Stepping on their own message

It’s not exactly shutting down the government, but — at best — it’s stepping on your own message. Stupidly. Republicans in the House approved plans to sue President Obama Wednesday because he has taken too many executive actions without congressional approval. Then, after failing to pass a border bill Thursday, they asked him to take executive action to combat the influx of children in the Rio Grande Valley at our Texas border because they couldn’t.

{mosads}No matter that — as I noted in my column this week — GOP members like Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) have promised that Obama taking executive action on immigration that involved any amnesty for undocumented workers would surely lead to a call for impeachment.

Democrats, who have braced all year for what has promised to be a challenging campaign for the midterm elections this fall, suddenly feel a rush of relief. Why? Because Republicans have discredited their own lawsuit against Obama, making it a punchline. So while Republicans will campaign against ObamaCare, Obama himself, the border crisis and this administration’s handling of threats abroad, Democrats will tell voters that Republicans are only interested in undermining the president with a wasteful partisan lawsuit, even while asking the president to solve the border crisis without them.

And just like the government shutdown, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was involved again in a House Republican failure. It’s a Democratic moneymaker already.

WHAT HAPPENS IF OBAMA ANNOUNCES AMNESTY FOR MILLIONS OF UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS WHILE CONGRESS IS ON RECESS? AskAB returns Tuesday, Aug. 6. Please join my weekly video Q&A by sending your questions and comments to askab@digital-stage.thehill.com. Thank you.