One step closer to One-Party Totalitarian Rule

[Martinius]

‘We are not thugs’: Rep. Correa defends Hispanic Caucus after dismissal from ICE meeting

Congressional Democrats requested a meeting with the interim director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE). It was set for this past Tuesday, but then cancelled. Then Paul Ryan and other Republican leaders stepped in and rescheduled the meeting for Thursday. THEN, they barred members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus from attending, Congress people who had planned and requested the original meeting. They were told that they could not in the future hold a meeting with ICE officials unless it was requested through Ryan and his cohorts.

Wow! Now the spineless Republican leadership is preventing Democrats (and maybe anyone, regardless of party, who doesn't toe the line) from talking to officials and gathering information to help them do their job without Big Brother Paul Ryan giving the okay. As one Congressman said, the Republican leadership is no longer allowing him to represent his 750,000 constituents.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) was quoted as saying: “I expect such dictatorial shenanigans from the Trump administration, but not from competent, compassionate legislators like Speaker Ryan or from legislators like Bob Goodlatte. Do they have earpieces feeding them orders from President Bannon or the others making decisions in the White House?”

 

[Albion]

Being ejected from a meeting is NOT tantamount to totalitarianism.

 

[Rion]

Being ejected from a meeting is NOT tantamount to totalitarianism.

OP is known for being... creative with their titles.

 

[Goonie]

Being ejected from a meeting is NOT tantamount to totalitarianism.

But ensuring only one party has access to govt official is one more step to a one party state.

 

[Martinius]

Being ejected from a meeting is NOT tantamount to totalitarianism.

It is "one step closer" - read the thread title and the decision of Ryan to control access.

 

[Martinius]

OP is known for being... creative with their titles.

Thanks, I do try to say it as I see it.

 

[Mountain_Girl406]

So, what's the spin from the right on this. ..why specifically bar members of the Hispanic caucus?

 

[Martinius]

But ensuring only one party has access to govt official is one more step to a one party state.

Yup. In his novel about America becoming a totalitarian state in the 1930's, "It Can't Happen Here", Sinclair Lewis had a "do nothing" Congress become subservient to the Executive Branch and the new President, so that they were under "the supervision of a strengthened Executive", with the opposition party being marginalized an ineffective.

It is interesting that so many of the Republican Senators and Congress people who opposed the Trump candidacy early on now bow and scrape before him. Maybe Lewis was a prophet after all, but just 80 years early. But I have great hope that democracy and sanity will prevail.

 

[Uncle Siggy]

Being ejected from a meeting is NOT tantamount to totalitarianism.

If I had to hazard a guess it would be the Republicans don't want the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) to know when more raids/roundups are going to happen. This would ensure the CHC won't be able tip off the cities involved to give the illegals a chance to hide/leave...

 

[Martinius]

So, what's the spin from the right on this. ..why specifically bar members of the Hispanic caucus?

Because of who the meeting was with, Immigration officials. The Republicans probably didn't want the CHC members to put the Administration people on the spot, and certainly didn't want to see their own position challenged. Apparently, America can only be adequately represented by Republicans who follow Bannon's orders.

 

[Martinius]

If I had to hazard a guess it would be the Republicans don't want the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) to know when more raids/roundups are going to happen. This would ensure the CHC won't be able tip off the cities involved to give the illegals a chance to hide/leave...

Oh boy, now we are in La La Land. Like the Immigration people are going to announce what they are going to specifically do next, and when? To a bunch of Congressmen? Who don't need to know this? That's a stretch. It is difficult for me to believe that people really think that way, it is so bizarre.

 

[Mountain_Girl406]

If I had to hazard a guess it would be the Republicans don't want the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) to know when more raids/roundups are going to happen. This would ensure the CHC won't be able tip off the cities involved to give the illegals a chance to hide/leave...

So, in your opinion, by virtue of being Hispanic, they are incapable of being objective in carrying out their job?

 

[Martinius]

So, in your opinion, by virtue of being Hispanic, they are incapable of being objective in carrying out their job?

We may be getting to the point in this country where people feel that Hispanic elected officials can only represent Hispanics, black elected officials can only represent blacks, Jewish elected officials can only represent Jews, and female elected officials can only represent women. But white males, and only white Republican males, can represent everyone? The divisiveness and prejudice around here is reaching new heights.

 

[redleghunter]

Wow! Now the spineless Republican leadership

They are next to get the Trump flamethrower.

 

[Albion]

It is "one step closer" - read the thread title and the decision of Ryan to control access.

I know, but it isn't "one step closer" either. That's like saying that if I stop in to the Dairy Queen for a sundae, I'm moving the country "one step closer" to monarchism. It's nonsense.

 

[CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN]

So, in your opinion, by virtue of being Hispanic, they are incapable of being objective in carrying out their job?

Sadly, this is the belief, I guess. Maybe next they will get rid of black politicians. When they talk about getting rid of black crime. And people see no problem with this, I guess.

 

[Albion]

So, in your opinion, by virtue of being Hispanic, they are incapable of being objective in carrying out their job?

No, but these politicians play to that part of their constituency that doesn't want any limiting of illegal immigration. Some of these Congressmen openly encourage defiance of the laws governing immigration.

 

[FireDragon76]

I know, but it isn't "one step closer" either. That's like saying that if I stop in to the Dairy Queen for a sundae, I'm moving the country "one step closer" to monarchism. It's nonsense.

It's erosion of the process of government as a representative democracy that gets input from ALL its citizens. Of course it's one step closer.

 

[Albion]

It's erosion of the process of government as a representative democracy that gets input from ALL its citizens. Of course it's one step closer.

If I accept that line of reasoning, it would only make sense if there were a billion steps before we reach totalitarianism (and this development is but the first of them). And, to be sure, there's still no assurance that this is the first step in a journey that ends at that destination rather than some other. Put another way, it's like insisting that if we remove a grain of sand from the beach, we're heading for the destruction of the whole beach.

 

[USincognito]

They are next to get the Trump flamethrower.

You mean a Twitter-tantrum?