Koch Bros Tea Party Responsible for Government Shutdown and Destruction of Common Sense in GOP

“At least let’s name this for what it is — sabotage of the democratic process. Secession by another means.” Moyers said. “And let’s be clear about where such reckless ambition leads. As surely as night must follow day, the alternative to democracy is worse.”  

First picked up the video of Billy Moyers from his site with a short commentary:

Bill Moyers Essay: On the Sabotage of DemocracyOctober 4, 2013 

This week’s government shutdown has consequences for all of us, costing an estimated $300 million each day that the government is closed for business. Many Americans have voiced their frustrations with the fallout from the shutdown on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter using the hash tag #DearCongress. Here, Bill Moyers shares his own thoughts on the shutdown, and the resulting sabotage of democracy. 

“When the president refused to buckle to this extortion, they threw their tantrum,” Bill says. “Like the die-hards of the racist South a century and a half ago, who would destroy the union before giving up their slaves, so would these people burn down the place, sink the ship.” He goes on to tell us where the “reckless ambition” of the Republicans could lead us.

After watching this video, I watched some others and forgotten how much I have enjoyed Bill Moyers over the years and how each and every time whether I agreed or not, he has put his thoughts into a clear and concise editorial on what is happening in DC.  This is one of those times where he nailed what is happening to the Republican Party that has been taken over by the hard right Koch Bros Tea Party who really 'have sucked the last bit of soul' from the GOP.  
Greg Sargent at The Plum Line has this to say this morning about the Democrats backing a debt ceiling increase with a bill:

Senate Democrats are planning to start the process this week for a Senate vote on a clean debt limit increase, sources tell me – a move that could call the bluff of Republicans in both chambers and force them to take a stand on whether they will allow default and economic destruction if Dems don’t accept their unilateral demands. 

The move has the backing of the White House, according to a source familiar with discussions. 

The idea is that Senate Dems will move their own clean debt limit bill, rather than wait for the House GOP to hold its own vote on either a clean CR funding the government (which Senate Dems have already passed with broad bipartisan support) or on a debt limit hike. Dems would be challenging Senate GOP moderates to vote for or against averting default and economic havoc outside of any set of conditions House Republicans insist must be attached to any measure raising the debt limit.

(snip) 

This also raises another question: If Senate Republicans filibuster a debt ceiling hike, will Senate Dem leaders change the rules to allow it to pass by a simple majority, on the argument that so doing is imperative to save the U.S. economy from meltdown? 

Remember, the deal that averted the “nuclear option” this year left the current rules in place, but Dems reserved the right to act again if GOP obstructionism continued.
The current debt limit brinkmanship provides a particularly stark example of destructive GOP governance at work. Republicans themselves have previously said the debt limit must and will be raised.

Excerpted - Read Full article at The Plum Line

If Majority Leader Harry Reid has to use the nuclear option to pass the debt ceiling against the obstructionist GOP Senate, then I say go for it.  Most Americans including Wall Street and Big Business except the Kochs and their partners would back Reid 100% IMHO as unlike the GOP hard right, understand what a default would do to our Country.  This is one ex-GOP supporter who will be happy to support Reid for reelection.  It will show that the Democrats finally get it that you cannot negotiate with hostage takers even if they are members of Congress.  The Republicans in Congress are holding our Nation hostage for their selfish gains and don't seem to mind if the Nation defaults on its debts.  Why should they?  They are still getting paid.

When rational people are elected to the Congress, a bill needs to be passed that if there is no budget along with appropriations passed by midnight 30 September, then the members of Congress will not be paid.

President Obama telling the hard headed Speaker Boehner that he will not discuss the Republican demands until he gets a clean CR and rise in debt ceiling, makes me proud to have supported him last year in his reelection bid.  Best move I made was to join Republicans for Obama and the Obama campaign as a supporter and then becoming a charter member of Organizing for Action which is all about helping the American people. Found a home with like-minded individuals that are not telling you how to think after years of putting up with the 'my way or no way' crowd of hard right Republicans.

Nice not to be yelled at or demeaned for not following the hard right ideas which frankly are crazy. Discovering Democrats to be much nicer with common sense who are much more open to new ideas instead of locked into an agenda where new ideas are not welcome .  Never going back to the Republicans after years of activism, working campaigns at all levels, donating, and following their agenda that shifted to the right gradually and then when it went all in with their hard right politics and platform to the point I could no longer support Republicans.  Wasn't happy with the initial shift to the right as I thought the GOP had gone too far but I was in for a shock in the 2010 platform which mirrored too many of the hard right state platforms starting in 2009.  Know the one here in Oklahoma was only good for filing away in the trash.

Koch Bros Tea Party and their vast organizations they fund including the RNC and members of the GOP in Congress can now thank themselves for a lot of Republican women going out the door to leave the Republican Party even more of a white male dominated party.  Don't recognize the GOP today and more importantly have no desire to try and figure out if they will ever get common sense back because I will never trust them again -- not today, not tomorrow, not ever!

That is today's hard right Republican Party in a nutshell which is why it was easy to tell the Republicans to shove it as I have moved on to supporting the Democrats, their candidates, and their ideals.

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