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The federal government is shut down, we’re about to hit the debt ceiling (with disastrous economic consequences), and no resolution is in sight. How did this happen?

The main answer, which only the most pathologically “balanced” reporting can deny, is the radicalization of the Republican Party. As Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein put it last year in their book, “It’s Even Worse Than It Looks,” the G.O.P. has become “an insurgent outlier — ideologically extreme; contemptuous of the inherited social and economic policy regime; scornful of compromise; unpersuaded by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition.”

But there’s one more important piece of the story. Conservative leaders are indeed ideologically extreme, but they’re also deeply incompetent. So much so, in fact, that the Dunning-Kruger effect — the truly incompetent can’t even recognize their own incompetence — reigns supreme.

To see what I’m talking about, consider the report in Sunday’s Times about the origins of the current crisis. Early this year, it turns out, some of the usual suspects — the Koch brothers, the political arm of the Heritage Foundation and others — plotted strategy in the wake of Republican electoral defeat. Did they talk about rethinking ideas that voters had soundly rejected? No, they talked extortion, insisting that the threat of a shutdown would induce President Obama to abandon health reform.

This was crazy talk. After all, health reform is Mr. Obama’s signature domestic achievement. You’d have to be completely clueless to believe that he could be bullied into giving up his entire legacy by a defeated, unpopular G.O.P. — as opposed to responding, as he has, by making resistance to blackmail an issue of principle. But the possibility that their strategy might backfire doesn’t seem to have occurred to the would-be extortionists.

Even more remarkable, in its way, was the response of House Republican leaders, who didn’t tell the activists they were being foolish. All they did was urge that the extortion attempt be made over the debt ceiling rather than a government shutdown. And as recently as last week Eric Cantor, the majority leader, was in effect assuring his colleagues that the president will, in fact, give in to blackmail. As far as anyone can tell, Republican leaders are just beginning to suspect that Mr. Obama really means what he has been saying all along.

Many people seem perplexed by the transformation of the G.O.P. into the political equivalent of the Keystone Kops — the Boehner Bunglers? Republican elders, many of whom have been in denial about their party’s radicalization, seem especially startled. But all of this was predictable.

It has been obvious for years that the modern Republican Party is no longer capable of thinking seriously about policy. Whether the issue is climate change or inflation, party members believe what they want to believe, and any contrary evidence is dismissed as a hoax, the product of vast liberal conspiracies....
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"It has been obvious for years that the modern Republican Party is no longer capable of thinking seriously about policy. Whether the issue is climate change or inflation, party members believe what they want to believe, and any contrary evidence is dismissed as a hoax, the product of vast liberal conspiracies...."

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The Republican party covers a number of beliefs from moderate conservative to true libertarian.  Whereas, the moderate wing of the liberals in the Democrat party is long dead.  Where are the modern Scoop Jacksons and JFKs.  All that's left are the lock step Daleks of the radical left.  (Kate believes the Daleks are much more appealing. )

 

As opposed to a Democrat party which spent trillions to jump start an economy with poor results.  The economy is struggling at a 1.5 to 2 percent increase instead of the minimum 3 percent necessary for true growth.  Where is the predicted 5.5 percent employment rate?  Interred with the rest of the progressive economic theory in the failed cemetery of leftist dreams, one supposes.  

 

After the lies in the recent IPCC report that ignored the last 15 years of climate data, one really shouldn’t comment on Republicans.  Democrats are the party of the true believers.   

"Despite what they say, Obamacare is only one of their targets. Before they will allow the government to reopen, they demand employers be enabled to deny birth control coverage to female employees. They demand Obama cave on the Keystone pipeline. They demand the watchdogs over corporate pollution be muzzled, and the big, bad regulators of Wall Street sent home. Their ransom list goes on and on. The debt ceiling is next. They would have the government default on its obligations and responsibilities.

 

When the president refused to buckle to their extortion, they threw their tantrum. Like the die-hards of the racist South a century and a half ago, who would destroy the Union before giving up their slaves, so would these people burn the place down, sink the ship of state, and sow economic chaos to get their way. This says it all, they even shuttered the Statue of Liberty."

Originally Posted by Wild_Irish_Prose:

"Despite what they say, Obamacare is only one of their targets. Before they will allow the government to reopen, they demand employers be enabled to deny birth control coverage to female employees. They demand Obama cave on the Keystone pipeline. They demand the watchdogs over corporate pollution be muzzled, and the big, bad regulators of Wall Street sent home. Their ransom list goes on and on. The debt ceiling is next. They would have the government default on its obligations and responsibilities.

 

When the president refused to buckle to their extortion, they threw their tantrum. Like the die-hards of the racist South a century and a half ago, who would destroy the Union before giving up their slaves, so would these people burn the place down, sink the ship of state, and sow economic chaos to get their way. This says it all, they even shuttered the Statue of Liberty."

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One should not start believing one's own propaganda.  Yes, there are areas the Republicans wish to negotiate over.  Democrats did the same during the 12 of 17 shut downs they caused since 1975.

Originally Posted by direstraits:
Originally Posted by David L.:

When does Bully Boehner go up for re-election?

 

By the way, 70% disprove of the Republican handling of the situation. Just saying.

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Yes, they agree the Obama administration is handling it poorly.

========

So dire, you believe that our long standing policy of non negotiation with terrorist should end ?

At one time our country would rather send the Navy to the s****s of Tripoli than pay ransom to terrorist , Now, you expect THIS Black president to bow to terrorist demands? 
Shows how far your brainwashing and your racism has come.

 

 Ps, placing *s in place of words out of the Marines Hymn also shows just how far this newspaper forum has degenerated.

 

Originally Posted by direstraits:
Originally Posted by Wild_Irish_Prose:

"Despite what they say, Obamacare is only one of their targets. Before they will allow the government to reopen, they demand employers be enabled to deny birth control coverage to female employees. They demand Obama cave on the Keystone pipeline. They demand the watchdogs over corporate pollution be muzzled, and the big, bad regulators of Wall Street sent home. Their ransom list goes on and on. The debt ceiling is next. They would have the government default on its obligations and responsibilities.

 

When the president refused to buckle to their extortion, they threw their tantrum. Like the die-hards of the racist South a century and a half ago, who would destroy the Union before giving up their slaves, so would these people burn the place down, sink the ship of state, and sow economic chaos to get their way. This says it all, they even shuttered the Statue of Liberty."

____________________________________

One should not start believing one's own propaganda.  Yes, there are areas the Republicans wish to negotiate over.  Democrats did the same during the 12 of 17 shut downs they caused since 1975.

 ============================================================

 

The problem is the word "negotiate" that everyone keeps throwing around, when the correct word here is actually "demand".  The Teahadists have DEMANDED the president not implement a law, his law, the ACA.  EVER.  And if he doesn't comply with their DEMANDS, the Teahadists are fully prepared to send our economy crashing (again) by allowing us to default on our debt.  

 

The Teahadists' demand in writing:

 

http://www.redstate.com/2013/1...ting-down-obamacare/

 

“Congressmen, this is about shutting down Obamacare. Democrats keep talking about our refusal to compromise. They don’t realize our compromise is defunding Obamacare. We actually want to repeal it. This is it. Our endgame is to leave the whole thing shut down until the President defunds Obamacare. And if he does not defund Obamacare, we leave the whole thing shut down.”

 

 

No WIP, what they are demanding is that the ACA be held off another year until it could be properly looked at and implemented.  Obama has excused a large number of Unions and supporters from the Healthcare Act, and they therefore are exempt from the penalties and taxes that most self employed and small businesses will face this coming year.  They also want a firm answer on the Keystone Pipeline.  I know my son works with a company which has plans to lay off thousands of workers due to a failure by the POTUS to act quickly on this and similar legislation that is being held up by the environmentalists.

This is not too much to ask for. Obama wants us to kick the can down the road when it comes to his agenda but insists that everyone hold their breath and wait when it comes to something important to them.

I encourage those brave enough to hold out to continue to do so, we can all suffer together.

 

Originally Posted by teyates:

No WIP, what they are demanding is that the ACA be held off another year until it could be properly looked at and implemented.  Obama has excused a large number of Unions and supporters from the Healthcare Act, and they therefore are exempt from the penalties and taxes that most self employed and small businesses will face this coming year.  They also want a firm answer on the Keystone Pipeline.  I know my son works with a company which has plans to lay off thousands of workers due to a failure by the POTUS to act quickly on this and similar legislation that is being held up by the environmentalists.

This is not too much to ask for. Obama wants us to kick the can down the road when it comes to his agenda but insists that everyone hold their breath and wait when it comes to something important to them.

I encourage those brave enough to hold out to continue to do so, we can all suffer together.

 

this imagined company you claim t will just be replaced by another company that sees it's closing as good news.

Originally Posted by seeweed:
Originally Posted by direstraits:
Originally Posted by David L.:

When does Bully Boehner go up for re-election?

 

By the way, 70% disprove of the Republican handling of the situation. Just saying.

______________________________________
Yes, they agree the Obama administration is handling it poorly.

========

So dire, you believe that our long standing policy of non negotiation with terrorist should end ?

At one time our country would rather send the Navy to the s****s of Tripoli than pay ransom to terrorist , Now, you expect THIS Black president to bow to terrorist demands? 
Shows how far your brainwashing and your racism has come.

 

 Ps, placing *s in place of words out of the Marines Hymn also shows just how far this newspaper forum has degenerated.

 _____________________________________

I object to calling one portion of the government, duly elected by the voters, being called terrorists,  Its inflammatory language useless for any rational argumentation,  Its what one would expect of a totalitarian. 

 

I object to the president not telling the truth to the US citizenry.  His claim about the debt ceiling never being a subject of negotiation is demonstrably false.  The Washing Post even awarded him 4 Pinocchios for that.

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/...to-the-debt-ceiling/

 

Originally Posted by Wild_Irish_Prose:
Originally Posted by direstraits:
Originally Posted by Wild_Irish_Prose:

"Despite what they say, Obamacare is only one of their targets. Before they will allow the government to reopen, they demand employers be enabled to deny birth control coverage to female employees. They demand Obama cave on the Keystone pipeline. They demand the watchdogs over corporate pollution be muzzled, and the big, bad regulators of Wall Street sent home. Their ransom list goes on and on. The debt ceiling is next. They would have the government default on its obligations and responsibilities.

 

When the president refused to buckle to their extortion, they threw their tantrum. Like the die-hards of the racist South a century and a half ago, who would destroy the Union before giving up their slaves, so would these people burn the place down, sink the ship of state, and sow economic chaos to get their way. This says it all, they even shuttered the Statue of Liberty."

____________________________________

One should not start believing one's own propaganda.  Yes, there are areas the Republicans wish to negotiate over.  Democrats did the same during the 12 of 17 shut downs they caused since 1975.

 ============================================================

 

The problem is the word "negotiate" that everyone keeps throwing around, when the correct word here is actually "demand".  The Teahadists have DEMANDED the president not implement a law, his law, the ACA.  EVER.  And if he doesn't comply with their DEMANDS, the Teahadists are fully prepared to send our economy crashing (again) by allowing us to default on our debt.  

 

The Teahadists' demand in writing:

 

http://www.redstate.com/2013/1...ting-down-obamacare/

 

“Congressmen, this is about shutting down Obamacare. Democrats keep talking about our refusal to compromise. They don’t realize our compromise is defunding Obamacare. We actually want to repeal it. This is it. Our endgame is to leave the whole thing shut down until the President defunds Obamacare. And if he does not defund Obamacare, we leave the whole thing shut down.”

 

 

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The president has refused any negotiations until he gets his way.  That's not negotiation.  That's s demand and not in line with our Republic.  Several bills were passed to open mor4 portions of the government by the House.  Its the Senate that has refused to send these to the floor. 

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