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Title: There Will Be Blood
Source:
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URL Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/22/o ... n.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=general
Published: Nov 23, 2010
Author: PAUL KRUGMAN
Post Date: 2010-11-23 12:21:26 by Skip Intro
Keywords: None
Views: 7864
Comments: 17
There Will Be Blood
Former Senator Alan Simpson is a Very Serious Person. He must be — after all, President Obama appointed him as co-chairman of a special commission on deficit reduction.
So here’s what the very serious Mr. Simpson said on Friday: “I can’t wait for the blood bath in April. ... When debt limit time comes, they’re going to look around and say, ‘What in the hell do we do now? We’ve got guys who will not approve the debt limit extension unless we give ’em a piece of meat, real meat,’ ” meaning spending cuts. “And boy, the blood bath will be extraordinary,” he continued.
Think of Mr. Simpson’s blood lust as one more piece of evidence that our nation is in much worse shape, much closer to a political breakdown, than most people realize.
Some explanation: There’s a legal limit to federal debt, which must be raised periodically if the government keeps running deficits; the limit will be reached again this spring. And since nobody, not even the hawkiest of deficit hawks, thinks the budget can be balanced immediately, the debt limit must be raised to avoid a government shutdown. But Republicans will probably try to blackmail the president into policy concessions by, in effect, holding the government hostage; they’ve done it before.
Now, you might think that the prospect of this kind of standoff, which might deny many Americans essential services, wreak havoc in financial markets and undermine America’s role in the world, would worry all men of good will. But no, Mr. Simpson “can’t wait.” And he’s what passes, these days, for a reasonable Republican.
The fact is that one of our two great political parties has made it clear that it has no interest in making America governable, unless it’s doing the governing. And that party now controls one house of Congress, which means that the country will not, in fact, be governable without that party’s cooperation — cooperation that won’t be forthcoming.
Elite opinion has been slow to recognize this reality. Thus on the same day that Mr. Simpson rejoiced in the prospect of chaos, Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, appealed for help in confronting mass unemployment. He asked for “a fiscal program that combines near-term measures to enhance growth with strong, confidence-inducing steps to reduce longer-term structural deficits.”
My immediate thought was, why not ask for a pony, too? After all, the G.O.P. isn’t interested in helping the economy as long as a Democrat is in the White House. Indeed, far from being willing to help Mr. Bernanke’s efforts, Republicans are trying to bully the Fed itself into giving up completely on trying to reduce unemployment.
And on matters fiscal, the G.O.P. program is to do almost exactly the opposite of what Mr. Bernanke called for. On one side, Republicans oppose just about everything that might reduce structural deficits: they demand that the Bush tax cuts be made permanent while demagoguing efforts to limit the rise in Medicare costs, which are essential to any attempts to get the budget under control. On the other, the G.O.P. opposes anything that might help sustain demand in a depressed economy — even aid to small businesses, which the party claims to love.
Right now, in particular, Republicans are blocking an extension of unemployment benefits — an action that will both cause immense hardship and drain purchasing power from an already sputtering economy. But there’s no point appealing to the better angels of their nature; America just doesn’t work that way anymore.
And opposition for the sake of opposition isn’t limited to economic policy. Politics, they used to tell us, stops at the water’s edge — but that was then.
These days, national security experts are tearing their hair out over the decision of Senate Republicans to block a desperately needed new strategic arms treaty. And everyone knows that these Republicans oppose the treaty, not because of legitimate objections, but simply because it’s an Obama administration initiative; if sabotaging the president endangers the nation, so be it.
How does this end? Mr. Obama is still talking about bipartisan outreach, and maybe if he caves in sufficiently he can avoid a federal shutdown this spring. But any respite would be only temporary; again, the G.O.P. is just not interested in helping a Democrat govern.
My sense is that most Americans still don’t understand this reality. They still imagine that when push comes to shove, our politicians will come together to do what’s necessary. But that was another country.
It’s hard to see how this situation is resolved without a major crisis of some kind. Mr. Simpson may or may not get the blood bath he craves this April, but there will be blood sooner or later. And we can only hope that the nation that emerges from that blood bath is still one we recognize.
Poster Comment:
This is Republican orgasm material. Subscribe to *Tea Party On Parade*
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There’s a legal limit to federal debt, which must be raised periodically if the government keeps running deficits; the limit will be reached again this spring. And since nobody, not even the hawkiest of deficit hawks, thinks the budget can be balanced immediately, the debt limit must be raised to avoid a government shutdown. But Republicans will probably try to blackmail the president into policy concessions by, in effect, holding the government hostage; they’ve done it before.
:)
Shut it down!
It's been operating without a budget since Oct 1st.
No one has missed a welfare check.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Barrack Hussein Obama
President of the United States of America said that some Americans ; "They can come for the ride, but they gotta sit in back."
#2. To: WhiteSands (#1)
No one has missed a welfare check.
I guess you'd know.
#3. To: Skip Intro (#2)
I guess you'd know.
Skip Intro is a proven liar.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Barrack Hussein Obama
President of the United States of America said that some Americans ; "They can come for the ride, but they gotta sit in back."
#4. To: WhiteSands (#3)
Great comeback, Mrs. Badeye.
#5. To: Skip Intro (#2)
Skip Into is also a racist.
”I don't use anybody cracker.”
Skip Intro posted on 2010-10-21 23:04:45 ET
-----------------------------------------------------------
Barrack Hussein Obama
President of the United States of America said that some Americans ; "They can come for the ride, but they gotta sit in back."
#6. To: Skip Intro (#4)
Great comeback, Mrs. Badeye.
Skip Intro also wants to kill those of different philosophies.
To: WhiteSands
WhiteSands wrote :”Skip Intro wants to kill posters here.”
Skip Intro replied: “No, I just want to help.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Barrack Hussein Obama
President of the United States of America said that some Americans ; "They can come for the ride, but they gotta sit in back."
#7. To: Skip Intro (#2)
President Obama appointed him as co-chairman of a special commission on deficit reduction.
Hey, skivvy! What's wrong with the above quote? Do you honestly (for you) feel (the closest you leftist get to thinking) that Democrats are interested in cutting deficit spending?
Well, [war's] got to do something for attention, his multiple personalities aren't speaking to him any more, and his imaginary friends keep finding excuses not to come over. (Murron)
#8. To: Skip Intro, Mertz Mom, Fred Mertz (#4)
Skip Into is a liar, a racist and wants people killed based on their philosophies.
You mirror Fred Mertz's belief system.
That makes you Fred's Mom.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Barrack Hussein Obama
President of the United States of America said that some Americans ; "They can come for the ride, but they gotta sit in back."
#9. To: Skip Intro (#0)
But Republicans will probably try to blackmail the president into policy concessions by, in effect, holding the government hostage; they’ve done it before.
Facinating, and very revealing comment by Krugman.
So...the US House of Representatives does what it is supposed to do by the design of the Founders, and Krugman calls it 'blackmail'?
And he wonders why more and more people find him to be insane.
Obama's first all-by-his-lonesome budget, btw, calls for a $1.17 trillion deficit.
#10. To: Skip Intro (#4)
Its sooo satisfying to see you publicly acknowledge how far into your pea brain I am, skippy.
Hey, why don't you get all your kook friends to hit my corporate website again, so I can check out their ISP's? And then post who they are whenever I feel like it, dumbass?
(laughing)
Obama's first all-by-his-lonesome budget, btw, calls for a $1.17 trillion deficit.
#11. To: WhiteSands (#8)
Do you have anything to say about the article, or is that beyond your mental capacity?
#12. To: Skip Intro (#0)
i saw this last night, further evidence that things will get worse next year.
On January 3, 2011 the GOP assumes responsibility for deficit spending.
#13. To: WhiteSands (#1)
No one has missed a welfare check.
Mrs. Badeye, I had no idea you were on welfare. I guess hubby is going through tough times.
#14. To: Skip Intro (#0)
one more piece of evidence that our nation is in much worse shape, much closer to a political breakdown,
Look at the moron who occupies the WH. That's all the evidence necessary.
#15. To: WhiteSands, Fred Mertz (#1)
No one has missed a welfare check.
Mertz is still able to purchase a bottle of rotgut. He's happy!
#16. To: Fred Mertz (#13)
Mrs. Badeye, I had no idea you were on welfare. I guess hubby is going through tough times.
I think that's why she's pushing for an Israeli style interrogation state here at US airports. It might help resurrect her hubbies dying business.
Funny, you'd think a big CEO like BE would have thought of that.
#17. To: Skip Intro (#16)
She's a loser slut. We'll leave it at that.
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