House GOP still hellbent on debt-ceiling showdown
The juxtaposition here is telling.
First, from Politico, an explanation of how House Republicans and their leaders are approaching the issue of a looming showdown over the debt ceiling:
“I think it is possible that we would shut down the government to make sure President Obama understands that we’re serious,” House Republican Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington state told us. “We always talk about whether or not we’re going to kick the can down the road. I think the mood is that we’ve come to the end of the road.”
Republican leadership officials, in a series of private meetings and conversations this past week, warned that the White House, much less the broader public, doesn’t understand how hard it will be to talk restive conservatives off the fiscal ledge. To the vast majority of House Republicans, it is far riskier long term to pile up new debt than it is to test the market and economic reaction of default or closing down the government.
GOP officials said more than half of their members are prepared to allow default unless Obama agrees to dramatic cuts he has repeatedly said he opposes. Many more members, including some party leaders, are prepared to shut down the government to make their point. House Speaker John Boehner “may need a shutdown just to get it out of their system,” said a top GOP leadership adviser. “We might need to do that for member-management purposes — so they have an endgame and can show their constituents they’re fighting.”
That’s right: By the admission of top GOP officials, internal party “member-management purposes” may require them to force a shutdown of the U.S. government. Furthermore, House Republicans are out of the speaker’s control and even more intransigent than understood by the White House and the general public, which already believes them to be extremist.
Now contrast that with President Obama’s statements today at a White House press conference to close his first four-year term:
“America cannot afford another debate with this Congress about whether or not they should pay the bills they’ve already racked up. If congressional Republicans refuse to pay America’s bills on time, Social Security checks, and veterans benefits will be delayed.
We might not be able to pay our troops, or honor our contracts with small business owners. Food inspectors, air traffic controllers, specialists who track down loose nuclear materials wouldn’t get their paychecks. Investors around the world will ask if the United States of America is in fact a safe bet. Markets could go haywire, interest rates would spike for anybody who borrows money. Every homeowner with a mortgage, every student with a college loan, every small business owner who wants to grow and hire.
It would be a self-inflicted wound on the economy. It would slow down our growth, might tip us into recession. And ironically it would probably increase our deficit. So to even entertain the idea of this happening, of the United States of America not paying its bills, is irresponsible. It’s absurd….
Republicans in Congress have two choices here. They can act responsibly, and pay America’s bills, or they can act irresponsibly and put America through another economic crisis. But they will not collect a ransom in exchange for not crashing the American economy. The financial well-being of the American people is not leverage to be used. The full faith and credit of the United States of America is not a bargaining chip.”
In the weeks ahead, the American people will have to decide which of those two narratives they find more appealing, patriotic and rational. But the GOP has already made its choice. They continue to insist, publicly and apparently in private conversations among themselves, that it’s “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” toward a government shutdown. Having whipped themselves into a fervor, convinced of the holiness of their mission, they will not be dissuaded from carrying it out.
The rest of us are just along for the ride.
– Jay Bookman
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1,012 comments Add your comment
Joe Hussein Mama
January 15th, 2013
12:28 pm
Dishonesty — “You have a right to disagree – no matter how wrong you are”
I’m not wrong.
You’re wrong, though. You’re wrong about what I said and what I believe. It’s because you’re dishonest.
“and I won’t call you a hater for it. I expect the same courtesy.”
Dishonest, lying goons do not deserve courtesy. If you cannot be honest, if you cannot refrain from misrepresenting my words and beliefs, and if you cannot bring yourself to GIVE of yourself to help this country, then there is no other conclusion but that you must hate America.
“So you misplaying the HATE card won’t work on me.”
You have admitted to being a selfish goon and not wanting to help America back on her feet. Manifestly, you hate America. There can be no other conclusion.
Morality?
January 15th, 2013
12:34 pm
I have given plenty to this country and don’t wear my service to my country on my sleeve. I prefer to keep my private life private. Giving in to Obama’s philosophy isn’t going to get this country back on it’s feet. We need TERM LIMITS on Congress (Dems, Repubs, Socialists and all others) and we strongly need a BALANCED BUDGET amendment to the Constitution to stop this destruction of our FISCAL future. We need a 3rd PARTY that will be loyal to the USA first and party second. JFK said “Ask not what the country can do for you but what you can do for your country”. That means USA first and PARTY LOYALTY last. You sir are a PARTY LOYALIST. I am a USA loyalist.
Morality?
January 15th, 2013
12:40 pm
Another LIE. I said no such thing. You said everything I have already stated and now you attack me because you screwed up and actually admitted that you are a SOCIALIST in your philosophy and you are a party loyalist. Heh – Why did you say it if you weren’t thinking it and you don’t believe it. I don’t care if you are a SOCIALIST. I do believe that SOCIALISM is detrimental to the future of the USA.
Morality?
January 15th, 2013
12:45 pm
Jay “GOP hell bent on a showdown” Are you saying the DEMS aren’t? It appears that Obama is forcing us over the FISCAL CLIFF. His “Napolean complex” is gotten out of hand. Obama feels invincible …… let’s find out.
Adam
January 15th, 2013
12:47 pm
Morality: Obama wants the debt ceiling raised, House Republicans do not. That would indicate quite clearly that it is the GOP who want a showdown.
Joe Hussein Mama
January 15th, 2013
12:55 pm
Dishonesty — bunch of irrelevant blather SNIPPED
“JFK said “Ask not what the country can do for you but what you can do for your country”. That means USA first and PARTY LOYALTY last.”
That’s right. Help the country first — as I laid out — and don’t whine about it as you’re doing.
“You sir are a PARTY LOYALIST.”
Sorry, but I’ve laid out my story here many, many times and you are just plain wrong.
“I am a USA loyalist.”
You are a selfish goon and you have admitted it.
“Another LIE.”
Yes. You have told many lies here today.
“I said no such thing.”
You most certainly did. You refused to help this country in her hour of need. Therefore, you are a selfish goon.
“You said everything I have already stated”
Absolutely not. You have lied, misstated and misrepresented what I’ve said several times now. I understand why, though — it’s because you’re fundamentally a dishonest person and you can’t help it.
“and now you attack me because you screwed up”
I’ve screwed nothing up. I stand by what I wrote. However, I don’t stand my your dishonest, lying interpretation of it.
“and actually admitted that you are a SOCIALIST in your philosophy”
Wrong. However, I’ve admitted that I would rather BE one than cast my lot in with the lying, selfish goons such as yourself.
“and you are a party loyalist.”
Poor, foolish lying Dishonesty. Once again, I’ve laid out my story here many, many times, and if you knew it, you’d laugh at yourself for making such a ludicrously inaccurate statement.
“Heh – Why did you say it if you weren’t thinking it and you don’t believe it.”
I didn’t say anything remotely resembling what you have dishonestly claimed. But that’s understandable, because you’re a lying goon and because you can’t bring yourself to be honest.
“I don’t care if you are a SOCIALIST.”
I care very much that you are a lying, selfish goon.
“I do believe that SOCIALISM is detrimental to the future of the USA.”
Yes, but you’re a dishonest, lying goon, so nobody cares what you believe.
lovelyliz
January 15th, 2013
2:12 pm
“And yes, those would be 3 million taxpayer dollars Republicans are wasting on an outdated lawsuit to protect states’ rights to discriminate against consenting adults who love each other at least as much as, say, Newt Gingrich loved his first wife before he dumped her for the second one before he dumped her for the third one”
Mr Right
January 15th, 2013
4:04 pm
Adam
January 15th, 2013
12:47 pm
Morality: Obama wants the debt ceiling raised, House Republicans do not. That would indicate quite clearly that it is the GOP who want a showdown
All Obama wants is to be able to keep runing up the debt higher and higher and higher and higher and higher and hi————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–gher. NO END TO IT IN SIGHT!
oneparty
January 15th, 2013
9:14 pm
Broun, Gingrey, Graves, Kingston, Price, Westmoreland, Woodall [ 2014 ]
If the bills don’t get paid, just saying…
oneparty
January 15th, 2013
9:26 pm
“Collective ownership and democratic control of the material means of production by the workers and the people”
Now. It’s on the board.
1) Explain how the policies of Obama align with this definition.
2) Explain how the definition is not aligned with the premise of VP candidate Santorum’s book, It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good.
Adam
January 17th, 2013
3:24 pm
Mr Right: The President does not control what gets appropriated. He is only allowed to spend what Congress authorizes and he and previous Presidents have SUBSEQUENTLY signed into law (or veto is overridden)
Jonmaguire22
January 18th, 2013
6:11 am
We’re broke as a country and everyone wants to keep spending? We must stop talking about republican and democrat and have a serious conversation about consequences. Both parties are to blame for the mess we are in, which is much worse than we realize.
If we raise it or not raise it is not the issue. Dems or republidems must start talking issues and not politics. Those of you who blame sides are missing the real issues….our government is there to serve us, not us to serve the government.