The Politics of Dopes

Friday, July 22nd at 5:00AM EDT

35 Comments

Here is the way things work in Washington.

One group in Congress comes up with a bold plan to save the country. Let’s call it Cut, Cap, and Balance.

Everyone else sets out to undermine their plan. Heck, most of the rest of Congress doesn’t have a plan at all — they just want to dump on the group that comes up with the plan.

Then, when the group with the plan gets close to a vote and it looks like it is going to pass, the naysayers come out with their own plan. Everyone, leadership included, says nice things about it and they all hope the group with the plan to save the country sees its momentum sucked away.

But on occasion the group with the plan succeeds in getting not just a vote, but passage.

So the plan goes to the Senate, it doesn’t make it past a filibuster, and all the people who’d been piling on and trying to undermine the group says, “Well, see, you failed. Let’s do our idea now.”

Friends, that is how Washington works. That is how Washington has gotten us $14 trillion in debt.

See, the fault ultimately lies with the first group. “What?” you say. “But they came up with the plan. How can it be their fault?”

It is their fault because when the cards are on the table and bluffs are being called, they gave up. They decided to play politics the way Washington always plays politics. They didn’t hold the line. They caved.

And that is what I expect will happen. We’re hearing rumblings of it now. Even Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) on CNN last night suggested if Cut, Cap, and Balanced failed, they’ll probably have a deal of some sort. (Editor’s Note: the Congressman’s office called and said they didn’t feel like he said that, or at least did not mean to suggest he’s for a deal. His Chief of Staff tells the Congressman is for Cut, Cap, and Balance and that remains the only deal he supports.)

The House Republicans should not deal. They should demand their plan. They are the only ones with a plan. Everyone else has dumped on their plan. Now they should force their plan. It is the only plan that can turn the tide. I know “that’s not how Washington works,” but doggone, the way Washington works got us into this mess. Hold the freaking line!

But even House leaders are undermining them. Don’t believe me?Republicans were sent to Washington to do two things: (1) end Obamacare and (2) reduce spending. Not only have they failed at the first, the Speaker just might be rendering a Supreme Court decision moot on the constitutionality of Obamacare.

On the second, John Boeher and Eric Cantor to send the Gowdy-Southerland prioritization bill to the floor for a vote. That legislation would specify how the Treasury Secretary must prioritize payments if we reach August 2nd with no deal. It would prevent Timmy Geithner from holding grandma hostage without a social security check. It would force him to pay our national debt payments and not default.

But Boehner and Cantor won’t send Gowdy-Southerland to the floor. Why? Well it seems obvious to me. It gives them added leverage against their own House Republicans. When Cut, Cap, and Balance fails in the Senate, they can say, “Well boys, we tried. Let’s make a deal now.”

And the politics of dopes perpetuating out of control Washington spending keeps going on. The only way this will stop is if House Republicans hold the line and fight for Cut, Cap, and Balance. Unless they are willing to embrace brinksmanship and maybe even go over the brink, don’t fool yourself — spending will not go down.

35 Comments Leave a comment

Brinksmanship is the key word

Spiral (Diary) Friday, July 22nd at 5:29AM EDT (link)

And the politics of dopes perpetuating out of control Washington spending keeps going on. The only way this will stop is if House Republicans hold the line and fight for Cut, Cap, and Balance. Unless they are willing to embrace brinksmanship and maybe even go over the brink, don’t fool yourself — spending will not go down.

Playing brinksmanship is a gamble. No one really knows what will happen if we move through August without a debt limit increase. Sure, lots of people speculate about what might or might not happen, some like Fransic Cianfrocca seem to have more knowledge than others. But no one knows.

What we do know, however, is, absent any game changer, Obama and the Democrats will likely take a beat down in the November 2012 elections. All the GOP has to do is sit back, popcorn in hand, and watch as Obama tries to explain why:

[a] those shovel ready projects weren’t so shovel ready

[b] unemployment, which was supposed to not get higher than 8 percent if the Obama stimulus plan passed, has been over 9 percent for most of the Obama presidency.

[c] Obama-care is a good idea when the public is convinced its a bad idea

So, there are two main paths to getting spending under control.

One requires brinksmanship, a gamble, a bet, in which no one knows exactly how its going to play out.

Another is based on attempting to win the next election, an election that looks very winnable for the GOP.

Guess which path Boehner and McConnell seem to prefer. They want to win the election in 2012 and for that they are being roundly criticized.

The Obama Bread Lines

ARRRRGGGHHH!!!

bigredone Friday, July 22nd at 6:07AM EDT (link)

“Guess which path Boehner and McConnell seem to prefer. They want to win the election in 2012 and for that they are being roundly criticized.”

And that is why we have a huge debt problem and an out-of-control spending problem.

The ‘leaders’ always have an eye on the next election instead of doing the right thing. America will reward those who do the right thing, and America will punish those who cave in on this issue.

I don’t trust the Speaker, or Cantor, or most especially McConnell. They will sell us out because they are afraid. I can smell their fear all the way down here in Kentucky.

Oh yes because THATS ALWAYS a successful strategy;

anjinconsulting Friday, July 22nd at 6:48AM EDT (link)

put off today what you can do tomorrow. If you think the deficit is bad now, wait until interest rates rise and inflation kicks in. The payments on the debt we have incurred to date will suck very last dollar out of the budget and the economy. We need to create margin and reduce spending now.

Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. – George Santayana

No man has any more intrinsic right to offical station than another. Those who hold government jobs for a long time are apt to acquire a habit of looking with indifference upon the public interests, and of tolerating conduct from which an unpracticed man would revolt. – Andrew Jackson

Fair enough on inflation...

In The Hook (Diary) Friday, July 22nd at 7:52AM EDT (link)

… and I don’t care a lick about the credit rating agencies since they dropped the ball repeatedly with the Asian crisis in the 90s and the meltdown of a few years ago. But maybe the bond market does. I don’t know. What I do know is that absent a fairly substantial plan we will likely see our rating cut. Will that mean borrowing costs get higher? Maybe. But maybe no one will care just the way no one cares that Japan’s rating is like BBB right now or something like that. They still have very low interest rates despite repeated downgrades.

That said, just because we hold one chamber of Congress does not mean we get our way entirely. I know we’re the only ones who have come up with concrete plans. I know the party opposite has sat back so they can take potshots and score political points. Sorry, but it doesn’t matter. It’s the same strategy we had for Obamacare to be honest; I didn’t see anything sweeping in terms of calling for healthcare reform, just a few bullet points. It was the smart, safe political play, especially since we had NO power whatsoever.

What we should realistically be looking for is going all out in public to get CCB past the tabling motion and force Reid to filibuster or take an up or down vote. Get Ben Nelson on the phone. Call up Jon Tester and Jim Webb. Somehow get the 51 votes needed. Then Reid will have to either put up or shut up. It will strengthen our hand immensely for some kind of actual compromise.

And at the end of the day that’s what we should expect from our leaders on this. A genuine compromise, not one where tax increases are immediate and spending cuts are not real cuts or are up to some commission. We got welfare reform and a balanced budget in exchange for higher taxes with Clinton. Why not get real spending cuts and real arresting of our out of control entitlement programs in exchange for a broadening of the tax base and the end of AMT. That sounds like something where all sides could claim victory and we’d STILL have the political upper hand because it won’t be enough to fully reverse course. It would be enough to shove our debt problem into neutral. Then we can reverse it for “good” after winning in 2012.

“Hello? You play to win the game.”
Support conservatives that can win.
http://www.marcorubio.com

Not so much...

anjinconsulting Friday, July 22nd at 8:41AM EDT (link)

Well I think the difference in your first point is that Japan’s economy stagnated over about 20 years or so, and they do not run deficits on the order of magnitude that we do. Credit rating aside, debt payments are a function of the interest rate applied on the principle. An increase of 2-3% in the interest rate on the current deficit will eat up any margin that we may have; if you think the Washington establishment is caterwauling now wait until they have 40% of their income allocated to debt payment.
That said, just because we hold one chamber of Congress does not mean we get our way entirely. I know we’re the only ones who have come up with concrete plans. I know the party opposite has sat back so they can take potshots and score political points. Sorry, but it doesn’t matter. It’s the same strategy we had for Obamacare to be honest; I didn’t see anything sweeping in terms of calling for healthcare reform, just a few bullet points. It was the smart, safe political play, especially since we had NO power whatsoever.
And just because we only hold one chamber of congress, we should not forget that in terms of initiating budgets, it is singularly the most critical; ALL bills for raising revenue SHALL originate in the house. Therefore if RINOs and Democrats and Captain Zero want raise revenue (e.g. fees, taxes etc…) the bill must originate in the House. Conservatives should use every tool and expend every effort to s$%^can any bill containing any revenue increase, and use that as the weapon of choice. Without renewed revenue there can be no new spending. Spending is the lifeblood of the RINO/Democrat/Captain Zero alliance.
I agree that Conservative leaders should be in public making clear and concise distinctions between what is being touted by the “leadership” and what is being proposed by themselves. And in doing so they should not be afraid to call a spade a spade. How is a “cut” simply a reduction in the amount of spending above which cannot pay for already?
Yes, we got welfare reform and a balanced budget in exchange for higher taxes with Clinton, and in doing so we sold our souls. We now reap the benefits of that compromise of principles in the form of being tied to a “leadership” whose only goal is political self-preservation, and who was willing to compromise on the very things that got them elected: repeal of Obamacare and 100 Billion in spending reductions. Where is the credibility, let alone the accountability?
In the end, this is a battle for the life of the Washington establishment. The end game for them is to maintain the current level of government spending, and if at all possible to maintain a positive rate of growth for that spending. If they lose on this and have to enact REAL reductions in spending or, if Obamacare is ruled unconstitutional their way of life and their political power will collapse.
There will not be a greater opportunity to destroy entrenched liberalism and the government nanny state in our lifetime.

Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. – George Santayana

That last sentence is utter nonsense

In The Hook (Diary) Friday, July 22nd at 9:39AM EDT (link)

You can’t destroy liberalism and the nanny state when the executive and half of the legislative branch are controlled by liberal Democrats! A much BETTER opportunity would be to use a future debt ceiling showdown or budget process as impetus to slash and burn… with a Republican controlled Congress and a Republican president.

And if we get a decent deal with no net tax hikes this time around, that only gets us to 2013. Which, I’m hoping, will carry with it a very different political dynamic.

No one can seriously expect Democrats in the Senate and Obama to sign off on CCB. It won’t happen. We should demand it in public but settle for $2.5T to $3T in cuts with no revenues. That way we make a down payment on the debt, avoid default and we still have a huge campaigning weapon for 2012.

“Hello? You play to win the game.”
Support conservatives that can win.
http://www.marcorubio.com

Temporizing, Matt

Warrior (Diary) Friday, July 22nd at 10:16AM EDT (link)

How many times in the past have we controlled both houses or both houses and the WH and still accomplished nothing? We have to strike while the fire is hot.

I’d like to see the end of liberalism in my time.

“Racial criteria are irrational, irrelevant, [and] odious to our way of life.” — Thurgood Marshall for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the 1950 Supreme Court case of McLaurin v. Oklahoma

Hence the need for better representatives..

In The Hook (Diary) Friday, July 22nd at 10:32AM EDT (link)

..not suicidal tactics. Hopefully we have the people in there willing to do the hard work. We’ve seen it in New Jersey, Wisconsin, Maine and Ohio. In some places they’ve taken a beating, but hopefully the voters will see the fruits of that short-term sacrifice in the not too distant future.

There’s always reason to stand on principle. You should always defend your believes to your dying day. But there is no reason to die on a hill when you’re not going to win. The Left marched off a cliff with Obamacare because they believed in it, but importantly they also had the votes to pass it! If they didn’t have the votes, the marching orders would never have come down.

We don’t have the votes to pass CCB. It’s about to go down in the Senate. What next? Just continue to insist that the Senate pass it? They won’t.

The best thing to do is take the $3T in cuts and raise the ceiling to the penny of the cuts.

“Hello? You play to win the game.”
Support conservatives that can win.
http://www.marcorubio.com

Hope you are right bro

Warrior (Diary) Friday, July 22nd at 11:00AM EDT (link)

States are one thing, but the fed is the big banana and everybody, including the media, knows it.

If, as you say, it’s a foregone conclusion, I would certainly hold the ceiling down “to the penny of the cuts.”

Still, I got the impression from Erick’s piece that we still had room to nego…

“Racial criteria are irrational, irrelevant, [and] odious to our way of life.” — Thurgood Marshall for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the 1950 Supreme Court case of McLaurin v. Oklahoma

Excellent anjinc

Warrior (Diary) Friday, July 22nd at 10:14AM EDT (link)

I agree — spending cuts must be real insofar as cutting actual levels of spending, not Washingtonspeak cuts of cutting the level or rate of automated or legislated increase.

All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the house and that means the origination of spending bills. Keep in mind that the gubmint has enough money to run 17 mid-sized countries now, assuming they are managed in a fiscally responsible manner. They have “enough” money if they are simply prevented from using it to sugar up voters. I believe this is what you are saying. Let me put it another way.

NO NEW SPENDING. AND CUT CURRENT LEVELS OF SPENDING.

Indeed, to make any headway, we will have to cut spending in real terms across the board, but with heavier emphasis on non-Constitutional categories. Yes, that means 30-year-olds and younger will have to get used to the idea of contributing to their own retirement, healthcare and housing. Of course, by and large, the best way to do this is to get the gubmint out of the private sector and let it grow.

Can you imagine the kind of growth we would have with half the cap gains tax, no inheritance tax, a padlocked EPA, shuttered Dept of Ed, with the gubmint essentially out of the healthcare field, and with half of all gubmint red tape eliminated? People might be able to care for themselves again! What a concept.

You are exactly correct when you say:

“In the end, this is a battle for the life of the Washington establishment. The end game for them is to maintain the current level of government spending, and if at all possible to maintain a positive rate of growth for that spending. If they lose on this and have to enact REAL reductions in spending or, if Obamacare is ruled unconstitutional their way of life and their political power will collapse.”

As heartening as such an outcome may be, the opposite sequelae is to just that degree chilling: If the “Washington establishment” continues to win, our sovereignty will be at stake. Yes, I know we have lost a lot already. However, it would take on a few food riots for Capt. Zero or someone like him to declare martial law. Then a few maufactured, real, or just rumored accounts of “federal agents” being shot will be enough to “justify” bands of ATF agetnts roaming our neighborhoods collecting our weapons. Once they have our means of self-defense, you know what comes next…

I believe it will collapse before then, however, In that case, Henry Reid and Co. are very much like Hitler in his bunker at the close of WWII. Their only goal now is to continue the Reich, to maintain their power, to continue their way of life, to continue until Gotterdamerung, i.e. until all is destroyed – us, them and the country.

And that is what is REALLY at stake here.

“Racial criteria are irrational, irrelevant, [and] odious to our way of life.” — Thurgood Marshall for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the 1950 Supreme Court case of McLaurin v. Oklahoma

short term extention not that bad

steve010 (Diary) Friday, July 22nd at 9:50AM EDT (link)

I favored from the start a monthly extention of the debt ceiling.

What do you do with a overspender in the family. You cut up the credit cards, you cancel the bank account and put the spender on a budget and an allowance. That is all that you can do with overspenders, they want 150 billion a month, ok, absent a plan, you get 100 and live with it. come back next month and don’t ask for more before 30 days are up.

If we look back at the last 40 years of 3 for 1 spending cuts to tax increase deals, where did the fed govt ever cut spending? Never.

"Full Faith and Credit" trumps brinksmanship

Freedoms Truth (Diary) Friday, July 22nd at 9:59AM EDT (link)

The “Tom Dewey campaign strategy” of “All the GOP has to do is sit back, popcorn in hand, and watch” is surely going to be a LOSER if the voters notice the GOP not actually standing for anything nor doing anything to fix our #1 issue, the debt issue.

Letting the President off the hook AND making it a ‘non-issue’ will only make it worse for Republicans. This IS our winning issue:
- The President lost jobs
- The President added $4 trillion in debt
- The President has no plan to fix either

We can only show up the President if we have a better plan.

Now, it is certainly agreed that we should not be in a position to be the fall guy in the case of a default.
The answer is NOT ‘brinksmanship’. The answer is to take the whole issue of default OFF THE TABLE! This is the solution:

“On the second, ask John Boeher and Eric Cantor to send the Gowdy-Southerland prioritization bill to the floor for a vote. That legislation would specify how the Treasury Secretary must prioritize payments if we reach August 2nd with no deal.”

This is an eminently sensible backshop. It doesnt cram-down a conservative agenda on the President, it doesnt do ANYTHING but take ‘global meltdown’ off the table. There still would be a Government shutdown threatened, and that alone is incentive enough for all parties to keep talking to get to terms.

… BUT … it is disturbing indeed that conservatives notice tools we can use to ADD to our leverage to fight the liberal Democrats, and the leadership is unwilling to use them.

The claim that using this tool, and taking default off the table not matter what happens, will make Obama more electable is preposterous. … and btw, why are you focussed on that right now and not the real front-and-center issue: HOW DO WE SOLVE THE DEBT CRISIS?

And if our leadership are not about solving THAT problem, what good are they and how ‘electable’ will they be?

Freedoms Truth,
Travis Monitor – http://travismonitor.blogspot.com
Austin, TX

House GOP hold all the cards but pretend they don't because they are afraid

katesmith (Diary) Friday, July 22nd at 6:16AM EDT (link)

Re: the refrain that the House GOP is powerless, this article says they hold all the cards but are afraid. And that the CC&B was pretty much a trap talk radio and Tea Partiers fell into.

7/22/11, “Feigning Powerlessness to Retain Power,” American Thinker, William J. Olson (was in Reagan admin),

“”All we now need is for House Republicans to do nothing, but inaction carries with it political risk. House Republicans could be accused of forcing deep spending cuts and tough choices, but isn’t that what House Republicans said they were willing to do during the last election? …These House Republicans claim to be just one-third of the legislative process, unable to achieve anything useful…The truth is that House Republicans already hold all the cards. The debt ceiling is already fixed in law, and will remain fixed unless they capitulate.”…

It's mind-boggling to me why Boehner wouldn't...

bk (Diary) Friday, July 22nd at 6:18AM EDT (link)

have the prioritization bill and a one-month “ceiling increase tied to spending cut” bill ready to roll as soon as the Senate kills CCB today. That would HAVE to put the squeeze on Reid and Obama as causing whatever consequences come about if they (as usual) just say no.

Reid is such a little weasel, just saying no to everything. Then he makes you want to punch him even more by whining about the House taking the weekend off while the Senate continues to “work” (translation: “do nothing”). This is the same mealy-mouthed worm who wants to take credit for working 365 days a year – as long as you count all the “pro forma session” days as “work” days. He makes me want to hurl.

Agreed

nhbuckeye Friday, July 22nd at 1:45PM EDT (link)

Reid is a weasel of the lowest order.

Gangster Government

dkm466 Friday, July 22nd at 6:19AM EDT (link)

Only when the media brands government as a bunch of Gangsters will the public listen.

Clarity please

alreadyexists Friday, July 22nd at 6:20AM EDT (link)

Boehner agreed to the sell-out weeks ago and he’s struggling to cave in the least damaging fashion for his political future. He wants a compromise that will attract at least 120 votes from his caucus, and Pelosi has pledged the remainder in Democrats. This will allow the media to spin it as a bipartisan compromise and give cover to Boehner and the RINOs.

Boehner and Cantor will then try to soften the political backlash with hardline votes later this year that sound good but accomplish nothing. The Tea Party will immediately begin a serious revolt, and before you know it, Boehner and Cantor will be fighting a two front political war. Only in Washington DC is this nonsense viewed as leadership.

5 X 5

bigredone Friday, July 22nd at 6:31AM EDT (link)

Again I must remind you

ag8tor Friday, July 22nd at 7:08AM EDT (link)

WE have NO representation in DC. It’s obvious the Dems don’t represent us and now it is more painfully obvious that a large majority of Reps don’t represent us as well. From their participation in the Gang of 6 to the Speakers scitzophrenic behavior we are basically back to “taxation without Representation”. Now we find that the senate will vote on C,C & B without any debate. Heinous Harry is at it again without any regard for the American public opinion. We are in the Titanic heading for the iceberg with Daffy duck as Captain and the crew is the Keystone Cops. Damn all of them for playing political games when the country is on the edge of disaster. The 2012 election will be our first chance to not only get rid of this Marxist administration but a chance to begin wholesale cleaning of the House and Senate. Of course this will require the Reps to have actual viable candidates this tmie instead of another McCain. Right now we should be lighting up the congressional phone lines, faxes and emails expressing our displeasure with the idiotic way these politicians have driven us to the brink of collapse and now want to avoid doing the right things to fix it because of political ties. This may be the most disgusting, do-nothing congress in the history of our nation. Nero would be proud of this group. They are indeed fiddling while Rome burns!

Homeward bound?

rj145 Friday, July 22nd at 7:26AM EDT (link)

In the news yesterday some Republican congressmen were predicting that the CBC “crisis” would be resolved by the weekend so that members could return home “to be among their constiuents”.

It appears that the “cave in” is imminent in spite of all the rhetoric to the contrary. If so, I hope these congressmen will be given a “warm” reception by their costituents upon their return home.

House has 'Veto'

swamphermit (Diary) Friday, July 22nd at 7:37AM EDT (link)

House should tell Obama and senate – also Boehner and Cantor – that they will ‘Veto’ any changes made to their Cut, Cap, and Balance!

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

jacon4 Friday, July 22nd at 9:00AM EDT (link)

Which is, in my view, the 2012 election for prez & senate, I think it was 1996? when the senate came within a single vote of a two thirds majority to send a balanced budget amendment to the states.
Hopefully the cut,cap, balance legislation wont be tabled this morning in the senate but if it is, i would argue its better for house republicans to take the best deal they can get and keep their eyes on the prize.

Exactly right

In The Hook (Diary) Friday, July 22nd at 9:48AM EDT (link)

The only thing they need to do is avoid a bad deal. And Obama has to give them at least a decent one because he needs a deal to project a move towards the middle for the election. So take the best one offered, the one that does the least harm, then bash the heck out of him for being totally unserious about doing anything to address long-term issues.

Accepting a deal that can pass and approving of Obama’s stance on the debt are not mutually exclusive. The voting public understands that.

“Hello? You play to win the game.”
Support conservatives that can win.
http://www.marcorubio.com

I don't think they do

Warrior (Diary) Friday, July 22nd at 10:36AM EDT (link)

Matt, especially after the media gets hold of the telling:

“Obama’s persistence forces Congress to take Moderate Line”

is how it will be portrayed.

“Racial criteria are irrational, irrelevant, [and] odious to our way of life.” — Thurgood Marshall for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the 1950 Supreme Court case of McLaurin v. Oklahoma

Perhaps it is just time to follow the Constitution

mutantone Friday, July 22nd at 9:46AM EDT (link)

Cut the debt by as much as $3.7 trillion over the next decade.” But “Raise the $14.3 trillion debt limit as soon as Wednesday”
What a sick con job this is. We will spread the true current debit out over ten years but increase spending immediately? What type of mathematics are they using more of that famous “New Math”?
If you can not pay for the $3.7 trillion dollars now, and you will continue to spend up to and past the $14.3 Trillion dollars every year, how in the world are you ever going to bring down the debit? Your not your just passing it along for the ten years as well only growing it much faster then ever before come on you dolts think for one second what your doing to th Nation. You have archived nothing at all. How about I tell my bank that I am going to pay off my loan over the next ten years but I want a loan for three times the amount every year until then..do you think they would go for it?
It is time to fix the Tax rate at something very simple that every one can understand. Every one pays 15% of what they earn from any source, except the Military if they are serving our nation that is the least we can do for them, No exceptions other than that be it earned on a job or in stocks or in trading 15% no write offs no deductions. It is then so simple any kid in school beyond the seventh grade can figure out your taxes, no more tax lawyers needed no more IRS needed.
The form is simple How much did you make this year 15% of that you send in or else fines and prison time will follow.
How about instead we cut all the crap out and cut payments to foreign nations, terrorist groups (the Muslim Brotherhood), all abortion providers, all payments to staffers that just got an average wage increase of more than 8%. Force all government employees to pay into social security and Medicare, no more free flights make they pay for themselves just like the rest of us, after all they make two to three times what normal people make. Force all government wages to a level with the real world equivalent, cut out all the duplicate jobs, lord know their are far to many staffers for each congress person they should be doing their jobs instead of taking trips to Fire Island or fact finding mission over seas their job is here. NO more life time jobs in congress the limits were set in the Constitution but some how they butchered that to make it seem like it is a life time appointment read the Constitution it clearly states:
“Section 2 – The House The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.
No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.”
“Section 3 – The Senate The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.
When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.”
NO where does it say it is a life time appointment to the office or it would have said so just like the Judiciary it very clearly states that :
“Section 1 – Judicial powers
The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behavior, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services a Compensation which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.”
So from now on they serve their term in office be it two years or six but no more than that unless they run for a different office that is the law as written, it is not their right to keep in office to the detriment of the Nation.
“The truth is more important than the facts.” – Frank Lloyd Wright
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” Ronald Reagan
ID 10 T error in the administration

mutantone, I love the part about

Warrior (Diary) Friday, July 22nd at 10:51AM EDT (link)

how they are going to cut the debt “over the next ten years,” too! What utter baloney!

Cuts over ten years? Really? And how, pray tell, if you are elcted for only two or six years, how the h*%% are you going to cut spending during the outlying years when you are not even in freaking office??

We should collectively laugh at ANY congresscritter, their side or ours, who proposes anything over and past the number of years they themselves will be in office. Even that may be too generous.

Everyone knows one of the big problems with getting anything done in DC is that it can only be budgeted by yearly authorization. Just ask NASA…

Anyway, kicking the can down the road is how we got in this mess TO BEGIN WITH!!!

“Racial criteria are irrational, irrelevant, [and] odious to our way of life.” — Thurgood Marshall for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the 1950 Supreme Court case of McLaurin v. Oklahoma

Good pool and billiards players

steve010 (Diary) Friday, July 22nd at 10:01AM EDT (link)

don’t make one shot. They make shots that plan to make the next three shots. They are always three shots ahead. I believe that the House leadership has had this planned out for months.

They were going to pass CCB (first shot), then they knew that the (D)s would freak out on this in the Senate and WH and BHO would try to come up with some vague response in the media, then the next shot will be to offer up a short term extention with real budget cuts (next shot) that will be freaked out over by the opposition, but there isn’t much time left, then the next shot after that would be to explain to the American People that we’ve done everything we can do to raise the debt ceiling, but the WH just won’t agree and since there is no leadership in the executive branch, we’ll raise the ceiling for one month, but only for indivdual items that the treasury brings to us in person, day by day. We won’t default, but we will take over the spending item by item since the executive branch is not up to the task. Brilliant.

I don't buy it.

uselogic Friday, July 22nd at 2:53PM EDT (link)

I don’t think they even have a grasp of how to make the first shot. Witness the capitulation on the CR.

I am so

nhbuckeye Friday, July 22nd at 1:34PM EDT (link)

disgusted with Washington. The establishment has not been broken. We need to work even harder for the 2012 election. We have to get rid of these guys, both the Progressives and the wishy-washy Republicans. They are killing us.

Me Too!!!!!

willhen50 Friday, July 22nd at 1:55PM EDT (link)

The federal government is becoming too corrupt. Obama’s plan is disrupt the country to the point that he can declare martial law, nullify the Constitution, and place elections of 2012 on hold. So far he has made Congress irrelevant, the Supreme Court irrelevant, the executive branch is becoming larger and more powerful, and individual states can’t protect themselves from the federal government. HE IS BECOMING OUR BOSS not WE THE PEOPLE.

Obama and the youth

willhen50 Friday, July 22nd at 1:40PM EDT (link)

Obama is playing God to the college youth, making it sound like the evil republicans are causing their tuition prices to rise. You’re evil if you have too much money, negating practically what the American Dream is all about. So far he has managed to caused conflicts between rich vs poor, haves and have nots, young vs old, and job creators vs job takers. This man is now becoming a ruler and not a leader, he is oblivious to what the American people need, just his needs. The Congress of the United States is becoming more irrelevant each day, and the thought of giving this man more power is insane, and any congressperson that thinks that, needs to be voted out.

Not Quite

jeffperren Friday, July 22nd at 2:41PM EDT (link)

“See, the fault ultimately lies with the first group.”

I respectfully disagree, in part.

The fault ultimately lies with a majority of the American voters in various states who elected the creatures who hold power over us.

In particular, the most guilty are those in Nevada, who returned Harry Reid to the Senate.

"House" cleaning ?

rj145 Monday, July 25th at 7:23AM EDT (link)

In November the voters gave the Republican House the numbers to at least block the Obama juggernaught. What we have gotten so far is cheap rhetoric, weakness, and failure. Just how many “lines in the sand” can they retreat from? Is it time for some serious house cleaning in 2012?

Massive Tax Revolt

gizmo Monday, July 25th at 9:54AM EDT (link)

Question for all, including Erik!

Since our “leaders” are totally lacking in “leadership”, this is OUR country & we OWN not only the GOVERNMENT but these fools’ paychecks….

What if we pulled a total tax revolt and we ALL refused to pay & file our taxes the rest of this year, then not even file?

Millions of individuals, millions of businesses… NO payroll deductions, no filing… put that $ in some safe place so the “Boys” will know that we’re not playing around…

There’s no WAY that Feds, IRS or the courts could handle that volume of insurrection!

Reid defeats cut, cap and balance and helps balance budget

arthurmanger17 (Diary) Monday, July 25th at 11:46AM EDT (link)

Everyone knows that come August 2 their will be money to pay the interest social security and more. What there won’t be more for is everything and every agency that the left as funded by borrowing us into massive debt. Do nothing while trying to solve the problem because the left wants to raise taxes and spend even more. Then the administration has to decide what it will spend the money at hand on and what will not get paid. See why they are so nervous. Delay Social Security payments or Medicare but fund NLRB or the department of education or…. The left stream media will not be able to spin that, no way, no how. Meanwhile the budget is balanced.