Congress is Posturing, We’re Waiting for the Punchline

By Victor Landa, NewsTaco

There’s a story I heard when I was a kid about a group of Mexican generals plotting to make themselves seem more important. My Dad and some of his friends were playing dominoes, drinking beer and tossing jokes to distract each other. I was sitting on a stool, sipping on a Pepsi, taking it all in.

“I know,” one of the generals said, “we should attack the United Sates.”

‘Brilliant,” said another general, “that way the politicians and the Mexican people will think they really need us when the gringos retaliate.”

I remembered the story today when I read about the U. S. Congress and the useless posturing on every issue from immigration to sequester. When neither side of the political aisle is willing to do what they were elected to do, thinking that they need to grand stand in the name of appearances, holding out on a compromise for fear of appearing weak, it all ends up as a frustrating punch line.

The truth, on immigration for instance, is that the Senate compromise bill and the President’s proposed bill are not that different and seek pretty much the same things for the same reasons. But far be it from GOP Senators to appear to agree with President Obama. And far be it from Democratic Senators to appear to agree with GOP senators in public. No, they need to conjure an enemy to bolster the appearance of strength.

And so while the Senators berate the President for “leaking” an immigration proposal, they’re probably glad he did because it helps their conservative credibility – even if they mostly agree with the leaked proposal. And the Dems? They get to criticize the Republicans for criticizing the President.

It’s silly, really. But there it is.

And meanwhile the issue trudges along, teetering on the verge of not happening for fear of acting reasonably.

And the punchline at the domino game?

A junior general speaks up to add a wrinkle to the invading-the-U.S. idea. ¿Y que si les ganamos? he said. “What if we beat them?”