Hostage Taking
Besides the decades long morphing of the GOP into the “Stupid and Proud of It Party,” Republicans have also become known for the mobster tactic of hostage taking. The latest example is Moscow Mitch’s cynical filibustering of Democratic efforts to raise the debt limit to pay for Trump’s $7.8 TRILLION spending spree during his 4 year infestation of the WH. While smirking and speaking with the weight of a law school professor while peddling manure to an eager press, McConnell has said that the Democrats must solve the debt ceiling crisis by themselves while preventing from just that by filibustering their efforts. Of course, because it can’t be put on a bumper sticker, the press is unable to explain to the public exactly what McConnell is doing, so they report that the Dems are “split”, “in disarray”, and “bear the responsibility” for the problems that were created exclusively by Trump, McConnell, and the lockstep marching GOP caucus in the Congress.
This is not the first time this has happened, and won’t be the last until the idiotic “debt ceiling” fabrication is killed, dead and buried. In 2011, 2013, and 2015 McConnell, with the aid of our own Ted Cruz, threatened the good faith and credit of the United States by taking the economy hostage with debt ceiling battles and government shutdowns to blackmail the Obama administration to stop Obamacare and other programs that actually help people. The 2011 shenanigans caused S&P to downgrade the credit rating of US debt for the first time in history. Since then, they’ve taken immigrants, women, racial minorities, children, the aged, and the environment hostage every single time that a Democrat dared tried to do something positive for the American people.
McConnell and his enablers are no better than petty mobsters playing confidence games with small neighborhood business people by threatening to destroy their businesses unless they pay up. “Nice economy you have there; it would be a shame if something bad happened to it.”
Suggested headline: “GOP Behind Government Shutdown”
Lead: People won’t get Social Security and Disability checks.
Let’s distill this horse manure to its bottom line.
1I almost see the GOP as the jilted lover more than the mafia. “If I can’t have her then no one else can.” They want to prevent anything that would be successful because once people get a taste of what government can do they will realize they deserve more.
2The so-called “leadership” sets the tone for the GQP herd:
block, obfuscate, destroy; do anything but govern.
Video:
“Vaccine mandate protesters in NY knock over a mobile covid testing site”
https://twitter.com/feldman1938/status/1445174181700640772
3I cringe as I type this, but it is a good political tactic from his point of view. Under the current Senate rules the democrats have one bill left to pass through reconciliation. Currently that is Build Back Better. If he forces the democrats to use reconciliation on the debt ceiling, then BBB is dead in the water.
4So how much money has Mitch hidden in trusts to keep from being taxed? The rest of us used our savings, helped our kids, etc. this last year and a half and I’m ready for tax relief via taxing the rich. I’m feeling a bit French Revolutionary about it too!
5I’ve said this before- moscow mitch has made a career of obstructing and holding the country hostage. If he’s done anything to actually help people in his career, it went right by me. I know he’s done stuff to help his wife make money using his political position. Maybe they should check her for hidden trusts, too.
6Two men ‘think’ they run the country, Moscow Mitch and Morton C. Blackwell. The first power abuser could be taken out by eliminating the Senate filibuster. The powerbroker from the RNC and his very own “special ops” propaganda school, The Leadership Institute would be effectively removed by the removal of dark money from politics.
Two simple solutions, albeit not easy with quisling such as Manchin and Sinema in the Democratic Caucus. Eliminate the filibuster and expand SCROTUS, or President Biden and Senate Majority Leader Schumer can kiss their agenda and democracy good-bye. It’s crunch time.
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