action before the elections,” a White House official said. “Because he wants to do this in a way that’s sustainable, the president will take action on immigration before the end of the year.”

Who are these conservaDems the President wants to help, even at the expense of doing the right thing for millions of immigrant families?  Jon Stewart gives you a peek (at about 1:30) of who Obama's fighting for, even as they dis him.   Hey, we like Alison Lundergan Grimes and, for that matter, almost (almost) any Democrat over a Republican.  But, endlessly favoring short-term political calculation over taking a principled stand (and we're looking at these Democratic Senate candidates just as much or more as we are the President) is not leadership.

But, if you want short-term political calculation, try this:  to the extent the President's further alienated the immigration reform community while maybe marginally helping a few conservaDems, this looks like a lose/lose proposition  to us.

BONUS:  Charles P. Pierce has his usual pithy read about Obama's decision.

Time To Do The Right Thing On Immigration, And Damn The Right-Wingers

The New York Times:

If Mr. Obama acts, as he should, and the right wing explodes, it will be worth taking time to consider what Senator Jeff Sessions, Representative Steve King and their hard-core colleagues and allies would have Mr. Obama do. For them, the right number of unauthorized immigrants to welcome is zero; the right time is never. They would let the system rot in place, to maintain the fiction that the country can deport its way to lawfulness. Their dishonesty is repellent, as is their blindness to the lawless status quo, and to the cruelty of denying the hopes of millions whose labor is welcomed but whose humanity is not. 

Mr. Obama’s critics in Congress belong to a branch of government that has chosen to do nothing constructive about immigration — not even to resolve this summer’s crisis of migrant children at the border, which they looked at and punted on, before going on vacation. This is, after all, an election year. They have abandoned a difficult job to the care of Mr. Obama. They are in no position to complain when he does it.

The obstructionist Republican/ New Confederate right-wingers will complain if the President does nothing and they'll complain if he does something.  The President has broad authority on immigration policy, and he should not be afraid to do the right thing.

It's not really about the policy.  It's about a Democrat being in the White House. Oh, and did we mention he's African-American, too?  That's what really chaffs them.  It would drive them nuts if they weren't nuts already.

Republicans: "Deport 'Em!"

So this is what Republicans think of as "immigration reform."

Last night, nihilistic vandals, a.k.a. the Republican House of Representatives, passed a bill that can best be summed up as "Deport!  Deport!  Deport!"

The vote marks the third time in the 113th Congress that House Republicans have passed legislation that would, effectively, require the deportation of so-called Dreamers. They are the only immigration-related bills that have been allowed votes in the full House in 2013 or 2014. 

"This, in all honesty and candor, is one of the most mean-spirited and anti-immigrant pieces of legislation I've seen in all of my years in the Congress," said Rep. John Conyers (MI), the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee.  [snip]

"Where are our hearts?" said Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), a civil rights hero, in a fiery floor speech. "Where are our souls?" 

You won't find any hearts and souls on the other side of the aisle, Rep. Lewis.  They need to pay dearly for this.

Bishop Eusebio Elizondo of Seattle, who heads the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' immigration policy group, called the Republican bill  “a low point for our country. It eviscerates American values of justice and due process and stains our record as a defender of human rights globally.”

Of course, the bill is dead on arrival in the Senate;  but the drooling crackpots in the House Republican caucus were fully aware of that.  They're playing to their nativist, racist base while trying to force President Obama into executive actions that they will doubtless find "impeachable offenses."  Just watch.

Who Do You Trust?

Jonathan Capehart writes today about the latest Republican smokescreen on moving immigration reform forward.  On Thursday, Weeper of the House John "Mr. Tangerine Man" Boehner said, "The President is going to have to rebuild the trust [so] that the American people [and] my colleagues can trust him to enforce the law the way it was written."  We think Capehart speaks for us when he says:

Let me get this straight. Republicans decide before Obama is even inaugurated to not work with him. Despite this, he tries over and over again to find ways to work with them. The numerous concessions he makes (i.e. sequester and other spending cuts) drives his fellow Democrats crazy. That includes deporting more people during his presidency than all those deported between 1892 and 1997, much to the consternation of advocates for comprehensive immigration reform. After five years of losing, bruising battles with an implacable opposition that refuses to take yes for an answer, the president decides to use the authority granted to him by the Constitution to try to follow through on small parts of the agenda the American people reelected him to pursue. And yet OBAMA is the one who has to “rebuild trust”?

Not to mention Congress' approval ratings have consistently been abysmal, far below President Obama's.  Not to mention that time after time after time it's been shown that, if their lips are moving, Republicans are lying, even though it might take awhile for the truth to catch up (thank you, "finding the truth isn't our job" media!).

BONUS:  The once great Washington Post Bezos Bugle has a good editorial on Boehner's lame excuses on immigration reform.

Letters We Wish We'd Written - Income Inequality and Immigration Twofer

From today's once great Washington Post Bezos Bugle (our emphasis):

In his Feb. 3 op-ed column, “Inequality misunderstood,” Robert J. Samuelson wrote that from 1980 to 2010, “the top 1 percent outdid everyone” as “their inflation-adjusted pretax incomes grew a spectacular 190 percent, almost tripling,” an outcome that prompted him to observe: “It’s hard not to be disturbed by today’s huge economic inequality.” But as to whether this was a preventable or predictable outcome of political programs, Mr. Samuelson offered no opinion.  

Between 1980 and 2010, I don’t recall 99 percent of Americans becoming lazier or stupider. What I do recall is the ascendancy of Reaganomics, a.k.a. “trickle-down economics,” wherein laws were enacted to enrich the rich because, so the 99 percent were told, such changes would result in gains for all Americans. Free-trade agreements were enacted, which we were told would not push wages down. And labor unions were diminished under the guise of “right-to-work” laws. 

Could any of these political decisions have contributed to today’s economic inequality? My answer is yes, and it was entirely predictable. 

Kirt Suomela, Bethesda

And:

Regarding the Jan. 31 news article “House Republicans say they are open to legal status for illegal immigrants”: 

House Republicans’ new immigration reform principles are not much of a step forward. They promote the lie that the main problem with undocumented immigration is a porous border. This ignores two facts: First, about half of all undocumented immigrants did not cross the border illegally but rather overstayed legal visas. Second, the border with Mexico has never been more secure. As evidence, we know that current migration into the United States from Mexico roughly equals migration in the other direction.

I believe the Republicans’ main goal is to prevent new Latino and Asian voters by blocking a path to citizenship for the undocumented. This is shortsighted and, ultimately, doomed to failure, since the children of these immigrants will eventually vote. 

David Strauss, Rockville

No need to worry about those Republican "principles"...

Republican House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday poured cold water on hopes that an immigration bill could finally pass this year, saying that his restive conservative caucus did not have confidence the president would implement any legislation.

... because they have none.

Saturday Cartoon - The Hope and The Reality

The budget deal reached in the House this past week has led some to express hope that parts of the Obama Administration agenda (notably immigration reform) will be taken up next year.  Count us as skeptical.  Betraying its nativist base on an issue of the magnitude of immigration reform is likely a barrier too high to surmount for what passes as the Republican "leadership."

(click to enlarge)

(Jim Morin, Miami Herald)

Monday Reading

Steve Coll in The New Yorker, on the Tea Party, Sen. Mitch "Missy" McConnell (Weasel-KY) and Republican decline:

The Tea Party’s anti-intellectualism reflects a longer, deeper decline in the Republican Party’s ability to tolerate a diversity of ideas and public-policy strategies, and to adapt to American multiculturalism. Mitt Romney’s poor showing among Latino voters in 2012 helped insure Barack Obama’s reëlection. Republican leaders, chastened and without any other obvious way to increase their vote base before 2016, pledged earlier this year to revive a comprehensive immigration-reform bill. Yet party leaders, in part because they have been tied down since July by the debt confrontation, haven’t found a way to move legislation past the nativist caucus in the House.

In line with Coll's premise above, read Steve Benen at MaddowBlog on Sen. Marco "Polo!" Rubio (Craven-FL) and prospects for immigration reform with the New Confederate Party in charge in the House:

It was only a matter of time before Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) abandoned the immigration reform legislation he ostensibly helped write, and as of this morning, the transition is complete. A top spokesperson for the Florida Republican told TPM Rubio believes the House should consider “a series of individual bills,” instead of the comprehensive approach that enjoyed bipartisan support in the Senate, and which would probably pass the House in an up-or-down vote.

Finally, E.J. Dionne, Jr., talks about not repeating damaging policy mistakes foisted on us by the New Confederate Party and their tea bagger base:

Here’s the mistake made by President Obama and the Democrats that nobody is talking about: They have been too fearful of confronting our country’s three-year obsession with the wrong problem.

And here is the tea party’s greatest victory: It has made the wrong problem the center of policymaking.

(Spoiler alert:  Dionne's talking about Republicans rolling back Democratic low- and- middle class benefit programs in the guise of "deficit reduction" -- a.k.a.,  budget cuts for thee, tax breaks for me.)