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Three Rings and an Elephant
Author: BobR    Date: 07/15/2011 13:01:23

It seems we've been writing non-stop on this blog about the ongoing debt negotiations in Washington. I say "debt negotiations" because the debt ceiling and budget deficits (which ultimately contribute to the National Debt) have been inextribably linked, even though they have traditionally been handled separately. As I wrote on Wed., the Republicans decided to bundle them together, and Obama called their ante and raised.

The Republicans are in real trouble. They think and hope that economic failure caused by anything they do will be blamed on President Obama. According to recent polls, however, that is not the case:
Numbers out of Quinnipiac University Thursday morning indicated that 54 percent of Americans say Bush is to blame for exploding the federal deficit and swelling unemployment, whereas just 27 percent believe it is President Obama's fault.
[..]
Fourty-five percent also said they trust the president to help the U.S. economy, versus 38 percent who believe Republicans could do a better job.

The poll also found that voters will largely blame Republicans, rather than Obama, if the debt limit is not raised. A further 67 percent of respondents said any debt deal out of Washington must include tax hikes for the wealthiest Americans.

It's apparent that the Republicans have been listening only to political advisers, each other, and their radical supporters. Unless they start listening to the voices of the people "outside the beltway", they are in serious trouble.

As an example of just how bizarre this has all become, House Speaker John Boehner is coming off as the responsible one, who sees the crash looming on the horizon, and apparently understands that this will hurt them:
Speaker John Boehner signaled Thursday that he’s open to new options to avert a default next month, including a novel Senate plan that would surrender much of Congress’s power over Treasury’s borrowing to the president.

It would be a remarkable shift for House Republicans — something like telling Pickett’s charge to go around Cemetery Ridge and not up it. And Boehner’s remarks may be a ploy as he keeps throwing out options to his rank and file in hopes that they come around to the merits of the $4 trillion grand bargain he attempted with President Barack Obama last week — before being pulled down by the right.

Of course - he's hedging his bets by blaming the failure to reach a deal on "too many people in the room". Good luck with selling American voters on THAT one.

Naturally, as Boehner is getting flak from his right, Obama is getting flak from the left. Proving that some people are too quick to believe whatever bad news they hear about the president (and stick with it despite evidence to the contrary) the Progressive Change Campaign Committee found 200,000 low-information voters to sign a petition pledging not to vote for Obama if he cuts Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security. They are delivering it to his Chicago campaign headquarters today. One has to wonder if they realize that cuts can occur without cuts to benefits or coverage?

So this political circus will continue for the next two weeks. They took the last government shutdown right to the wire, and there doesn't seem to be any difference here.

Pass the popcorn...
 

87 comments (Latest Comment: 07/15/2011 23:35:12 by livingonli)
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Comment by wickedpam on 07/15/2011 13:02:45
Morning

I hate it when I do that!

Comment by TriSec on 07/15/2011 13:02:45
Gah!

I've done that too. Not what I want to deal with first thing in the morning.



(I've fallen into the habit of taking a copy before hitting "preview"....just in case.)



Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 13:14:33
Good Morning So what is the Eric Cantor Dickish threat level today?


Comment by Scoopster on 07/15/2011 13:24:39
Morning all & Happy Fridee!

Comment by TriSec on 07/15/2011 13:27:44
Quote by Raine:
Good Morning So what is the Eric Cantor Dickish threat level today?


It's "Unnaturally Orange Hate-Fuck."




Comment by BobR on 07/15/2011 13:44:37
Republican Threat Levels:

Green with envy: Democrats safely in charge of everything
Life is Blue: Republicans are sad, but not confrontational
Yellow Dog: Yellow Dog Republicans are stamping approval on anything Republicans do - caution advised
Boehner Orange: Serious threat of Washington Gridlock
Red Neck: Texas frat boy in the White House! - Run for the hills!!!

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/15/2011 13:45:36
Quote by TriSec:
Quote by Raine:
Good Morning So what is the Eric Cantor Dickish threat level today?


It's "Unnaturally Orange Hate-Fuck."




No, that is The Bullying Coward John Boehner, Economic Terrorist threat level.

The Eric Cantor Threat Level is Pissy Little Bitch Yellow.

Comment by wickedpam on 07/15/2011 13:47:56
Quote by BobR:
Republican Threat Levels:

Green with envy: Democrats safely in charge of everything
Life is Blue: Republicans are sad, but not confrontational
Yellow Dog: Yellow Dog Republicans are stamping approval on anything Republicans do - caution advised
Boehner Orange: Serious threat of Washington Gridlock
Red Neck: Texas frat boy in the White House! - Run for the hills!!!





Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 13:48:17
Quote by BobR:
Republican Threat Levels:

Green with envy: Democrats safely in charge of everything
Life is Blue: Republicans are sad, but not confrontational
Yellow Dog: Yellow Dog Republicans are stamping approval on anything Republicans do - caution advised
Boehner Orange: Serious threat of Washington Gridlock
Red Neck: Texas frat boy in the White House! - Run for the hills!!!
Brilliant!


Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 13:58:42
I found this story kinda strange and funny and sad this morning....
Boehner: 'Too many people' in the room “The room’s too big. You know, too many people are in there trying to negotiate what is a very difficult — could be and will be a very difficult agreement. And there’s just too many people in there pouring cold water on virtually every idea that gets thrown on the table.”

The negotiations, Boehner said, have left the president “frustrated” and “the rest of us are frustrated, too.”

“I’ve been pushing the president all year to address this in a big way,” he said. “I don’t want to do some half-hearted thing. I don’t want to do some half-baked gimmick. We’ve got a problem. The American people sent us here to solve the problem. So why don’t we do what we’re supposed to do, solve the problem?”


Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 14:02:40
Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 14:11:14
You know, you remember when all the GOP'r wanted to tap our phones in the name of national security? Well -- looks like that bitch came home to bite.
Meanwhile, in the United States, Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.), the chairwoman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee, asked Google and the nation’s major wireless telephone providers to discuss with her cell phone security, her spokesman told the Washington Post.

“We look at this as an opportunity to gain information that will help us as we decide whether or not new regulations are needed for Americans’ personally identifiable information,” spokesman Ken Johnson told the Post. “The bottom line is that we’re trying to balance the need to remain innovative with the need to protect privacy — and that cuts to the heart of the issue.”

Bono Mack is the second Republican, after House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King (R-N.Y.), to publicly ask for an investigation into phone hacking. King on Wednesday asked the Justice Department to look into News Corp.’s actions in the U.S. in light of the scandal. Several Senate Democrats have done the same.
Flucking Rupert Murdoch. What a disgusting POS. The fish is rotting from the head -- he'll shed the body first, mind you but the rot is coming from the damn top.

Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 14:24:03
You know, I don't normally post thing on Chris wall, He's a busy guy. But he posted a link to USA today which sourced from the Star Tribune says that the Marcus Bachmann tape was altered. I just had to respond:
Yes, the tape was altered... It was Doctored! Oh noes!

not for nothing -- I don't believe for a minute it was doctored, but didn't Michelle support a little dude called Jimmy O'Keefe? Oh yes, she did: "“Defunding the left is going to be so easy,” said Bachmann, “and it’s going to solve so many of our problems.” She praised James O’Keefe III and Hannah Giles, the people behind the ACORN sting. “Hannah and James used Saul Alinsky’s ‘Rules for Radicals’ — that’s the community organizer’s bible — against ACORN! Brilliant!”

If it WAS doctored, I will sit back and drink a nice glass of Shadenfreude. The only person so far denying this is Marcus.


Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 14:25:02
Quote by Raine:
You know, I don't normally post thing on Chris wall, He's a busy guy. But he posted a link to USA today which sourced from the Star Tribune says that the Marcus Bachmann tape was altered. I just had to respond:
Yes, the tape was altered... It was Doctored! Oh noes!

not for nothing -- I don't believe for a minute it was doctored, but didn't Michelle support a little dude called Jimmy O'Keefe? Oh yes, she did: "“Defunding the left is going to be so easy,” said Bachmann, “and it’s going to solve so many of our problems.” She praised James O’Keefe III and Hannah Giles, the people behind the ACORN sting. “Hannah and James used Saul Alinsky’s ‘Rules for Radicals’ — that’s the community organizer’s bible — against ACORN! Brilliant!”

If it WAS doctored, I will sit back and drink a nice glass of Shadenfreude. The only person so far denying this is Marcus.
Basically, it appears that Michelle Bachmann has a Jimmy O'keefe problem...


Comment by wickedpam on 07/15/2011 14:29:50
I love that Shelly Winters story

She had some serious Choots-pa

Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 14:30:27
In Case that link doesn't work Here:

Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 14:50:49
The blog has fallen
It is not quite dead just yet
Please jump start das blog.

Comment by TriSec on 07/15/2011 14:51:14
Apropos to nothing....regarding our 'revenue problem'.

How about we stop calling a spade a spade, and start charging countries for our "rent-an-army?"

We should figure out what it costs per soldier per day, and the hourly and daily operational costs of planes, transport, naval vessels, etc.

Then give our clients a choice; pay for us, or buh-bye!

(Aaand those troops that will inevitably come home...they can open up some of the previously-closed bases, maybe start guarding the borders better, and a whole bunch of other things.)

I also thought we should impose a "landing fee" for all imports; you can still import, but if you send it in a ship that wasn't built in the US, then there's some kind of assessment per ton. (might help shipbuilding come back.)

Anyway....idle musings. Don't get me started on tariffs and other 'protectionist' trade practices. Long ago, that worked...we had manufacturing and other industries here, didn't we?


Comment by wickedpam on 07/15/2011 14:51:26
I think my joke stunned it

Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 14:55:23
Quote by wickedpam:
I think my joke stunned it

I thought it cHute

Comment by wickedpam on 07/15/2011 14:58:12
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
I think my joke stunned it

I thought it cHute





Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 14:58:31
POTUS coming up. You can watch here or here.

Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 15:01:56
DEFENSE SPENDING! YES!

Comment by TriSec on 07/15/2011 15:01:56
Quote by Raine:
POTUS coming up. You can watch here or here.


My fellow Americans, the Republicans Suck. When you all stop getting your Social Security or Unemployment checks, or when your doctors don't get their payments, and when we can no longer afford to pay our troops or care for our veterans, please call (202) 225-6205 and they'll be happy to listen to your complaints. Thank You.





Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 15:03:52
One damn thing is for sure -- Cantor tried to call his bluff, and said he would take this to the American people -- he sure as hell is.



Comment by TriSec on 07/15/2011 15:09:12
IN BLOG, July 15 2011

WHEREAS all candidates for the Office of President must be citizens of the United States, no candidate for said office shall be from the same state as the 5 previous presidents.

No candidate for Vice President shall be from a bordering state or the same state as the Presidential candidate.

No relative of any living former President shall be eligible to run for the office of President or Vice President until said relative becomes deceased.

This Amendment will become law upon the approval of the TriSec.





Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 15:09:38
What we are not willing to do is restructure the program.


Social Safety nets---



Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 15:10:53
Quote by TriSec:
IN BLOG, July 15 2011

WHEREAS all candidates for the Office of President must be citizens of the United States, no candidate for said office shall be from the same state as the 5 previous presidents.

No candidate for Vice President shall be from a bordering state or the same state as the Presidential candidate.

No relative of any living former President shall be eligible to run for the office of President or Vice President until said relative becomes deceased.

This Amendment will become law upon the approval of the TriSec.




Well, then Michelle Bachman is qualified, it seems.

Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 15:12:07
I think he just suggested raising the Social Security Cap. Did I hear that correctly?

Comment by TriSec on 07/15/2011 15:18:04
Quote by Raine:

Well, then Michelle Bachman is qualified, it seems.


It was targeted against Rick Perry, actually.




Comment by wickedpam on 07/15/2011 15:19:05
had to step away - what did I miss?

Comment by TriSec on 07/15/2011 15:20:46
And Texas politicians in general...

Look, I know this Commonwealth has fielded many presidential candidates, and I bet people outside the Northeast feel the same way about New Englanders...but the arrogance of Texas really just rubs me the wrong way.

No, I don't think you know what's best for the United States, and no, you don't really represent my interests. Sorry.



Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 15:25:22
I wish I wrote this. : Read the Whole thing, Trust me.
The point is, I actually like Keith Olbermann well enough, although I think he’s far less analytical than, say, Rachel Maddow, and he’s not as consistently “on” as, say, Jon Stewart. But that’s okay; nobody’s perfect. What I don’t like is the Cult of Keith Olbermann. Or the Cult of Rachel Maddow. Or the Cult of Jon Stewart.

In fact, I don’t like the Cult of Any Liberal Television Pundit.

The point of my Tweet – that some of us are frustrated with pundits generally – is that they, or, perhaps more accurately, their adoring fans, seem to think that liberal pundits cannot be questioned under any circumstances. We saw this once before with Mr. Olbermann, when he allowed Michael Moore (another person I more or less like) to completely misrepresent the assault accusations against Julian Assange (accusations that, whether true or not, are, in fact, quite serious), all the while nodding in agreement. Olbermann and Moore were wrong, but their ardent supporters (with apologies to Jane Hamsher) simply couldn’t acknowledge that mistake.




Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 15:33:52
I think it is pretty huge that POTUS has basically said that people making more than a million dollars a year should pay more for Medicare --



Comment by wickedpam on 07/15/2011 15:35:14
did he just basically tell Cantor to watch his back?

Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 15:36:07
Quote by wickedpam:
had to step away - what did I miss?

It's hard to explain, but this is really good stuff. Except for Chuck Todd, who once again proved what a little doucheweasel he is. POTUS Actually got pissed at him for not letting him finish.

Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 15:36:28
Quote by wickedpam:
did he just basically tell Cantor to watch his back?
Oh yes he did! *SNAP*


Comment by wickedpam on 07/15/2011 15:38:15
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
had to step away - what did I miss?

It's hard to explain, but this is really good stuff. Except for Chuck Todd, who once again proved what a little doucheweasel he is. POTUS Actually got pissed at him for not letting him finish.



That's were I came back into my office. It is good to hear some of this stuff. Seems to me he's holding up Orangina and cutting down the Adams Apple in a polite manner- interesting

Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 15:39:04
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
had to step away - what did I miss?

It's hard to explain, but this is really good stuff. Except for Chuck Todd, who once again proved what a little doucheweasel he is. POTUS Actually got pissed at him for not letting him finish.



That's were I came back into my office. It is good to hear some of this stuff. Seems to me he's holding up Orangina and cutting down the Adams Apple in a polite manner- interesting
perfect!


Comment by wickedpam on 07/15/2011 15:40:23
hmmm, think I need to pick up some fruit at the Teeter this weekend

Comment by wickedpam on 07/15/2011 15:45:02
listening to the CSPAN callers is driving me up a wall - changing

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/15/2011 15:47:23
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
had to step away - what did I miss?

It's hard to explain, but this is really good stuff. Except for Chuck Todd, who once again proved what a little doucheweasel he is. POTUS Actually got pissed at him for not letting him finish.


Doucheweasel? :staggers to underused fainting couch :guffaw:

Comment by wickedpam on 07/15/2011 15:52:19
wow, John just tarnished the name of Veruca Salt

Comment by TriSec on 07/15/2011 15:53:43
Say now, looky who has to deal with an oil spill?


A huge oil spill off the Chinese coast has now contaminated an area around six times the size of Singapore, state media reported Friday, as the government said it may seek compensation for the leak.

The spill from the oil field, which the United States' ConocoPhillips operates with China's state-run oil giant CNOOC, has polluted a total area of almost 4,250 square kilometres (1,650 square miles), government figures showed.

The figures, which were announced on the State Oceanic Administration website earlier this week but only reported on Friday, were almost five times the size of the 840-square-kilometre area previously reported.

The administration says that area remains worst affected by the spill, but that another 3,400 square kilometres have also been contaminated to a lesser degree by the oil.

The spill was kept secret by the authorities for several weeks before being made public this month, sparking suspicions of an official cover-up, and the disaster has triggered a furious public response in China.

State media said the government was considering seeking compensation from ConocoPhillips over the spill.

"We have made an initial plan to claim compensation from ConocoPhillips China," the business daily 21st Century Business Herald quoted an unnamed official from the State Oceanic Administration as saying.

"But whether and how it will be implemented still depends on the status of plugging the leak."

CNOOC said last week the spill was "basically under control" while ConocoPhillips told reporters the leaks had been plugged.

But on Wednesday the oceanic administration said oil was still leaking into the ocean and ordered ConocoPhillips to stop operations at several rigs in the polluted area until the source of the spill was fully plugged.

"There has been oil seeping continuously into the sea for days from platforms B and C in the Penglai 19-3 oilfield and there is still a slick in the surrounding marine areas," it said in a statement.

"Another spill could happen at any time, which has posed a huge threat to the oceanic ecological environment."


Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 15:59:58
Quote by Mondobubba:
Doucheweasel? :staggers to underused fainting couch :guffaw:
Why Thank you sir...


Comment by Raine on 07/15/2011 16:28:37
oh... I know Thom didn't mean to be disrespectful, but I think it is rather unfair to link Cantor to Virginia by describing Virginia as *the Old Slave State*

Was I the only one who heard that?

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/15/2011 16:29:09
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Doucheweasel? :staggers to underused fainting couch :guffaw:
Why Thank you sir...



Now I have this vision of a round bodied burrowing critter with bristly goatee-like chin hair, wee beady close set eyes and long slender nose (Think Chuck Todd with a douche nozzle for a nose).

Comment by wickedpam on 07/15/2011 16:30:37
Quote by Raine:
oh... I know Thom didn't mean to be disrespectful, but I think it is rather unfair to link Cantor to Virginia by describing Virginia as *the Old Slave State*

Was I the only one who heard that?



I heard it too, didn't really care for that

Comment by livingonli on 07/15/2011 16:31:01
Good day folks. It must suck when what you write falls into the ether. Good thing I don't write much besides comments and snark. I don't anyone saw my comment about me hearing Glenn Beck's Goldline commercial when listening to MSNBC on my XM machine.