There’s nothing like a new batch of environmental, labor, healthcare, and financial regulations to jump start a lethargic economy, right?  As The Hill reported yesterday, with Obama’s cabinet in place for his second term, the rogue agencies are ready to rule by executive fiat.  These radical new executive nominees are chomping at the bit to regulate our economy to death, over and beyond what has already been promulgated during Obama’s first term:

“Just how many of the rules are enacted — and how strong they will be — will depend, in part, on Obama’s handpicked regulators.

In the span of three days in mid-July, the Senate confirmed Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Richard Cordray and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy.

All three oversee agencies with significant rule-making authority and are seen as likely to regulate with gusto.”

Let’s take a trip back to memory lane.  How in the world did these clowns get confirmed without promising to stay within the confines of the law and not creating new regulations?  Don’t the Republicans have 45 seats in the Senate?

Oh, that’s right, they cut a one-sided deal to let through every nominee under the sun.  Senators Corker, Alexander, Wicker, Graham, McCain, and Collins cut the deal – under the directive of Mitch McConnell.

What good are Republicans if they can’t even unify to use their leverage against job-killing regulations – something that supposedly unites all Republicans?

The fight over nominees (or lack thereof) is a superlative example of the mindset of Washington Republicans, and sheds light on the current fight over defunding Obamacare.

We will never win a fight unless we are willing to go out and make the case for our cause.  If our starting point is that we will always be the first ones to blink, even when the public agrees with our position, we are consigned to another century of failed Republican politics.  In the case of the nominees, instead of exposing the radical agenda of Obama’s labor and EPA nominees and how they will push job-killing regulations, Republicans caved because of the threat of Harry Reid’s nuclear option.  Democrats knew that Republicans would never stare them down and threaten to shut down the Senate if they pull the nuclear option.  Perforce, they were confident they could win in a match of brinkmanship.

If every Republican acted like Ted Cruz and Mike Lee, aggressively taping into the bipartisan disquiet over Obamacare throughout the country, Democrats would think twice before pushing a government shutdown over Obamacare, especially ahead of a red state election year.  Unfortunately, Democrats are watching Republicans publicly proclaim that they are terrified to act boldly on Obamacare.  In fact, they are so scared of a fight that they are willing to tear down their own base in order to deliver victory to the Democrats.

With such cowardice on display, why would Democrats feel the need to blink first?

But fear not, Eric Cantor is promising to use the debt ceiling as leverage against Obamacare!  Yes, we are playing that game again – we will fight the next time.  This circuitous circus has played out almost a dozen times since Republicans took over Congress.  We’ll block Obamacare on the CR…no, the next debt ceiling…no, the next CR….no, the next debt ceiling.

Remember, the entire rationale for suspending the debt ceiling earlier this year was so we could fight for the Ryan budget in the CR!  Moreover, it defies logic to think that Republicans would fight on the debt ceiling more than a CR, with the false proclamations of a default hanging over their heads.

It’s abundantly clear that the current crop of leaders will never fight for anything at any time.  It’s not because they are the stupid party.  Nobody could possibly be this stupid.  As witnessed by Eric Cantor’s former aide joining the Terry McAuliffe campaign, we have two evil parties in Washington at the leadership level.