Once again the adults, (this time we included several women senators) came to table to reopen the government and raise the debt limit, so we could pay our bills and put people back to work. Someone said the men caused this mess and the women came in and cleaned it up.
I don’t like Mitch McConnell but time after time, he comes in to save the day, but he also created the mayhem that started this mess. Remember, while the president and Michelle were dancing at the first inaugural ball, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan and other Republicans were plotting to derail the Obama presidency. This morning McConnell is being vilified by talk radio and the hard right for (in their view) cowering to President Obama and the Democrats. The far right doesn’t know that Mitch McConnell was able to retain some leverage for the next budget fight. Mitch McConnell insisted that the sequester cuts remain in place so that the GOP could use them as a bargaining chip to get some entitlement cuts.
How can a major party complain about the debt when the shutdown cost this country $24 billion, 0.06% in GDP growth and job losses?
The sad part of all this is that the Tea Party has not learned a darn thing from all of this. This morning Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ) said that all was not lost because Cory Booker only beat his Tea party opponent by 10 points, and Tom Cotton is nearly even with Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor.Rep. Salmon dismisses the 21% approval his wing of the GOP has. The Tea Party is consistent in their hate for President Obama. The members of that group always mention that the president is at the root of all our problems. I don’t doubt that we will back at the same place three months from now.
After the 2011 fiscal cliff battle, President Obama vowed not to negotiate the debt limit again. Reasonable people can differ on whether the debt limit was ever in jeopardy when attachments were added to a debt limit bill in the past. This time the debt limit was in jeopardy because some did not fear default. President Obama voted against the debt limit in 2006, but it was a show vote because he knew his colleagues would raise it. All the 2016 presidential candidates voted not to raise the debt limit last night. Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul all took advantage of their opportunity to vote no (show vote).
A lot of pundits showed their true conservative colors at CNN last night. For instance, Gloria Borger and David Gergen said last night’s voting results would embolden liberals in the Democratic Party. Senator John Tester (D-MT) said that he disagreed because he has not seen it.Embolden them to do what? The Dems are still outnumbered in the House. Liberal can do the math.
Throughout the seventeen shutdown days, the Democrats remained united even though some were allowed to vote for some bills because they were never going to pass in the Senate. That was the underlying factor. Once the Tea Party realizes that you can’t take credit for approval of anything unless it passes Senate and the president signs it, the better it will be for all.
You mean we couldn't get one Texas Republican House or Senate member to vote to open the government? Not one democrat voted NO...just saying.
2 comments:
It's a sad day in America when those that were voted into office to govern this Country are only worried about themselves and their next election.
Politics seems to trump America and it's people.
And it gets worse..John Boehner was fixing to allow a vote yesterday ,The Heritage called and he yanked it but then he didn't have a choice this last time.
Post a Comment