Any Signs of Life in Congress?

United States President Barack Obama, center, speaks to the media as he meets with Members of Congress on foreign policy including U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Republican of Kentucky), right, and U.... United States President Barack Obama, center, speaks to the media as he meets with Members of Congress on foreign policy including U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Republican of Kentucky), right, and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Democrat of Nevada), left, in Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, July 31, 2014. The U.S. might move to limit derivatives trading and short-term loans with Russian companies if sanctions already imposed fail to sway President Vladimir Putin to end support for rebels in eastern Ukraine. Credit: Andrew Harrer / Pool via CNP - NO WIRE SERVICE - Photo by: Andrew Harrer/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images MORE LESS
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Mitch McConnell tells President Obama to seek approval from Congress on action against ISIS. I’ve never been of the opinion that that is necessary in a case like this. But it’s certainly always a wise and prudent step. And McConnell makes the point that it shouldn’t be a problem since there appears to be broad support both in Congress and in the country at large to pursue action at least largely limited to air support of the ground forces of Iraq and other countries. So far, so good. So what’s the problem?

Maybe no problem. But we’ve seen of late that there’s almost nothing that Congress can take up these days and actually pass – through both houses of Congress and in a fashion the President will sign. Even on things everyone agrees on there ends up being a problem – usually, but not always, the rightwing of the House GOP insisting on attaching some poison pill of some sort.

So set aside for the moment whatever you think of the merits. Broadly speaking Congress thinks we should do this. Polls seem to show broad public support. So this is shaping up as perhaps the ultimate test of whether this Congress can do anything. Can it pass a measure that has broad bipartisan support, broad national support and which the President presumably wants to sign?

I’m genuinely not sure. Will Ted Cruz attach an amendment that forces the deportation of every Dreamer as the cost of getting it through the Senate. Does Obama have to agree to give up on Obamacare? With the election so soon, maybe we’re past that. But who knows?

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