With the first enhanced majority—as Newt Gingrich called it—in the House and Senate, we in the rank-and-file GOP are being treated to the skilled governing of our leadership team, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Speaker John Boehner.

Gingrich waxes poetic about Boehner’s ability to govern.

The process of governing itself isn’t enough, however. Liberals governed for decades, but the result was high taxes, bloated spending and the dramatic expansion of government. What matters is governing by conservative principles and this is the second great contrast this week’s budget vote will highlight.

Given, the president will sign the first real budget produced by the Congress under his executive term. President Obama will sign it because he doesn’t really have a choice—he played all his boogieman “shut down the government cards” last year and achieved his total dominance of both Republican leaders.

This year, with “enhanced majority,” the GOP Congress is crawling right into Obama’s lap.

First, we have Sen. Bob Corker, who is about to hand Obama a fiat to ram a bad deal with Iran down America’s throat, by pushing legislation to approve the treaty in advance, and forcing Congress to disapprove it. Not only is Corker, in the words of Leon Wolf, a craven moron for this, but he is also about to trash the U.S. Constitution as well as Senate rules in handing Obama what amounts to dictator powers.

And now, we have McConnell pushing führer-powers to the White House and its occupant in the name of passing the TPA—trade promotion authority—bill, which would enable quick approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade alliance.

The fight centers on the complex trade pact and the companion legislation, known as Trade Promotion Authority or fast track, that would give Mr. Obama and his immediate successor the right to put the accord to an up-or-down vote in Congress without amendments.

Apparently Congress has enough on its hands, such as Sen. Bob Menéndez’s S.Res. 164: designating April 30, 2015, as Dia de los Ninos, and Sen. Jack Reed’s S.Res.161 – designating April 2015 as “Financial Literacy Month,” and Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s S.Res. 159: designating April 2015, as “National 9-1-1 Education Month.” These things are important, more important than such niceties like allowing amendments to major trade agreements and treaties that supersede Federal law.

Not that Obama would abuse such powers to, say, further his climate change agenda, or unilaterally advance his plans for universal citizenship.

The U.S. Trade Representative says “temporary entry” guest worker visas are a “key feature” of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. “Temporary entry” reminds one of Milton Friedman’s famous dictum: “Nothing is as permanent as a temporary government program.”

McConnell is positively giddy at the prospect of working with Barad Dûr the White House on the TPP.

“It’s been almost an out of body experience but we’ve been working closely with the White House.” “At the risk of having some of you literally faint, I want to compliment the president for the way he’s handling the trade issue,” McConnell said.

Out of body? Or out of mind?

It would be humorous that the Democrats get to play opposition to “fast track,” which really gives them everything they want—if it wasn’t so sad. Dems can have their führer and blame the Republicans for giving him the power.

It’s fine for our old friend Newt Gingrich—a smart man—to write hagiographies of Boehner and McConnell, but this isn’t 1996, and Obama isn’t Bill Clinton. It’s time we recognized that Obama isn’t interested in governing, only in accumulating power to rule.

Welcome to the 4th quarter of Obama’s presidency.

Crossposted from (RedState.com)