This quote made the rounds the other day, and I laugh every time I read it.
[I]n Lincoln, Ill., GOP Rep. Aaron Schock told an audience at a coffee shop that the Democratic-controlled Senate had "sat on their hands" while the House sought to repeal Obama's health care law. "The president right now is doing a very good job of trying to make it look like the House is dysfunctional," Schock said. "Really what we're trying to do is carry out the wishes of the people."
Let's break this down, because even by House Republican standards, this is a real gem.
1. Schock and other House Republicans voted to destroy the federal health care system, taking benefits away from millions of Americans.
2. Senate Democrats thought this was a bad idea, and did not follow suit.
3. The GOP-led House, unconvinced, proceeded to try this same move, over and over again, for a total of 40 times.
4. The Democratic-led Senate worked on other things.
Aaron Schock sees this as proof that President Obama, who has no control over how the House spends its time, is "trying to make it look like the House is dysfunctional."
Hmm. The Republican-led House won't negotiate on a budget, can't pass a farm bill, can't pass an immigration bill, can't pass appropriations bills, can't fix the Voting Rights Act, and generally struggles to complete even routine tasks such as periodically raising the debt limit.
The president isn't making the House look bad; the House is making the House look bad. For that matter, no one is "trying to make it look like the House is dysfunctional"; the House is dysfunctional.