WSJ editorial blames tea party wing

Even the decidedly conservative editorial board of the Wall Street Journal has been criticizing the Republicans in congress.

The negative editorial was prompted by the Republicans' opposition to the Homeland Security funding bill.   It further blamed the tea party wing for "playing into Democratic hands."  It also called them "immigration restrictionists" for their excessive response to President Obama's using executive authority to grant deportation relief to millions of undocumented immigrants.

Here are some excerpts from the editorial:

"Restrictionists like Sens. Ted Cruz and Jeff Sessions are offering their familiar advice to fight harder and hold firm against “executive amnesty,” but as usual their strategy for victory is nowhere to be found. So Republicans are now heading toward the same cul de sac that they did on the ObamaCare government shutdown. . . .

"If Homeland Security funding lapses on Feb. 27, the agency will be pushed into a partial shutdown even as the terrorist threat is at the forefront of public attention with the Charlie Hebdo and Islamic State murders. Imagine if the Transportation Security Administration, a unit of DHS, fails to intercept an Islamic State agent en route to Detroit…

"The restrictionist caucus can protest all it wants, but it can’t change 54 Senate votes into 60 without persuading some Democrats...It’s not too soon to say that the fate of the GOP majority is on the line.  Precious weeks are wasting, and the combination of weak House leadership and a rump minority unwilling to compromise is playing into Democratic hands. This is no way to run a Congressional majority, and the only winners of GOP dysfunction will be Mr. Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton.”

Yes, indeed.   When the internal strife of the Republican Party induces the editors of WSJ to take sides in such an overt way, . . .    the Republicans have a big problem.

Ralph