per sources, House R effort on risk corridors/debt limit being led by @TimGriffinAR2, who has championed repeal of the ACA provision
— Robert Costa (@costareports) February 4, 2014
Now Boehner knows a clean hike is likely to be end game, but in context of post-shutdown lift on right isn’t going to scramble to that…
— Robert Costa (@costareports) February 4, 2014
So let me get this right — the House GOP in order to complain about the deficit and DO SOMETHING wants to increase the deficit as their demand to pay for spending they’ve already authorized. And the leadership knows that getting nothing is their best possible outcome, and they’re still going through the motions of doing something.
dmsilev
How much would it cost to buy a security blanket, or perhaps a nice fluffy stuffed animal, for each member of the GOP caucus? Failing that, how much for a bulk order of a case of pacifiers?
EconWatcher
You scoff now. Imagine what hijinx will ensue if they have both chambers next year.
pseudonymous in nc
That would be Tim Griffin, former Rove bagman at the RNC, disappearer of Rove-related email, and appointee as US Attorney as a loyal-service reward.
Everything he touches has the stench of shit about it.
rk
@EconWatcher:
If they take both the chambers next year the country will get exactly what it deserves. If people can’t be bothered to vote then they pay the price.
c u n d gulag
It’s an Election year, so the Republicans are doing any and every thing they can to keep their base of rage-junkies juiced-up on rage.
And anything “Obama” and the deficit are the “China ‘White'” of rage, for rage junkies.
You know what’s really sad?
It’s that the rage-junkies can’t OD on all of that rage.
None of them will OD and die, like poor Seymour Philip Hoffman.
Am I a horrible person for writing this?
Yes.
But I can live with it.
Morbo
The important thing is getting the media to repeat their claims that the deficit could get bigger again at any time even if it’s shrinking right now. The fact that they’re the ones who would increase it is irrelevant.
Ash Can
Please proceed, House GOP.
Roger Moore
@c u n d gulag:
They may very well wind up ODing and dying of their rage. That kind of anger is not good for anyone’s health and will probably lead to a lot of high blood pressure, heart disease, and early death in the people afflicted. Just look at Andrew Breitbart if you want to know what dying of an OD on rage looks like.
Yatsuno
Fuck you CNN. The deficit has been dropping like a stone since Obama took office BUT YOU CAN’T GIVE HIM THE FUCKING CREDIT FOR IT!!!
Also: the ACA will bend that down even further, but the fact is it’s now approaching an area where a minor tax increase on the rich or a transaction tax would wipe it out.
c u n d gulag
@Roger Moore:
Thanks.
I needed to be reminded of that! :-)
And every day that (Never was very) Breitbart’s still dead, is a great day!
? Martin
@Yatsuno: Yeah, it’s gotten quickly revised down each year after the initial CBO number. I wouldn’t be surprised for us to close out below $450B, barring some unforseen calamity. That would put us (adjusted for inflation) below half of GWBs budgets.
jharp
And we’re supposed to get 5 to 10 more inches of snow tonight. Then 2 nights of zero degrees.
Worst winter in 37 years for me. And maybe worst ever. We still have most of February.
My claim for worst ever was in northern Ohio in ’77. And the blizzard of ’78 as a onetime event was by far the worst ever. Nothing even close. It was amazing.
Patrick
@rk:
Absolutely. They can whine all the want about Obama. But they should take a damned close look at the mirror. It is the voters fault that the GOP holds the house and it will be the voters fault if they take both chambers in 2014. Not showing up, or voting GOP because you are pro-life (whatever that means) – you can only blame yourself for the crap the GOP is pulling.
Frankensteinbeck
This is a moral issue, Mayhew. The moral issue is that they believe helping people is wrong. They’ve never cared about the deficit, but ‘we don’t have the money’ is a reasonable sounding excuse to refuse to help people. As you’ve noticed, when the money is not being spent on kindness they throw cash around like drunken sailors.
Petorado
I guess Republicans feel that incessant negativity and a constant barrage of saying “No!” is their best long-term plan to win friends and influence people.
Rob in CT
Dealing with deeply dishonest idiots.
The whole history of the Risk Corridors = bailout thing is just sickening. But par for the course. I don’t expect any better anymore.
Just Some Fuckhead
In 2006, when Republicans passed Medicare Part D, that had a 15 trillion dollar unfunded mandate over the next 50 years, I never dreamed they’d keep refusing to pay for it every year.thereafter.
Someone should ask them why.
Turgidson
The “deficit” was never something they were concerned about, of course. I mean, some of them were sincere and really believed a debt crisis/Greecification of America was imminent. But mostly it was just a word they could use to scare people, prevent the Democrats from spending any money that would help the economy, and cover for letting the Fix the Debt network of frauds and grifters take everything that wasn’t nailed down while people weren’t looking.
They keep saying it now, because they don’t know of any other ways to accomplish the above without looking like the heartless shills for the rich and plutocrats that they are, and because their constant puke funnel of lies about this continues to convince most of the country that the deficit is still rising.
And they’ll show no remorse, shame or self-awareness if/when they have control again and explode the deficit again on a bender of tax cuts and military boondoggles.
KG
@Petorado: why not? it works for their three year old kids/grandkids
ranchandsyrup
@Yatsuno: Yup. Gonna stabilize at 3% of GDP this year. Narrative > fact in post-factual world.
Big R
@c u n d gulag: If the day ever comes when Breitbart isn’t still dead, I feel like we will have bigger problems than his addled attempts to continue to roger us with James O’Keefe.
[Brains…Braaaaains!]
Big R
Can we convert C-27 Spartans into flying free clinics, a la that USAF ad that no one who knew anything about the Air Force actually believed was within twenty years of ever happening? That might kill two birds with one stone.
Tommy
My dad just mailed off his X-Mas gift from me. A DNA test. I can’t wait it might say.
The Dangerman
@Turgidson:
Luckily, the Republicans won’t be taking back the White House anytime soon; in 2016, looks like Jeb is the best they will able to manage and he’ll have to change his last name to win.
I don’t see the Republicans ever having a veto proof Senate (if so, it would just be one impeachment after another), so we are safe from tax cuts and boondoggles for a while.
Trollhattan
@Yatsuno:
Yeah, great but “Lookie over theah at the debt! We have a Giant Debt! We’re going to saddle the kids we don’t actually care about with this Giant Debt. Gaaaah!!”
Trollhattan
@Big R:
Pretty sure it’s spelled “Bwaaaiiins!”
In Dead Andy’s case, am not sure he was thus-equipped back when he was actively yelling.
SiubhanDuinne
@Trollhattan:
I may be off on the chronology, but I seem to recall that Breitbart dropped dead just a few days after that incredible “Be-HAAAAAVE yourselves!!” drunken rant.
jl
The House GOPers are pros at bamboozlement, so I think some credit should be given to their competence at it.
I read the AR GOP is just plain planning on taking away expanded ACA Medicaid coverage. Which is not bamboozlement but just very loudly and publicly taking away benefits that people had just gotten, and they have to hope the number of voters that they infuriate are smaller than the crazed teabaggers who like it. That is sadly amateurish in comparison.
Joseph Nobles
People whose best case scenario is getting nothing have nothing to lose by acting a fool.
Bill Arnold
@Turgidson:
Or to sell gold and other stuff to a … selected audience.
(Newsmax at the right has a link to a story “Protect Your IRA or 401K Legally – Move to Gold”. I like to think that we’re a misclassified audience.)