Tag Archives: debt ceiling

Political Rants

Good fight?

Well, so that’s it, then. You captured one of us, threatened all of us…

All right, I couldn’t resist channelling Captain Pike for a moment, even if it does make for a non-sequitur type of opening. Still, there’s something in the tone of that speech that reflects how I feel about this government shutdown / debt ceiling revolt by the stark minority of hayseeds known as the tea party. Sure, I’m relieved that they didn’t upend the global capitalist system they profess to adore so much. And yes, I am heartened by news that hungry poor folks will be getting food assistance, and sick children will get treatment, and veterans will get aid, etc. That’s all important. But relief shouldn’t blind us to the rank selfishness that caused those people to lose their badly needed benefits.

Often wrong, never in doubtThe fact is, the minority of House Republicans that make up the “tea party” caucus, led by their Senate mentor Ted Cruz, caused about $20-25 billion in losses to the U.S. economy. Much of this is irretrievable, as it represents lost contract fees, lost purchases by government employees (i.e. lunches, cups of coffee, etc.), and so on. And it was done pointlessly: nothing was accomplished, for good or ill. We could have had the final deal on the first day, but it was never brought to a vote.

It mystifies me, though, how little these people understand the core principles of capitalism. For god’s sake, folks … the whole house is built on confidence and credit. Private enterprises need credit to do business. They rely on short term loans to make their payroll. If there is no confidence in their ability to pay back the money they borrow, credit is withheld and they collapse. Same thing with government, only our government presides over the primary reserve currency of the entire global economy. That reality, from which we benefit greatly, is based on confidence. The shutdown and the debt-ceiling hostage crisis have seriously undermined that confidence.

This will likely happen again, I’m afraid. Until, that is, we manage not to elect to government people fully intent on destroying it from within.

luv u,

jp

Political Rants

One way out.

Let me preface this tirade with the admission that I am no fan of bipartisanship. I agree with Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) on the notion that nothing of any great value has come out of it in recent decades; in fact, quite the opposite. The Iraq War, the USA Patriot Act, etc. If that’s how sausage is made, we should consider eating something other than sausage.

That said, we are faced with some fundamental problems with respect to our rapidly eroding ability to govern ourselves at the national level. A handful of tea party House members, maybe 40, from heavily gerrymandered districts have become the tail that wags the Congressional dog, in essence. They have every incentive Discharge petition?to continue and even enhance their extremism, as that is the only way they can please their hard-right constituencies back home. Around that core is another probably 40-50 House republicans terrified of being challenged by tea party types in the next round of primaries. Boehner needs these folks to maintain his speakership, so he goes along as do most of what remains of the GOP caucus. Hence, a list of demands is attached to a 60-day continuing resolution – not even a budget – with the same treatment threatened for the debt ceiling vote in a couple of weeks.

What’s to be done to keep us from toppling over a more dramatic precipice than the one we encountered in 2008? I think it’s time for a coalition government in the House. Get a majority of Republicans and Democrats to support a centrist or even a center-right candidate for Speaker, one who will agree to advance the following objectives: (1) keep the government open and funded at whatever level; (2) raise the debt ceiling well in advance of each deadline; (3) negotiate on a budget deal to cover more than six months to a year (i.e. plan ahead).

This would not be a progressive coalition by any means. But given the current make-up of the House, it’s hard to see how else we can keep the lights on and prevent the collapse of our financial system. We need to put the tea party minority in a box; to wall them off from the levers of power. If we don’t, the current crisis will continue and will be repeated again and again. And given the fact that the best we can hope for in the CR debate is the continuation of sequestration-level funding of federal programs, a centrist coalition hardly seems like a worse outcome.

Though I’m not happy about it, I think this is the way out of this mess. Let me know what you think.

luv u,

jp

Political Rants

Faith and credit.

Kind of tired, so these will be brief.

Cruz Control. Here we go again, lurching from crisis to crisis, the federal government sputtering along on fumes once more, its lifeblood of funding drying up. We haven’t had an actual federal budget plan approved in years, just a series of continuing resolutions and last-minute deals. And now, as the federal deficit has shrunk (thanks in part to the blind cuts imposed by sequestration) to nearly half its Mohammad Mossadeghsize one year ago, the party who rules Washington – the tea party-fueled G.O.P. – has decided to drive us over the cliff once again, only this time it’s about ideological, not budgetary, complaints. We must kill Obamacare (and fulfill a long list of other reactionary desires), or the economy gets it.

Ted Cruz is working the reps in the House, but really … the reps should know better. How can you call yourself a conservative and support playing chicken with the debt ceiling?

Good call. Iranian president Rouhani called our own president today, and they had a 15 minute conversation – the first between leaders of these respective countries in more than thirty years. You may not like to hear this, but the reason for this is more about us than about them. We overthrew Mossadegh in 1953, imposed the Shah Reeza Palavi for 25 years, supported Saddam Hussein’s savage attack on them, imposed sanctions that have starved them, sickened them, and prevented them from living a decent life for decades. Small wonder they’re unhappy with us.

Our government’s criticism that they support “terrorism” is ironic at best, cynical at worst. What worse terrorism is there than that which we have practice on them since 1979?

luv u,

jp