In example number 4297 of the White House directly contradicting president Trump's manic outbursts, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders came out today to refute the notion that Trump is advocating a government shutdown, after he advocated a shutdown.
We’ve become accustomed to living in a hostage situation. The Republicans put forth some radical idea then we react with social media posts urging everyone to contact our representatives. The idea fails, and we breathe a collective sigh of relief, and snicker at the incompetence of the Republicans.
Despite an early morning Twitter rant, Trump has already signaled to Democrats that he won't shut down the government over funding his bullshit wall that Mexico isn't paying for.
In just the past 24 hours three stories have broken that years ago, even with the polarization we've come to expect from government, would've seemed incomprehensible. The fact that they're not incomprehensible anymore, that we've gotten used to this crap by now and each time the bar is lowered we just accept that that's the new normal, makes me wonder where we're headed and how much worse it can actually get.
The schadenfreude wore off quickly. Observing the tea party suffer a political defeat, with other Republicans like Rep. Pete King (R-NY) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) piling on, was entertaining for a solid 24 hours until the grim realization set in that this rogue faction of the GOP could very well try for a sequel -- or an entire series of shutdowns.
So, with that in mind, you may be wondering right now whether this time was different. Whether the Republicans and the ultra-conservative fanatics who've taken control of their party finally learned their lesson. Whether we'll now have a little peace and some compromise instead of going from crisis to crisis to crisis and proving over and over again that the greatest superpower in the world has become an ungovernable laughingstock. Wonder no more.
That's what Dianne Reidy's rant last night was. The exclamation point. The snapshot. The final act to climax and to perfectly encapsulate the fucking lunacy of what we'd witnessed over the past few weeks -- the past few years.
As usual, it wasn't the message that was problem, it was the messengers not willing to stick to it and fight hard enough for it. The people with the biggest bullhorns still believe this, despite dismal poll numbers for the GOP in the wake of the debt ceiling miasma. What does this likely mean for the GOP and the rest of us? More of the same. More insanity.
After weeks of negotiations, threats and counter threats, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced today that he and Mitch McConnell have reached a deal to end the ongoing debt ceiling standoff.
Peter King, the Republican who once accused President Obama of going on an 'apology tour' of the Middle East and has argued for increased surveillance of Muslims in the U.S ripped into his party over the debt ceiling negotiations saying, "This party is going nuts".
There have been so many unbelievable comments to come from the Republicans and the Tea Party types during this whole ridiculous debt ceiling hostage situation. But I think Lindsey Graham may now be ready to step up and definitively take the award for the most jaw-dropping and infuriating.
For some reason I just can't laugh this one off. We have no idea what's really going to happen if something isn't done to stop this runaway train within the next 36-hours. And I have to admit that I'm shared as hell at the possibility of returning to the place I was -- where many of us were -- five years ago.
Palin and Cruz don't want you to remember that Interior is one of several cabinet level departments the tea party would eliminate. And if you eliminate Interior, you eliminate the National Park Service.
Sarah Palin wrote another Facebook post in which she outlined why defaulting on the debt is an impeachable offense. That, in and of itself, doesn't make any sense since it's Congress which is tasked with voting to raising the debt ceiling in order to prevent a default, not the president.
Apparently, the GOP sees the country as a village that must be burned to the ground to save. But the only village Republicans need to burn down to save is their own.
Our guide to the biggest political flops of the week - epic government shutdown edition!
It can't be shouted loudly enough how ridiculously irresponsible this is. Not only have the Republicans halted the functioning of the government, but they're risking a worldwide calamity that will surely make your life extraordinarily difficult. If it's not due to an impending worldwide depression, it'll be because Obamacare has been sabotaged, risking eventual failure.
The Republican misinformation geyser continues to erupt unabated. Today, let's focus on a pair of statements from tea party champions Sarah Palin and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) who seem to completely misunderstand the deficit, the debt ceiling, the economic status of the United States and what would happen if we default on the debt (spoiler: it'll be very bad).
I realize that it's been pointed out before, but I want you to remember this quote on the latest developments in the hostage standoff with the Republican lunatics in Congress. Write it down somewhere and keep it for use in any argument over this nightmare you might happen to get into with your right-of-center friends, because it spells out perfectly and succinctly why the Democrats can't give in.
Until 2011, Congress has never used the debt ceiling as a political hostage. Not once. Raising the debt ceiling was always an opportunity for one thing: the opposition party could score some points on fiscal responsibility via a few strongly-worded floor speeches. But the congressional Republican caucus' strategy is to threaten a default, then to mislead the public by suggesting that nothing bad will happen.
It's Tuesday morning everyone - time to find out what the hell is going on in the world. Here's what you need to know (at least until the afternoon):
If we don't raise the debt ceiling we won't be able to pay on the debt that already exists, therefore our creditors will, you know, freak out, and so it will likely send the world economy into a death spiral that would dwarf the collapse of Lehman Brothers.
There aren't any unions that are exempted or waived from Obamacare. None. But that's what Mr. Boehner wants us to believe. He wants us to believe that Obamacare is unfairly targeting ordinary Americans, but waiving everyone else from participating in the law. And it's simply untrue.
"My name is Chris Galvin," the faceless voice said, blaring out over the microphones in a conference room in the basement of the Hyatt Regency hotel in Bethesda, Md., on Wednesday afternoon. "I'm an analyst with the Office of Evaluation and Inspections for the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services. If you are listening to this, I apologize that I am unable to be there in person."
Another Monday is here so it's back to the grind with you. Here's a little reading material to keep you entertained while contemplating how sorry you are that the weekend's over.
I've read and studied the Constitution and I don't recall where FEMA is enumerated as an Article II executive branch power. Also, I don't live in Texas, so why should my tax dollars be, you know, redistributed via FEMA to help Stockman's home state? Texas should reject all federal assistance because, after all, the states can handle it, can't they?
Indeed, the shutdown has turned our collective attention directly to the self-beclowning instigators behind the shutdown, further exposing the fact that this particular litter of congressmembers are not only terrible at conducting political theater, but they're truly despicable human beings -- especially knowing that they're all members of an exclusive club intended to be populated with 535 of America's best and brightest.
Don't get between a tea party politician and a cheap political stunt. Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-TX), a tea party congressman, has taken the exploitation and politicization of the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC one step further by publicly scolding a National Park Service ranger tasked with keeping the memorial closed to visitors during the government shutdown.
A lot of crazy stuff is happening in the world right now. The US government has shut down, the Simpson’s are going to kill off a character and Simon Cowell is going to be a father. But don't worry, not all is lost. Here's a list of things that will make you feel (somewhat) normal.
I barely need to add anything to this, but I like that he goes on to state the obvious in even more direct terms, saying that if the Republicans are angry that a law they don't like got passed they don't get to shut down the government in protest.
We get some great insights from readers in the comments section here at the Banter, and how shall we say, some not so great insights. Then, we get comments like this:
Saying that Barack Obama and the Democrats have "allowed" the government to be shutdown by not capitulating completely to the GOP's demands is like saying that by not handing over all your money to a guy sticking a gun in your face, you're "allowing" yourself to be shot in the head and therefore bear part of the blame.
Concerned by what Michele Bachmann coined the 'crack cocaine of dependancy', the Tea Party wants America to wean itself off the government. What better way for the Tea Party to show how serious it is than to abide by its own philosophy? Here are 8 new rules the Tea Party has to abide by if it wants to be taken seriously:
But here's all you need to know: as usual it's the collective conservative viewpoint from inside the bubble versus not just everyone else's opinion but reality itself. If you're not willing to report reality you're either insane or you're dishonest. Who the hell knows which one of the two best describes conservative media these days.
Any news report that doesn't come right out and say this -- that doesn't report the unvarnished, ugly truth of the political terrorism the Republican party is engaging in -- the Republicans should be thanking their lucky stars for right now.
The mainstream media are bringing their typical “pox on both your houses” approach to reporting on a government shutdown caused by House Republicans’ temper tantrum over Obamacarehow. How would headlines about historical events look if the American media applied the same false equivalency?
You gave the world Jazz, Rock n Roll, and Jimi Hendrix. You created the environmental movement, pioneered women's rights and sent a man to the moon. If we're being honest, you basically won World War II and saved the world from the Nazis. You guys do some really cool shit a lot of the time. But WTF is going on with your government right now?
Jon Stewart was on rare form last night, blasting Republicans for their despicable behavior over Obamacare - a law that has been vetted by virtually every facet of the American political system and ruled 100% constitutionally sound by the highest court in the land.
Why the above quote? Why is it worth highlighting right now? Because it flawlessly sums up what the Tea Party Republicans are about and why they're doing this, and it tips their hand and gives all of us a good look at why they're so afraid of the Affordable Care Act. They're afraid of it because they know it will work.
Congratulations, tea party, you've successfully retained your Obama Derangement Syndrome suffering gaggle of loonies and conspiracy theorists. But you've also thoroughly alienated everyone else -- so much so that Democrats on Twitter were cheering for the comparatively "moderate" voice of Pete King.
Late Saturday night, the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution that will finance the government for another six weeks, while also delaying the implementation of Obamacare until January, 2015. Once again, a law that hasn't been implemented has failed, they say, and now they've decided to delay the implementation of this failed (but not implemented) law by one year.
"In case the point is not clear yet: there is no post-Civil War precedent for what the House GOP is doing now," says James Fallows of the Atlantic. He's right, and it's now down to moderates to stop the GOP from destroying itself, and the country.
Another Monday morning is here and while you're all still applauding the oh-so-satisfying finale of Breaking Bad and at the same time dreading the impending shutdown of the U.S. government you may as well kill some time with a little reading.
