President Obama SAYS that failing to raise the debt ceiling by the deadline will virtually destroy this country, and that we absolutley cannot let it happen.--no matter what principles we have to "compromise". As usual, Obama's actioins do not match his (alternate hour) words.
Yesterday, Obama said that he will VETO the House "cut, cap and balance" bill if it comes to his desk. In other words, there are things more important to Obama than raising the debt ceiling. Is it so hard to beliee that there are things mrore important to conservatives than raising the debt ceiling? The mainstream media cannot believe it, but the maintream media (Gloria Borger and CNN, this conitinues to mean YOU)is composed of the worst hypocrites to ever walk the Earth: partisan political hacks who simply oppose what conservatives believe. Jut like Republicans with principles (as distinguished from those without them, other than the principle of saving their skins), Obama has no fear of the debt ceiling, if it means compromising what he regards as his fundamental principles.
Why is it any less "stubborn" to say that revenue increases HAVE to be part of any "deal" to raise the debt ceiling, than it is to say that such a deal must NOT include tax increases? In fact the consrevative position is ore HONEST, becaue Obama's proposed tax increases are REAL, while his "promises" on spending "cuts" are NOT REAl. The mainstream media still talks about that "deal" Obama allegedly "offreed" to "cut" three dollars in spending for every dollar in tax increases. The partisan mainstream media, of course, does not care that this is a LIE. Thy--the mainstream media---are partisans. They support Obama, and don't even understand what conservatives are saying--much less agree with it. If Obama thought that the debt ceiling raise was the MOST important thing here, then he could get the debt ceiling raised. Everyone but the mainstream media understands that. Both sides have thngs more important to them than the debt ceiling increase. The difference is that Obama and the mainsteam media LIE to the very end about what they are all about. I will put it to you in my usual blunt way: Obama does NOT want ANY net spending "cuts"--now or in the future. His protestations to the contrary are mere poliltical postuuring. But the mainstream media will never suggest that, because they are Obama/lefitst partisans.
Yes, Obama agrees with ME. That should bother both of us. Both of us believe that there are things more important than raising the debt ceiling. Unlike the Tea Party, I don't thik we are prepared, as a country, to IMMEDIATELY "live within our means". Note how Obama keeps SAYING that ("we need to learn to live within our means as a government, just like normal families") , when he so obviously does not mean it that it is amasing his head does not explode, from cognitive dissonance, every time he says it. Tea Party peoiple DO mean it. Where I don't agree with the Tea Party is that the country can stand the shock of "going cold turkey" on living within our means. I have suggested "drastic" measures (see previous articles over the past few weeks) to cut the deficit by as much aS 1/3 in ONE YEAR. The Tea Party has not done that. They have simply said that we should "prioritize" so as to spend only the amount of money we have. Uh-huh. But Obama, the Tea Party and I (unholy group though you may think that is) all agree: We have NO fear of the debt ceiling deadline. There are things more important to us than that.
Why have I suggested that it would be better for the country, in the long run, if we did NOT raise the debt ceiling by the deadline? Firt, any "deal" that Republicans are likely to agree to will BETRAY things that I believe are more important than violating the deb ceiling (the point on which Obama and the mainstream media agree with me). Second, I am opposed to SCARE MONGERING on principle. I am curious. I would like to see what WOULD happen if we did not raise the debt ceiling by August 2. I agree it has the potential to disrupt our economy, but Armageddon it will not be. Third, and most importantly, the "establishment" thinks that it can ALWAYS get its way by threats and scares even though the establishment has no intention of "giving" on its own view of how the world should be. To SHAKE that complacency is worth more to me than whatever we gain by raising the debt ceiling.
This blog has told you how to avoid the continual debt ceiling problem, at the cot of FORCING HONESTY on both Democrats and Republicans. Avoiding that is one of thoe principles that our politicians believe is much more important than raising the debt ceiling. I would prefeer that we raise the debt ceiling in such a way that we FOUCS, every year, on our spending, and on exactly how much each year's spending will REQURIE the debt ceiling to be raised. This would force politicians to acknowledge they are raising the debt ceiling with EVERY SPENDING VOTE. But I have no fear of not raising the debt ceiling. On balance, I think it would be good for the country (not necessarily good for the Republlican Party, bt who cares?). I am sho tired of shams, and "politics as usual', that i much prefer shaking things up. The risk of coninuing the way we are is MUCH greater than the risk of not raising the debt ceiling on time.
You can see why both establishment Republicans and Obama have to watch out here. Tea Party people, and at least half of the country, do not want the debt ceiling raised AT ALL (although I have a question as to whether they really just don't want the establishment to again get away with MANIPULATING the process than really being prepared for the consequences--believing, like me, that such a lesson is more important than whatever negative thngs will happen if we don't have a timely raise in the debt ceiling). People like me (and Obama, on the other side) believe that there are a number of things more important than raising the debt ceiling, and that Republicans are more than ready to SELL US OUT. We are ready to turn on Republican politicians as our enemies. Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans: This means YOU!!!!! Now Mitch McConnell (like Obama) SAYS he gets it, but he does not However, the risk here for both the Republican establishment (really the whole establishment--Democrat and Republican) is that ENOUGH Republicans now gt it that they will BALK at the end.
Obama, the maisntream meida and the establishment all think that they can manipulate this in the end, as they have manipulated every previous "government shut down' "crisis". Their time is coming to an end. Obama ACTS like he has no fear of not raising the debt ceiling. People like me REALLY have no fear of it., and are more lthan willing to accept any negative consequences. I actually think the public is more ready now to stand up against fear, although perhaps not fully there yet.
Obama and I both appear to have no fear of not raising the debt ceiling. But it is the increase of people like me who give rise to the distinct possibility that we WON'T raise the debt ceiling on tie, this time. I still thijnk that the estblishment/media fear campaign will work one more time, ON THE POLITICIANS. In other words, I still think the debt ceiling wil be raised, in a way that will cause me to wak away from the Republican Party forever. If that happens, I will adopt the G. Gordon Liddy approach to the Washington Post: I will refuse to even mention the Republican Party, or identify any person as a Republican, in this blog. If I fell I have to make reference to that dead party walking, I will BLEEP out the actual word. "The @#$%%%# Party...."
P.S. No proofreading or spell checkig (bad eyesight).
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