Are all Republicans Idiots?

This Congress is generally perceived as failing miserably when it comes to governing, and a few weeks ago, we learned this perception is quantifiably true: the 113th Congress is on track to pass fewer bills than any since the clerk's office started keeping track in the mid-1940s.

When a reporter asked House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) late last week about the institution's "historically unproductive" nature, the Republican balked. "That's just total nonsense," he snapped, before the question was even finished.

Over the weekend, however, Boehner reversed course, deciding that his unproductive tenure isn't something to be denied; it's something to be celebrated.


House Speaker John Boehner says Congress "ought to be judged on how many laws we repeal."

The Ohio Republican makes the comments on an interview aired Sunday on CBS "Face the Nation." He was responding to a question about how little Congress is doing these days.

Boehner says Congress "should not be judged by how many new laws we create."

Let's appreciate exactly what Boehner is trying to do here. When he and his Republican colleagues sought power, they told the electorate that they would work to find solutions to national problems. After having been unsuccessful, the Speaker of the House has decided to rebrand failure -- he wants credit for his record of futility and expects praise for the fact that he and his caucus have made no legislative progress since he took power three years ago.

Instead of finding solutions to ongoing challenges, Boehner believes Congress should be focusing on undoing solutions to previous challenges. By the Speaker's reasoning, we should probably change the language we use when it comes to Capitol Hill -- Boehner and his colleagues aren't lawmakers, they're lawenders.

The House Speaker is on his way to establishing an accomplishment-free legacy, and at this point, he'd like you to think that's great.

Indeed, the closer one looks at Boehner's argument, the more bizarre it appears.

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On the surface, his rhetoric is the epitome of the kind of post-policy nihilism that dominates Republican thought in 2013 -- Boehner doesn't want to build up, he'd rather tear down. Given an opportunity to look forward and make national progress, the Speaker sees value in looking backward and undoing what's already been done.

And just below the surface, the argument reinforces what has long been suspected: House Republicans not only don't have a positive policy agenda, they don't even see the point in pretending to want one.

But then there's the most problematic angle of all. Congress "ought to be judged on how many laws we repeal"? I'm afraid I have bad news for Speaker: Congress isn't repealing laws, either. Indeed, in order for lawmakers to repeal laws, Congress has to -- wait for it -- pass legislation addressing those laws.

In other words, by Boehner's own standards for evaluating Congress on the merits, he's failing.

Don't expect a sudden burst of productivity, either -- after taking four weeks off for the August recess, Boehner announced late last week that the Republican-led House only intends to work nine days in the month of September.

Keep in mind, in election year, we might expect congressional leaders to schedule fewer work days in September because members want to be on the campaign trail, but odd-numbered years are generally supposed to be focused on governing.

It seems getting nothing done is exhausting.

An Eastern Washington legislator, speaking at a “Self-Reliance Rally” of Tea Party activists and survivalists, predicted last weekend that the United States economy is going to collapse and told activists to stock up on ammunition and stay in top physical condition for when that happens.

“We need to prepare for the inevitable collapse that is going to happen: You know it’s going to happen. That’s right, I am a politician and I am standing up here and saying that,” said state Rep. Matt Shea, a Republican from Spokane Valley. The lawmaker’s remarks were reported in the Coeur D’Alene Press.

“When it happens, we need to look at this as an opportunity, not a crisis,” Shea added. “Whose job is liberty? That’s our job.”

Shea recalled advice given to him in the military:

“Be prepared at any given moment to give up your job to do what is right. You have to stand up for what is right — even if it means you have to stand up to your government.”

The “Self-Reliance Rally” was held at Idaho’s Farragut State Park on Lake Pend Oreille. Attended by about 500 people and sponsored by a group called Oath Keepers, it featured training sessions ranging from hand-to-hand combat to field midwife training. An Idaho legislator, state Rep. Vito Barbieri, was also on hand.

Shea is at the far right of the Republican caucus in Olympia.

He is best known for his speech against same-sex marriage in the House last year and as a director of the group Protect Marriage Washington.

Shea is no stranger to controversy. The Spokane Spokesman Review reported an incident, about two years ago, in which he pulled a loaded gun on another motorist in what was described as a road rage incident. He was cited for having a loaded handgun in his pickup truck without a concealed weapons permit.

While a defender of traditional marriage, Shea was also in the news for his recent divorce. The lawmaker’s wife sought two temporary restraining orders and a protection order, and claimed to have been treated like a “possession.” She claimed that Shea insisted that she walk on his left side “because his sword, if he had one, would be on his right side.”

Northeast Washington and far Northern Idaho have been hotbeds of extreme-right groups who fear the United Nations and believe the federal government is undertaking illegal actions.

The “Self-Reliance Rally” was held at Idaho’s Farragut State Park on Lake Pend Oreille.

Define 'deep south'. Just because I identified as a registered Democrat does not mean that I agree with those southern Liberal Democrats that opposed the abolition of slavery, wanted gun control (disarming of blacks), pushed Jim Crow laws, opposed desegregation, and opposed both the Voting Rights and Civil Rights Acts.

Al Sharpton, race baiting street hustler and absolutely irrelevant community activist. Sharpton is an insult to the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. Sharpton is a buffoon stuck in the 1950's and 60's mentality, because he believes that makes him relevant in today's world. The civil rights movement has passed him by and now he has made a very comfortable living out of pretending to be a civil rights leader. Sharpton is a carbuncle on the ass of Black America. He stands out, but in a bad way. He has no useful function, yet he is difficult to ignore for all the pain he inflicts all in the name of social justice for Blacks, who he uses for his own personal gain.