Listen to the rethoric people, the dems are now calling these

[nadinbrzezinski]

guys "a small group of extremists," "a small group of absolutists." (Kerry on MSNBC just moments ago)

There is a switch... and while it makes my heart sing that they are FINALLY saying it... it is not good. It marks an escalation in the war of words that precedes an actual war.

I have noticed something else, people (aka reporters) are now talking of how radical this place has become, and a historian this morning called this the most dysfunctional Congress since the Civil War. I happen to agree.

This is one of those moments where the history of a nation hang in the balance. We have been brought to a point that is not nice. I was reminded yesterday by my BIL that the cat inside the box really cannot see what is going on. A very well educated cat, or one that is not fully inside that box can see it. Perhaps that is why these patters were so obvious, but not at the same time. Regardless, we are indeed at a very dangerous time.

[DJ13]

1. one of those moments where the history of a nation hang in the balance.

When you threaten suicide theres only two actions left.

Either you jump, or you back away from the ledge.

The tea baggers have a choice, lets see how stupid they are.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. There is a third option

an intervention...

In this case we might be too late for them 911 people to come in and have the guy pull away from the ledge, or put the gun down... to take your analogy further.

[saras]

31. There is a fourth option - push the bastards off the ledge.

They've got no right to be taking up space on our ledge. If we can put spikes on our park benches so that the homeless can't lie down, we can certainly put barriers on our ledges to keep teabaggers from squatting up there.

:sarcasm: in case it was necessary

[Lone_Star_Dem]

4. Oh, they're jumping.

There's no doubt about that in my mind. The real questions are, will they drag the Republican Party with them, and will they destroy the US along with themselves?

[damntexdem]

42. If enough splintering-off House Repukes would vote with the Dems on a clean debt ceiling increase.

Of course, they would need to coerce Boehner to schedule the vote -- but he's likely very subject to arm twisting just about now.

And if he wants, he could cry all the way to the vote. ;-)

Of course, it's likely that there are not enough House Repukes left who would dare to take such a stand.

[gratuitous]

3. Failing to call out the madness hasn't ameliorated it

We may indeed have tripped over into a darker place, but calling a spade a spade is better than the former pretense that this is some reasonable debate between reasonable people over reasonable points of view. It isn't. If you're going out on a date, and you say, "I'm thinking Italian," and your date says he'd prefer to dine on hub caps and barbed wire, you're not in a reasonable discussion.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. I know that, but we have crossed into a much darker place

and the government has effectively ceased to function. I know this is a Tea Bagger dream... but when you cross into this point... things happen that are out of control in some ways... rubicon comes to mind.

[gratuitous]

8. My hope is that it bucks up some of the nervous nellies

As irritating as the Tea Baggers are, and will continue to be, I'm still hucka pissed at otherwise decent public officials who should know better but who nevertheless pretend they're locked in a room with a reasonable colleague instead of a rabid badger.

[thecrow]

22. Yes... I'm sick of calling them "our friends" unless

it's "our friends from another planet". Even then the "friends" is pushing it too far.
They are not our friends. And I agree, the US has slipped into the dark place.
Call them what they are: self-centered ideologues, out to wreck our democracy.
This is what people in other countries start wars over! Here? :crickets:

[damntexdem]

43. We should call them "our fiends."

[snappyturtle]

18. ...."effectively ceased to function" except that a house committee

has taken this chaotic time and used it as a door to invade our private lives via the internet. How long 'til they do the same to phones?....(I know, they have and probably still are). Seems to me great notice was taken of the recent revolutions means of communication. That scares me.

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. Alas the bill has to come to the floor to be voted on

and this is the point about functional... it is not.

[snappyturtle]

36. Depends which side you're on. It's plenty functional for 'them'. imho nt

[femrap]

48. I'm currently reading

'The Black Swan' and it has given me an entirely new view of the world. I believe we are very close to a Black Swan event.

I was over at Zero Hedge and read the article about the BIG MEETING yesterday among the Primary Dealers of Treasuries:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/complete-summary-feds-meeting-primary-dealers-way-primary-dealer

Read the next to last paragraph.

Last week, I got my family out of ALL Money Market Accts. They have not fluctuated in the past, but there is no guarantee they won't in the future. Plus, they're paying such a low rate, why not just be in a cash position?

If there is a liquidity crisis, money markets could be a bad place to be.

Maybe the USA will be divided into smaller countries....I really wouldn't mind. This, of course, won't happen for quite a while. I'm still hoping Mother Nature forces the next move instead of greedy men.

And would someone explain to me WHY Obama recently signed an Executive Order establishing 'The White House Rural Council?'

[blkmusclmachine]

6. Leadership is M.I.A.

n/t

[defendandprotect]

21. Not the first time Conyers has jumped leadeship -- as well he should -- !!!

[LiberalLoner]

7. K&R n/t

[madrchsod]

9. my parents had fdr......

this moment in time will define obama presidency and our country`s future..

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Yep, this is one of those moments

The debate actually is about destroying the new deal, to be brutally honest. And the really loud and SMALL MINORITY is winning. I wish DC got it... and at times I wonder if the DEMOCRATIC leadership agrees with that small minority.

[madrchsod]

33. yes..it`s about what is left of the new deal.

once that is gone....well, we know the answer

[nadinbrzezinski]

35. Something else, not what they expect

will emerge out of this mess... I suspect. But getting from here to there... is painful.

I really do not want to be around for the next round of this insanity.

[Angry Dragon]

14. I do not know if he is up to the challenge

[Fozzledick]

11. For what it's worth, they're what used to be called "the lunatic fringe"

back when the John Birch Society was the primary front for the Kochs.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. And back then the lunatic fringe was sent to the kid's table

where they belong.

[defendandprotect]

25. The will of the people is being suppressed -- this is a liberal nation ....

and EVERY action by the corporate/fascists proves that to be true --

From their need to control all media -- to their need to infiltrate the

Dem Party secretly --

From their fake movements bought with elite money --

to their continuing efforts to suppress the vote and steal elections in

every way possible --

Kinda nice to see that computers aren't a guaranteed steal --

their troops have to be busy making sure poll stations are closed --

people are misdirected -- registered voters knocked off the rolls --

Picture ID's demanded and made difficult to obtain -- on and on --


It only happens, folks, because this is a liberal nation -- now under the

thumb of corporate fascists who found enough dishonest men willing to sell

our government to them!!



:nuke:

[cableman24]

12. should have been saying it earlier.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Welcome to DU

:hi:

[Ship of Fools]

16. If the bullets don't start flying soon,

my guess they will November 2012. Anyone want to place bets that Walker in Wisconsin posts National Guards at the polling stations?

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. The bullets may have already started flying

at least the early skirmishes. We have had a few terrorist attacks in the US from the FAR RIGHT. A modern civil war usually looks like that, not formal armies. At least... not in the beginning.

And in another parallel from hell, Bloody Kansas is again bloody, if not as bloody, but it is bloody.

[Ship of Fools]

23. True, that ... I've been here in KS from NY for 25 years. I must be brainwashed.

[nadinbrzezinski]

26. Not that it is a very small group of people

but the pro life contingent has killed and the murder of doctor tiller was a TERRORIST attack.

[Ship of Fools]

28. Believe you me, I was all over that one. A truly horrific and sad day for me.

That doc was a hero, with more compassion for women than ANY one of the Westboro clan, Phil Kline, etc. I'm not a death penalty advocate, but I would have happily flipped the switch on Scott Schroder any day of the week.

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. And that is where the parallel comes

sadly...

[Ship of Fools]

49. Sadly parallel, yes -- BUT!

Most of these attacks have been committed by rogue loners, no? The a*hole flying his plane into the IRS building; Scott Schroder; Jared Loughner; I'm still holding out hope ... I'll begin stockpiling canned goods when militias/bands of marauders start working the boulevards.

Do you think we could turn back the clock and SHOUT DOWN Sarah Palin during her acceptance speech? Just a daydream I've been working on ...

[defendandprotect]

19. It's taken too damned long -- we need to overturn this entire Congress ....

and find out if there's anything left of the Dem Party worth saving after

Koch Bros DLC infiltrated and influenced the party over 20 years --

who are these elected officials ... people we can rely on or corporate robots?

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[defendandprotect]

27. It is "dysfunctional" because Congress is under control of OIL and COAL industries -- !!!

Anyone who hasn't read what Al Gore had to say about all of this in Rolling Stone

should read his article -- 1 page on Global Warming - 6 pages on our dysfunctional

government!

[Raksha]

30. K & R

[csziggy]

32. What gets me is how the other Republicans dance around the Tea Party issue

While I have referred to my representative, Steve Southerland, as a Tea Partier, I wasn't really sure if he was. So today I called his office and asked if he was aligned with the Tea Party. His staffer hemmed and hawed and said "Oh he tries to vote with them." She was being cautious since she had no idea of how I felt. My response was, "Ph that's too bad" and I could hear her sigh in relief - she thought she had answered correctly.

Then I said, "That's too bad, since I think those Tea Party extremists are destroying our country, holding them hostage to a set of unrealistic requirements." And I went on about how they will cost the country more by not raising the debt ceiling than any other thing they can do.

I doubt my opinion will make any difference, but I have called more times in the last week to my elected officials than I have in the last five years. I hope their staffers are getting hammered with calls and I hope more of them are from anti Tea Party types than pro!

[nadinbrzezinski]

34. Yep and this is escalating in the MSM, or at least MSNBC

The dysfunction is due to the tea party... just now.

By the way, well done. SOme of the coffee shop regulars were going on today as to how the GOP will destroy the country. They are not making any distinctions and I am none to correct them.

[Liberalynn]

37. There is a line in a Shania Twain song

that says "I'd rather die standing then down on my knees begging please."

We need to keep standing up to these people and not be afraid. We've been afraid for too long. The only way to deal with a bunch of bullies is to push back.

[Proles]

38. A small group of extremists? As far as I'm concerned

they should label most of the republican party extremist.

[TheKentuckian]

40. I see no difference. Should some factions wish to separate they can do it by deeds.

[Jack Sprat]

39. They are extremists and lunatics.

They are so self-absorbed that they believe they are absolutely right and the majority of Americans are wrong. So their vanity compels them to want to do away with democracy and force their ideology on everyone else, be it by election fraud, financial terrorism, or by violent revolution. I've never witnessed such people during my time on earth.

[damntexdem]

41. I'm waiting for the Dems to refer to the House absolutists as terrorists.

It would be wonderful if they would start framing this as a hostage situation and employ the "don't negotiate with terrorists" mantra.

[nadinbrzezinski]

45. The language is moving that way

[The Wizard]

44. Radical reckless

Republicans. Alliteration works.

[politicasista]

46. Maybe the Senator is reacting to the constant disrespect of the President

on a daily basis? :shrug: Which has been extreme, more than his predecessors. It would be nice to "finally" see more Dems get behind him and let more people know about the racist, sexist, xenophobic elements of the Tea Party. They care nothing about the government, this is about holding on to whatever power they have left from "evil" Obama. He needs their and our help.

Guess is dang if you do, dang if you don't. Oh, wait! Better late than never or too late Senator. :sarcasm:

[tomp]

47. war, indeed.

the rich vs everyone else, which puts dems and repubs on one side. guess which side?