Report: Boehner asks Pelosi to help defeat GOP opposition to his budget.

You would think that, after winning a historic midterm victory, the GOP would be emboldened, united, and ready to fight for their promises. You would think this especially if the knock against the party had been that, in the past, high level politicians within the party had failed to follow through on their guarantees. If new a new report is to be believed, you would be wrong.

The story comes to us from the Daily Caller, and not only does it claim that John Boehner isn't particularly interested in fighting Obama's immigration actions , he's actively seeking the help of Nancy Pelosi as he tries to squash conservative resistance to his planned cave-in.

Press reports say House Speaker John Boehner will ask Rep. Nancy Pelosi to help him overcome "snowballing" GOP opposition to the GOP leadership's draft 2015 government budget bill. Boehner's draft bill funds the entire government for 2015, but makes merely token efforts to stop President Barack Obama's agencies from implementing his unpopular amnesty, according to rank-and-file GOP legislators. That claim of snowballing opposition was boosted early Wednesday evening, when aides to House Speaker John Boehner said they would change their funding bill to reduce the number of months of funding for Obama's immigration agencies. ....Boehner is looking for Democratic help because many of the 234 GOP legislators don't want to fund the business-backed amnesty. Boehner needs at least 218 votes to pass the bill.

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In addition to their own sources, the Caller cites corroborating evidence contained in reports from The Washington Post and The National Review. Both of these outlets suggest the same thing. Boehner is courting Democrats in order to pass a weak-kneed budget that conservatives within his own party won't tolerate. So, what is Boehner looking to pass?

His 2015 budget plan would provide only four months of funding to the agency that will implement the amnesty. Once the funding runs out, the new GOP majorities in the Senate and House can block the amnesty, Boehner's deputies promised. Boehner's allies say that plan will avoid the "government shutdown" political defeat expected once Obama blocks the spending plan with the anti-amnesty language. The budget plan has to be drafted and approved by Dec. 12.

All of this is designed to avoid the dreaded shutdown battle which terrifies the GOP. If the Republicans pass a budget that defunds amnesty, the White House has said Obama will veto it. That would shut the government down. Yes, it would be Obama's decision, but cowardly Republicans are still gun-shy from the last shutdown. They've proactively decided that they'll lose the "shutdown" public opinion debate - despite it being Obama's choice - so Boehner is looking for an easier way out. It doesn't take much imagination to predict how this plays out. Once four months of amnesty have been implemented, the decision to block further amnesty will be almost impossible to guarantee. If party leaders have no spine now - when public opinion is dramatically against the President's actions - why should anyone believe they'll "man up" once amnesty has been implemented for a third of a year? Add to that the media pressure that will be leveled against a de-funding effort and the outcome is easy to foresee. More importantly, the President wouldn't really have a reason to worry about immigration money drying up in March. Under Boehner's plan, amnesty would probably continue even after the four months of funding runs out. That's because U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services funds most of their activities through fees charged to applicants.

So even if Congress appropriates no money to fund the agency after March 2015, it can use the fees to keep handing out work permits to illegals. Boehner and GOP leaders can't stop the agency's operations once they pass the 2015 budget in December. That's because they would need to pass a new law through the Senate in 2015, where there will be enough Democrats to block any GOP bill, and more than enough Democrats to sustain the presidential veto of any anti-amnesty bill that does get passed.

In other words, if Boehner & his allies get their way, the budget will go through and there will be little that anyone can do to change things next year. It will be a massive retreat that undermines all of Boehner's pre, and post, midterm promises. The only way to truly shut down amnesty would be to pass a rider to Boehner's plan which would deny the immigration agencies the ability to spend money on amnesty for the next year. Again, this would more than likely trigger Obama's promised shutdown. So, what should conservatives do? According to various legislators, it is possible to force GOP Representatives to stand up to Boehner's plan, but only if public outcry is strong enough. Basically, they're all too scared to do it unless their constituents are screaming at them. As Iowa Rep. Steve King says:

"These people in here, when you realize how many don't come out publicly [against the amnesty] because they may hope to be a committee chair one day, maybe looking for a certain appointment. … They want to stay a little more low-key,"

So, unless there's a genuine groundswell, they'll just go along to get along - lest they put their precious committee appointments in jeopardy. Even if the base manages to level enough pressure to turn Boehner's GOP allies against him, he could still pass his budget with support from Pelosi and the Dems. That, in theory, is why he's trying to line it up now. ...And it makes sense for the Dems. Under Boehner's plan they'd get most of what they want, while doing irrevocable harm to Boehner in the process. It would be a win-win. Bottom line? If you want amnesty stopped, pray for a favorable court decision and start pestering your Congressmen.