Reply #19: I thought it was a good speech. Just don't know what more being reasonable will accomplish.

[kenny blankenship]

He positioned himself as a very reasonable negotiator, not demanding to have things all his own way (the Jefferson quote), not demonizing ALL his opponents (praise for Orange Boner), but providing evidence of the unreasonableness of the Republican House freshman class without snarling, "they're scumbags who want your Grandma to freeze to death in her bed, amid piles of catfood tins". Maybe that's all he thought this speech could accomplish - positioning himself as the reasonable party. Perhaps the default is inevitable and the only contest left at this point is for who will look least responsible for causing it.

He could have been a little more forceful in laying the blame for the deficit at the feet of the Republicans - not just G. W. Bush. And then come back to that point at the end. It is good to come out swinging - but don't forget to curbstomp at the end. This is a dogfight, not a debating society meeting. Also, he really soft pedaled the economic consequences of default. ("Maybe foreign investors will think America isn't such a good bet anymore") But he did make the point that the Republican hostage takers were trying to set up frequent occasions for taking the country hostage again.

(That shouldn't be construed as an endorsement of his "balanced approach" bullshit.)