Anybody else out there getting tired of all these men getting uptight over whether contraception should be covered in insurance plans?
Yesterday's House hearings on Obama's compromise that allows religious affiliated employers (hospitals, universities) to not have to cover birth control but then requires insurance companies to offer it directly is a case in point. The majority of panelists were men, all crying a variation of the same crocodile tears over how this small feature violates their conscience. The first panel to speak, in fact, was all male. In fact, one woman who wanted to speak on the medical uses wasn't allowed to address the panel because as Committee Chairman Rep., Darrell Issa (R, CA) said, "this isn't about contraception."
Never mind that many states have basically the same policy towards covering birth control; or that in some cases they were passed by Republicans. In this case, the same conservatives who tend to view Viagra being covered in their plans as a god given right, suddenly feel that their rights are being infringed upon. Some even claim this as proof of a "war on religion" on the part of the Obama administration.
All of this in hopes that an amendment Sen. Roy Blunt (R, MO) will attach to a transportation bill will pass. This amendment allows employers to deny any coverage that they feel goes against their conscience or morals. Not just religious institutions, but any employer can deny any coverage for any reason they can make fit this vague definition of religious or moral conscience. Between this and the way too many to count efforts to defund Planned Parenthood that have gone on since the Republicans took back the House last year, it appears that many politicians in Washington would rather wage a war on women and their health care needs as a way to appease their base than actually do anything concrete in trying to get the economy improved.
So what's ahead? Given that coverage for contraception is popular amongst Americans actions like this hearing seem to be little more than throwing raw meat to the GOP's base, which has twisted an interpretation of religion to justify their own prejudices and sexist attitudes. The odds of it passing the Senate is dubious at best. In addition, it's shocking they'd attempt this given the blow back the Susan G. Komen Foundation received when they defunded Planned Parenthood a few weeks back.
While this may be useful in garnering primary and caucus votes, attacking something a majority of Americans agree with and support in such a blatant manner (especially when similar rules are in effect on a state level for over 20 states without incident) seems destined to come back and haunt them as the year moves on. Regardless, this is a firestorm that is far from over at this point in time.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Sorry for the Wait
Hey! Hope all is well out there. Sorry for not posting in so long but there had been a lot going on and I got distracted. Will try and rectify that in the future.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Music PIck for All Hallows Eve
Hey! I know we're living in bizarre and tense times. However, with Halloween coming this MOnday, I wanted to clue you in on some spooky tuneage. So, here's our Halloween Holiday music pick.
THE DESTRUCTORS - Helloween
I know this had been out since last year but there are a couple of reasons that I waited unti now to review it. First up is the usual excuse: my backlog pile takes time to get through and it would've been well about said day before I got to it. Then there's forgetting this CD when I temporarily moved to KC for a short term job so I couldn't get to it then. Add to this a rough as hell 2010 personally and you have an idea. However, since ALl Hallows Eve is this weekend (give or take a day), there's no better time to review this than the present.
The Destructors offer up a batch of stright for the throat punk and HC full of loud relatively fast power chords and a ton of attitude. However, while the band has experimented with horror and gore themes in the past, this time they aim squarely for it and embrace it. Songs about surviving in a horror film, monsters, zombies, the undead, et al make up this Halloween themed disc along with covers of the Ramones classic "Pinhead" and Dead Kennedys' "Halloween" thrown in for good measure. This is raw music that suits the darker themes while allowing some humor and a bit of tongue in cheek attitude to pop through (they have a song about wanting to dig up Elvis on here). It's rough but a fairly fun listen for this Holiday time.
The only down side to this (for us American fans at least) is the struggle to look for it, which for some means getting the download. However, this is well worth the cost and should help make for a veeerrrrrry scarrrrryyy Haloween weekend.
(destructors.co.uk)
THE DESTRUCTORS - Helloween
I know this had been out since last year but there are a couple of reasons that I waited unti now to review it. First up is the usual excuse: my backlog pile takes time to get through and it would've been well about said day before I got to it. Then there's forgetting this CD when I temporarily moved to KC for a short term job so I couldn't get to it then. Add to this a rough as hell 2010 personally and you have an idea. However, since ALl Hallows Eve is this weekend (give or take a day), there's no better time to review this than the present.
The Destructors offer up a batch of stright for the throat punk and HC full of loud relatively fast power chords and a ton of attitude. However, while the band has experimented with horror and gore themes in the past, this time they aim squarely for it and embrace it. Songs about surviving in a horror film, monsters, zombies, the undead, et al make up this Halloween themed disc along with covers of the Ramones classic "Pinhead" and Dead Kennedys' "Halloween" thrown in for good measure. This is raw music that suits the darker themes while allowing some humor and a bit of tongue in cheek attitude to pop through (they have a song about wanting to dig up Elvis on here). It's rough but a fairly fun listen for this Holiday time.
The only down side to this (for us American fans at least) is the struggle to look for it, which for some means getting the download. However, this is well worth the cost and should help make for a veeerrrrrry scarrrrryyy Haloween weekend.
(destructors.co.uk)
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Today Wall Street, Tomorrow (insert locale here).
It seems one of the hardest things to do is write about history when it appears to be happening.
For the past two weeks protestors have occupied a park near Wall Street in order to protest our current financial system and its role in screwing up the nation right now. Starting with roughly 5,000 on September 17, 2011, numbers have varied (with estimates ranging from as low as 50 to several hundred or more), it was at first viewed as a novel one-off thing. However, most of the mainstream media covered the initial protest as a blip and then treated the protests as if they never happened. At one point, a protestor's video posted on You Tube even caught people in one building on Wall St drinking champagne in bemusement towards the protestors. People still maintained the occupation at Zuccotti park to varying degrees but the mainstream media refused to take notice. On the last Seturday of September, the NYPD arrested over 80 people in an attack that at one point saw a police deputy inspector pepper spraying people who were already behind a pen of sorts then doing the same to people walking away from him. That, for better or worse, brought Occupy Wall Street to the mainstream media's attention.
That's the basic extremely short version of Occupy Wall Street as a protest movement's evolution from something that was written off by many as a marginal thing to what appears to be a nationwide movement that's grown somehow on its own more via social networking than any established organizing. What's almost as surprising as its apparent sudden beginnings is how it's spread like wildfire nationwide in cities ranging from Boston to Chicago to Columbia, MO to Youngstown, Ohio. The fact that its grown like this actually is something I can guarantee nobody would've predicted a month or so ago.
Yes there are criticisms towards this movement. One of the big ones is that Occupy Wall Street and the similar movements that have pophttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifped up throughout America seem to be too amorphic; that there are no hard specific goals or talking points. Yes, there is some truth to this (especially since there's no one leading group for this). However, at the risk of blowback, one can also say that many of the Tea Party protests of the past couple of years were similarly off topic (especially since for every sign about health care reform, there appeared to be more signs that veered towards other topics ranging from somewhat related (I remember one pic of someone with a sign saying "Obamacare means Forced Drugging" [a concern I actually find somewhat legit]) to the Wall St. bailouts to birthers, and veiled threats of violence in regards to the Obama administration. Where they differed was the media narrative (hint: Fox News and talk radio) worked massively to spin this as organic (which, while some tea party movements were organic, others were products of organizations such as Freedomworks who were about as insider as you can get). In addition, the critique of Wall Street actually makes sense when taking into account how the housing bubble turning mortgages into derivatives as well as how bank deregulation led to a situation where the distribution of wealth got so lopsided that they were able to use the "too big to fail" card when called into question by Congress.
It's also true that open ended activism like this is easier to do when there are no work or other obligations. This explains the varying degrees of attendance over the past two weeks. While some people have managed to keep the area occupied, others do what they can in between their jobs, family life, and other things they have to get done in their lives. This is an issue almost every movement has to deal with, especially now when people can't automatically get off work to go to a protest or may have to take care of a sick family member or deal with something else at the moment.
The above concerns are somewhat legitimate. Other criticisms range from mere attempts to dismiss the protestors (such as NY Mayor Bloomberg calling them "misguided") to concern trolling (for example, one post suggesting protestors wear polos and khakis so as not to appear too "hippieish"). This is also to be expected as something every movement faces, especially in the starting phases.
What is interesting here is that while this has been a surprise, it shouldn't have been. The rise in protests in Wisconsin and Ohio against their state's attempts to bust unions is to some degree as much as flicker as the "Arab Spring" protests in middle eastern countries earlier this year (the latter is which has been seen as a reference point more in the media). Also interesting is that, while the media has tended to view this as a strictly left wing situation, there also appears to be reports that some Ron Paul supporters have been joining in. Is this is true, it appears that people are becoming aware that this is far less of a left-right issue as it is a top-bottom issue.
Will this lead to any change? At this point it's way too early to tell. Movements tend to have an ebb and flow that can be hard to predict. In addition, different factions could either unify or fall out depending on circumstances. As for police crackdowns, arrests in Boston and a possible raid in Chicago shows this will be a longer ride than people expect. As for NY, there are reports of the NYPD counter terrorism unit monitoring Occupy Wall Street. These scenarios as well as many others will have an effect on what goes down as the movement arises.
Regardless of the outcome we are witnessing a chapter in history that few, if any, saw coming in the U.S. In two weeks time what most people probably thought was a blip on the national radar has gotten to the point where uniformed airline pilots marched in solidarity with them and get the support of a large union. While proving that a wide swath of people are pissed off at the government (and are trying to resist nonviolently) it also shows that sometimes what you least expect can have the potential to become history in the making.
For the past two weeks protestors have occupied a park near Wall Street in order to protest our current financial system and its role in screwing up the nation right now. Starting with roughly 5,000 on September 17, 2011, numbers have varied (with estimates ranging from as low as 50 to several hundred or more), it was at first viewed as a novel one-off thing. However, most of the mainstream media covered the initial protest as a blip and then treated the protests as if they never happened. At one point, a protestor's video posted on You Tube even caught people in one building on Wall St drinking champagne in bemusement towards the protestors. People still maintained the occupation at Zuccotti park to varying degrees but the mainstream media refused to take notice. On the last Seturday of September, the NYPD arrested over 80 people in an attack that at one point saw a police deputy inspector pepper spraying people who were already behind a pen of sorts then doing the same to people walking away from him. That, for better or worse, brought Occupy Wall Street to the mainstream media's attention.
That's the basic extremely short version of Occupy Wall Street as a protest movement's evolution from something that was written off by many as a marginal thing to what appears to be a nationwide movement that's grown somehow on its own more via social networking than any established organizing. What's almost as surprising as its apparent sudden beginnings is how it's spread like wildfire nationwide in cities ranging from Boston to Chicago to Columbia, MO to Youngstown, Ohio. The fact that its grown like this actually is something I can guarantee nobody would've predicted a month or so ago.
Yes there are criticisms towards this movement. One of the big ones is that Occupy Wall Street and the similar movements that have pophttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifped up throughout America seem to be too amorphic; that there are no hard specific goals or talking points. Yes, there is some truth to this (especially since there's no one leading group for this). However, at the risk of blowback, one can also say that many of the Tea Party protests of the past couple of years were similarly off topic (especially since for every sign about health care reform, there appeared to be more signs that veered towards other topics ranging from somewhat related (I remember one pic of someone with a sign saying "Obamacare means Forced Drugging" [a concern I actually find somewhat legit]) to the Wall St. bailouts to birthers, and veiled threats of violence in regards to the Obama administration. Where they differed was the media narrative (hint: Fox News and talk radio) worked massively to spin this as organic (which, while some tea party movements were organic, others were products of organizations such as Freedomworks who were about as insider as you can get). In addition, the critique of Wall Street actually makes sense when taking into account how the housing bubble turning mortgages into derivatives as well as how bank deregulation led to a situation where the distribution of wealth got so lopsided that they were able to use the "too big to fail" card when called into question by Congress.
It's also true that open ended activism like this is easier to do when there are no work or other obligations. This explains the varying degrees of attendance over the past two weeks. While some people have managed to keep the area occupied, others do what they can in between their jobs, family life, and other things they have to get done in their lives. This is an issue almost every movement has to deal with, especially now when people can't automatically get off work to go to a protest or may have to take care of a sick family member or deal with something else at the moment.
The above concerns are somewhat legitimate. Other criticisms range from mere attempts to dismiss the protestors (such as NY Mayor Bloomberg calling them "misguided") to concern trolling (for example, one post suggesting protestors wear polos and khakis so as not to appear too "hippieish"). This is also to be expected as something every movement faces, especially in the starting phases.
What is interesting here is that while this has been a surprise, it shouldn't have been. The rise in protests in Wisconsin and Ohio against their state's attempts to bust unions is to some degree as much as flicker as the "Arab Spring" protests in middle eastern countries earlier this year (the latter is which has been seen as a reference point more in the media). Also interesting is that, while the media has tended to view this as a strictly left wing situation, there also appears to be reports that some Ron Paul supporters have been joining in. Is this is true, it appears that people are becoming aware that this is far less of a left-right issue as it is a top-bottom issue.
Will this lead to any change? At this point it's way too early to tell. Movements tend to have an ebb and flow that can be hard to predict. In addition, different factions could either unify or fall out depending on circumstances. As for police crackdowns, arrests in Boston and a possible raid in Chicago shows this will be a longer ride than people expect. As for NY, there are reports of the NYPD counter terrorism unit monitoring Occupy Wall Street. These scenarios as well as many others will have an effect on what goes down as the movement arises.
Regardless of the outcome we are witnessing a chapter in history that few, if any, saw coming in the U.S. In two weeks time what most people probably thought was a blip on the national radar has gotten to the point where uniformed airline pilots marched in solidarity with them and get the support of a large union. While proving that a wide swath of people are pissed off at the government (and are trying to resist nonviolently) it also shows that sometimes what you least expect can have the potential to become history in the making.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Brief Thoughts on The WI Recall Election
Well, it’s August 9th 2011. Within 24 hours we will learn the results of the Wisconsin general elections recalling six Republicans in the state legislature. It has been a strange year for that state as the newly elected Governor Scott Walker almost instantly began the path of stripping state workers of their collective bargaining rights with the help of a Republican http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifmajority in the state legislature. What wasn’t expected was the blowback as Democrats in the legislature fled the state and went into exile in order to delay the vote and people got pissed off over the sudden loss of hard earned rights for workers and the possible end to what job security they had. So, instead of quiet acquiescence to trying to implement the Shock Doctrine in the U.S. one state at a time, people occupied the state house in Madison, and protests of some form or another managed to maintain outrage to some degree as petitions to recall politicians were undertaken.
That leads to what WI faces today. Six Republicans in the state legislature have seats up for grabs in the recall election today. The Democrats only need three to shift the majority their way and hopefully (knock on wood) work towards reversing the shift backwards that the people are facing. However, while past moment may have seemed on their side it might not be as simple.
In the weeks leading towards today the Republicans in what some have referred to as “Fitzwalhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifkerstan” have been busy trying to keep their hold on the state. From trying to redistrict in extremely quick fashion before today to billionaire funded endeavors such as ALEC, the right wing has been working just as hard to make sure their changes to our rights remain. As similar things happen in Ohio and several other states, some people see what’s ahead as an attack on the middle class and working people. Because of this many of the organizations supporting the recall are saying it’s currently too early to tell who will win.
Thus, we’re currently going to have to wait and see it unfold (as least those of us who don’t live in Wisconsin). Regardless of what happens, I have a feeling that we’re in for a long hard fight ahead.
That leads to what WI faces today. Six Republicans in the state legislature have seats up for grabs in the recall election today. The Democrats only need three to shift the majority their way and hopefully (knock on wood) work towards reversing the shift backwards that the people are facing. However, while past moment may have seemed on their side it might not be as simple.
In the weeks leading towards today the Republicans in what some have referred to as “Fitzwalhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifkerstan” have been busy trying to keep their hold on the state. From trying to redistrict in extremely quick fashion before today to billionaire funded endeavors such as ALEC, the right wing has been working just as hard to make sure their changes to our rights remain. As similar things happen in Ohio and several other states, some people see what’s ahead as an attack on the middle class and working people. Because of this many of the organizations supporting the recall are saying it’s currently too early to tell who will win.
Thus, we’re currently going to have to wait and see it unfold (as least those of us who don’t live in Wisconsin). Regardless of what happens, I have a feeling that we’re in for a long hard fight ahead.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Debt Ceiling Thoughts II: It’s Crunch Time
As I type this the Republican House has passed speaker of the house John Boehner’s proposal on the deficit by a 218-210 margin about an hour or so ago with no Democrats voting for it and a number of Republicans opposing it. While plans for a vote yesterday on a deal were halted due to lack of support from the tea party newcomers, Boehner had to offer a number of compromises to appease the “tea party” wing and get their votes, including a balanced budget amendment and other tea party favored positions in order to get it passed by the minimum of votes.
The plan, which only extends the debt ceiling for six months ended up being yet another form of political theater. The Senate quickly shot it down by a 59-41 vote (thus guaranteeing it wouldn’t reach President Obama). As the standoff continues, a reported refusal of Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell to negotiate at this point means the current polarization will continue as the August 2nd deadline gets closer (at this point: Tuesday)
As I said in the previous post, I think odds are the debt ceiling will get raised. It’s been passed 90 times since 1940 and in the past it used to be considered a must pass bill (thus, usually done at the last minute). However, while there may be a last minute situation, things are in scary mode. The Republicans are quickly learning that their new enemy might not be the Dems or any liberal boogeyman but the newbies that got elected in 2010. As recently as the end of last year Boehner referred to the debt ceiling vote as “the first really big adult moment for the new Republican majority.” However, the mainstream in the GOP are currently learning that the danger of using a possible bully pulpit to force people to cave can backfire if they decide you’re not worth listening to.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
So what will happen now? Who knows. There’s a chance that the debt ceiling will get a last minute vote and tragedy may or may not happen. There’s also an equally good chance that the far right in the GOP will let the country fall, hoping in some form of twisted glee that everyone will blame Obama for it. As for the possibility of invoking the 14th amendment and having Obama do it that way, the White House said they wouldn’t do that but at this rate there’s a chance he might have no other choice).
Why do I have a feeling that the tea party faction might end up having at least one weekend meeting similar to a pivotal scene from the movie Network? In the fight leading up to now, GOP attempts to have financial experts explain to the tea party types hasn't worked, but both parties are beholden to Wall Street in a lot of ways. And I have a feeling the party leaders may realize that if everything defaults the financial types will throw more cash to Obama and company.
However, at this point, everything seems to be conjecture. Previously it was a matter of course that the debt ceiling would be raised at the last minute but when you have people who are hell bent on making sure the President fails by any means necessary, under guidance from non elected power brokers (seriously, I don’t recall anyone electing either Karl Rove or Grover Norquist), it’s hard to say what will happen. At this point it’s a 55-45 chance that the debt ceiling will get raised but how we get there, and more importantly what gets sacrificed along the way, could lead us down the path for a far crueler future than anybody would’ve thought possible a year ago.
The plan, which only extends the debt ceiling for six months ended up being yet another form of political theater. The Senate quickly shot it down by a 59-41 vote (thus guaranteeing it wouldn’t reach President Obama). As the standoff continues, a reported refusal of Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell to negotiate at this point means the current polarization will continue as the August 2nd deadline gets closer (at this point: Tuesday)
As I said in the previous post, I think odds are the debt ceiling will get raised. It’s been passed 90 times since 1940 and in the past it used to be considered a must pass bill (thus, usually done at the last minute). However, while there may be a last minute situation, things are in scary mode. The Republicans are quickly learning that their new enemy might not be the Dems or any liberal boogeyman but the newbies that got elected in 2010. As recently as the end of last year Boehner referred to the debt ceiling vote as “the first really big adult moment for the new Republican majority.” However, the mainstream in the GOP are currently learning that the danger of using a possible bully pulpit to force people to cave can backfire if they decide you’re not worth listening to.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
So what will happen now? Who knows. There’s a chance that the debt ceiling will get a last minute vote and tragedy may or may not happen. There’s also an equally good chance that the far right in the GOP will let the country fall, hoping in some form of twisted glee that everyone will blame Obama for it. As for the possibility of invoking the 14th amendment and having Obama do it that way, the White House said they wouldn’t do that but at this rate there’s a chance he might have no other choice).
Why do I have a feeling that the tea party faction might end up having at least one weekend meeting similar to a pivotal scene from the movie Network? In the fight leading up to now, GOP attempts to have financial experts explain to the tea party types hasn't worked, but both parties are beholden to Wall Street in a lot of ways. And I have a feeling the party leaders may realize that if everything defaults the financial types will throw more cash to Obama and company.
However, at this point, everything seems to be conjecture. Previously it was a matter of course that the debt ceiling would be raised at the last minute but when you have people who are hell bent on making sure the President fails by any means necessary, under guidance from non elected power brokers (seriously, I don’t recall anyone electing either Karl Rove or Grover Norquist), it’s hard to say what will happen. At this point it’s a 55-45 chance that the debt ceiling will get raised but how we get there, and more importantly what gets sacrificed along the way, could lead us down the path for a far crueler future than anybody would’ve thought possible a year ago.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Debt Ceiling Thoughts
As I type this President Obama and House Republicans are playing yet another round of the will they or won’t they make a deal talks in hopes of getting an agreement on raising the debt ceiling by the August 2nd deadline. In the past this has been one of those occasions where it passed without comment and most Americans had no clue whatsoever what a debt ceiling was. However, with the threat of both the tea party wing of the Republicans in the House to let the country default as well as credit rating firms like Fitch and Moody’s threatening to lower the U.S.A.’s AAA rating, the debate has become more known than anyone would want to admit.
Personally, I think it will have to be raised when all is said and done. Wall Street and the financial industry, as vicious as they are towards anyone not in the top one percent, realize that if the US defaults they may take a big hit and investors will lose money. In addition, these people have their tentacles in both sides of our one party state that pretends to be a two party state (not to say there aren’t differences between the GOP and the Democrats, especially these days – but that they often have the same backers). The party leaders get this, as well as the possibility that if they let this happen they bulk of the cash flow may head towards the Democrats (this hasn’t been covered at all but let’s get real, anyone who figures out how American politics works can likely se this writing on the wall).
As for Obama’s talks of cuts on the big three (Medicare, Social Security), this is either dangerous politics or delicious irony. The dangerous politics lies in possibly aiming for independent voters by possibly further throwing the base under the bus and starting from compromised positions. The ironic part may be that Obama finally gets that no matter how much he tries to offer the GOP what they want, they still refuse it. This refusal to support something they once advocated the moment Obama picks it up has been probably one of the more humorous (in a sick way) traits of the Republicans since he took office over two and a half years ago.
On the GOP’s end people like Boehner and McConnell are having to handle what happens when decades of appealing to the far right that has currently become their base mixes with the idea of permanent campaigning. While the tea party faction of the Republicans in Congress seem more and more hell bent on making sure nothing gets accomplished than on actually doing their jobs. Part of this is the differences between Democrats and Republicans in attitudes towards their base in that the Dems usually have a barely concealed hatred for their base that they almost blatantly show any time other than when they want money or votes while the GOP has grown to fear a base that has managed to increasingly drive moderate voices from the room. While the media push of the tea party types must’ve seemed like good politics to them up until the 2010 midterm elections, their increasingly bully pulpit is getting in the way.
So what’s up ahead? Some say the “gang of six” proposal is gaining steam and might be a good compromise. However, so far the House Republicans are worshipping a trinity of Reagan (while overlooking his tax increases), Grover Norquist (of Americans for Tax Reform) and the latest pundit of the moment. The idea that no taxes can be raised whatsoever is becoming a problem that could hinder us much more than anyone expects. Even with this proposal offering a three to one ratio in terms of cuts versus revenues isn’t making friends. Add to it the fact it might not be doable before August 2nd and its future seems uncertain.
But what about the latest GOP proposal of “Cut, cap, and balance” you may ask? It passed the House. However, the supermajority required in the Senate these days makes it unlikely to pass even before Obama vetoes it. It’s more of a middle finger to the President than anything else.
So what will happen here is anyone’s guess? I do think the debt ceiling will likely be raised (even if Obama has to go for broke and do some sort of executive order to do it). Since that is the worst case scenario, I have a feeling that somehow the GOP will have it explained to them what will go down if they don’t vote for it, since even the top one percent will feel some heat if the U.S. defaults). I wish I knew if it would be a clean vote (most of the time the damn bill is one sentence, for crying out loud) but at this point it’s hard to say what form it will take (though sacrificing Medicare and Social Security is the political equivalent of Russian Roulette in this country).
As for the reasons for why the GOP has been acting like some kid on a playground who always threatens to hold his breath until he turns blue unless he gets everything he wants, several posts can be written regarding that.
Personally, I think it will have to be raised when all is said and done. Wall Street and the financial industry, as vicious as they are towards anyone not in the top one percent, realize that if the US defaults they may take a big hit and investors will lose money. In addition, these people have their tentacles in both sides of our one party state that pretends to be a two party state (not to say there aren’t differences between the GOP and the Democrats, especially these days – but that they often have the same backers). The party leaders get this, as well as the possibility that if they let this happen they bulk of the cash flow may head towards the Democrats (this hasn’t been covered at all but let’s get real, anyone who figures out how American politics works can likely se this writing on the wall).
As for Obama’s talks of cuts on the big three (Medicare, Social Security), this is either dangerous politics or delicious irony. The dangerous politics lies in possibly aiming for independent voters by possibly further throwing the base under the bus and starting from compromised positions. The ironic part may be that Obama finally gets that no matter how much he tries to offer the GOP what they want, they still refuse it. This refusal to support something they once advocated the moment Obama picks it up has been probably one of the more humorous (in a sick way) traits of the Republicans since he took office over two and a half years ago.
On the GOP’s end people like Boehner and McConnell are having to handle what happens when decades of appealing to the far right that has currently become their base mixes with the idea of permanent campaigning. While the tea party faction of the Republicans in Congress seem more and more hell bent on making sure nothing gets accomplished than on actually doing their jobs. Part of this is the differences between Democrats and Republicans in attitudes towards their base in that the Dems usually have a barely concealed hatred for their base that they almost blatantly show any time other than when they want money or votes while the GOP has grown to fear a base that has managed to increasingly drive moderate voices from the room. While the media push of the tea party types must’ve seemed like good politics to them up until the 2010 midterm elections, their increasingly bully pulpit is getting in the way.
So what’s up ahead? Some say the “gang of six” proposal is gaining steam and might be a good compromise. However, so far the House Republicans are worshipping a trinity of Reagan (while overlooking his tax increases), Grover Norquist (of Americans for Tax Reform) and the latest pundit of the moment. The idea that no taxes can be raised whatsoever is becoming a problem that could hinder us much more than anyone expects. Even with this proposal offering a three to one ratio in terms of cuts versus revenues isn’t making friends. Add to it the fact it might not be doable before August 2nd and its future seems uncertain.
But what about the latest GOP proposal of “Cut, cap, and balance” you may ask? It passed the House. However, the supermajority required in the Senate these days makes it unlikely to pass even before Obama vetoes it. It’s more of a middle finger to the President than anything else.
So what will happen here is anyone’s guess? I do think the debt ceiling will likely be raised (even if Obama has to go for broke and do some sort of executive order to do it). Since that is the worst case scenario, I have a feeling that somehow the GOP will have it explained to them what will go down if they don’t vote for it, since even the top one percent will feel some heat if the U.S. defaults). I wish I knew if it would be a clean vote (most of the time the damn bill is one sentence, for crying out loud) but at this point it’s hard to say what form it will take (though sacrificing Medicare and Social Security is the political equivalent of Russian Roulette in this country).
As for the reasons for why the GOP has been acting like some kid on a playground who always threatens to hold his breath until he turns blue unless he gets everything he wants, several posts can be written regarding that.
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