As we wait this morning for the Senate to pass the quivering mass of Jello known as the Debt Ceiling Bill, which, barring a filibuster by the Vichy Republicans  (about as much chance of that as Lady Gaga exhibiting some talent), is a fait d’accompli, let’s review some periphery issues occurring inside the Beltway:

Politico.com reports that:

Vice President Joe Biden joined House Democrats in lashing tea party Republicans Monday, accusing them of having “acted like terrorists” in the fight over raising the nation’s debt limit, according to several sources in the room.

Biden was agreeing with a line of argument made by Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) at a two-hour, closed-door Democratic Caucus meeting.

“We have negotiated with terrorists,” an angry Doyle said, according to sources in the room. “This small group of terrorists have made it impossible to spend any money.”

Biden, driven by his Democratic allies’ misgivings about the debt-limit deal, responded: “They have acted like terrorists.”

Biden’s office initially declined to comment about what the vice president said inside the closed-door session, but after POLITICO published the remarks, spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff said: “The word was used by several members of Congress. The vice president does not believe it’s an appropriate term in political discourse.”

Biden later denied he used that term in an interview with CBS.

“I did not use the terrorism word,” Biden told CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor Scott Pelley.

Earlier in the day, Biden told Senate Democrats that Republican leaders have “guns to their heads” in trying to negotiate deals.

Last night, Former Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, appearing on Fox News’ On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, fired back at the Vice-President, expressing her disgust with his idiotic statement, as reported, once again, by politico.com:

Palin called Vice President Joe Biden’s hits on the tea party “quite vile.”

But Palin said “independent patriots who happen to be believers in tea party principles” are “getting kind of used to being called names.”

Still, she said, such a slur is “more appalling” coming from the nation’s second-in-command.

“Perhaps some of these talking heads and liberal politicians, perhaps they thought [tea party congressmen] were going to be just typical politicians who get into office and they change their stripes,” Palin said.

“It should not come as any surprise when they’re sticking to their principles,” she said.

Palin strongly opposed any debt limit increase, taking to her Facebook page to issue a veiled threat of “contested primaries” to freshmen members of Congress. But in the wake of the debt deal’s House passage Monday night, she acknowledged a partial victory for the tea party in turning the national conversation to spending and debt.

Nonetheless, she voiced displeasure with the concessions made to the president, and blasted the Republican House leadership.

“What happened to the pledge that our Congress has made to America, saying they would post bills online three days before they voted on them?” she said. “They’ve already broken that pledge, and doggone it, that’s what makes us disappointed in politicians in Washington, D.C.”

However, that’s not half of what “Sheriff Joe’s” been up to.  Per foxnews.com:

In between keeping Vice President Biden and his family safe, the Secret Service is also cutting him a rent check every month.

The Secret Service pays the vice president $2,200 per month to rent a cottage next to his waterfront home outside Wilmington, Del., FoxNews.com has confirmed.

The Washington Times first reported that Biden has raked in more than $13,000 since April from the agency tasked with protecting him, and under the terms of their contract could make up to $66,000 by the end of 2013.

Though taxpayer watchdogs questioned the arrangement, it may be a matter of convenience.

“Having our command post in close proximity to the vice president’s residence affords us a level of security that we wouldn’t have otherwise,” Service spokesman Edwin Donovan told FoxNews.com.

Biden’s mother used to live at the cottage before she died in early 2010. According to the Times, Secret Service agents assigned to Biden had previously been renting properties in the area, but a year later the Service approached him about renting the cottage instead.

While the arrangement is rare, Secret Service agents apparently rented property from the Clintons in Chappaqua, N.Y., a decade ago — however, the Clintons reportedly declined to accept payment from the Secret Service at the time.

So, the Vice-President of the United States  America is charging rent to the very agency assigned to protect him?  I would say I’m shocked, but I’m not.  After all, he’s a Democrat.  Look at what they pulled during the House vote on the Debt Celing Bill…the slimiest photo op in the history of American politics:

As foxnews.com reported:

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords returned to the House of Representatives for the first time since she was shot last January, making a dramatic entrance Monday night during a crucial debt vote and drawing loud applause and cheers from surprised colleagues.

As lawmakers stood on the floor, staring up at the vote board, Giffords slowly made her way through an entrance on the Democratic side of the chamber. Applause built and rolled like a wave through the House as lawmakers realized that their colleague had returned.

Shortly after her appearance, a tweet appeared on Giffords’ Twitter account: “The Capitol looks beautiful and I am honored to be at work tonight.”

On Jan. 8, Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, was shot in the head in the parking lot of a Tucson grocery store while meeting with constituents. Six people were killed and 13 others, including Giffords, were wounded. The man charged in the shooting, Jared Lee Loughner, has pleaded not guilty to 49 charges.

On the House floor, Giffords, wearing glasses, her hair darker and cut short since surgery, hugged and kissed fellow lawmakers. As time ticked off on the vote, Democrats and Republicans made their way toward her.

She cast her first vote — for the debt-limit bill — and left the Capitol.

“It means so much to our country … to witness the return of our colleague who is the personification of courage, of sincerity, of admiration throughout the country,” Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California told the House.

God bless Congresswoman Gifford.  I pray that she continues her miraculous recovery.

And may those who arranged this tasteless photo op receive their just reward.

But, hey..what do I know?  I’m just a Tea Party “Terrorist”.

 

Those of you out there who thought that the United States of America was going to instantly vanish on August 2nd, can breathe as sigh of relief now.  It’s not.

However, there will be meetings of every Congressional caucus and coffee clatch known to man today as Democratic and Republican leaders in both chambers try to convince their rank and file to agree to back a compromise debt-reduction package that gifts President Barack Hussein Obama (Peace be upon him…at the start of Ramadan) up to a $2.5 trillion hike in the debt limit, upon the provision that Congress can find an equal or greater amount in spending cuts.

No worries for Scooter, though.  Even if the Congresscritters can’t come up with any areas in which to curb spending, the cuts will be found for them.  If the committee to be established by the proposal fails to submit their recommendations for additional cuts approved by the end of this year, a preconceived “DEFCON 4” alarm in the plan will automatically enact across-the-board cuts.

I believe that…don’t you?

Tea-Party-backed Republicans, hard-left progressives and Congressional Black Caucus members are already voicing their opposition to the deal. But those Republicans who just looove to reach across the aisle and those Democrats anxious to please their messiah and get themselves and him re-elected are steadfastly pushing an emergency form of phony bipartisanship as financial markets abroad rallied over the news.

Per Obama, the deal provides for an immediate cut of $1 trillion in government spending over a 10-year period accompanied by a $900 billion increase in the debt ceiling. That will be followed by the creation of the committee to come up with additional cuts worth at least $1.5 trillion. The debt ceiling will be raised by $1.5 trillion if the committee recommendations are approved by the end of the year.

Each of the GOP and Democratic leaders in the chamber will nominate lawmakers to the 12-member committee to report back in the fall.

Tax hikes are not part of the package and a pledge for a Balanced Budget Amendment vote is.

Obama assured Americans in a speech yesterday from the White House Briefing Room that everything will be on the table and both parties will find some of the cuts objectionable.

Despite what some Republicans have argued, I believe that we have to ask the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations to pay their fair share by giving up tax breaks and special deductions. Despite what some in my own party have argued, I believe that we need to make some modest adjustments to programs like Medicare to ensure that they’re still around for future generations. That’s why the second part of this agreement is so important.

The Senate went home Sunday night without a vote on a deal, but Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said that the parties {mostly Republicans) are going to have to give ground and compromise so the country doesn’t default.

I am relieved to say that leaders from both parties have come together for the sake of our economy to reach a historic, bipartisan compromise that ends this dangerous standoff. The compromise we have agreed to is remarkable not only because of what it does, but because of what it prevents: a first-ever default on the full faith and credit of the United State.

And, if you don’t believe me, I’ll have every Union member in Nevada come to your door, as I did in the Midterm Elections…Okay…you caught me…I made that up.

Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will both present the agreement to their caucuses this morning.

House Democrats also set a meeting this morning to discuss the details.

So, what happens now?

Per foxnews.com:

After weeks of talks, charade votes, heated barbs and exceptional brinksmanship, finishing the deal will come down to mathematics.

It’s simple, really: 60 votes to clear a filibuster in the Senate and then 51 for final passage. And in the House, the magic number for this exercise is 216.

To start, let’s look at the House where the legislative lift could prove most challenging.

As of this writing, it’s unclear which chamber might try to move the bill first. The measure is potentially loaded up, ready to go in the Senate, riding along in the skeleton of an old bill crafted to modernize the Freedom of Information Act. This piece of legislation already carries extraordinary privileges, skipping toward the front of the parliamentary line and vaulting at least one potential filibuster.

But Congressional leaders face a looming deadline of Tuesday night. So it’s likely Congressional leaders will choose the easiest course that assures passage of the bill in both chambers.

And starting in the Senate might be best under that logic.

Here’s why: the peripheries of both parties, liberal Democrats and tea party Republicans abhor this bill. It’s unlikely that many of those lawmakers at the margins can support it. That makes it challenging to cobble together a coalition of Democrats and Republicans. But that said, the bill seemingly has more backing in the Senate than it does in the House.

Fox News, which has implemented a move toward the squishy middle for several months now, calling the Tea Party the “periphery”…now that’s funny.  Conservatives sure weren’t the periphery when we won the Midterm Elections for the Republican Party.

And we still aren’t. In a poll released on August 1st, 2011, gallup.com  reported:

Americans’ political ideology at the midyear point of 2011 looks similar to 2009 and 2010, with 41% self-identifying as conservative, 36% as moderate, and 21% as liberal.

If this pattern continues, 2011 will be the third straight year that conservatives significantly outnumber moderates — the next largest ideological bloc. Liberalism has been holding steady for the past six years, averaging either 21% or 22%, although notably higher than the 17% average seen in Gallup polling during the early to middle ’90s.

No wonder the Liberals, the Main Stream Media, and the Vichy Republicans have been vilifying the Tea Party Movement during the Debt Ceiling Negotiations.

We (Conservatives) outnumber them.

A note from KJ:  Today marks the start of the Muslim month-long holiday of Ramadan.  The devout do not work this month, nor do they wear jewelry.  Do me a favor.  Check out Scooter’s wedding band (or lack thereof) at his next press conference.  I ain’t sayin’…I’m just sayin’.

As the political soap opera concerning the Debt Ceiling Negotiations, which I have dubbed As the Stomach Turns, continues, Americans wake up this morning to the following developments, per foxnews.com:

The White House and Republican congressional leaders made significant progress toward a deal to avert a potentially catastrophic first-ever government default threatened for early next week, according to officials familiar with the talks.

Under a plan negotiated late Saturday night, the nation’s debt limit would rise in two steps by about $2.4 trillion and spending would be cut by a slightly larger amount, the officials said. The first stage — about $1 trillion — would take place immediately and the second later in the year.

Congress would be required to vote on a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, but none of the debt limit increase would be contingent on its approval. The officials who described the talks did so on condition of anonymity, citing their sensitive nature.

President Barack Obama is seeking legislation to raise the government’s $14.3 trillion debt limit by enough to tide the Treasury over until after the 2012 elections. He has threatened to veto any legislation that would allow a recurrence of the current crisis next year but has agreed to Republican demands that deficits be cut — without tax increases — in exchange for additional U.S. borrowing authority.

Without a compromise in place by Tuesday, administration officials say the Treasury will run out of funds to pay all the nation’s bills. The subsequent default could prove catastrophic for the U.S. economy by causing interest rates to rise and financial markets to sink, sending shockwaves around the world, they say. With financial markets closed for the weekend, lawmakers had a little breathing room, but not much. Asian markets begin opening for the new work week when it is late Sunday afternoon in the U.S. capital.

“There is very little time” Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address. He called for an end to political gamesmanship, saying “the time for compromise on behalf of the American people is now.”

One official commenting on the late night negotiations said the two sides had settled on general concepts, but added there were numerous details to be worked out — and no assurance of a final agreement.

In other words:  same ‘ol, same ol’.

As polls published over the last couple of weeks have shown, Americans are downright disgusted with their elected representatives:

Per bloomberg.com:

A Washington Post-ABC News poll of 1,001 Americans showed 45 percent “strongly disapprove” of the way Obama is handling the budget deficit. The July 14-17 survey showed 77 percent said Republican leadership has been not willing enough to compromise on the issue.

A CNN/Opinion Research Poll July 18-20 found that 54 percent of people disapproved of the way Obama is handling his job, compared with 46 percent in an April 29-May 1 poll. The survey showed 55 percent had an unfavorable opinion of the Republican Party, compared with 48 percent in a March 11-13 poll. The poll showed 49 percent had an unfavorable opinion of the Democrats, compared with 48 percent in the March poll.

And, a recent poll by gallup.com on the handling of the Debt Ceiling Negotiations, gives a fairly clear picture as to how Americans feel about these “so-called” leaders:

President Obama’s 41% approval rating on handling the situation is 10 percentage points higher than Boehner’s and 18 points higher than Reid’s. However, more Americans have an opinion about Obama’s handling of the situation than is the case for the other two men, so when those with no opinion are factored out of the results, Obama’s advantage is lessened. Among those with an opinion about his handling of the situation, the president has 44% approval and 56% disapproval, compared with 39% and 61% for Boehner and 31% and 69% for Reid.

One notable challenge for Speaker Boehner is rank-and-file Republicans’ relatively low level of support for his handling of the situation. Half of Republicans approve of Boehner’s handling of the debt crisis, compared with 75% of Democrats who approve of Obama’s handling. Reid does worst of all among rank-and-file identifiers with his own party, receiving 36% approval among Democrats (36% of Democrats also disapprove of Reid’s handling the situation, with the remainder not having an opinion.

However, even though Obama is slightly ahead of Reid and Boehner in his handling of the Debt Ceiling situation, his overall approval ratings are sinking like the Titanic.  As of Friday, July 29th, 2011, again, according to Gallup:

President Obama’s job approval rating is at a new low, averaging 40% in July 26-28 Gallup Daily tracking. His prior low rating of 41% occurred several times, the last of which was in April. As recently as June 7, Obama had 50% job approval.

Obama’s approval rating averaged 46% in June and was near that level for most of July; however, it has stumbled in the past few days, coinciding with intensification of the debt ceiling/budget battle in Washington.

…Obama’s job approval rating among Democrats is 72%, compared with 34% among independents and 13% among Republicans. In the prior three weeks, his average approval rating was 79% among Democrats, 41% among independents, and 12% among Republicans.

That poll by Gallup explains the release of this work of fiction, In Debt Limit Showdown, Obama Edges to the Right, by the New York Times’ Jackie Calmes:

However the debt limit showdown ends, one thing is clear: under pressure from Congressional Republicans, President Obama has moved rightward on budget policy, deepening a rift within his party heading into the next election.

Entering a campaign that is shaping up as an epic clash over the parties’ divergent views on the size and role of the federal government, Republicans have changed the terms of the national debate. Mr. Obama, seeking to appeal to the broad swath of independent voters, has adopted the Republicans’ language and in some cases their policies, while signaling a willingness to break with liberals on some issues.

Yeah, right, Ms. Calmes.  And I’m a 22-year-old Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader named Buffy.

Where Do You Go Beyond Disgusted?

How about Revulsion?

I’m there.  How about you?

Friday was a tumultous day for our country.  Those whom bear the mantle of our nation’s leadership, performed another day of political theater, making threats as to the future of the greatest country on Earth, holding votes, getting their mugs in front of the awaiting cameras of the national press, sending e-mails to supporters, and even tweeting (how classy).

The day came to a close as the Senate, headed by majority Leader ” Dinghy” Harry Reid tabled a Debt Ceiling Bill, proposed by House Speaker John Boehner, which had passed the House that afternoon by a Republican-enabled score of 218-210, setting up a crucial vote in the Senate, on a bill authored by Reid, early Sunday morning.

There’s one problem with Harry’s plan: he and his minions still lack the votes to repeal a GOP filibuster.  Reid begged his Republican counterpart, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, to bail him out and reach across the aisle, so the Senate could pass his proposal and send it back to the House before our stock market crashes on Monday morning.

However, in a phone call Friday evening, McConnell told Reid he wanted President Barack Hussein Obama (mm mmm mmmm) at the table, who had petulantly rejected a previous potential compromise between the two Senate leaders last weekend. According to some squishy aides, McConnell expected to speak with administration officials Friday night and tried to play down talk of an impasse.

Senate Democratic leaders immediately were outrageously outraged, and whined that McConnell was blocking a deal.

Dinghy Harry egotistically complained:

Unless there is a compromise or they accept my bill, we’re headed for economic disaster.

Of course that did not stop him and his Senatorial cohorts from tabling Boehner’s bill, and throwing it in the circular file along with the previously house-passed Cut, Cap, and Balance Bill.

Before yesterday’s House vote, President Barack Obama stuck his head out from under his desk and argued that the two parties are not “miles apart” and that he was prepared to work “all weekend long until we find a solution.”

Probably somewhere between the 16th and 17th holes.

President Scooter also said that the two sides are “in rough agreement” about the size of the first round of spending cuts and “the next step” to rein in borrowing:

If we need to put in place some kind of enforcement mechanism to hold us all accountable for making these reforms, I’ll support that, too, if it’s done in a smart and balanced way.

Watching the Debt Ceiling Soap Opera in DC as an interested observer yesterday, I decided that there are three categories, in which all the major players in this political drama fall.

1)  THE PRINCIPLED – Those who were not afraid to take a stand for what they believe in.  Unfortunately, in the Sodom and Gomorrah known  as Inside the Beltway, these individuals are few and far between.

In this continuing soap opera, the Tea Party Freshman stand out as sticking to their principles, much to the chagrin of RINOs, Moderates, and vichy Republicans everywhere.

On his syndicated radio program yesterday, heard by between 20 – 30 million listeners every day, Rush Hudson Limbaugh praised the Tea Party Freshman for sticking to their principles:

I want to say something to you conservatives out there. I want to tell you how damn proud of you I am, because you made this happen. The conservative intelligencia, the conservative so-called media inside the Beltway would have accepted anything. Yesterday, the day before, last night, would have accepted anything that Boehner put forth, because they are operating out of fear. The Republican leadership is operating out of fear. I want you to think, to transfer that to your personal life, and I want to ask you to consider: Whenever you do anything out of fear, how does it turn out? Doing anything from the perspective of fear is disastrous, or potentially so. And that has been the position of the Republican leadership and the inside-the-Beltway so-called conservative media. Fear. Fear of being blamed, primarily. But fear of other things. The age-old fears, the fears rooted in the mentality of being consistent, constant losers.

2)  THE UNPRINCIPLED – These individuals will do whatever it takes and shaft whomever they have to, in order to “win” and further impose their political ideology on American citizens.  For example (and you know I have to bring this up), America’s Emperor, Scooter Insipidus.

Yesterday, he spoke on national television, again imploring whatever base he has left, to call and “tweet” their Congressman, so that they would vote the way that he wants them to, in order for him and the First Family to begin Ramadan…err…summer vacation on Martha’s Vineyard.  (I added that.)

However, Scooter’s plan for intimidation by New Technology backfired, according to the Los Angeles Times:

Barack Obama generated a flurry of activity on Twitter Friday when he urged his more than 9 million followers to tweet at their congressional representatives to push for a compromise on the debt ceiling battle.

While some responded to the call, many others celebrated “Unfollow Friday.”

Throughout the day, the @BarackObama account tweeted the account names of Republican Congress members at a rapid pace. In about six hours, the account sent more than 100 tweets.

Several Twitter users expressed their annoyance and unfollowed the president’s account. The account had lost more than 35,000 followers by 5 p.m. Pacific time.

“I’m going to unfollow @BarackObama. You’re blowing up my feed, shouldn’t you be…idk, running the country or something? #cain2012,” wrote Twitter user @Lguyton08.

3)  THE POLITICALLY EXPEDIENT – These are individuals whom, unless they are backed into a corner, would prefer not to rock the proverbial boat, and are quite comfortable dwelling within the status quo Inside the Beltway.  Until Cryin’ John Boehner was thrust into a position of leadership as Speaker of the House, he appears to have been one of these people, as are Grandpa Mitch McConnell, Mitt Romney,  John McCain, Dinghy Harry Reid, Nancy “Norma Desmond” Pelosi, Barney Franks, and the haughty John Kerry, who served in Vietnam.

Perhaps I’m oversimplifying America’s present political leadership, but I don’t think so.

In the case of the president and certain members of Congress… if it walks like a lame duck, and talks like a lame duck…well…

 

As America wakes up this morning, everyone (who’s still paying attention) is wondering what is going on, concerning the Debt Crisis Negotiations.

According to reuters.com, reporting from their usual, decidedly Liberal, point-of-view:

Urgent efforts to avoid an unprecedented U.S. debt default suffered a new blow on Thursday when some fiscally hardline Republicans blocked a budget deficit plan proposed by their own congressional leaders.

After hours of trying to get enough votes, the Republicans who control the House of Representatives put off action for the night and scheduled an emergency meeting for Friday morning.

The Republican infighting further delays any compromise with Democrats to stop the countdown toward Tuesday when the government says it will run out of money to pay all its bills.

Lawmakers must lift the government’s $14.3 trillion borrowing limit by Aug. 2 or risk a devastating default and downgrade of the top-notch credit rating that helps make U.S. debt a pillar of the global financial system.

There was speculation House Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress, may revise his plan to attract more votes from rebels who want bigger cuts in spending than the roughly $900 billion over 10 years he has proposed.

“Republicans have taken us to the brink of economic chaos,” House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said. “The delay must end now so we can focus on the American people’s top priority: creating jobs and growing the economy.”

Also, from reuters.com:

House Republicans will meet at 10 a.m. on Friday (1400 GMT) to assess their options after they delayed a vote on their debt-ceiling bill due to a lack of support, Representative Mike Pence said on Thursday.

Republican leaders have been unable to convince some of their rank-and-file members that this bill is their best option to win deep spending cuts and avert an August 2 default.

So who are the Republicans standing in the way of Speaker John Boehner’s bill, which is going to die a horrible death in the Senate, anyway?

Per NPR’s blog, It’s All Politics:

After raising expectations for a vote that was seen as a test of his persuasive powers as speaker, Boehner was forced to order a strategic retreat.

The message many analysts are bound to take away from this episode is that the tail is wagging the dog to a degree — a large degree — in the House Republican conference, namely members linked to the Tea Party, including freshmen.

Those members have little allegiance to Boehner. In fact, many of them eye him suspiciously as a card-carrying member of the Washington establishment that’s part of the problem, not the solution.

They felt burned by the budget deal Boehner negotiated with President Obama earlier this year to prevent the government shutdown in March, that Boehner told them there were more spending cuts in that package than there actually were.

They vowed they wouldn’t be fooled again and that was reflected, in part, in Boehner’s failure to get enough votes for his debt-ceiling bill by the time of the scheduled vote, 6 p.m. ET Thursday.

It should be said that not all House Republicans with Tea Party connections were against Boehner. Some held a news conference for his bill Thursday. Unfortunately for Boehner, not enough supported him.

So the question is, now what?

Now what?, indeed.

Our Big Mouth on the Right, Rush Hudson Limbaugh, put it very succinctly yesterday, when he said:

…the Republicans think that by dumping this thing in Reid’s lap, the Democrats are going to end up looking like they don’t compromise. The Democrats are a step or two ahead here. That is, if they’re not all on the same page and just playing us for saps anyway. However, as Red State points out here: “All the Republicans keep telling us that this is the best they can hope for,” that the Boehner two-step is the best they can hope for. That’s what they keep telling us: “We’ve got to do it now. We’ve got the best we can possibly get.” So how is it the best they can hope for when it is going to get less votes in the House and Senate than either Paul Ryan’s plan or Cut, Cap and Balance. They’re going backwards on this.

Did the Maha Rushie nail it on the head, as usual? And where has the President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama, been this week after having his spectacular hissy fit, last week?

Perhaps, he’s been meeting with his academic pinhead and political hack advisers, formulating a plan.

In order to futher fuel your speculative fire, check this out:

Per politico.com:

Rep. James Clyburn and a group of House Democrats are urging President Barack Obama to invoke the 14th Amendment to raise the debt ceiling if Congress can’t come up with a satisfactory plan before the Tuesday deadline.

Clyburn, the third-ranking House Democrat, said Wednesday that if the president is delivered a bill to raise the debt ceiling for only a short period of time, he should instead veto it and turn to the phrase in the Constitution that says the validity of the U.S. government’s debt “shall not be questioned.”

“If that’s what lands on his desk, a short-term lifting of the ceiling, the debt ceiling, he should put it on his desk next to an executive order,” Clyburn said at a press conference. “He should sign an executive order invoking the 14th Amendment to this issue.” The Associated Press reported that he was applauded when he suggested the idea at a caucus meeting earlier in the day.

“I believe that something like this will bring calm to the American people and will bring needed stability to our financial markets,” Clyburn added, noting that President Harry Truman did it once during his presidency after Congress was unable to pass a bill to raise the debt ceiling.

Meanwhile, the solution to all this, Cut, Cap, and Balance, sits, dejected and lonely, on Harry Reid’s desk.

As Mike Myers, playing the Jewish lady on Saturday Night Live, would say:

Talk among yourselves.  I’m verklempt.

 

 

 

The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave…Americans have sung those words for ceturies now…and rightfully so.  Our Best and Brightest have sacrificed themselves all over the globe for the cause of liberty.

Americans are the most generous people on the face of the Earth…and, by the way, Conservatives are the most generous of all Americans, leading Liberals  in charitible giving by a 3-to-1 margin.  But, I digress…

Debbie Wasserman Shultz, chairperson of the Democratic Party,  is accusing the Republican Party of trying to impose “dictatorship” through their tactics in the Debt Ceiling Negotiations.  According to the wild-eyed Lib, the rhetoric coming from the Republicans could “spark panic and chaos,” which she called “potentially devastating” to the economy.

In a telephone interview with politico.com, Madame Chairperson offered the following commentary:

Aren’t we at the point where the closer we get to chaos, the more concern that there should be about coming to the table and compromising with Democrats? This is not leadership. This is almost like dictatorship. I know they want to force the outcome that … their extremists would like to impose. But they are getting ready to spark panic and chaos, and they seem to be OK with that. And it’s just really disappointing, and potentially devastating.

Wasserman Schultz went on to reference a movie clip House Republican Whip Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) had played Tuesday during a closed-door meeting of the House Republican Conference. The brief clip was from “The Town,”. According to Republicans, it was intended to send the message that “we’re all in this together.”

She did not appreciate it, one bit:

They start the day with trying to incite their caucus with, essentially, violent movie clips – pushing their people to inflict pain and hurt people.

Michael Steel, press secretary to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), fired back:

Given how serious the situation is – and the situation is serious – why is she spending time complaining about Kevin McCarthy’s taste in movies?

Wasserman Schultz didn’t care.  She added:

What should be happening is what we’ve been ready to do for months. Ideally, what should be happening is a big deal – a big solution for a big problem, as the president has pushed for. At this point, it’s probable that we’re too close to the breaking point on Tuesday for that to happen.

At the very least, we should come to the table and hammer out a compromise that has the balance in it that the overwhelming majority of the American people want – and not just pile all the pain on seniors, on children, on the middle class and working families.

It’s just shockingly irresponsible that the closer we get to the breaking point here, the more irresponsible – and the closer they are to pushing us to chaos, as if that is the desired outcome.

We’ve been sitting at the compromise table for a long time. We’re just waiting for that cold chair to be warmed up by the Republican leadership. They still have time to do the right thing and be responsible. They just seem to be moving further and further away from it.

Pot…meet Kettle.

Since this bunch of “New Democrats” took over Congress in 2007, America has been on the Crazy Train to Financial Oblivion. And this chick is blaming the Republicans?

Gimme a break.

Debbie, sweetie, the whole country has been watching as your dear and precious leader, President Barack Hussein Obama, has been acting like a petulant 2 year old, throwing hissy fits on national television, because he lacks the professionalism, experience, and patriotism to effectively carry out his duties as President of the United States of America.

Instead of being worried about being an effective steward, in charge of the greatest country on God’s green Earth, he and his wife are trying to control what Americans eat, as if they were our parents, and responsible for OUR children and grandchildren.

Here’s some news for you to pass along to your president, cupcake:

My 3 1/2 year old grandson will have McDonald’s french fries with his Grandpa any cotton-pickin’ time he wants them. And there ain’t a dadgum thing that any of you Progressive Nanny-staters can do about it.

Now, back on topic: As far as these Debt Ceiling Negotiations are concerned, your leader and your political party have shown who the real foes of bi-partisanship are, from Harry Reid’s threats to block Boehner’s proposal, to Obama’s promise to veto it, if it passes the Senate.

In conclusion, pookie, you and the rest of your party’s leadership need to continue being the rating, raving, idiot Nanny-staters that you are.

Your president’s and your Congress’ out-of-control spending have gotten us into this Financial Freefall that we’re in.  And, no matter how you try to spin the situation, the American people know exactly who is responsible.

That is why Obama’s approval numbers are majestically circling down the porcelain receptacle.

All of your tantrums and snotty behavior have kept Americans focused on reclaiming our country, as we head towards November 6, 2012.

My grandson and I will see you at McDonald’s, precious…and we’ll save you a french fry.

As you wake up this morning, gentle reader,  here’s where we stand in the Debt Crisis Negotiations:

Senate Majority Leader “Dinghy” Harry Reid has a plan.  Speaker of the House “Cryin” John Boehner is revising his plan.

And, Barack Hussein Obama (mm mmm mmmm), the President of the United States of America, has no plan.

…And no clue.

House Republicans have delayed a vote on Boehner’s bill, which was supposed to be voted on today. The Congressional Budget Office smacked it down, by issuing a report saying it would save far less over the next decade than the $1.2 trillion advertised. According to the CBO, the spending cuts would save only about $850 billion over the next decade.

That means that Cryin’ John’s proposal would not meet his own demand that the cuts exceed the size of the $900 billion debt-limit increase.

As of last night, House Republicans were feverishly rewriting the proposal in an attempt to bring the numbers into line. The vote on the measure might possibly happen Thursday.

Meanwhile, our petulant president hinted that that he would veto the measure because it would force another battle over the debt limit early next year.

At the same time, Dinghy Harry Reid was proclaiming Boehner’s proposal DOA in the Senate, where he and his Democrat colleagues were having a hard time rallying votes for their own plan to raise the debt limit by $2.7 trillion, supposedly enough additional borrowing authority to cover the nation’s bills into 2013.

Reportedly, the Capitol Switchboard was receiving 40,000 calls per hour yesterday, twice as many as normal.  Most Americans were telling their lawmakers to stand firm.  Others (Obama fans) were responding to his pleas to call for an end to the stalemate.  Still others were the elderly and infirm, worried that the impasse could prevent their Social Security checks from arriving on time.

Per washingtonpost.com:

The national debt has already hit the $14.3 trillion legal limit. Unless Congress acts by next Tuesday, Treasury officials say they could begin running short of cash for federal health-care and retirement benefits, military salaries and payments due investors, potentially throwing the U.S. government into default for the first time. Even if a default is avoided, credit-rating companies are threatening to downgrade the nation’s AAA rating, a move that could drive up interest rates for governments at all levels, as well as for ordinary Americans. Some Republicans have challenged the Treasury’s warnings and said the economic fallout would be limited.

While Boehner faces major challenges in getting the House to approve his proposal, Reid was faring no better in the Senate. Democratic aides acknowledged that the Senate bill is unlikely to pass without Republican support.

That backing was not forthcoming Tuesday. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) criticized the Democratic alternative, saying it contains “highly suspect spending reduction features.” He argued that more than a third of the $2.7 trillion in savings in Reid’s bill would come from winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — money Obama never intended to spend.

With less than a week left to strike a deal, Reid was engaged in talks with Boehner and McConnell about a potential compromise. But they remained deeply divided over the size of a debt-ceiling increase and the mission of a new debt-reduction committee that would be created under both measures.

Late Tuesday, the trio was still searching for a way to ensure that Congress adopts a far-reaching strategy in the coming months for reducing the national debt — or to guarantee that lawmakers would raise the debt limit a second time without such a plan.

…while the president’s manufactured deadline looms near.

Per Charlie Gasparino, of Fox Business Network:

While officials from the Obama Administration raised their rhetoric over the weekend about the possibility of a debt default if the debt ceiling isn’t raised, they privately have been telling top executives at major U.S. banks that such an event won’t happen, FOX Business has learned.

In a series of phone calls, administration officials have told bankers that the administration will not allow a default to happen even if the debt cap isn’t raised by the August 2 date Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner says the government will run out of money to pay all its bills, including obligations to bond holders. Geithner made the rounds on the Sunday talk shows saying a default is imminent if the debt ceiling isn’t raised, and President Obama issued a similar warning during a Friday press conference after budget negotiations with House Republicans broke down.

…A senior banking official told FOX Business that administration officials have provided guidance to them that even though a default is off the table, a downgrade “is a real possibility for no other reason than S&P and Moody’s have to cover (themselves) since they’ve been speaking out on the debt cap so much.”

Yesterday, during the Daily Press Briefing, held by White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, the normal softball-throwing reporters turned into Nolan Ryan, peppering Carney with questions about why the White House won’t release something in writing laying out its position on the Debt Ceiling Crisis.

According to the Carney, that would be a risky move. If the White House were to do that,

…your chances of actually getting an agreement diminish significantly.

That’s how it works. You know that’s how it works.

Uhhh, no, you jackwagon. As your boss, Barack Hussein Obama, said recently:

If you want to be a leader, you got to lead.

Last night, speaking in a tone reminiscent of Rev. Jim Bakker of the old PTL Club,( which in both cases stands for Pass The Loot) President Barack Hussein Obama, in a hastily-called televised speech, spoke concerning the impasse in the Debt Ceiling negotiations.

However, he neglected to mention that he’s the one causing the impasse.

Desperately seeking to grab back the reins of leadership in this situation from House Speaker John Boehner, Obama spoke 7 times about a “balanced approach” and brought up the word “compromise” 6 times in his 15 minute sermon, apparently taken from the Book of First Babylonians.

Last night’s oratorial flourish by the president was nothing more than a hastily-contrived, last-minute plea for tax increases to be included in any bi-partisan plan that may be constructed at the ninth hour.

Of course, Obama attacked those wascally wepublicans, predicting that they would be “sparking a deep economic crisis” if the GOP doesn’t roll over and play dead, like good little pets:

The American people may have voted for divided government, but they didn’t vote for a dysfunctional government. So I’m asking you all to make your voice heard. If you want a balanced approach to reducing the deficit, let your Member of Congress know. If you believe we can solve this problem through compromise, send that message.

The president’s Jim Bakker impression came in response to direct negotiations among Congressional Leaders, which kept him out of the loop. Those negotiations broke off, producing two different plans: one by the House Republicans‘ which would increase the debt ceiling by $1 trillion, cut discretionary spending by $1.2 trillion and arrange a committee to propose up to $1.8 trillion in future deficit reduction; and the other by the Senate Democrats’, designed to raise the debt limit by $2.7 trillion, accompanied by an equal amount of reductions in future spending.

After the president spoke, House Speaker John Boehner replied in his own address, where he said that Obama himself is the chief roadblock in the negotiations:

You see, there is no stalemate in Congress. The House has passed a bill to raise the debt limit with bipartisan support. And this week, while the Senate is struggling to pass a bill filled with phony accounting and Washington gimmicks, we will pass another bill – one that was developed with the support of the bipartisan leadership of the U.S. Senate.

According to Boehner, the bill will also pass the Senate and make its way to the president’s desk, where Obama will be faced with actually having to back up his promise of vetoing the GOP’s proposal.

Boehner said last night:

If the president signs it, the ‘crisis’ atmosphere he has created will simply disappear. The debt limit will be raised. Spending will be cut by more than one trillion dollars, and a serious, bipartisan committee of the Congress will begin the hard but necessary work of dealing with the tough challenges our nation faces.

According to the Speaker of the House, the GOP’s message to Mr. Obama’s calls for continued spending and debt has been “Not so fast.”

The Leadership in Washington (especially Obama and his minions) are in panic mode, trying to get a deal brokered by the Aug. 2 deadline, which is when, according to Treasury Secretary Turbo Tax Tim Geithner,the government will reach its $14.29 trillion borrowing limit. According to Geithner and the rest of the Administration, if that glass ceiling is broken, the government would have to default on some of the government’s promises.

Last night, the budding television evengelist, and part-time President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama (mm mmm mmmm), told the American public that he wouldn’t bore us “with the details of every plan or proposal.” Then, he went on to claim that while both political parties share the same broad goals, those mean ol’ Republicans are blocking progress by defending lower taxes and spending cuts.

This is bi-partisanship?

If the president, like Jim Bakker himself, along with his late wife Tammy Faye Bakker, always wanted, does not succeed in getting his wish to further empty out Americans’ pocket books, Obama stated that he would support the Debt Ceiling Plan of House Majority Leader, and noted Obama Sycophant, Dinghy Harry Reid.

Adding to the confusion regarding the Debt Ceiling Crisis, is the following report from bloomberg.com:

According to the  chief economist at Wells Fargo Securities LLC, John Silvia, the U.S. government would be able to avoid defaulting for at least a month after the Aug. 2 deadline:

The Federal Reserve and the Treasury can work together to generate enough cash probably for the next two or three months to avoid any kind of automatic default on the Treasury debt.  There’s a way of getting around this issue for at least another month or two.

Also, additional tax revenue that has come in, might give the Treasury until Aug. 10 before it runs out of cash, per a report in Barclays Capital last week.

New York-based Barclays analysts, including Ajay Rajadhyaksha, said:

Tax-receipt inflows from July 14 to date have been considerably stronger than we were expecting.

Per the report, incoming tax revenue over the five-day period from July 14 was about $14 billion higher than Barclays had foreseen, and outlays were about $1 billion less.

So,  what’s the rush, Mr. President?  Ramadan or vay-cay?

When we left our story, President Barack Hussein Obama was on the cusp of launching into the first Presidential Hissy Fit in American History, with faithful minions San Fran Nan Pelosi, the Norma Desmond of Capitol Hill, and the Godfather of Las Vegas, Dinghy Harry Reid, following in lock-step.

Across the aisle, the Speaker of the House, Cryin’ John Boehner, was arranging meetings with the aforementioned Congressional Leaders , also including Senate Majority Leader “Grandpa” Mitch McConnell, who seemingly was still trying desperately to figure out what all the excitement was about.

As we join our story this morning, an anxious America holds its collective breath, waiting to see if the tanking Asian Markets portend a Black Monday on Wall Street.  Meanwhile,  life in the sleepy little hamlet of Washington, DC, goes on…

As we catch up with Norma Desmond, err, Nancy Pelosi, she  has attended an Elite Fundraiser for fellow Democrat, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut.

As San Fran Nan left Sunday’s Elite Event, she was asked by a reporter about the Debt Ceiling Negotiations.

Of course, she blamed those wascally Wepublicans…again:

As Speaker Boehner said, there are two different visions of America and I think that’s right. President Obama has a vision to work for the little guy, the middle class and for all people in our country. He is there for 100 percent of Americans and Republicans are there for 2 percent of Americans.

Those prescribed medications are pretty strong, aren’t they, Norma?…errr…I mean, Nancy?

And, what of the erstwhile hero of our tale, Cryin’ John Boehner?

With his self-imposed Asian Market Deadline looming before him yesterday, he said, while appearing on Fox news Sunday:

I would prefer to have a bipartisan approach to solve this problem.  If that’s not possible, I and my Republican colleagues are prepared to do this alone. Today.

According to our hero, it is not “physically possible” to get everything done before the Treasury Department’s August 2 deadline for raising the debt ceiling:

There is going to be a two stage process.

I don’t want to get anywhere close to [default]. This is about what’s doable at the eleventh hour.

Boehner’s office had reported late Saturday that a two-vote approach was now necessary in order to raise the debt ceiling immediately. They would tackle debt reduction, later.

Our hero had harsh words for the antagonist of our story, the mysterious (and clueless) President Barack Hussein Obama:

The president’s worried about his next election, but my God, shouldn’t we be worried about the country? I’m not worried about the next election. I told the president months ago: Forget about the next election!

The president continues to insist that the debt ceiling should be raised at least through 2012, in order to take politics out of the negotiation.

A short pause, while I wipe Diet Coke off of my computer monitor.

During the president’s nationally televised hissy fit on Friday evening, he stated that he would be willing to work on “any plans” that lawmakers brought him over the weekend:

The only bottom line that I have is that we have to extend this debt ceiling through the next election, into 2013.

Per an anonymous GOP aide, Republican leadership will fight back if the president threatens to veto a debt limit increase because it conflicts with the election calendar.

If you will remember, our story’s hero announced on Friday that he was walking away from deficit negotiations with the White House due to the fact that that President Obama was “adamant” about raising taxes and would not agree to “fundamental changes” to entitlement program:

Obama’s response was:

It is hard to understand why Speaker Boehner would walk away from this deal.

He went on to accuse the Republicans of not being able to say “yes” to any agreement.

Boehner replied on Fox News Sunday:

Last Sunday, I thought there was an agreement. On Tuesday, the president said they need more revenue. [House Leader Eric] Cantor (R-Va.) and I said no.”

According to Boehner, this back and forth went on all week, until he made the decision on Friday to step back from the negotiation table.

And, per two sources, Boehner told Republican colleagues on a conference call yesterday, that he gave President Obama a Civics lesson, telling him:

As I read the Constitution, the Congress writes the laws and you get to decide what you want to sign.

That may explain the hissy fit.

Boehner also announced on Fox News Sunday that:

My last offer is still out there. I’ve never taken my last offer off the table, and they never agreed to my last offer. On the other hand, “It may be pretty hard to put humpty dumpty back together again.”

Boehner said that he is an “optimist” when it comes to reaching a deal on the debt ceiling and is determined to find “as much common ground as we can” in order to reach an agreement.

Well, faithful reader, as you’ve guessed by now, nothing at all was accomplished yesterday, and Cryin’ John did not make his deadline of solving the Debt Ceiling Fiasco by the opening of the Asian Markets yesterday.

So, here Americans sit, waiting for Wall Street to open, on what may become a Black Monday. 

May I suggest that those of you with stock portfolios, think of fluffy bunnies, and bambi-esque deer frollicking through golden meadows.

Or, call your broker, and convert everything to gold…

Be with us next time for our next exciting episode of As the Stomach Turns!

If you can still afford to pay for your internet connection….

After being summoned by the Emperor Scooter Insipidus (President Barack Hussein Obama) and sitting through a useless Saturday morning meeting which lasted for less than an hour, Speaker of the House John Boehner hosted a meeting of his own with Congressional Leaders including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The purpose of both it and the meeting with Scooter was, at least in Speaker Boehner’s mind, to head off an unprecented government default, at the same time showing enough progress to forestall a disastrous plunge in stock prices when Asian markets open ahead of the U.S. workweek.

Leaving the Emperor, err, president, out of the afternoon’s negotiations, Boehner and the Republicans pursued their goal of as much as $4 trillion in deficit cuts over a decade as a condition for raising the nation’s debt limit.

You guessed it. No progress was made, whatsoever.

After the meeting, “Dinghy Harry” Reid said that he deeply disappointed in the status of the negotiations.

Reid accused GOP leaders of intransigence (a seldom-used word meaning hard-headedness). He added he would not accept anything less than a deal that raised the debt limit through 2012.

Reid issued a statement, saying:

Their unwillingness to compromise is pushing us to the brink of a default on the full faith and credit of the United States. We have run out of time for politics. Now is the time for cooperation.

The Norma Desmond of the House of Representatives, San Fran Nan Pelosi, decided that she would blame the Republicans, too.

I’m shocked, I tell you. Shocked.

Her statement read:

The delay in bringing forth a solution springs from the Republicans’ decision to walk away from 98 percent of the wealthiest people in our country

That’s right, Norma. As you fly around in your private jet, bought with the money you and your husband have made, blame all of those filthy capitalists that made it possible.

Boehner’s spokesman responded in a statesmanlike manner, (Darn it.) issuing the following statement:

Like the President and the entire bipartisan, bicameral Congressional leadership, we continue to believe that defaulting on the full faith and credit of the United States is not an option.

In an effort to produce an outline of a plan before the markets open Monday and if possible before the Asian markets open Sunday night,the House Republican leadership may release a plan as early as Sunday afternoon.

According to an anonymous GOP congressional aide, both sides are working on a plan that would include no new revenues, spending cuts of more than $1 trillion along with a debt-ceiling increase that is smaller than the spending cuts but would get the country into early next year.

There’s a major hitch in their plans. The President of the United States desperately wants to raise our taxes, euphemistically calling our money REVENUE.

During his royal meeting yesterday morning, Obama once again told those assembled that he would not support a short-term extension of the debt ceiling, ludicrously arguing that it could lead to a downgrade in the nation’s credit rating.

Scooter, your disastrous economic policies have done that already.

Royal Page, errr, White Press Press Secretary Jay Carney issued the following statement on behalf of Scooter Insipidus:

As the current situation makes clear, it would be irresponsible to put our country and economy at risk again in just a few short months with another battle over raising the debt ceiling. Congress should refrain from playing reckless political games with our economy. Instead, it should be responsible and do its job, avoiding default and cutting the deficit.

To call this political theater would be a gross understatement. It is the culmination of the consequences of political chicanery…grand schemes which have been plotted and carried out, to the detriment of our country, since the “New” Democrats took over Congress in 2007.

Now, as the August 2nd deadline, set by Scooter, which just happens to coincide with the Muslim holiday of Ramadan and his extended vacation, draws closer, he and his congressional minions are in full panic mode, desperately trying to blame the Republicans for their own irresponsible spending and economic policies that have gotten us into this mess in the first place.

Here’s the thing:  according to an article posted on americanthinker.com yesterday, by Rick Moran, the deadline of August 2nd may not be accurate:

…For months, markets have been girding themselves against the possibility that the U.S. will reach the limits of its borrowing ability on August 2 and default on its debts. But researchers at Barclays Capital think the real deadline may not be until a week later.

In a note published Friday, the Barclays Interest Rates Research team wrote that “the date on which the Treasury will run out of cash to pay its obligations might not be August 2; it might be around August 10 instead.”

Why the change? The note explains that previous projections showed the Treasury running out of money on the morning of Wednesday, August 3. On that day, it was predicted, the Treasury would need to spend $32 billion, including $22 billion in Social Security payments — and it was only projected to have $30 billion at its disposal.

That projection was made on July 13. But since then, the researchers say, the Treasury has taken in about $14 billion more than expected, and paid out about $1 billion less than expected. Hence, the deadline date might actually be August 10, a week later than previously believed.

Interesting, huh?  About those vacation plans, Scooter…