Republican Problems Come From Within

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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/03/us/politics/republican-problems-come-from-within.html?_r=0

WASHINGTON — When the Republican-run Congress convened in January, Senator Cory Gardner, a Colorado freshman, said his party’s task was to show it could govern “responsibly” and “maturely.” John A. Boehner, the speaker of the House, and Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, agreed. As Congress prepares to leave for its August recess, accomplishments as well as maturity have been in short supply during the first 200 days of the 114th Congress.

Partisanship is pervasive in Washington; much of the problems besetting Mr. Boehner and Mr. McConnell, however, result from deep divides within their party. The shortcomings include:

• A stalemate on a long-term transportation/infrastructure measure that most agree is essential. While they approved a short-term fix to ensure that projects don’t dry up, House and Senate Republicans publicly insulted the efforts of the other chamber; their private criticism is unrepeatable in polite company.

• Senator Ted Cruz of Texas accused Mr. McConnell of telling a “flat-out lie.” The majority leader then denied Mr. Cruz an opportunity to offer an amendment on the floor.

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