These 28 Republicans Voted to Suspend the Debt Ceiling Until 2015

Vast majority in some position of House leadership

Talk Radio News Service/Foter.com

The bill to suspend the debt ceiling through March of next year is listed in the House roll call votes as a bill to "designate the air route traffic control center located in Nashua, New Hampshire, as the Patricia Clark Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center."  Last night it passed by a vote of 221-201, with the support of just 28 Republicans. They were:

John Boehner (OH)
Ken Calvert (CA)
Dave Camp (MI)
Eric Cantor (VA)
Howard Coble (NC)
Chris Collins (NY)
Charlie Dent (PA)
Mikd Fitzpatrick (PA)
Michael Grimm (NY)
Richard Hanna (NY)
Doc Hastings (WA)
Darrell Issa (CA)
Peter King (NY)
Frank LoBiondo (NJ)
Kevin McCarthy (CA)
Buck McKeon (CA)
Pat Meehan (PA)
Gary Miller (CA)
Devin Nunes (CA) -
Dave Reichert (WA)
Hal Rogers (KY)
Peter Roskam (IL)
Ed Royce (CA)
Jon Runyan (NJ)
John Shimkus (IL)
Chris Smith (NJ)
David Valadao (CA)
Frank Wolf (VA)

The list includes the House Speaker (who's head the Senate Conservatives Fund has called for), the House Majority Leader, the House Majority Whip, six committee chairs, 12 subcommittee chairs, and two subcommittee vice chairs. Just five of the 28 Republicans appeared to have no leadership position in the House. The 28 Republicans came from 11 states, eight were from California. Just two of the Republicans, Howard Coble and Frank Wolf, have announced they're retiring this year, while Peter King says he's running for president. None of the 28 Republicans are in races considered "toss-ups" for 2014 at the Cook Political Report, but three are just in the "leans Republican" category.

Comments

[John]

I think the Republicans are wrong here and should shut down the government until Obama agrees to some cuts. But, the last time the Republicans shut down the government, I seem to remember the entire Reason staff, sans Gillespie who to his great credit supported it, having kittens about how stupid Republicans were for engaging in such a pointless act.

So why is this time any different? If they had passed a debt ceiling Obama didn't like, which means anything other than a clean one, there would have been a government shut down just like October. I think that would have been great. But I thought it was great in October. Most of Reason didn't see it that way. So now the Republicans do exactly what Reason was telling them to do in October and we are bombarded with post after post about what sellouts they are.

Really?

[Pro Libertate]

Bluto: What the fuck happened to the Delta I used to know? Where's the spirit? Where's the guts, huh? This could be the greatest night of our lives, but you're gonna let it be the worst. "Ooh, we're afraid to go with you Bluto, we might get in trouble." Well just kiss my ass from now on! Not me! I'm not gonna take this. Wormer, he's a dead man! Marmalard, dead! Niedermeyer. . . .

Otter: Dead! Bluto's right. Psychotic, but absolutely right. We gotta take these bastards. Now we could do it with conventional weapons, but that could take years and cost millions of lives. No, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part!

What the Republicans clearly need is a Bluto. And a float that says "Eat me," but that's a topic for another time.

[robc]

Have to agree with John on this.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I would agree as well, however Krayewski doesn't seem to be taking anyone to task here. At least not overtly. He seems to be just providing information.

The Democrats are going to keep spending. They're not really coy about it. But the Republicans' claim on fiscal responsibility and smaller government is belied by this vote by their House Speaker.

[CampingInYourPark]

But the Republicans' claim on fiscal responsibility and smaller government is belied by this vote by their House Speaker.

Yeah, 28 out of 232 doesn't substantiate:

"OMG, the GOP is trying to fool you about being for smaller gov't", either

[Fist of Etiquette]

It's not, but it is their leadership. They might want to do something about that.

[John]

But the leadership is making the same argument in favor of this that the Reason staff made against shutting the government down in October; that a shutdown would be pointless and just allow Obama and the Democrats to go on the offensive.

Reason thought that was a good strategy then at least.

[Pro Libertate]

Yes, we'll know something's really changed when the leadership has changed towards more fiscally conservative, limited-government folk. Until then, the GOP is only somewhat less culpable for Leviathan than the Democrats. They certainly did NOTHING to reduce the size, scope, and spendamania of government when they controlled all three branches.

[Fist of Etiquette]

More than likely this was a deal made between the members and the leadership. GOP leaders take the hit (generally in safe districts) and the members get to say they were against it.

[CampingInYourPark]

Sure. Most of them historically have problems tying any kind of spending measures to debt ceiling bills. They ALWAYS do this.

*takes off tin foil hat

[Marc F Cheney]

Yeah, 28 out of 232 doesn't substantiate:

"OMG, the GOP is trying to fool you about being for smaller gov't", either

On the contrary, that was exactly my interpretation. The GOP leaders are taking the fall so that the rest can say they were agin' it.

I see that FOE hits the nail on the head below.

[Marc F Cheney]

*above

[CampingInYourPark]

So now the Republicans do exactly what Reason was telling them to do in October and we are bombarded with post after post about what sellouts they are.

This post offers no opinion on whether the 28 Republicans that voted for the bill were right or not.

[CE]

I think the poster's opinion is pretty clear. He think they're wrong, and Reason is being hypocritical for criticizing them now, when they opposed the shutdown before.

[Calidissident]

Unless Krayewski took the same position as Welch or Suderman (I don't know if he did), I don't see how you can accuse anyone of hypocrisy. Reason isn't a homogenous entity

[Pelosi's Rabbit]

+1 Borg

[Drake]

We are Independent, dammit!

[Warren]

If they voted to shut down the government, I'd support it. But if you call it a shut-down without actually curtailing spending, like they did last time, Go Fuck Yourselves Assholes.

[John]

They wanted to cut spending and stop Obamacare. They just folded. But Reason said they were stupid for even trying. And Reason said all along they should have folded from the begining.

I agree with you. Shut it down until the Democrats agree to some sanity. They will miss the government more than the Republicans will. But that wasn't Reason's position in October.

[CE]

Shut it down forever. Barring that, at least permanently furlough everyone they labeled non-essential last time. Barring that, at least don't pay them back pay for when they weren't working and weren't essential.

[Ivan Pike]

They wanted to cut spending and stop Obamacare.

I don't think they cared about cutting spending.

[Calidissident]

Did Krayewski give an opinion on the shutdown?

[John]

Isn't listing the 28 names implying a pajoritive? Why list them if not to imply they are sellouts? If he thinks they did the right thing, why not say so?

If anything, listing them without expressing an opinion is even more dishonest, since it allows them to weasel out of the charge of hypocrisy by claiming "well I didn't say it was wrong". Bullshit. Either Hit and Run is wasting a post making no point or they are trying to point these guys out as sellouts and fakes. Either way that doesn't speak well of Reason.

[Calidissident]

I meant did Krayewski give an opinion on the last shutdown?

[John]

That is a fair question. I will look and see.

[ThinkThrice]

You know who would love for us to shut our government down? The Russians and Chinese! They are probably funding the 'let it shut down' movement. Let's be rational and exact change in a controlled manner please!

500 Billion was our deficit this year, that's pretty good! Under Bush our national debt went from 5 trillion to 11 trillion (it doubled and then some!). Under Obama the debt has gone from 11 trillion to 16 trillion (50% increase). Look, we all agree growing debt is bad, but let's look at the broad picture and not be political, and let us not endanger ourselves! Why don't we just agree to not run a deficit in the near future? We could even push the buck to 2 years from now if that makes the congressman happy. "In two years, the federal government will not run a deficit or else _something_."

[Fist of Etiquette]

They're on pace to make gains in the mid-terms and you want them to rock the boat? What's another year of debt building with that at stake? Then they can be in a position to put the country's fiscal house in order!

[Rich]

"There's never time to do it right, but there's always time to do it over."

[Francisco d Anconia]

If there was only time to do nothing at all.

[Rich]

NOT AN OPTION!!

[Bill Dalasio]

Of course, then they'll be telling us that, oh, whoops, they can't get the country's fiscal house in order because Obama still holds the Presidency. You'll just have to elect President Christie to make sure that the Republicans hold both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. Then, dammit, they'll be in a position to put the country's fiscal house in order! Of course, if that came to pass, they'd explain that cutting spending is ABSOLUTELY UNTHINKABLE!!! Why, if you do that, the Democrats might actually take away Republican seats!!! And we all know how terrible and awful THEY are!

[Palin's Buttplug]

Nice prediction. Please show this to John so he can see how it is done.

John would predict the opposite - how the GOP with a Jeb Bush or Christie suddenly became libertarians who really just wanted to deconstruct government all along.

[Cytotoxic]

how the GOP with a Jeb Bush or Christie suddenly became libertarians who really just wanted to deconstruct government all along.

I dare you to find a record of this. Dare you.

[KDN]

And we all know how terrible and awful THEY are!

In defense of this future point, 2007 - 2010. But yeah, fiscal responsibility is pretty analogous to the protection / expansion of civil liberties.

[CE]

As Ross Perot said, "when you're in a hole, stop digging."

Just set a hard cap on the debt ceiling today. Don't borrow any more until the previous debt is paid down some. Cut spending.

[Rich]

The bill to suspend the debt ceiling through March of next year is listed in the House roll call votes as a bill to "designate the air route traffic control center ...."

What?! Not the "Suspended Ceiling Act of 2014"?!

Fuckers.

[Marshall Gill]

Apparently, the names of various bills have nothing to do with what they actually do. The recent "Farm Bill" was actually a Food Stamp bill.

http://www.steynonline.com/608.....egislating

[Rich]

Apparently, the names of various bills have nothing to do with what they actually do.

Oh, it's more than "apparently", Marshall. It's a way of life with these clowns.

[Francisco d Anconia]

Wasn't there a book about government naming programs the EXACT opposite of what the program actually did in order to mislead the public? What was that?

Affordable Care Act
Patriot Act...

[UnCivilServant]

SAFE Act.
No Child Left Behind.
...etc

[PM]

The Anti-Dog-Eat-Dog Rule
The Equalization of Opportunity Bill
...

Wait...

[WTF]

You mean the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" doesn't really do that!?

Shocked, I am.

[kbolino]

I don't get people who wail and gnash their teeth about "food stamps in the farm bill".

Food stamps are as much an agricultural subsidy as direct payments to farmers.

[The Last American Hero]

Not a fan of farm subsidies, but at least farmers work. Jacking up the number of people on food stamps just puts more drag on the economy.

[Mike M.]

Great, so now the debt ceiling hasn't just been raised, it has been "suspended".

It almost sounds like the Terrible 28 just gave Obama the authority to pass another trillion dollar stimulus bill via executive order.

[WTF]

Obama doesn't need the authority of Congress - he has a pen and a phone.

[CE]

And they'll have fun, fun, fun til Daddy takes the T-bills away.....

[Episiarch]

I'm torn as to whether I actually want to see spineless Republicans back down and allow this debt problem to get even worse, with the anticipation of the house of cards crashing down all the sooner; or if I'd rather see another "OH MY GOD THE SKY IS FALLING BECAUSE OF SHUTDOWN" debacle, making the government look even worse as they stop pensioners from visiting war memorials and shit.

I really can't decide.

[RBS]

If the government shuts down then the entire South will be snowed in or iced over. Why do you hate the South?

[Nazdrakke]

Why do you hate the South?

Fried okra and grits.

[Episiarch]

But I just had grits on Friday!

Fuck okra, though.

[Warty]

Fuck okra??? FUCK YOU.

[Episiarch]

Been there, done that. Meh. I've been raped better.

[Rich]

But have you been *slimed* better?

[Pro Libertate]

We went to a very good seafood dive locally that had a shrimp and grits special with fried okra. Didn't get it, but we talked to the hostess (there was a wait before we got in), and she was commenting on how most people fry okra wrong and that theirs was really good. I wish I'd tried it so I could report, but the red snapper with chipotle mashed potatoes was too tempting.

I'm more open to such ideas that I've been eating some foods wrong since I learned about the wonders of roasted Brussels sprouts.

Grits are awesome, whether of the Southern U.S. variety or the Italian variety.

[Tim]

Army grits suck. That's all I can tell you about Southern cuisine.

[Nazdrakke]

Army grits suck

Oddly when I was in the field was the only time I'd want them. I can eat even flavorless goop when I need the warmth badly enough.

[PRX]

fried okra done right is great and I can't stand okra.

[Episiarch]

Okra can definitely be made wrong, but there is a texture and flavor to okra that I find slightly offputting. I don't hate it and I'll eat it, I just find myself preferring just about anything else.

[Warty]

"Look at me! I'm a fancy boy and I love dicks! I'm too good to eat fried slime! La tee da!"

[Episiarch]

Yeah, that's right; I'm better than you. What're you going to do about it?

[RBS]

My mom apparently fries it right. It's always crispy and not covered in some think batter. Grits I can take or leave, I know that makes some kind of monster in the South.

[Pro Libertate]

You say that like you are not objectively a heinous abomination.

[Killaz]

Why are we not talking about the wonders of the hushpuppy here? Grits, meh; okra I get the occasional mood for it.

I also have a texture problem with corn. Love the taste but the texture is off putting.

[Pro Libertate]

I love good hushpuppies and, even more so, good cornbread. Yum.

[Pelosi's Rabbit]

Grits I can take or leave, I know that makes some kind of monster in the South.

I'm a native southerner and I pretty much agree. Other than shrimp and grits, I'm not a huge fan.

[prolefeed]

Why do you hate the South?

Fried okra and grits.

Still waiting for a reason to hate it, unlike, say, NJ.

[WTF]

Come on prolefeed, it's okay, show us where New Jersey touched you.

[Episiarch]

Fucking Johnny Reb!

[Fist of Etiquette]

They're wholly unprepared for climate change, sniveling now to the Union for help. Didn't any one of them see The Day After Tomorrow???

[Pro Libertate]

It's interesting that people die by the hundred in northern heatwaves, but that's normal. Not being prepared for very rare winter storms, that's crazy.

[Episiarch]

It's interesting that people die by the hundred in northern heatwaves

Not generally, dumbass. This is still a first world country. I think.

[RBS]

I was in Ontario several years ago during what was apparently the hottest Summer they've ever had. People were dying and nobody had any A/C.

[Episiarch]

We were talking about the US, a first world country, not a third world country like Canada or France.

[RBS]

I just wanted to know what it was like to move a goalpost.

[Drake]

The French like to leave their oldsters to die in the summer heat while they vacation on the beach. But that ain't us.

[Warty]

Don't old people drop like flies in Chicago every summer? Not that that's part of America, but still.

[Pro Libertate]

Yes. That's what I was thinking of. They had around 100 deaths in just one heatwave back in the 90s, I think. Not that I think that's anyone's fault, necessarily, but it's no less a failing of Chicago than Atlanta not being a master at dealing with snow and ice.

[Killaz]

Besides, I think the story has been highly exaggerated. The roads have looked pretty calm to me along the Charlotte to Raleigh I-85 corridor.

Oh, my God, a snowflake. LOOK THE FUCK OUT!!!

[SIV]

Overjust 5 days in 1995

750 dead in Chicago

[Jarl ? the booty]

Not broken down by region, but:

Heat waves are the most lethal type of weather phenomenon, overall. Between 1992 and 2001, deaths from excessive heat in the United States numbered 2,190, compared with 880 deaths from floods and 150 from hurricanes.[19] The average annual number of fatalities directly attributed to heat in the United States is about 400.[20] The 1995 Chicago heat wave, one of the worst in US history, led to approximately 600 heat-related deaths over a period of five days.[21] Eric Klinenberg has noted that in the United States, the loss of human life in hot spells in summer exceeds that caused by all other weather events combined, including lightning, rain, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes.[22][23]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_wave#Mortality

Since they are likely under-reported, it's not unreasonable -- much less "dumbass"-ey -- to conclude that 100+ people die in "northern heatwaves" annually.

[Cytotoxic]

Doesn't cold kill more than heat?

[Heroic Mulatto]

It's interesting that old, senile people die by the hundred in northern heatwaves

Not being prepared for very rare winter storms

BE PREPARED!

[Bramblyspam]

Ah, them very rare winter storms!

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

Good point. Great point to bring up when people won't stop going on about "har har har stupid southerners can't take snow, idiots, har har har".

[Pro Libertate]

Indeed, just why wasn't New York prepared for a hurricane, anyway?

[UnCivilServant]

Meh, we didn't lose anything important, just part of NYC. No one will notice.

[Pro Libertate]

I like these weather shutdowns. Bush the Younger should use his weather control to do more of it. Non-lethally, please.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Not to harp on this, but remember the last time the federal government tried to warm up the South. A guy named Sherman.

[Killaz]

Later on, he did to business what he did to Atlanta.

[CE]

Whaddya mean? The NY Times just said it's the end of snow. Sochi proves that global warming has wrecked the Winter Olympics forever.

[Invisible Finger]

Why do you hate the South?

Protestants.

[Pelosi's Rabbit]

Fucking Presbyterians.

[Pro Libertate]

I truly enjoyed the "shutdown." I'd like to see it happen more often. As much as the Republicans have been portrayed as "losing" that fight, there is simply no way that the real message, that we are up to the nose in bullshit, didn't get across to a great many people. Sure, they should've noticed that long before, but it's starker now than ever. Especially with Obama continuing to delay key parts of his "legacy" law.

[Paul.]

I did enjoy Tim Cavanaugh's article over at the Daily Caller, detailing how a snowstorm actually accomplished what the Government Shutdown couldn't.

[Heroic Mulatto]

I did enjoy Tim Cavanaugh's article

That is a sign of mental illness and worse-than-Hitlerness.

Seek help.

[Killaz]

His article that Keynes General Theory of This and That can only be understood as a work of modernist era literature was pretty awesome.

[UnCivilServant]

detailing how a snowstorm actually accomplished what the Government Shutdown couldn't

What did it supposedly accomplish?

[Paul.]

An actual government shutdown as opposed to the fake political one that happened last year.

A mid-morning snowfall succeeded in doing what the Obamacare war couldn't Tuesday, shutting down the nation's capital.

The government of the District of Columbia, federal offices in Washington, D.C., District of Columbia public schools, and public schools in Virginia and Maryland announced full-day closings hours before any snow began to fall.

[...]

All non-essential offices were closed, however, just a day after the Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday, creating a situation similar to the government "shutdown" that briefly lifted America's economy and spirits in October 2013.

[John]

I can see the arguments either way. They tried in October and were called terrorists for their trouble. If the country doesn't like Obama and Reid bankrupting the government, well maybe they shouldn't have voted for them. There is defeinely a part of me that thinks "fuck yeah, give them and the country what they voted for in 2012 good and hard".

But at the same time, the panic and gnashing of teeth over shutting down the government would be pretty damned fun. And God knows something has to be done about this.

So I don't know. But I do know, Reason seemed to think shutting down the government was a pretty bad idea back in October and don't seem to think so now. Funny that.

[Episiarch]

I don't recall them thinking it was a bad idea, John; I mostly remember them pointing out the absurdity of the Park Police and various other scare/thug tactics taken by the government.

[John]

Go back and look. Suderman and Welch were both clutching their pearls about how stupid it was and how it was never going to result in Obamacare being repealed and do nothing but make Republicans look bad.

Gillespie was the only one who said "damn right they should be doing this". I am generally pretty hard on Gillespie. But he was dead on then when pretty much all of his staff wasn't.

[robc]

To be fair, Suderman is an idiot about everything.

[Pro Libertate]

To be sure, quite a few Republicans said and are saying the same thing. Because they still can't stop looking at the media as an accurate mirror, which is totally wrong.

[Rasilio]

The problem wasn't that they shut the government down. The problem was that they shut it down for a dumbass reason.

Had Obama acquiesced to their request to delay Obamacare they would have bumped the debt limit with no problems. It is not like they were taking a principled stand against deficit spending or anything.

Same thing happened here, with no other issue to bargain over the Republican leadership in the house rolled over and voted to continue spending levels that supposedly know to be unsustainable.

What they need it to be able to take a principled stand and let the government get shutdown when no other issues are in play and keep shoving budget amendments that actually cut spending in intelligent ways (don't start with cutting food stamps, that is petty change and too easy to demagogue, start with shit like ending the TSA and other stuff that most people would support) down the Presidents throat till he is forced to pass one.

[Cytotoxic]

Uh Epi there was article after article after article from SuderDerp about how the GOP was stupid for attempting to do anything at all, which aptly demonstrated that SuderDerp has no political acumen. While a tactical mess, the shutdown and filibusters of Ocare were strategic victories. They justified the existence of the GOP to its base and that will pay off in the midterms.

[Warren]

Yeah, these 28 Republican's are traitors to the US Economy and therefore ultimately to the survival of the Republic.

But let's not forget the Democrats. How many voted against this threat to national security?

[prolefeed]

2. Two Ds, one of whom is retiring because he was gonna lose the last D seat in Utah anyway.

[Rich]

So, how did Rand Paul's press conference go?

Can I use my cellphone yet?

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

So far only Fox News covered it, and only then in brief. Must be one of those FAKE SCANDALS!

But seriously, I made the mistake of reading Politico and CNN comments on the subject. They almost all hate Rand for doing this because it makes Obama look bad and BOOOOSSSSHHHH is really responsible!

[Episiarch]

How can anything not make Obama look bad at this point? The TEAM BLUE sycophants better wrap their heads around that and start throwing Obama under the bus soon.

[Rich]

This. He's just a shell of his former empty suit.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

They're also clearly terrified of Rand and just can't accept that a major issue they were up in arms about 2001-2008 is being seen through by a libertarian-ish Republican with a legitimate shot at his party's nomination.

Hillary is the ultimate DC insider. Imagine the spectacle of progs defending her and her corporate cronies from Rand's populist attacks on their record on cronyism and civil liberties. I want to see that so badly.

[Episiarch]

I'm pretty sure you're going to be seeing it in spades, dude. I swear, at this point, after Obama and the "first black president", and then debacle after debacle, they're so desperate to get back that 2008 feeling that they'll do anything, no matter how stupid, no matter how through-the-looking-glass it will be. Get ready for some insanity.

[Rich]

Get ready for some insanity.

"I give you ... the first *naked* President of the United States!"

[Pro Libertate]

The greatest danger to us all is if the Democrats double down and run the first Hot Babe candidate for president. America can't handle that and would vote for her, even if she were an open Maoist.

[Episiarch]

I'd vote for her, and I don't even vote. Probably. Depends on who it is. Any suggestions?

[Pro Libertate]

Has to be American born and 35. And I'd say would have to be generally accepted as very attractive, so no niche candidates.

[Pro Libertate]

And 35 or older, that is.

[Episiarch]

Your suggestions suck. You didn't even include any pictures. Why must you disappoint me, day by day?

[Pro Libertate]

Oh, you meant me? I dunno, limiting it to American makes it hard. Uh, Salma Hayek if we annex Mexico is the most obvious choice.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

"Has to be American born and 35."

Too old. The Constitution was written by "cross-dressing slaveholders who pooped in holes" (Scott Adams), so who cares about the arbitrary age limits they imposed! Are we suddenly, belatedly, getting all worried about whether something is "constitutional?"

Let's elect Michell Jenneke (sp?) or Bar Rafaeli, never mind technicalities about age or citizenship.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

And the women of American should be on board with this, because they'll get to watch a hot chick age in office from all the stress and become a white-haired crone with wrinkles.

[Pro Libertate]

Yes, I predict a love/hate vote from women.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Can someone explain Scott Adams? He's a hack who has used the same damn exact joke in ever single one of his comic strips for the past twenty years. He comes across as the smuggest "free-thinker" this side of P.Z. Meyers and the creepy Progressive technocracy that he advocates is just one Hugo Boss designed uniform away from death camps. Yet people take him seriously. WHY?

[CE]

Sarah Palin, you mean?

[Pro Libertate]

Her Republicaness might be off-putting to the Democrats.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Fine. Lisa Ann for president then.

[Pro Libertate]

I have one: Jackie Guerrido. She's 41, born in Puerto Rico (which may count, not positive), and is a weather woman. So she can spout AGW nonsense to appeal to the Democratic core.

[Rasilio]

Jennifer Garner, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, and Jennifer Lopez would all qualify

[Pro Libertate]

What about Angelina Jolie?

[Rasilio]

Too late, we already had JFK

[Francisco d Anconia]

They're also clearly terrified of Rand and just can't accept that a major issue they were up in arms about 2001-2008 is being seen through by a libertarian-ish Republican with a legitimate shot at his party's nomination.

At this point, the only thing that can screw the Republicans, is Republicans.

I'm sure they'll give it their best shot.

[ziggy]

Like nominating Huckabee. I don't know how indicative this is but I know plenty of fox watchers who really like Huckabee because of his tv show. It seems many would vote for him in the primaries.

The republicans need to understand that they have the hard core social conservatives vote no matter what, so they don't need to pander to them. Unfortunately you get the Santorums, Huckabee''s etc. who have nothing to offer so they make social issues a topic during the primaries.

[Warty]

So next year we'll have an even stupider fight when the racist teabagger Neoconfederate Congress attempts to create a new debt ceiling at twice its current level.

Epi is right. Congress should rubber-stamp every one of Commander Dipshit's dipshit decisions so we have a currency collapse that much sooner. Fuck it. You want to be idiots, let's be idiots.

[Wandering Texan]

We ridin' the bomb now?

[Episiarch]

Let's go FULL RETARD!

[Francisco d Anconia]

And eat cake.

[Mad Scientist]

After reading about SugarFree's cake recipes yesterday, I'm afraid to eat cake.

[Rich]

Well, you must admit it makes them light and fluffy.

(No offense, Fluffy.)

[Episiarch]

YOU ALL WANT CAKE.

[prolefeed]

The fucking cake is a lie.

[Heroic Mulatto]

SugarFree is Fotie Photenhauer? Who knew?

[Tim]

Warty here has forgotten more about dispensing pain than you and I will never know.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Didn't the Senate jettison the filibuster option? So if the Republicans win the Senate (very possible) and keep or increase their House majority, can't they just pass bill after bill that Obama will veto?

We could have complete Washington paralysis!

[Episiarch]

We can wish for that, but the overwhelming tidal forces in Washington are for bipartisanship and passing shit so that they can say they're "doing something". Paralysis will never last very long.

[Rich]

That would be awesome.

"We'd be the most productive Congress in history, if only the President would cooperate!"

[Paul.]

Do we really need to hear Shrike say, "The Republicans supported it!" while the zombies are crawling through our windows?

[Cytotoxic]

Terrible idea. Collapse will not necessarily lead to betterment.

[robc]

Its pretty clearly an establishment vs tea party split on this.

23 of the 28 are in leadership.

I could see an entirely new batch of leadership come next January.

Sweep all 23 of these fuckers out. Let them lose their committee and subcommittee chairs.

[Nazdrakke]

As if this wasn't carefully counted to give a lot of other red congresscritters who would have voted the same way a bit of political cover.

[robc]

Of course it was.

Even the establishment knows which way the wind is blowing and figures the leadership can ride it out.

I hope they are wrong. I went Boehner out as speaker and all these committee leaders stripped of their jobs, like they did with Amash.

[prolefeed]

Last night it passed by a vote of 221-201, with the support of just 28 Republicans.

That doesn't look like "carefully counted" -- even if they didn't expect the two D votes against, they could have let several more potentially vulnerable Rs skate.

This looks like a bunch of statist Rs in Blue or swing states pandering to statist D voters to get reelected.

[Tim]

"Oh here we go again,
Same old shit again.
Marching down the avenue
one more time and we'll be through.
I'll be glad and so will you.
I won't have to look at you..."

[Corning]

Dave Reichert (WA)

Interesting.

[prolefeed]

More like "predictable".

[prolefeed]

Whoops, thinking of someone else in WA state.

[The Last American Hero]

Reichert is an establishment law and order republican with a mild respect for the environment. He also just cut a deal with the Democrats to gerrymander his seat for permanent incumbency. I wasn't surprised at all by his vote.

[The Late P Brooks]

Fucking HEROES, one and all. Desperately doing battle against the forces of chaos and evil.

Give them medals, Mister President.

[The Late P Brooks]

What?! Not the "Suspended Ceiling Act of 2014"?!

Close, but I'd prefer the UNLIMITED SPENDING ANDS FISCAL SURRENDER ACT.

[Rich]

"The Farm (The Debt Out To Our Great-Grandchildren) Bill"

[prolefeed]

All the Rs voting for it are from Blue or swing states.

The two Ds voting against it are from Red states -- Georgia and the lone, soon to be retired D from Utah.

[widget]

There are really 8 Republicans congresscritters from here in California! Knock me over with a feather. I didn't think a CA Republican could aspire to a political position above assistant dogcatcher. Sorry about their vote on though.

[Rich]

Feast on this.

[Mad Scientist]

There are all kinds of republicans in California. They're vastly outnumbered by democrats in LA, San Francisco, and Sacramento, but they can still win seats in districts outside those cities.

[prolefeed]

If you split CA into two states -- one that is everything within 50 miles of the coast, and another that is everything else -- you'd have a deep Blue state and a solidly Red state.

[CE]

There could be a lot more, if California splits into six states:

http://techcrunch.com/2013/12/.....nitiative/

I'm voting for it.

[Spoonman.]

Well, I plan to be registered in Charlie Dent's district in November, and I won't be voting for him.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Yawn, tell me when you register in *Harvey* Dent's district.

[CE]

+2 face

[kinnath]

If I were in charge, I would focus on winning the senate in 2014. If shutting the government down in spring of 2014 doesn't help that, then don't do it now. But absolutely shut the fucking place down in March 2015.

[robc]

OT: Corvette update

They have finally closed the museum. Crazy that they opened it this morning.

One car removed so far.

The 7 remaining include some old ones, one from 1962ish.

They got lucky, it opened at the busiest part of the museum, if it had happened middle of day, there would have been multiple deaths.

[The Late P Brooks]

one from 1962ish.

NOOOOO.

The only Corvette I would consider owning is a '62, because I like the way they look. With massive suspension and brake updates, naturlich.

[Stilgar]

That fucktard King raised the limit to make sure his IRA buddies would still be funded. I try not to despise people but I'll make an exception for him.

[Cytotoxic]

It's a who's-who of cunts.

[Charles Hurst Author]

Why would you be gloating Liberals? We weren't gloating that no one backed Ted Cruz who actually attempted to start the process to address our debt. And we don't gloat at the GOP lately because most of us true conservatives are intellectually honest. We see reality and not anti reason. The liberal? He just mimics manically whatever the Party says whether it is based on rational thought or not.
We have not addressed our financial debacle in this country since the crash of 2008. We just keep pouring money into our problems. What we are is a bucket full of holes--and we keep rushing water in to make the bucket appear full. What we should have done long ago is let the water drain and start over with a new bucket.
We will hit rock bottom. We get to relive 1929. Except people in 1929 had better coping skills. They weren't brought up on entitlement mentality. What happens in today's world when a crisis surfaces?
Katrina.
Picture a nationwide level economic hurricane. And what did the government do? Began martial law. Confiscated guns--for the greater good. I've written about this scenario. It wasn't hard to come up with. All one has to do is look at an infallible reference---history. And we may be at the point of no return where it will be forced to repeat itself.

Charles Hurst. Author of THE SECOND FALL. An offbeat story of Armageddon. And creator of THE RUNNINGWOLF EZINE

[Tony]

None of you has any fucking clue what you believe. First, not raising the debt limit does not result in a government shutdown, it results in defaulting on obligations. Any sane person should be singling out those who voted against raising it as reckless anarchists.

[ThinkThrice]

Thank you Tony! Sheesh - are you guys really beating on Darrell Issa? Have you not watched Congressman Issa tear into the IRS etc. What a great watchdog he is (although I find him excessive most times).

You know who would love for us to shut our government down? The Russians and Chinese! They are probably funding the 'let it shut down' movement. Let's be rational and exact change in a controlled manner please!

500 Billion was our deficit this year, that's pretty good! Under Bush our national debt went from 5 trillion to 11 trillion (it doubled and then some!). Under Obama the debt has gone from 11 trillion to 16 trillion (50% increase). Look, we all agree growing debt is bad, but let's look at the broad picture and not be political, and let us not endanger ourselves! Why don't we just agree to not run a deficit in the near future? We could even push the buck to 2 years from now if that makes the congressman happy. "In two years, the federal government will not run a deficit or else _something_."