I felt badly that I didn’t introduce you to our full pack yesterday, which includes two girls: Lola and Sophie. Many people also questioned how I could possibly have a dog named Tucker. Well, when we first got him, he liked to wear bow ties, so…we decided to call him Tucker after that other Tucker. Just kidding. We adopted Tucker at nine months old, after he’d failed the final test to become a service dog. We didn’t want to confuse him by changing his name. We’re sure glad that he didn’t qualify to become a service dog because we just adore him…and by any normal measure, he is exceptionally well-trained. Teddy is named after, you guessed it, Theodore Roosevelt. There’s no significance behind the girls’ names.
I do want to thank everyone who shared their ideas on topics that I should cover. There’s a very long list, and I hope to tackle many of them over the days and weeks ahead.
Occasionally, there are news stories that perfectly explain the theatrics and absurdities of Washington, DC, without commentary around the spectacular cynicism that fuels it all. Sometimes the plain facts are enough. This CNBC story by Christina Wilkie is a prime example. Let’s analyze it.
It begins…
WASHINGTON — A Republican bill to raise the debt limit and slash government funding passed the House on Wednesday, after 11th hour changes won over a group of holdouts within the GOP caucus.
The final tally was 217-215. Four Republicans joined Democrats in voting against their party's signature piece of legislation.
The vote was a victory for embattled House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., capping off a 24-hour sprint that saw party leaders work past 2 a.m. ET on Wednesday morning to amend the bill.
The last-minute revisions included a rescue for ethanol and biofuel tax credits, which were set to be eliminated under the original bill. The prospect of losing the tax breaks infuriated a bloc of Republicans from Iowa and nearby states, who threatened to sink the bill unless McCarthy agreed to preserve the tax breaks, which he did.
Another bloc of conservatives demanded that McCarthy revise the bill to speed up implementation of new work requirements for adults who receive food stamps or Medicaid benefits. McCarthy also agreed to that demand.
With a margin of just four Republican votes for the bill to pass along party lines, McCarthy could not afford to lose either bloc's support.
Still, the amendments rankled some rank-and-file members of the GOP caucus, because they came after McCarthy had prohibited members from introducing their own amendments, and insisted the bill in its original form was final and not up for discussion.
The Limit, Save and Grow Act has little to no chance of becoming law, which could help to explain why Republicans were ultimately willing to overlook McCarthy's last minute, backroom deals.
The key phrase comes at the end. The act “has little to no chance of becoming law.” Either way, it is worth noting the real battles that occurred over the Potemkin debate. One group of “conservatives” demanded corporate welfare payments for the ethanol industry, while others sought to make life more difficult for families on government assistance. It was a perfectly delivered statement of values.
Of course the main point remains that none of it is real anyway. It is a type of hostage theater where the audience is the people being ransomed. The situation is volatile and unpredictable as Kevin McCarthy plays the role of a much dimmer and less competent “goofified” version of Hans Gruber. At risk is global financial stability, American prosperity and standing in the world, as well as the lives of millions of Americans.
What is the debt ceiling anyway, and why does it matter? Basically, Congress imposed a credit limit on itself and then blew the limit. Because the limit was blown, in order to pay the bill, it must be raised. If it isn’t raised the United States government will run out of money and be unable to pay its debts. The word for this is ‘default.’
How often do defaults happen?
Never. They never happen. Ever.
The United States government pays its bills and meets its obligations and responsibilities. It always has — since day one. Now that is being threatened by the very people whose outlandish profligacy with the taxpayer dollar helped create the crisis in the first place.
Neither political party is fiscally responsible. In fact, both have worked hard to create $30 trillion in American debt that risks beggaring our descendants as they are yoked to our era’s greed and idiocy. America’s politicians spend money the way Cocaine Bear would, while out shopping with the Kardashians. The twist in the story is the decision to balk at the bill.
Every single American leader from George Washington until those in the MAGA era understood why the United States could never default on its debt. Today, the entire global financial system is built around American dependability, transparency and accountability. Kevin McCarthy and his MAGA gang have raised a gun and pointed it at everyone. This isn’t what they are supposed to be doing. Is it?
The American economy has been consistently and constantly threatened in recent years by MAGA extremists, who routinely threaten default to please and titillate the nihilistic FOX audience, which is easily manipulated and excited by misinformation.
The harm that results always falls on America’s forgotten and exhausted majorities, who are pawns in the game. It is despicable.
Chaos produces more chaos. American policy is grounded in chaos and deeply corrupted.
Watch the images from the White House Correspondents’ dinner in Washington this weekend. How does it look to you? What do you see? More theater? If so, what would you call it?
The MAGA vandals are betting that worsening conditions and chaos benefits them. They will do everything to break what is around them so they can claim their mission is to fix what they broke — while blaming others.
Will America default? I wouldn’t bet against it. How low can we go? Lower. Ever lower.
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The extremist that have taken over the Republican party have an unhealthy fixation of holding guns to the heads of American citizens. They are destined to fail, as all dictators do eventually. However, the damage done will be felt for generations. They hold a gun to the head of child bearing age woman and tell us that they are better suited than women or their doctors to make life and death decisions. They hold the gun to the heads of parents and say your children should live in fear so they can feel manly about their assult weapons and high capacity magazines. They feign powerless but the power is in their refusal to negotiate sensible gun legislation. They hold a gun to the heads of citizens who have paid their bills faithfully for decades. They threaten to tear down our financial institutions so they can point the finger at Biden. These finger pointers should look at the hand pointing at President, Biden. They will see three fingers pointing back at them the true person holding America hostage.
We invited all of this burlesque by ushering idiots awash in avaraice and misplaced narcissism into our legislative halls; caveat emptor.
These buffoons are the anti-guardians of our nation.
Someone give them some shiny contrived honorary medals, a fake trillion dollar coin, throw them in a room with some salty snacks and lose the key.
P.S. love the pups