Obama Raises Sword Over a Vanquished GOP

Obama strolled into the White House briefing room Friday to gloat over the string of victories he won in 2015, reminding the country just how successful his “fundamental transformation of America” has been.

Listening to Obama list win after win — culminating in the omnibus budget approved earlier in the day — and doing so with the smug, self-satisfied air of a fat cat fresh from its latest meal, one could be forgiven for thinking the Democrats control both houses of Congress. They control neither, of course. His end-of-the-year news conference was a stark reminder of just how far America’s “conservative” party has strayed from real conservative principles.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., may be doing his best to describe the budget as some sort of victory for the GOP — based solely on removing the oil export ban and the numerous “tax breaks” included in the bill. But the truth is that this budget represents but one more jump to the Left at the expense of the Right. While it may be a victory for Ryan’s buddies in the oil industry, a victory for conservatives it most certainly is not.

The new budget provides a shocking $1.6 billion to resettle illegal immigrants at the border through 2018. It also contains a provision that could more than triple the number of H-2B visas, and lead to thousands and thousands of American workers being replaced by cheap foreign labor. It funds Obama’s Syrian refugee resettlement plan, and it continues to provide federal grants to sanctuary cities that flout U.S. immigration law. The bill also funds Obama’s climate change agenda, allocating $3 billion for the Green Climate Fund, the mechanism created at COP21 to transfer wealth to developing nations in the form of green energy projects.

Obama also touted the “steady implementation of the Affordable Care Act” that “helped to drive the rate of the uninsured in America below 10 percent for the first time since records were kept.” That a majority of Obamacare’s newly insured have in fact signed up through expanded Medicaid, and that UnitedHealthcare — the nation’s largest health care insurance provider — has indicated it may leave the exchanges next year doesn’t seem to bother the president.

[lz_ndn video=30087881]

The president went on to laud the Paris COP21 climate change talks, proud that “nearly 200 nations forged a historic agreement that was only possible because of American leadership.”

Obama then expressed his pride in “reaching a deal to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon,” re-establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba, and “concluding a landmark trade agreement that will make sure that American workers and American businesses are operating on a level playing field.”

To reach that deal with Iran, however, a spineless GOP-controlled Congress surrendered its constitutional right to negotiate treaties, a stunning concession to executive power and one that will have long-lasting implications for the country. And the TPP, despite Obama’s claims, will cost thousands of American workers their jobs and further disadvantage American businesses in a playing field dominated by giant multinationals.

Related: Obama, GOP Leaders May Be Plotting TPP Sneak

Then, lest anyone doubt the truly revolutionary year that was 2015, Obama reminded the nation that “after decades of dedicated advocacy, marriage equality became a reality in all 50 states.”

Obama finished by thanking “Congress for ending the year on a high note” and praised the body for passing a “bipartisan budget deal.” He insisted he was “not wild about everything in it,” and said he was “sure that’s true for everybody.” It’s certainly more true for conservatives than liberals — and while Obama’s protestations were convincing, he is no doubt jumping for joy inside over the budget.

Obama has for all intents and purposes gotten much of what he wanted during his time in office. True, despite his best efforts, the Second Amendment still stands. But as the president reminded the nation Friday, “Interesting stuff happens in the fourth quarter, and we are only halfway through.”