House Republican Dysfunction: 'They Never Quit'

Remember when Speaker Ryan was going to shepherd in a new era of sanity and harmony for House Republicans?  Remember when the new Speaker said the Republican Congress was "not solving problems, we're adding to them" – but that all of that was going to change?

Let's fast forward to September 2016.  As families wait for action from Congress to protect them from urgent crises like Zika, opioids, the Flint water crisis and gun violence, these are the headlines coming out of the House GOP:

Talking Points Memo: Impeachment Fever! House Hardliners Find A New Way To Buck GOP Leadership

BuzzFeed: Conservatives Lash Out At Leadership Over IRS Impeachment Vote

Washington Examiner: Conservatives warn GOP not to table IRS impeachment vote

The Hill: House GOP faces fight over impeaching IRS commissioner

Washington Post: Impeachment showdown begins as House conservatives take aim at IRS commissioner

Almost a year after Speaker Ryan promised the American people relief from the crippling dysfunction of the Republican Congress, radical conservatives are yet again in open revolt –  this time pushing an unprecedented and corrosive impeachment gambit.   And just like before Speaker Ryan took over, these House Republican distractions are only adding to our problems:

WSJ: Scholars Say Impeaching IRS Commissioner Would Set Dangerous Precedent: "As House Republicans weigh impeachment proceedings against IRS commissioner John Koskinen, a group of constitutional scholars are urging lawmakers to hold back.  State the scholars: ‘Impeaching Commissioner Koskinen would be literally unprecedented. In the entire history of the Republic, the House has never impeached a sub-cabinet official.'"

Forbes: More Than 100 Law Professors To Congress: Impeaching The IRS Commissioner Is A Bad Idea: "Impeachment or censure would…set a dangerous precedent and deter talented people… We believe that nothing that has been reported provides any basis for impeachment or censure. Commissioner Koskinen was called out of retirement when the IRS needed help…"

Los Angeles Times Editorial: Don't impeach the IRS commissioner: "It would be the first impeachment of an executive branch official other than the president since 1876…The so-called privileged resolution to impeach Koskinen, which bypasses usual House procedure, is a preposterous exercise in ideological politics."

USA TODAY Editorial: Impeachment won't reform IRS: "You have to give a band of conservative Republicans known as the House Freedom Caucus credit for one thing: No matter how bad one of their ideas is, they never quit… Impeachment is not a tool to be used for political payback or to raise campaign cash, as Fleming recently did in an email to voters for his Louisiana Senate race."

New York Times Editorial: Will Speaker Paul Ryan Stand Up to the Freedom Caucus?"The speaker could show some leadership by sending any such floor motion to a quick and quiet death in committee. That is exactly what the Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi did in 2008, when Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio brought a privileged resolution to the floor to impeach President George W. Bush. But there is already speculation that Mr. Ryan, fearing the Freedom Caucus, might try to appease it with a measure of censure for the same baseless charges. This would be no less damaging to Mr. Koskinen's reputation — or to the speaker's. It would be another signal that Mr. Ryan remains hostage to his ultraright members."

Washington Post Editorial: House conservatives want to impeach the IRS director. That would be a big mistake. "The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted to censure Mr. Koskinen in June. The evidence did not warrant even that step. Since then, House conservatives have pushed impeachment. Such a move would be unprecedented. Congress has impeached only one Cabinet member ever, in 1876… Never-ending, partisan impeachment proceedings against executive officers would make it even harder to keep the essential mechanics of government working."

Albany Times Union Editorial: Congress' taxing waste: "THE ISSUE: A pointless impeachment effort is wasting valuable time in Congress. THE STAKES: Our lawmakers need to devote their time to the critical issues facing our country."

Congress has a staggering to-do list of unfinished business to keep the American people safe, and this is how House Republicans are choosing to spend their time.