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Ted Cruz

7 (6.5%)

Rick Santorum

16 (14.8%)

Michelle Bachmann

13 (12%)

Chris Christie

23 (21.3%)

Rand Paul

49 (45.4%)

Total Members Voted: 107

[FearfulJesuit]

Because I'm on an Atlantic binge: why the Tea Party's claim to be the ideological speaker of the majority of Americans is going to cost the GOP, big time. But facts don't real, only ideological purity.

Meanwhile, just how fucked are we if we push the debt limit? Very much so, as it turns out. We're just not sure how much. Hold onto your seats...and, if you're lucky, your jobs.

But surely, because the House GOP leadership is going to come around at the last minute, we're safe, right? Nope. A few rogue bucks in the GOP caucus could ruin everyone's day.

I'm sort of wondering if it's America's turn to go through what Argentina went through a century ago: the most prosperous, booming nation on earth...crashes its economy and spends the next century in a stagnant period of political and economic instability. The problem, of course, was that Argentina, while rich, was not the driver of the world economy in 1900.

[Darvi]

I am now imagining the republican party as some cartoonish supervillain, tying the economy to railroad tracks.

If I had any notable artistic talent, I think I would make a good political satyrist, no?

[Helgoland]

If I had any notable artistic talent, I think I would make a good political satyrist, no?

Are you good at bedding female politicians?

[Darvi]

God fucking dammit.

[FearfulJesuit]

Another update on the madness that is the GOP caucus: The GOP's debt limit bill, stocked with all sorts of goodies like delaying Obamacare and getting rid of greenhouse gas regulations, may not pass... because it doesn't cut entitlements enough.

Goddammit, Reagan. GODDAMMIT, NIXON.

And over at the Salon: the GOP cannot rebrand itself in the near future. It is too far gone.

[RedKing]

So....here we are, greatest nation in the world (YMMV), sitting about six and a half hours from our government shutting down because a minority of the minority party has somehow figured out that if they just hold their breath and turn blue while throwing a tantrum, nobody can do a goddamn thing about it.

You know, when a group of radicals threatened to bring down the US government unless their demands were met by a deadline.....we used to call those terrorists.   

[Sheb]

I liked this blog post on the Economist's website about it.

Why doesn't Obama threaten a default if he doesn't get what he wants?

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Well, the Tea Party got to it first, so it would be a fairly weak seeming move. Plus, it would make the Democrats and Obama himself seem more at fault for this whole thing, and the last thing we need is more "God-fearing, fiscally responsible Republicans" getting elected.

Anyways, time to play chicken with the fate of the world! The rest of you better wish Barry and the Democrats luck, because if the Republicans don't give in you can say goodbye to the global economy.

[Mephansteras]

You know, when a group of radicals threatened to bring down the US government unless their demands were met by a deadline.....we used to call those terrorists.   

Seriously. Can we point the War on Terror at these guys? Please??

[misko27]

It  is 6:49 PM DC time at the time of writing, and the shutdown seems inevitable. The House's latest scheme involved merely delaying the Individual Mandate (which precludes support from democrats and damns it to die in the Senate), and revoking Health Insurance for Legislators and their aides. The latter half is to make it seem that Democrats are shutting the Government down over their own Healthcare, and that is the most neutral way I have of putting it. The Bill faces enough of a threat from House Republican Rank-and-file that even this "concession" is seriously imperiled: Merely delaying the main section of the law is not enough for many On the Conservative wing (Michele Bachmann was mentioned), and cutting Legislator benefits troubles many Republicans, since that health care is more for their numerous unpaid and lowly-paid aides, who face drastic hikes in healthcare costs.


Now speaking for myself, I heard a statistic that the government shutdown (which would furlough hundreds of thousands of Federal workers, force others to work without pay, cut all civilian contractors, close parks, end payments to the states, prevent applying for new benefits, and cut anything not deemed "essential". Ironically, it would not stop the "soft-release" of Obamacare's exchanges, which open tomorrow) would cut the predicted growth for the year by .4% if it happens for 4 days, 2% if for two months, and anything above that would sink the US into recession. Current GDP Growth predictions are maybe 2.1% for this year.

I also read a interesting argument saying the debt ceiling would force Obama to break one of the clauses of the constitution, that is, the three to "borrow what Congress has authorized, Spend what congress has authorized, and tax what congress has authorized". The three of these would come into conflict, and Obama may manage to save the US Economy through a illegal maneuver (the other three options are massive tax raises, indiscriminate spending cuts, or a partial or full default on US debt. Or a combination of the Above).


You know, it's time's like these that Dictators are born. The choice between a leader willing to actually do things, hell even the basics versus a Congress or Parliament as dysfunctional as this is awfully, persuasive.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

You know, when a group of radicals threatened to bring down the US government unless their demands were met by a deadline.....we used to call those terrorists.   

Seriously. Can we point the War on Terror at these guys? Please??

Funny you would mention that.

[FearfulJesuit]

I would not be entirely displeased if the entirety of the House GOP caucus suddenly disappeared, whether by a freak black hole or...other means, between now and midnight. (Hopefully outside loons, rather than jackbooted government thugs, would be behind such a disappearence...)

[Descan]

Really, all you can hope for is he suspends congress, forces a re-election for all of the critters, and forces re-districting of all the HoR and Senate districts to be non-gerrymander'd via algorithm.

>_>

Edit: Are Senate seats gerrymander'd? If not, that might not be required...

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Really, all you can hope for is he suspends congress, forces a re-election for all of the critters, and forces re-districting of all the HoR and Senate districts to be non-gerrymander'd via algorithm.

Are you out of your mind? That's how dictators start, not even mentioning it being completely illegal.

Edit: Are Senate seats gerrymander'd? If not, that might not be required...

Everything is more or less gerrymandered. It's all a game of not getting called out on it.

[Mephansteras]

You know, when a group of radicals threatened to bring down the US government unless their demands were met by a deadline.....we used to call those terrorists.   

Seriously. Can we point the War on Terror at these guys? Please??

Funny you would mention that.

*sigh*