In the short run the point is that Republican leaders are about to reap the whirlwind, because they haven’t had the courage to tell the base that Obamacare is here to stay, that the sequester is in fact intolerable, and that in general they have at least for now lost the war over the shape of American society. As a result, we’re looking at many drama-filled months, with a high probability of government shutdowns and even debt defaults. Over the longer run the point is that one of America’s two major political parties has basically gone off the deep end; policy content aside, a sane party doesn’t hold dozens of votes declaring its intention to repeal a law that everyone knows will stay on the books regardless. And since that party continues to hold substantial blocking power, we are looking at a country that’s increasingly ungovernable.
For lo, our New Idiocracy is upon us.
For too long, too many have accepted the canard that “both parties do it.” The sad truth is that holding to that belief only serves to indicate just how thoroughly uninformed and Fox-ified you’ve become. No, Democrats are hardly pure as the driven so, but do you see Democrats stalling, obstructing, and posturing in any way they can in order to stymie the President? Even when Commander Codpiece © was ensconced in the White House, Democrats didn’t do what Mitch McConnell is doing these days. The truth may be inconvenient to some, but it’s the truth nonetheless- Republicans would rather destroy America than concede anything even faintly redolent of victory to a President they despise. And no, racism has NOTHING to do with it…right?
You betcha.
Krugman’s assertion that we’re approaching a state of ungovernability is spot on…and it’s not because of simple disagreements on core issues. It’s because one party’s view that the true definition of compromise is the other side capitulating without question to their ideas is creating a system of gridlock and obstruction in which little of value can be accomplished. That isn’t the result of “both parties doing it;” it’s the result of one party holding government- and with it America- hostage until and/or unless they get their way. If they can’t get their way, they’re quite content with the idea of burning America to the ground if that’s what it takes. It’s evil, it’s destructive, and it threatens to destroy this country…and ONE party- the GOP- seems not at all upset by that prospect.
The party of Ronald Reagan has devolved into a party of spoiled brats unwilling to countenance the idea that there may be differing views of the world every bit as valid as their own. “My way or the highway” may work in the business world, but in a government allegedly of, by, and for the American Sheeple, it’s a recipe for disaster. And one party seems not at all concerned about that prospect.
So how’s that “no government” “small government” thing working for you?
