It is not, ever, about this country.<\/strong><\/p>\nCongress is once again heading for another titanic fight over a deadline. This time it\u2019s the debt limit.<\/p>\n
Now, I ask you, what would\u00a0you consider important enough to shut down the government, damage America\u2019s credit rating (all you credit card holders out there, think what happens to your payments when your interest rate goes up) and further traumatize an already traumatized citizenry?<\/p>\n
The HHS Mandate?<\/strong> Would saving the First Amendment be enough reason?<\/p>\nNope.<\/p>\n
Ending our cycle of continuous wars?<\/strong> Would stopping the hemorrhage of money and lives that results from always being at way with somebody, somewhere be worth it?<\/p>\nNope.<\/p>\n
What would matter enough to our elected officials for them to push this country to the brink of a full-blown economic shut down and depression. Here, in the words of one of these elected officials, is what\u2019s good enough for them:<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it is possible that we would shut down the government to make sure President Obama understands that we\u2019re serious,\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nThat\u2019s it, folks. Mano y mano. Show the president that we\u2019re for real. Get our side up on the political score board.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re talking respect for us from the big guy. Anybody stupid enough to elect us is probably also a total fool. We can \u201cframe our message\u201d so that they\u2019ll let us get away with it.<\/p>\n
The Politico article discussing the latest looming nation-endangering political temper tantrum reads in part:<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it is possible that we would shut down the government to make sure President Obama understands that we\u2019re serious,\u201d<\/p>\n
House Republicans are seriously entertaining dramatic steps, including default or shutting down the government, to force President Barack Obama to finally cut spending by the end of March.<\/p>\n
The idea of allowing the country to default by refusing to increase the debt limit is getting more widespread and serious traction among House Republicans than people realize, though GOP leaders think shutting down the government is the much more likely outcome of the spending fights this winter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it is possible that we would shut down the government to make sure President Obama understands that we\u2019re serious,\u201d House Republican Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington state told us. \u201cWe always talk about whether or not we\u2019re going to kick the can down the road. I think the mood is that we\u2019ve come to the end of the road.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
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 \u201cmay need a shutdown just to get it out of their system,\u201d said a top GOP leadership adviser. \u201cWe might need to do that for member-management purposes \u2014 so they have an endgame and can show their constituents they\u2019re fighting.\u201d<\/p>\n
The country would eventually default if House Republicans refuse to raise the debt limit, which the Treasury estimates will hit in late February or early March. The government would shut down if House Republicans instead were to refuse to extend the law funding current government operations on March 27.<\/p>\n
Read more:\u00a0http:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2013\/01\/behind-the-curtain-house-gop-eyes-default-shutdown-86116.html#ixzz2Hy7M9Fpw<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It is not, ever, about us. It is not, ever, about this country. Congress is once again heading for another titanic fight over a deadline. This time it\u2019s the debt limit. Now, I ask you, what would\u00a0you consider important enough to shut down the government, damage America\u2019s credit rating (all you credit card holders out […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1155,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,516,900,41,1],"tags":[1890,780,2177,1506,7843,1971,2178],"class_list":["post-8246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-america","category-culture","category-economics","category-politics","category-uncategorized","tag-boehner","tag-congress","tag-continuous-war","tag-debt-limit","tag-hhs-mandate","tag-house-republicans","tag-politico"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a>It is not, ever, about us.<\/strong><\/p>\n