It’s nice of Denny Hastert to shoot out both of John Boehner’s knees. Without the Hastert Rule, there are already well in excess of the seventeen Republican votes that are needed to pass a clean continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government and end the shutdown.
Meanwhile, Republican governors are giving John Boehner no cover whatsoever. And Grover Norquist says that Ted Cruz “pushed House Republicans into traffic and wandered away.”
Meanwhile, Boehner is trying to talk up a revival of The Grand Bargain, but without prepping his side to accept revenue as part of the deal. The president has been rejecting that offer for three years now. Talk about desperation!
I don’t know if “(i)t’s nice of Denny Hastert to shoot out both of John Boehner’s knees” is quite accurate. Let’s look at Eleanor Clift’s column more closely:
“This wasn’t a rule. I was speaking philosophically at the time…The Hastert Rule is kind of a misnomer.”
“John doesn’t talk to me,” he said. “John has his own circles, and he doesn’t reach out. That’s his nature.”
“The real Hastert Rule is 218….If we had to work with Democrats, we did….”
“I wasn’t a show horse; I wasn’t on TV programs. I was up there at 7:30 in the morning, and I didn’t leave until 10:30 at night. I was in my office bringing people to the table.”
“Hastert said he has fond memories of dealing with the Clinton administration. “We dealt with Jack Lew all the time….””
“I don’t want to overmanage John Boehner. I’m not in his shoes. But when we had things that were tough to do, I was constantly engaged–sitting at the table, bringing in conservatives, moderates. You can’t be in Congress and shut down government and get anything done. It’s an oxymoron.”
Adding it all up, it’s more like Hastert smashing Boehner’s fingers, knocking out some of his teeth, breaking some ribs by pummeling his torso…and then shooting out both his knees.
But “Hastert said he doesn’t like to engage in Monday-morning quarterbacking….” Which, apparently, is why he waited until Wednesday to talk with Clift.
It’s still Sunday.
Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha.
Remember the Alamo, boys!
Nobody survived.
Their flailing and inability to stop hitting themselves in the face with hammers is amusing. But their stupid pride and thoughtless ideologies also make them extremely dangerous.
And yeah, that shovel-clubbing Hastert gave Boehner is quite astonishing. He helped make a shit sandwich, the shit sandwich has spoiled and the voters won’t eat it anymore, and Denny says “Shit sandwich? No, I made a roast beef sandwich with all the trimmings. Everyone is misremembering. Never mind all the things we said and wrote at the time about how proud we were to manufacture shit sandwiches for the American people. They were roast beef, really.”
The sum total of Hastert’s comments is simply brutal. They give some perspective on just how absolutely nutty his party has become.
When you’ve lost Denny Hastert and Grover “Baby-Drowner” Norquist …
Of course Norquist is totally full of shit, since he did exactly the same thing with his Tax Pledge.
I can envision Boner face down at his favorite bar mumbling “Grand Bargain, that’s where I had him, Grand Bargain….” (passes out)
But the vast majority of Repubs planned and approved this absolute paralysis strategy. They must think they will obtain some benefit from it ultimately. They must think they will be able to extract a major concession that they could not obtain through the legislative process.
If they did not plan what their messaging would be during the barrage of criticism they would receive during the shutdown stage, that would be incredible. But there is no real sign of impending retreat or revolt. They have adopted a strategy of coercing fiscal concessions via must have votes, such as the CR and the debt ceiling.
They are going to stick to their strategy come hell or high water. They will double down with the debt ceiling. It is amazing that the financial markets have ignored all this (so far).
The question is how much pain and damage is the Dem party willing to watch before they say “we have to give them something!!” And when they do, the Repubs will have won (again), and added a new weapon to the quiver of minority parties, a weapon that probably only they will ever use.
I think the administration’s idea is that they need complete capitulation. Anything less will destroy the president’s second term.
Maybe this is a minor distinction, but up until now I’ve regarded Boner’s continuing capitulation to the Tea Party as merely strategic. Strategic in the sense of saving his own sorry ass. But the way things are going, I’m beginning to wonder. I think he may simply be caught like a deer in the headlights at this point. He’s totally lost control.
It’s hard to distinguish between a strategy of letting this all play out and then acting at the last minute, and a “strategy” of doing nothing because you’re clinging, terrified, to a floating spar amidst the shipwreck of your party and just hoping someone will throw you a lifeline.
Up until now it’s been clear that he just follows what the TP backbenchers want. We also know that he has the votes to end this thing in a heartbeat.
Surely Boner must know that this is going nowhere. He’s not a crazy idealist like a lot of those jerks in his caucus, and members with a modicum of sense are telling him it’s not going anywhere.
So what’s Boner’s problem? Abject cowardice and self-centeredness. And that means, ironically, that not only are the Tea Party running him, but so are Obama/Reid/Pelosi giving both the TP AND Boner all the rope they need to hang themselves. With each passing minute the GOP gets weaker and looks both stupider and nastier to most Americans.
And for the first time in memory, major media are saying in large numbers not that this is the fault of “both sides”, but that it’s the fault of the Republicans.
http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/10/major_national_newspapers_plac.html
And to top it all, Boner is now Obama’s piñata — which he so richly deserves to be.
Schadenfreude, the most beautiful word in the English language.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/03/obama-shutdown-boehner_n_4037369.html
“But the vast majority of Repubs planned and approved this absolute paralysis strategy.”
Well sure they did. But they really didn’t think it would turn ut this way. After all, didn’t that Canadian freshman senator of the minority party tell them he would force the senate to pass their bill? Andthen he didn’t do it, imagine that!
That’s why they have no messaging. Who needs messaging when God is on your side? (Snark, with apologies to God.)
Notice the jab about not having had “to work with Barack Obama,” though. What’s that, Denny? If only THAT guy would be more good ole boy like Clinton was (insert funny Bill impression here…ha ha ha), THEN compromise could happen?
Because Barack Obama doesn’t compromise. Right….
Great that he takes out Boehner’s knees, but I’m still mighty close to pulling out the race card on ole Denny Hastert.
Well, Denny had to say something to keep his Repub creds as he savaged the Drunken Boner.
Also note the revisionism: Hastert’s turds loved workin’ with Slick Willy, that’s why they had to impeach him!
One thing about the Hastert rule, it probably makes more sense when your party also controls the Senate and the White House.
Otherwise I’m just trying to decide where Boehner ranks among the most craven and pathetic people in US history. Top 10? Top 5?
I’m pretty worried. Boehner is totally in thrall to the tea party and basically refuses to do anything without their permission. Which we can imagine won’t ever be forthcoming.
Right now I think there is a greater than 50% chance we default. Of course I fully support the total refusal to negotiate with terrorists. And if they shoot the hostage, so be it. But I think there is a good chance they will shoot the hostage, because nobody’s going tell them what to do. We sort of have mutually reinforcing mass delusions going on. The republicans are suffering from a mass delusion that Obama will cave. Mainstream media and the markets are suffering from a delusion that republicans wouldn’t possibly force a default. If Boehner is taking orders from the tea party, those people are ready and able to force a default. If the so called “moderates” in the GOP don’t like it, they need to grow a spine and do something about it.
I think the chances of defaulting on our debt is zero percent.
That’s why the administration is laughing in Boehner’s face.
OK, why are you so confident?
BooMan can speak for himself. My guess is that President Obama will make a televised address to the nation explaining the Congress has passed contradictory laws (1-spending authorizations, 2-debt ceiling limit).
As president, he’s taken an oath that the “laws be faithfully executed”. Since failure to pay legally-incurred debts and obligations would harm the “full faith and credit” of the US government, as well as cause economic harm around the country and the world, he is directing Treasury Secretary Lew to ignore the debt ceiling and pay all legal obligations of the US government.
If congressional Republicans don’t like it, they can take it to the Supreme Court.
I suspect that’s not what Booman is saying. I think he saying he knows they will cave.
Then that concerns me because ignoring the debt limit seems to be the only option. I’ve already seen a ton of effort expending to push merging shutdown with debt limit.
Goldman Sachs et al don’t want the US to default. That would crater their T-bond holdings. They do like the threat of default because they want others to panic and sell their stocks and bonds (to GS etc) cheap. Then when the crisis is resolved without default, the markets rebound and Wall Street investment bankers make more hundreds of billions.
Unless you really think the USA is going belly up, take every cent you can scape up and buy a US small cap ETF. It may take a few years, but you will make a bundle. I think it’s a matter of weeks. Throughout this thing, the TSP (government 401K) S-fund (small cap) has been rising.
See breaking news from Boehner’s office from NYT:
“With a budget deal still elusive and a deadline approaching on raising the debt ceiling, Speaker John A. Boehner has told colleagues that he is determined to prevent a federal default and is willing to pass a measure through a combination of Republican and Democratic votes, according one House Republican.”
Later, “Other Republicans also said Thursday that they got the sense that Mr. Boehner would do whatever was necessary to ensure that the country did not default on its debt.”
Interesting, but I doubt anything Boner says at this point is credible to any faction or side.
Apparently Boner says he will buck the oh-so-very-small group of Tea-extremists on the debt ceiling, but (obviously) not on whether the US gub’mint’s doors are kept open.
Well if a “clean” debt ceiling vote comes to pass it will give everyone a chance to see just how “small” the “x-tremist” wing of the GOoP is…
Interesting…but not necessarily from Boehner’s office. This could also be House Republicans trying to undercut Boehner (although I’m not exactly sure how that works).
because there are at least 400 people in the House who would never allow the country to default on our debts.
Yes, default (refusal to extend debt ceiling) is where this is headed. Although Obama has not said what he will do when presented with that crisis.
Tea Turds are not actually legislators, nor are they experienced public servants. Many have no credentials to be elected to the national legislature other than they are “conservative” white males. They seem to actually believe that they need to destroy the village in order to save it. They think they are some sort of ideological patriots whose mindless “bravery” is needed to save the country from…health care subsidies. And debt (brought on by by a financial crisis caused by “conservative” deregulation policies).
They understand only coercion and threats, which is likely how they have operated in all dealings in their lives so far. They know that the other side is deeply evil, hates Traditional America and wants to destroy it (with debt). They are certain that today’s (historically low) tax rates are way, way too high, no matter what the debt or deficits may be.
They cannot and will not give in, will not listen to “experts”, and the professional politicians–such as Boner—have failed to manage their expectations. Now these doofus amateurs with no seniority have mysteriously been given control, can’t be reasoned with, and deep damage must result. Or else we capitulate to their demands, and institutionalize the blackmail.
There are no good options. This was the inevitable result of the catastrophic election of 2010. All we can do is watch whatever calamity occurs.
It is more likely that John Boehner will support a tanning tax than that he will allow a debt default.
I find this video somehow relevant to the GOP psychology:
Tea Party control over the leadership is the price the repubs paid for their gross gerrymandering in 2010. Yeah, many have safe red districts now, but they also can get primaried by teaparty nutcases if they don’t toe the line. Nutcases who would have had less chance of winning in the old purple districts.
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/10/02/2718621/how-john-boehner-engineered-an-ohio-gerrymander-
to-save-his-speakership/
The rush of the vultures to pile on the rotting carcass that is Boehner. Was going to note that it’s easier today to count his supporters than the vultures but damn, he’s lost the last generation of R’s, he’s lost Wall Street, Chamber of Commerce, Nordquist, Rove, Fox isn’t speechless yet but their ramblings need some kind of Alien species translator, the TParty has been forced to answer the question of ‘what next’ which is a first for them…and they seem to want us to hang on and ‘trust’ that they can combine the debt ceiling debate with this and regain their leverage to a brighter tomorrow. Meanwhile, I’m sure Boehner’s dog has even left home, while his staff and interns are likely already out the Speaker’s door.
Did you hear the hot-mic moment between McConnell and Paul?
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mcconnell-rand-paul-recorded-while-talking-shutdown-strategy-v
ideo
Some decent staging there.
yes, real “hot mic” since McConnell starts by saying he’s wired. staging as you say
Yep, which is why it’s limited to ‘good try’ territory.