How do we even talk about the insanity infecting the repubs in Congress? [View all]
You can't really discuss these guys in rational terms because what they're doing isn't grounded in anything remotely sane
Gail Collins, in a Sept 27th opinion piece summed it up pretty well:
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And their members found that list too restrictive. Behind-the-scenes discussion continued about more things the Republicans could demand. A ban on late-term abortions? A trillion-dollar budget cut? Bring back the gold standard? Bring back the bustle? Its 2013 and anything is possible.
So, what do you think is wrong with these people? Thanks to gerrymandered Congressional districts and the Tea Party, we do seem to have a surprising number of elected officials who actually dont believe that raising the debt limit so the government can pay its bills is a good plan. (All that does is just say: Well, youve got a little bit more credit keep spending, Representative Walter Jones of North Carolina once told a radio interviewer.)
But theres got to be more to it than that. Lets try to think of three other reasons the United States Congress continues to behave as if its playing the Jack Nicholson part in The Shining. Ill go first.
1. The Republicans are desperately, obsessively demonizing Obamacare to cover up the fact that they dont want to do anything to Medicare or Social Security. Those used to be the partys obsession remember privatizing Social Security? But that was before they noticed that the entire Republican base is on Social Security.
Ranting about Obamacare, which one New Hampshire politician recently compared to the Fugitive Slave Act, is an excellent way to give the impression that youre fighting to reduce entitlements without having to do anything about the actual entitlements.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/28/opinion/collins-congress-cracks-up.html?_r=0
And how is it that the small tea party effects such a powerful influence within Congress?
It's all so fucking crazy bad.