It seems fitting that a British paper, The Daily Mail, summed up better than any American paper the events that played out, like a Shakespearean tragicomedy, in Washington today:
Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Texas Senator Ted Cruz have dramatically caved in to pressure, paving the way for a Democrat-led bill to pass and ensure the country doesn’t crash through its debt ceiling ahead of a midnight deadline.
Boehner and his House caucus have walked away with nothing but humiliation, after a month of brinkmanship in which the Republicans were accused by President Obama of holding the White House ransom over Obamacare and their desired spending cuts.
Of course, because of its pivotal role in the global economy, whenever politicians appear to be turning the U.S. economy into a train wreck, it becomes a worldwide rubbernecking event. And with politicians governing from one manufactured crisis to another every few months these days, this rubbernecking is becoming a regular event.
But it’s important for everybody to bear in mind that the only reason Republicans forced this 16-day government shutdown, and risked the government defaulting on its debts for the first time in U.S. history, was to force Democrats to defund Obamacare. Never mind that Muslim Jihadists would have stood a better chance of forcing the College of Cardinals to denounce the Pope and renounce their faith.
Accordingly, I shall suffice to reprieve just a few quotes from previous commentaries that explain why plainly delusional Republicans were (and remain) fully prepared to destroy the U.S. (and global) economy … just to deny poor Americans healthcare.
From “Nutjob Republicans … Defeat Bailout Bill,” The iPINIONS Journal, October 1, 2008:
This financial crisis is bound to hasten the demise of America as the world’s sole economic superpower…
But am I the only one who finds it fateful that clueless (white) folks in Washington and on Wall Street are doing all they can to turn this country into a bankrupt Banana Republic just as voters are poised to elect the first Black president of the United States…?
Interestingly enough, the media are replete with reports today about how this dysfunctional shutdown has caused/emboldened China to call for a “de-Americanized” global economy.
From “Healthcare Reform Passes Milestone,” The iPINIONS Journal, December 28, 2009:
Republicans have calculated that it is far more important to oppose healthcare reform – in the vain hope of positioning themselves for big gains in mid-term elections next year, than it is to support it – in the salutary hope of providing millions of Americans a chance to gain healthcare coverage for life.
From “S&P Downgrades U.S. Credit Rating,” The iPINIONS Journal, August 8, 2011:
These born-again zealots would prefer economic Armageddon to what they have deluded themselves into thinking is Obama’s (Black-nationalist/Muslim-inspired) plan to turn America into a socialist, Greek-style Banana Republic.
So irrational is their mission that one can be forgiven the suspicion that their dark, ulterior motive is to see America become so dysfunctional and humiliated under Obama’s leadership that Americans would not even consider electing another Black person as president for at least another 100 years.
And from “Bob Woodward: Republicans Are Trying to Blackmail Obama,” The iPINIONS Journal, October 1, 2013:
By forcing this government shutdown, these ‘wacko-bird’ Republicans are undermining what little credibility and influence their Party has at the federal level for a plainly unattainable goal (a classic case of rebels without a cause). Why? Because, all of their partisan talking points and political posturing aside, these are people who hate Obama(care) more than they love their country.
Not to mention what a mockery their obsessive, delusional opposition to Obamacare (yes, Obama cares) makes of the most fundamental calling of their Christian faith, which, of course, is to help the poor. (In this case, it’s clearly too inconvenient for these Bible-thumping charlatans to ask: what would Jesus do?)
All of which suggests to me that, far from feeling humiliated or learning their lesson, Republicans are just regrouping to fight this same Obamacare/debt ceiling “good fight” another day. That day will come in early February 2014 when the “can” today’s agreement kicked down the road will need another congressional kick.
And so it goes….
Related commentaries:
Healthcare reform…
S&P downgrades…
Blackmail Obama…
* This commentary was originally published yesterday, Thursday, at 9:40 pm