The most dangerous creature in the world is not the black mambo, the African lion or even a mama grizzly defending her cubs. The most dangerous creature in the world is a lame duck. The lame duck has no regard for the life, liberty or property. It is so widely reviled that the American people once tried to exterminate it. But it crawled back from the verge of extinction to greater numbers and more power than ever.
We're speaking of a lame duck session of Congress, that nearly biennial affair when the un-elected and least popular politicians in America are given the opportunity to determine the fate of the nation.
Fresh from defeat at polls or having willingly chosen retirement, soon-to-be-ex-members are called back to cast their votes – or, as is often the case, to trade them for their next job. As for those members who were re-elected, they see the lame duck as an opportunity to put the garbage out. They don't have to face the voters again for two years, and by that time people won't remember the crap their so-called representatives voted for. Past lame ducks have spawned such horrors as NAFTA and the Department of Homeland Security.
Lame ducks are so dangerous Congress and the states approved a constitutional amendment in the 1930s to kill them. Back then, a lame duck could make mischief until March when the incoming class was sworn in. The 20th Amendment terminated the old class in January. This was before air travel, and it was believed the calendar made it impossible to convene a lame duck session between the election and the holidays. But, like a hated in-law on life support, technology resuscitated the lame duck.
This year no fewer than 80 members of the House won't be coming back in 2015. But they will have a role in the lame duck. Many will be looking for their next place of employment, more likely with K Street than K Mart. They know saying "aye" to legislation that helps the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (aka the Chamber of Cronies), even if hurts the nation, increases their odds of landing a high-paying job.
And this year, there will be many opportunities for these washouts to ingratiate themselves to prospective future employers.
President Obama has been promising to take care of immigration, aka amnesty, after the election. This appeals not just to the millions the DNC hopes will be a permanent Democratic voting bloc, but to the Chamber, which see an unlimited supply of cheap labor. The GOP leadership takes it marching orders from the Chamber, so don't be surprised if some "responsible voices" ask the lame duck to act on it.
Those "responsible voices" have already called for action on another piece of Obama's open-borders agenda known as fast track. Its supporters call it Trade Promotion Authority, but it would be more honest to call it what it is: "Promote Obama's Authority to Bypass Congress." Fast track means Congress will allow Obama to secretly negotiate global governance deals with foreign countries and then sign them before he consults Congress. And when Congress finally does get to see what Obama has signed, it can't amend them or change so much as a word. Amazingly, John Boehner and leading Republicans, including Orrin Hatch and Mitch McConnell, think this is a good idea.
Leadership uses the lame duck to sneak deeply unpopular measures through by attaching them to "must pass" legislation. This year, the "must pass" list includes the continuing resolution to fund government operations beyond December and a package of tax breaks for well-connected insiders that are set to expire. We are told the economy will grind to a screeching halt if these tax giveaways aren't extended tout suite. A prime example of what we're really talking about is the wind power production tax credit, sold to the rubes as promoting clean renewable energy technology, but actually a bon bon to Wall Street cronies and the monopoly utilities they love.
When not picking patterns for the drapes in his new Senate Majority Leader office suite, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Beijing, is busy pimping the lame duck as the time to pass as much legislation as possible. He wants to get as much done for his cronies when Congress is at its least accountable.
However, Ted Cruz and a number of his colleagues in both the Senate and House have spoken out clearly against using the lame duck to pass any substantial legislation such as fast track or other open-border measures.
We know for certain the next lame duck is coming after the election this November. We must let our representatives know we are watching and we expect them to oppose fast track, open borders, tax giveaways and other goodies for cronies.