The GOP’s Constitutional Contempt

The Constitution is a complex document in some respects, but others are as plain as the nose on your face. Every high school civics student knows that bills must be passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the President to become law. Well, guess what? Not according to the GOP.

This year’s budget was passed by both houses, but there was a non-trivial difference between the bills; in the House version, Medicare would cover 36 months of at-home medical equipment, while the Senate version covered only 13 months. The difference amounts to several billion dollars out of the pockets of American retirees on fixed incomes over the next few years.

Upon discovering the error, what did Congressional GOP leadership do? Fix and re-pass the House version? Follow the letter of the Constitution? Interpret the Constitution strictly? Sadly, no. They decided to send the Senate version to the President to sign with the certification that both chambers of Congress had passed the Senate version – which they hadn’t. The President knew that the GOP had failed to meet Constitutional requirements and were lying in their certification of the new law. So what did he do? Angrily send back the unconstitutional bill? Chastise Congress for fudging the Constitution? No, he signed it.

The GOP’s hubris in believing that they needen’t even follow the clear and simple dictates of the Constitution if they don’t find it inconvenient to do so is breathtaking. There isn’t even any sniveling lick-spittle lawyers issuing memos to justify ignoring the Constitution in this case. They just figure no one can do anything about it, so why bother defending their actions? If you, or someone you know, still needs a reason to turn these corrupt, unethical, and lawless cretins out on their ears in November, try this one.